Dear Friends,
Last month I mentioned that I’m starting a two-year part-time
M.A. in Christian Spirituality at Heythrop College, which is part
of the University of London. This month I would like to write in
greater detail about what I will be doing, and how I hope to grow
through it and bring benefit to the parish.
The course will allow me to draw together several strands of my previous
experience and present ministry and it will also provide a source
of refreshment and renewal after eleven years of active parish life.
The first Christian book I ever read as a teenager was “Practising
the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence. This left me with
a continuing interest in discerning God at work in everyday life.
My first degree was
in Psychology and Sociology, and the topic of my dissertation
was the Psychology of Religious Experience.
I researched the personal religious experience of students at three
different types of college in Durham – a secular college
of undergraduate students, an Anglican Theological College and
a Catholic Seminary. My aim was to discover if there were any discernible
similarities or differences between the three groups.
Whilst living overseas in Sri Lanka and Hong Kong, I became interested
in the development of Christian Spirituality in the Asian context.
In particular, I found there was a very fruitful dialogue in the
area of prayer and contemplation.
Also, while I was in Hong Kong I trained with the Hong Kong Christian
Counselling Service based at the Cathedral. Through this I developed
an interest in counselling, integrating the insights of both psychology
and theology.
In the last couple of years I have developed a keen interest in
Christian history and spirituality and how this has been expressed
over the centuries in liturgy and architecture. This has stemmed
from worshipping in our two historic churches – their very
presence invites a journey of exploration to discover the worship
and ministry they have witnessed over the generations. I have also
become interested in our Anglican identity, and the synthesis of
the different strands over the centuries, both Catholic and Reformed,
that have forged our multi-faceted Anglican spiritual heritage.
There are four modules to the M.A. The first is Foundations
for the Study of Christian Spirituality. Spirituality is, in effect,
about the way we hear and live out the Gospel; it is about our
experience of God and the impact this has on our lives. It touches
our thinking, feeling and acting. It involves growing in sensitivity
to ourselves, to others, to creation and to God. There is sense
of journeying into new territory and seeing things from a fresh
perspective. It is about the way we let our relationship with God
be expressed in our attitudes and activity. It lies at the heart
of our worship on Sundays and our times of prayer and Bible reading
during the week, so I hope to bring fresh perspectives to these
areas.
The second module, which I will be studying after Christmas, is
Texts and Themes in English Spirituality. In effect this will allow
me to consolidate the work I have done in preparing the “Living
Stones” and “Living Faith” series of talks. We
will be looking at a whole range of religious writings, from Anglo-Saxon
poems, through medieval treatises on prayer, to the writings of
Anglican divines of the 1500s and 1600s, right up to a modern religious
novel. In particular I’m hoping to use this module as an
opportunity to study some of the most important writers who have
shaped the Anglican Church.
The third module is Patterns of Spiritual Growth and Personal
Transformation.
An area of ministry that I find most fulfilling is the nurture
of faith, in both young people and adults. I really value my involvement
with three primary schools in our parish at which I regularly lead
assemblies. As a governor of both Hartley and Fawkham schools I
am also involved in the discussion of educational theory and practice,
both at a general level with the governing body and at a more detailed
level with the curriculum committees of each school. I also enjoy
being part of the team that leads KATCH on Sunday nights. In terms
of adults, I see Christian education as a vital aspect of ministry,
Sunday by Sunday, and I also seek to run a confirmation group each
year. This part of the M.A. will allow me to reflect on the underlying
principles behind the nurture of faith for both our young people
and adults.
The fourth module is Theory and Practice of Spiritual Direction.
Spiritual direction is an important feature of parish ministry.
It is always a privilege to listen to other people’s journeys
of faith, and through the course I hope to become more effective
in helping people grow in their relationship with God.
Your friend and Rector,
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