[Magdalen] Feast.

[Marion Thompson]

It reflects the missional, church planting craze that is abroad in our 
Diocese these days.  How could we possibly attract new people if we are 
not serving up the same white bread approach as everyone else?  
Unfortunately, there is a powerful and deeply-entrenched group that has 
resisted our switch to being a-c _since the early Sixties_.  They 
virtually drove away our previous priest and his predecessor (in my 
nearly 8 yrs there).  Then they complain because nobody stays more than 
four or five years!  They ran the Food Bank for 13 years (and kudos for 
that although they were pretty unChristian to the users).  Now, probably 
to their surprise,  some others of us have stepped up to the plate and 
have a new good group of volunteers, a number of whom are food bank 
customers themselves and love to be able to give back.  The fact of the 
food bank and our location in a depressed area south of the 401 highway 
has moved us from 'unsustainable' to 'strategic', but even if we were 
full every Sunday there would be little more money in the plate from the 
number of bums in seats.   So HQ's view is that if we are just like the 
four churches north of the highway we will more easily be linked with 
them for financial reasons. That is why we've been issued with this 
wretched man who is doing what he is doing with the bishop's blessing.  
Heigh-ho.

Marion a pilgrim

On 12/28/2015 8:33 PM, Roger Stokes wrote:
> On 29/12/2015 00:50, Marion Thompson wrote:
>> Sadly, the faithful remnant will struggle on, but he is the bishop's 
>> man and he reflects what is her view, that we must change, that there 
>> is no future for niche churches.
>>
>> Marion, a pilgrim
>
> That is unfortunate (to say the least) and is a denial of the breadth 
> of the Anglican tradition.  I note the feminine pronoun in relation to 
> the bishop and wonder whether she wants to shut down any possibility 
> of difference which we are told officially is allowed.
>
> Roger
>