a partner church in the WOLDSBURN benefice
CHURCH AT KIRKBURN
EDITORIAL - JUNE 2007
June 2007
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www.churchatkirkburn,org,uk page 166 (165,167,168) 1 of 4 editorial June ‘07 25 June 2007
Writing an editorial for a magazine such as this is always a chancy business. In part it depends on what happened in the period before going to print and in part about what might happen in the future. It also has to comment on what happened in the past , to mention views expressed, and to speculate or even advise. upon what might or should happen in the future.
The most important thing that has happened in this benefice in the past few weeks is the indisposition of the Rector. At the time of writing it seems he will be back in action in the near future(as we go to print he actually is back and seems to be on form), and for that we should be thankful. John Tallant is a special man and interesting. He is strong willed and doesn’t like opposition and that is no disadvantage because many of us, including your editor, have exactly the same attributes. To attempt to care for the needs of a Parish and a Church such as ours needs more than acquiescence, either from priest or people.. What is more important, at least to your editor. is that John Tallant has an appetite and a gift for pastoral ministry, and for working at that ministry. That gift is lacked by many of his contemporaries. It is a gift that many, including your editor, envies. He is supported by his wife Gina who is a real strength to her husband and also, indirectly to the parish and to the benefice. John Tallant’s appetite for a caring, effective and real parochial ministry, in my view, has not been equalled for many years. He has to handle the affairs of 6 parishes, however, and “the church” has not lacked the ability to add layer upon layer to the administration of our parishes. John Tallant never will be an administrator, he is a real priest. The layers of clerical effort superimposed on him, and also other members of the priesthood, have contributed to the pressures laid upon him. John Tallant doesn’t want to be a manager - his mission is to project an active christianity in our midst. And for that, God bless him
The Quiz night, advertised in our last magazine, was a real success, Our hosts at the Queen’s Head, Kirkburn were excellent and we wish them all success for the future Richard Burdass, as always, we an excellent quizmaster. Richard’s real talent lies in the fact of, firstly, his excellent preparation and, secondly, his ability to choose questions that many could answer but nevertheless were just too difficult for one team to get right in full.. We all felt that we were in with a chance and it was a very enjoyable night. It was part of the social activity of the church, and I, for one, really enjoyed myself. I should add that Jane, Richard’s wife, is a bit of an expert at making flapjack. The ladies provided an excellent supper. but a piece of Jane’s flapjack made my night. May there be many more similar occasions.
This quarter has been very mixed as regards the weather. March was fairly normal but April was unseasonably hot and dry. (what are April showers, anyway ?) It was the hottest and driest April for many years - global warming is here - hold your horses - it doesn’t mean that greenhouse gas is the cause, but the earth certainly is probably in one of its periods of change. It’s happened before and it will happen again. Energy conservation is still worthwhile, however, because whether the earth is warming or not, fossil fuels do not last for ever. Now in mid-May we have had a period of much rain, and as I write (May 15) more is forecast. The other night it bucketed down there must have been at least two inches. I was beginning to think of placing a timber order at Naylor’s
The most important thing that has happened in this benefice in the past few weeks is the indisposition of the Rector. At the time of writing it seems he will be back in action in the near future(as we go to print he actually is back and seems to be on form), and for that we should be thankful. John Tallant is a special man and interesting. He is strong willed and doesn’t like opposition and that is no disadvantage because many of us, including your editor, have exactly the same attributes. To attempt to care for the needs of a Parish and a Church such as ours needs more than acquiescence, either from priest or people.. What is more important, at least to your editor. is that John Tallant has an appetite and a gift for pastoral ministry, and for working at that ministry. That gift is lacked by many of his contemporaries. It is a gift that many, including your editor, envies. He is supported by his wife Gina who is a real strength to her husband and also, indirectly to the parish and to the benefice. John Tallant’s appetite for a caring, effective and real parochial ministry, in my view, has not been equalled for many years. He has to handle the affairs of 6 parishes, however, and “the church” has not lacked the ability to add layer upon layer to the administration of our parishes. John Tallant never will be an administrator, he is a real priest. The layers of clerical effort superimposed on him, and also other members of the priesthood, have contributed to the pressures laid upon him. John Tallant doesn’t want to be a manager -
The Quiz night, advertised in our last magazine, was a real success, Our hosts at the Queen’s Head, Kirkburn were excellent and we wish them all success for the future Richard Burdass, as always, we an excellent quizmaster. Richard’s real talent lies in the fact of, firstly, his excellent preparation and, secondly, his ability to choose questions that many could answer but nevertheless were just too difficult for one team to get right in full.. We all felt that we were in with a chance and it was a very enjoyable night. It was part of the social activity of the church, and I, for one, really enjoyed myself. I should add that Jane, Richard’s wife, is a bit of an expert at making flapjack. The ladies provided an excellent supper. but a piece of Jane’s flapjack made my night. May there be many more similar occasions.
This quarter has been very mixed as regards the weather. March was fairly normal but April was unseasonably hot and dry. (what are April showers, anyway ?) It was the hottest and driest April for many years -