Moulton, the village of my birth, was one of the villages where William Carey, known as 'the father of modern mission had been pastor of the Baptist Church before he left England to travel to India. A man of great faith and integrity - an example to us all.
1986: I was a curate at St. Mary's Church, in Alvaston, Derby. This picture was taken shortly after my priesting, with Jeremy my vicar, and his father-in-law, 'Elderpop'. Jeremy was great - he was incredibly tolerant, and let me do anything. This was where I first learned to minister and discover what being a parish priest was all about. Elderpop likewise, was a lovely man - years of wisdom, with a keen sense of humour, greatly loved in the parish.
St Mary's Church, Portchester: a Romanesque church, nestled within the Roman walls of Portchester Castle. I am so old that in my time, all clergy did two curacies. Portchester was a large and lively parish - a great place to be a curate, as well as the basis for my radio days. For four years I was Religious Programmes Adviser on Ocean Sound, and then South Coast Radio, recording and editing Thought for the Day, and many interviews, ranging from church members, charitable events to bishops, and archbishops. My best interview - George Thomas, former speaker of the House of Commons, and also a Methodist Lay-preacher, who spoke with such sincerity. My worst interview - Enoch Powell, who wouldn't give anything away.
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ (Mark 1:9-11)
The John the Baptist window in Brighstone Church. It tells the story of Jesus' baptism very clearly, but I used to love showing this window to school children. The 'blue sock window'. Jesus was baptised whilst wearing blue socks!
Christmas trees have played quite a big part in my life.
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I grew up with Christmas trees on the family farm, and was selling trees straight from the ground every December, from the age when I was old enough to wield a spade. That was every December, until I was ordained, when I could no longer take a holiday in December!
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Then, in 1997, I began the Brighstone Christmas Tree Festival. The aim was simple - invite every organisation to decorate a tree to the theme of their choice. That year we had 30 decorated trees in church, and it has since grown to over 100 trees and is a major Isle of Wight attraction. Ideas for decoration are endless - from the super pretty to those with a message, to the just plain fun and outrageous. Always a happy event. I last visited in 2019.
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Pictured are my father, digging trees on the family farm, and Brighstone church in 2019, showing some of the trees, and the re-ordered church, which was completed on 2004.
St Peter and St Paul, Mottistone, Isle of Wight. One of my favourite windows in one of my favourite churches. The quotation comes from Philippians 4 and offers important advice for Christian living. Purity of mind is the gateway to purity of living.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!
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Palm Sunday in Christ Church, Bangkok.
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May 2024
It's Coronation weekend!
We haven't had a coronation in the UK for 70 years, so this really is a moment of history. How best to mark it? Here is my favourite 'royal' moment - when we celebrated the Platinum Jubilee our our late Queen in June 2022.
Tim Jenks has his 'Brian May' moment - on the roof of St Joseph's Church in Wolverhampton.
Forty years on..... and still dancing!
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We first met at Cranmer Hall in 1982, and now here we are in Whitby in 2023. We've been through a few experiences over the years, but we've gone on meeting, and here's living proof - the jolly vicars are alive and well, and growing old disgracefully.
Enough of me! Here is some of Julie's work. Julie is the artistic part of our relationship. Quite apart from wedding cakes, pottery, decorated cards, and various items of jewellery, she is also an icon "writer". Two of her icons illustrate the story of the wise and fool.ish virgins, and Jesus walking on water. All of her icons have been painting to reflect a lesson that was pertinent to us. The rescue of Peter from the water speaks of how God is always there to lift us up, and give us another chance. The wise and foolish virgins remind us to be ready to listen to God, and do His will.
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And sticking for a while to Julie's artistic skills, here are three of her famous cakes. St Basil's Cathedral was made for my 40th birthday, reflecting my love of churches. No less than 40 separate fruit cakes went into the creation of this; my father's 80th birthday cake, which says quite a lot about Moulton: the church, the bells, the choir, the Christmas trees, the farm; and then the famous Aladdin cake - as her cakes became increasingly ambitious over the years, the family 'joke' was that she would make an Aladdin cake, with flying carpet suspended over the cake, with Julie's response being that she would make it for the birth of the first grandchild born within wedlock. And so the joke became reality, on our first Christmas home from Bangkok - Aladdin standing on the carpet, inviting Jasmine to join him. This cake has something for all the family: Julie made it; Zoe the mother of the baby; Abi, Merry and myself all with happy memories of Shorwell pantomimes. All three cakes 100% edible. Julie's cake skills came into their own in Bangkok. Whilst I just did what vicar's do, Julie became a 'cake art' teacher, enabling Thai ladies to train for a new career.
We spent fifteen happy years in Brighstone. Julie, Abi and Merry all became proficient bellringers. I have always been a bit of a failure with church bells. I have been ringing since Moulton days, never with much success. Handbells was my forte. From school days right up until retirement, I have led handbell teams. But here I am, with Julie, on a visit to Brighstone, 17 years after leaving the parish ringing successfully! Yay! I can still do it.
I spent three years in Durham - a student at Cranmer Hall - the theological college section of St John's College. We lived in the shadow of Durham Cathedral, and here is one of the Cathedral's most recent, and maybe more controversial windows. It could be interpreted a a box of quality street, but in actual fact, it's the Last Supper, as seen from above. Does it add to our understanding of the event? I'm not sure.
Here's Tony, sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. I have been privileged to travel extensively in Israel and to lead several pilgrimages there. No one was more influenced by his visit than Tony. Tony became a real friend in Iver. He had a very profound, but straightforward faith. And he could stand no nonsense. Faith demanded sincerity. And with a reputation as something of a 'bad lad', Tony knew what he had been saved from. Visiting the holy places in Israel had a profound effect upon him. It made his faith real. How sad that the reality of modern day politics makes it impossible for others to make a similar pilgrimage.
And here is another Brighstone picture - the Celtic cross: made by my neighbour, Dennis Courtney, in 1992, one time headteacher at Brighstone. It depicts the instruments of the Passion - it nails, crown of thorns, and the whip. Above is the Chi Ro symbol - a reminder of the salvation that Christ has gained for us. This is a copy of a cross that Dennis made as a consecration gift that the father of Ian Cundy gave to Ian on the occasion of his enthronement as Bishop of Peterborough. Ian was my warden when I studied at Cranmer Hall; I was born and brought up in the diocese of Peterborough; in Brighstone I lived next door to a man who was a personal friend of Ian's father. Strange how life brings together such permutations!
Seven years of serving in Christ Church, Bangkok, had a profound effect upon me. After serving as a vicar in the UK for most of my adult life, the church in Bangkok enlarged my vision of the Kingdom of God. The church was truly international, and it opened my eyes to what God is doing across the globe. Christianity is a global faith, and as members of God's family, we are, first and foremost, citizens of God's Kingdom. I was struck, one Sunday morning, whilst administering Communion. Standing in a row in front of me was a national ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand, an urban refugee, an Indonesian student, a Nigerian businessman, an American missionary, a British teacher, a Thai convert to Christianity. Such a huge variety of culture and ethnicity, of life-experience and expectation, and yet, all are one of Christ Jesus. All are equal members of God's kingdom. This picture expresses ministry in an international church. A study group with: an Indonesian, a Philippine, a Sri Lankan, a Pakistani, a Nigerian, me, an American, a Thai, a Scot. And to baptise was a privilege - so many young adults, coming to faith from different backgrounds, and expressing a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. What a privilege to serve such an eclectic group of Christians!
