Dear Friends

May we all continue to know the peace, courage and stamina of Christ who is alive for ever but with the marks of suffering still on his body!

This month May Broome ceases to beChurchwarden after 6 years, when Tony Kane is admitted to the office by Archdeacon Cherry following his election at our Annual Church Meeting on 10 April. As I said at the Annual Meeting, May is an unusual person in that she combines sensitivity to both God and people with attention to detail. We’re also grateful to Tony for being willing to succeed May not knowing precisely what he has taken on.  And we’re grateful to Graham Lees for continuing as Warden precisely because he now has a clear idea of what is involved!  Thanks are due to Jenny Brisland for many years’ service on the Church Council, some of them also as Child Protection Officer, a position of great responsibility.

Coming events:

8 May, Sunday, 10.30:  Service of Wholeness and Healing

                            5.30 at the Cathedral: Celebration of St George, transferred from Easter Eve – poems including by former Laureate Andrew Motion, and a new jazz  piece: all in searching for a contemporary English identity.

18 May, Wednesday, 7.30 at St Margaret’s, Hollinwood: Archdeacon’s     

     Visitation – obligatory for all Sidespersons, everyone else very welcome.  Alternative dates and venues posted on our church door.

2 June, Thursday, 7.30 at St Thomas’:

     Ascension Day : Holy Communion at St Thomas’, with St Paul’s

          Yours sincerely,

Andrew Dawson

Extracts from A diocesan briefing note for Deanery Synods

                       on the Women Bishops legislation

Oldham West Deanery Synod votes on 24 May as advisory to the Diocesan Synod on 24 September.  St Thomas’ reps on the Deanery Synod are Andrew and Biddy Dawson, Jonathan Shaw and Pam Brocklehurst.

Background

In July 2006, General Synod affirmed the majority view of the House of Bishops that admitting women to the episcopate would be a proper development. It also voted to go forward with drafting legislation to enable women to be ordained to the episcopate while making provision for those who are unable to accept the ministry of women bishops.

In July 2010, General Synod voted in favour of the draft legislation which would be accompanied by a statutory national Code of Practice to be drawn up by the House of Bishops.

Process

The draft legislation has now been referred to the dioceses for approval, and votes must be returned by 14 Nov 2011.  If a majority of dioceses approve, it will return to General Synod for final approval, followed by Parliamentary approval and Royal assent. 

The Motion: “That this Synod approve the proposals embodied in the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure and in draft Amending Canon No.30.”

What does the measure do?

In one sentence the measure provides for the consecration of women bishops as well as priests while providing for those who cannot accept this by means of a code of practice which is not part of the measure.

In more detail the most important clauses are:

Clause 2  imposes a duty on the Diocesan Bishop to make a Diocesan scheme providing for a male bishop to celebrate the sacraments and provide pastoral care when a parish requests this.  It allows but does not require him or her to delegate other aspects of Episcopal ministry to the male bishop. If the Diocesan Bishop does not himself ordain women priests then the scheme must provide for ordination of women in the diocese and the pastoral care of female clergy.

Clause 5  requires the House of Bishops to draw up a Code of Practice.  However the Code of Practice cannot be finalised and approved by General Synod until after the legislation has Royal assent.

Questions:

What are the arguments in favour of women bishops?

Essentially, they are as follows:

Scripture challenges us to see women and men equally created in the image of God, equally called through baptism and equally gifted by the Holy Spirit. The Traditions of the Church are continually developing as the Spirit leads us into new understandings and ways of being Church. Ecumenism is not just about our relationships with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches but also our Protestant brothers and sisters in the Methodist, URC and Baptist Churches who are urging usto take this step. 15 of the 38 provinces in the Anglican Communion now welcome the ministry of women as Bishops. The mission of the Church is being hampered because of how the Church is perceived in its attitudes to women. The House of Bishops needs the complementary gifts and experience that women would bring.

Was the simplest form of legislation, a ‘single clause’ measure, considered?Yes but General Synod voted against it and expressed a strong desire to make some sort of provision for those who cannot accept the ministry of women bishops

Why can some not accept the ministry of women bishops?

Conservative Catholics are unable to accept the sacramental authority of women bishops, because bishops both in the New Testament and in the universal practice of the Church have always been men.  Bishops are the successors of the Twelve Apostles, and represent Jesus in a particular sacramental way.  Today, the majority of Churches which have the order of bishops do not accept women as bishops; this includes the majority of other Anglican Provinces, as well as the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Conservative Evangelicals, submitting to the authority of Scripture, seek to follow a Biblical pattern of complementarity between men and women and the New Testament teaching and practice of male headship in the church.

What difficulties do they have with the proposed provision? Under the present proposals ministers would be required to submit to the authority of the Diocesan Bishop even if day to day Episcopal functions were delegated to a male bishop.This is a major problem for Conservative Evangelicals who could not in conscience submit to a female chief pastor. 

Conservative Catholicscould neither receive the sacramental ministry of male bishops or priests acting under the authority of a female Diocesan Bishop, nor the sacramental ministry of male priests ordained by a female Bishop, because to do so would mean accepting the authority of female bishops.  The draft Measure makes no provision for parishes to receive sacramental ministry in accordance with these convictions; it does not even allow a parish to decline the sacramental ministry of woman priests.      The proposed abolition of the existing arrangements under the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure - Resolutions A and B - and the Act of Synod would be seen as an abandonment of the solemn promises given in 1993 to both Church and Parliament, that the arrangements would remain in force for as long as they were needed.

How many parishes in the Diocese of Manchester does this affect?  In January 2010, of the 269 parishes in the Diocese,Resolution A applied in 32 parishes, Resolution B in 33 and Extended Episcopal ministry by the Bishop of Beverley in 22 parishes.

Conservative Catholics have got the Roman Catholic Ordinariate. Why does the Church of England need to provide anything for them?

Some will go, yes, but many wish to remain loyal Anglicans and the proposed measure, as presently framed, is insufficient to allow them to do so.

Oldham Unity

Many thanks to everyone who supports the work of Oldham Unity through saving carrier bags, egg boxes, giving second hand goods toiletries and food items. They are gratefully received and are really needed as the number of destitute asylum seekers seems to be rising. We are now seeing nearly 70 people each week as opposed to approximately 35 a year ago. The Drop In provides a social time where people can chat to others and usually find someone who speaks their language, a place where advice can be received as well as getting food worth £6.50 each week. Like most people we are finding it harder to balance our books as the cost of food rises. We have recently had to take the decision to reduce the amount of food people can have as it now costs nearly £2,000 each month to fund the project. If anyone can spare an extra can of something in their shopping each week it can be taken to the Drop In to supplement the food we are giving. The foods we need are: tubes of tomato paste, oil, sugar (1Kg), long life semi skimmed milk (1L), long life orange juice, pasta, biscuits and tins of tomatoes, tuna, sardines, chickpeas and fruit.

                                   Biddy Dawson