18 December 2023
The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani has written a Pastoral Letter for Advent 2023
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)
Dear friends,
I write to wish you, your loved ones and the people you serve a blessed and joyful Christmas, and to thank you for your contribution to the life of the Diocese over this past year. As the waiting season of Advent draws to a close and we prepare to receive once again the gift of the Christ child, I hope and pray that amidst all the busyness, each of you will experience the light and peace that we are promised through the coming of our Lord Jesus.
In sending you good wishes for Christmas and the New Year, there are also several updates and items of news that it may be helpful to share with you.
A new Warden of Readers
And I start with some particularly good news which is to announce the appointment of Mrs Caroline Harding as the next Warden of Readers. Caroline has been Acting Warden of Readers since Bishop John left the Diocese and while we have been waiting for the arrival of Bishop Adam who is now the episcopal lead for Lay Ministry. In consultation with him and the Dean of Mission, Ministry and Education, we agreed that it would be more appropriate for the Warden of Readers themselves to be a Licensed Lay Minister and so I’m delighted that Caroline and +Adam will now work closely together to model our partnership as lay and ordained people serving under God. Caroline brings considerable experience to her role as Warden of Readers having been an LLM in the Harlow Deanery since 2015 and our Lay Ministry Adviser since 2020. Please do join me in praying for Caroline as she begins this role.
A conversation about how our churches can be well supported
When we published the document introducing Travelling Well Together earlier this year, I said that we would soon begin a diocese wide conversation that will help us to better understand how we can use the resources God has given us to provide the support most needed by our parishes and worshipping communities. I am grateful to Archdeacon Ruth and others, who have started this work in recent months. An advisory group consisting of people from a wide variety of roles and contexts across our diocese has met several times throughout the autumn to help design and shape the conversation and to explore its scope. In early 2024 we will invite people from across the diocese to participate. Please do visit the diocesan website to find out more.
Living in Love and Faith and forthcoming meetings
You may be aware that a selection of readings and prayers of thanksgiving, dedication and blessing for same sex couples has now formally been commended by the House of Bishops for use in regular public worship or private prayer. The Prayers of Love and Faith have been published together with pastoral guidance which sets out how they can be used. You can view the Church of England press release, the final text of the prayers and the pastoral guidance here. I know that those who have been waiting a long time to be able to offer these prayers will rejoice and I also recognise that there are others who in good conscience are unable to use them. No one should feel pressured to use these prayers and clergy, PCCs and churches should not feel compelled to rush to a decision about whether or not they wish to use them. There is time for us to feel our way and see how the landscape opens up before us. If you would like to hear more about my thoughts on this please read or listen to my recent Presidential Address to Diocesan Synod on 25th November.
Over the past few months, I have met with some individuals and groups of people from across the Diocese who have a range of views on Living in Love and Faith and the decisions that have recently been taken by the House of Bishops and General Synod. For some who want to see equal marriage introduced, the decisions don’t go far enough. For others, a line has already been crossed and we have taken a step too far. I have asked the three Area Bishops, in the coming weeks and months, to find ways of connecting with clergy and laity in their Episcopal Areas and to provide space for conversations to continue in Deanery Synods, Chapters and in whatever ways they think appropriate. On January 31st the Area Bishops and I, together with some other members of the Bishop’s Leadership Team, will be holding a meeting for those clergy who are particularly concerned about the pastoral provision and support that will be provided for ministers and churches that choose not to use the Prayers of Love and Faith and not to bless couples who have entered same-sex civil marriages. We are fully committed to creating a space where all are valued and no one will be forced to act against their conscience. Further details of this meeting and how to register interest will be included in The View early in the New Year.
Harlow Archdeaconry Consultation
Following Archdeacon Vanessa’s retirement as Archdeacon of Harlow at the end of March, we began a process to review the future of the Harlow Archdeaconry. The review is part of our ongoing work on diocesan sustainability and reflects concerns that were raised about central staffing costs during the Parish Share Consultation and elsewhere. I am grateful to Bishop Lynne who has led a steering group to oversee the review process. In July, the steering group met with Area Deans and Lay Chairs from across the Diocese and in September there was an opportunity for lay and ordained leaders in the deaneries most affected to gather. Those meetings have paved the way for a formal consultation process to begin and conclude in the first quarter of 2024. The consultation will involve PCCs in affected deaneries and will test the appetite for an alternative to replacing the Archdeacon of Harlow role by exploring a range of options. Further details will be circulated in the new year. These are difficult decisions and I know there are differing opinions about the best approach. Please do hold all those who are involved in the consultation in your prayers as they discern the best way forward for the parishes and worshipping communities of the Harlow Archdeaconry as well as others who will be affected by any change.
In conclusion
Despite signs to the contrary all around us - wars that continue to rage in the Holy Land and across the world, divisions in the church and challenges in our communities and personal lives - I hope that together we can set our eyes on 2024 with joy and expectation. And so I end by sharing with you words from a recent poem by Malcolm Guite, commissioned together with music by Joanna Marsh, for this year’s Advent Carol Service at St. John’s College, Cambridge.
It’s getting darker, darker all the time
And she is weary and beset with fear
Yet in the darkness of her womb he stirs,
Her tiny hope, the one who is to come.
So on she plods, on past the hostile stares
The checkpoints and the soldiers on the street
Seeking some shelter, somewhere to retreat
And bring to birth the hidden light she bears.
She finds her shelter now and we attend her
Attend this burdened girl who speaks for us,
Whispers to God a broken world’s soft ‘yes,
Come to be born with us, come to find us here.
Outface for us the darkness we can’t face,
Show us the face of Love that casts out fear’.
This comes with the assurance of my prayers, my deep sense of gratitude and with good wishes for a peaceful Christmas and blessed New Year.
Yours,
