THE ELECTION

Today the electorate of the USA go to the polls to elect their next President. Will it be the present President Barack Obama or contender Mitt Romney? Some opinion polls record that they are running neck to neck and that the result is too close to call whilst other say that Obama is slightly ahead. We will know the result in the next 24 hours or so. There are 11 swing states which could go either way, with the three holding the most electoral college votes being Florida (29), Pennsylvania (20) and Ohio (18)

Who ever is elected faces a mammoth task as President of one of. if not the, most powerful nations on earth. At the same time, all the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate is also up for election.

Who ever wins it is important for the UK due to the close ties we have with the USA and it is for this reason that just lately we have had at least half of the News Programmes devoted to what is happening in America. I, for one, will be mighty glad when the result is announced and we can get back to hearing what else is happening in the UK and the rest of the world. When the dust has settled, when the new President has been announced and he is sworn in either for a final four year term or for a new four year term, please keep him in your prayers as he undertakes this mind boggling job.

ON A BEAR HUNT!

Yesterday evening Ann and I were just finishing dinner when the phone rang. On the line was a distressed daughter. It seemed that our granddaughter had lost her bear named Sally and the thought was it had probably been left in church. A quick phone call to Father Martin and he proceeded to search the church, the church grounds and the church car park. Nothing found. We kept getting increasingly tearful phone calls; my granddaughter would not settle until Sally was found.

In something like sheer desperation, we decided to go and do another search at church although I was convinced that Sally Bear was at R & S’s house somewhere. We did another extensive search of church, grounds, car park, toilets, play area, etc.etc. but we found no bear. We were very grateful to Father Martin who, having already undertaken one comprehensive search, came and did another with us. We had several phone calls during the proceedings from a daughter who by now was totally convinced that Sally Bear would never be found. Being the sympathetic parents and grandparents that we are, we decided that we would go to their house, as I remained convinced the bear was there, hiding somewhere.

When we arrived we found two distressed parents and one distressed granddaughter – the other being fast asleep. We had a quick look round but saw nothing remotely like Sally Bear. We sat and talked, comforted our granddaughter and then R decided to tidy up. She opened a box to put away a toy and there in the box was ………………you guessed………………….Sally Bear. How she got in the box nobody knew (or at least admitted). My granddaughter went to bed tightly cuddling her bear whilst R & S and Ann collapsed in a flood of tears of relief. The bear that was lost had been found!

We quickly phoned and told Father Martin the good news and then returned home to do the washing up we had left when we went out. What a perfect end to the day!

NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE

The following Press Release was issued by GRAS in October and demonstrates quite clearly that if the legislation is passed for women to be consecrated as Bishops, Catholics will no longer be welcome as part of the Church of England by the supporters of GRAS. But this is nothing new; it has always been the case that Catholics are neither wanted nor will be able to continue as ordinands;  they will be required to assert that which no true Catholic believes that women can be both priests or bishops if GRAS obtains its objectives.

THE GRAS PRESS RELEASE

The l993 Act of Synod should be rescinded as a precondition of new legislation.

A single enabling Measure to give clarity and affirmation to women’s full and equal status in all three orders of ministry. The legislation must be unconditional, with no discriminatory provisions.

A Code of Practice designed to recognise that there are essential elements of trust which need to be restored. The integrity and authority of the episcopate must be restored through the assignment of trust in each diocesan bishop, who should be responsible for provisions judged to be right for any in his or her care.

A commitment that, since the Church has accepted the principle of the orders of women as priests and bishops, in future all those being ordained should openly accept those orders as valid in accordance with the existing ecclesiastical rule (Canon A4).

The statement shows very clearly that a Code of Practice, to quote that old cliché, is not fit for purpose. The Bishops Amended clause (5) 1(c) has inserted the word “respect” and it now reads that the Code should cover "the selection of male bishops and male priests in a manner which respects the grounds on which Parochial Church Councils issue Letters of Request under section 3". The only way a Bishop’s decision can be challenged under this legislation will be by means of a Judicial Review which most parishes won’t be able to afford.

GRAS states that “the integrity………..of the episcopate must be restored through the assignment of trust in each diocesan bishop”. It is a sad but well acknowledged fact that some of our Bishops have done everything they can to undo Resolutions passed under the Act of Synod when parishes have become vacant and this despite the fact that it was against the ethos of the Act of Synod for them to do so. Where was the “integrity” in that. Are they going to change their ways now? I doubt it. Of course not every bishop has acted in this way but some have and I suspect that in the future, unless there is water tight legal protection they will not hesitate to do so again. The present legislation is not fit for purpose and must be defeated.

BIBLE WEEK AT THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM

Ann and I have been in Walsingham from Monday to Friday on the second Bible Week, which has replaced the conferences which were held for a number of years first at Caister and then at Pakefield Holiday Camps. Our accommodation was in the Milner Wing which is excellent and en suite. After breakfast, we met in Walsingham Roman Catholic Church for the Keynote Address. The week was based on St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. On Tuesday a really first class address was given  by Bishop John Taylor who, until he retired, was Bishop of St. Albans.On Wednesday and Thursday they were given by Bishop Lindsay Urwin OGS. Each afternoon there were optional seminars and then at 5.45 p.m. there was  Solemn Mass in the Shrine Church.

The food, the choice, the quality and quantity served in the Refectory is excellent and we were offered three cooked meals a day with an alternative of the Salad Bar at lunch and dinner.

Every evening, after dinner there was a different service and these included The Ministry of Healing and Songs of Praise. It is intended to make these weeks an annual event. This year all the Shrine Accommodation was used plus some of the accommodation at the RC accommodation building. There were around 220 people present for a truly wonderful week.

JAZZED UP HYMN TUNES!

On Sunday’s I usually listen to the Morning Service on Radio 4 at 8.10 a.m. and the quality of both words and music is quite variable. Today the hymn “Be thou my vision” was sung to the beautiful Irish Tune Slane except it wasn’t beautiful at all the way it had been arranged. Who ever arranged it had set Slane to a South American type beat which I thought it was absolutely dreadful. Why do people feel they have to do this sort of thing with classical hymn tunes; it is totally unnecessary. It does nothing to enhance worship; quite the reverse in my opinion, it totally ruins it. Although I personally don’t like many of the modern worship songs, I suppose that they can be rendered that way – most of them are doggerel sung to music which has little, if any, musical merit anyway. 

NOT THE MESSIAH (He’s a very naughty boy)

As part of their fund-raising to preserve the Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford they are presenting yesterday and today the oratorio “Not the Messiah” by permission and with the encouragement of Eric Idle. The five soloists, the choir and symphony orchestra have all given the services totally without charge in support of the effort the theatre are making to compensate for the loss of the council grant which I understand amounts to £50,000.

Ann and I went yesterday evening and we both thoroughly enjoyed this magnificent production which was originally staged in the Hollywood Bowl and later at the Royal Albert Hall. It’s very funny as well as being very entertaining. The final number is “Always look on the bright side of life” which the audience are invited to sing along and which they did with gusto.

The Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford is a beautiful small theatre which caters for both professional and amateur productions. The highlight every year is the pantomime which runs for several weeks and which this years is Cinderella.

Whilst I understand that the Council have to make cutbacks during this difficult economic time I would hate to see this theatre close because of it. As someone remarked to me; “the developers are there waiting with their cheque books”. It would be a real shame if Ilford/Borough of Redbridge lost live theatre. Its achievements were  brought home to us when we learnt that everybody appearing had been nurtured in this theatre. Can Redbridge afford to loose such a wonderful asset.

HICKORY, DICORY, DOCK

One of the twice a year rituals I really dislike are putting the clocks forward in the spring and putting them back in the Autumn. We have a lot of clocks! I have never understood why we can’t have a time zone and leave it alone; I’ve heard the arguments that it is,supposedly, to please/help the farmers in Scotland, and else where, but please what on earth has that to do with the rest of us. Surely, for farmers et al, it’s just a matter of going to bed earlier/getting up earlier which need not effect the rest of us. By putting the clocks back we make the evenings darker a lot earlier……..why do we want to do that?

Next year the clocks go forward on the 31st March

They go back on the 27th October

In 2014 they go forward on the 30th March and back on the 26th October.

BUT JUST TO REMIND YOU THIS YEAR THEY GO BACK  ON 28TH OCTOBER