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T H E
E U R O P E A NA N G L I CA N
F R E E N o . 3 6
W I N T E R 2 0 0 7
G O D LY P L AY :C H I L D R E N ’ S
P R O J E C T I N
M A D R I D
E U R O S , S T E R L I N G
A N D M O R E : M A K I N G T H E
M O S T O F O U R
M O N E Y
T H E C O I N S
C R Y O U T : R O M A N - T I C
E U R O S TO R Y
T W O W E D D I N G S
I N C O R F U : M A K I N G T H E
D I F F E R E N C E
S T A L B A N ’ S
C H A L L E N G E : F R O M D E N M A R K
TO H E R T S
T W O W E D D I N G S I N C O R F U
The Bishop of Gibraltar in EuropeThe Rt Revd Geoffrey RowellBishop’s Lodge, Church Road,Worth, Crawley RH10 7RTTel: +44 (0) 1293 883051Fax: +44 (0) 1293 884479Email:bishop@dioceseineurope. org.uk
The Suffragan BishopThe Rt Revd David HamidPostal address: Diocesan OfficeTel: +44 (0) 207 898 1160Email:[email protected]. org.uk
The Diocesan Office14 Tufton Street, London,SW1P 3QZTel: +44 (0) 207 898 1155Fax: +44 (0) 207 898 1166Email: [email protected]
Diocesan SecretaryMr Adrian Mumford
Assistant Diocesan SecretaryMrs Jeanne French
Finance OfficerMr Nick Wraight
The Cathedral of the HolyTrinity, GibraltarDean:The Very Revd Alan Woods
Diocesan Websitewww.europe.anglican.org
Editor and DiocesanCommunications OfficerThe Revd. Paul NeedlePostal address: Diocesan officeEmail:[email protected]: 0034 662 482 944
DesignAdept Design, Norwich
PrinterNorwich Colour Print
DistributionCoDEStorm plc
Cover photo: As Christmasapproaches churches all over Europe will be celebrating – like thecongregation pictured here at LaCôte near Geneva in Switzerland -often using the Christingle - thoughtto have been first used in theGerman town of Marienborn in 1747.
T H E
E U R O P E A NA N G L I C A N T W O
W E D D I N G S , & S W I M
A N D A D I V E
2
In his St Albans sermon, excerpts are to be found on page 14, Mark Oakley quotes the poem saidto have been written by a bishop as his epitaph.Tell my priests when I am gone o´er me to shedno tears. For I shall be no deader then than theyhave been for years.This edition of the European Anglican contraststhat pessimism with glimpses of a lively, happydiocese on the move. This selection of picturesand stories illustrates an action packed fewmonths in our churches.
Wedding Blessings at Holy TrinityCorfu have taken on something ofa showbiz touch this year. For the
wedding of Karl Taylor and MariaKatehis, from Croydon in August
a Scottish piper preceded thechaplain and the couple from the
bride's hotel to the church.
In September Tom Hunt and LucyHutchings, from Pimlico, had theirwedding blessing high up on the slopesof Mount Pantocrator, Corfu's highestmountain. The setting was the newlyrestored Greek 'deserted village' ofRou with stunning views southwardsover Corfu island and across to themountains of Albania.
Next year St. Mary's ChurchRotterdam will celebrate its 300th
Anniversary. An Anniversary Fundhas begun to fund the festivities andrestore our Bell Tower and wroughtiron church fence dating from 1913.
One Sunday in September thechaplain Rev Steve Axtell climbed theEuromast in Rotterdam then abseiled
100 metres down and raised € 528.
3M A J O R C A N S W I M A N D A N N I V E R S A R Y A B S E I L
Seven swimmers from St. Andrew’s Mallorca,completed a sponsoredswim across the bay inPuerto Pollensa. Takingpart was the AssistantChaplain, the ReverendMichael Redfearn, whoswam part of the way,and Gift Aid Secretary,May Battersby, whoswam the wholedistance. “I felt perfectlyok afterwards” said May“and I didn’t even feelstiff the following day.”The event raised over1,600 € for ChurchFunds and a localNursing Home.
4 B I S H O P ’ S T R A V E L J O U R N A L S
Every so often in my considerabletravelling as Bishop in Europe thereare unique visits with experienceswhich ought to be shared. Septemberprovided such a sequence.
At the beginning of the month Iwas in Romania as one of theChurch of England delegates to thethird European Ecumenical Assemblyat Sibiu. Following the two earlierassemblies at Basel (a largelyProtestant context) and Graz (alargely Catholic context) some twothousand delegates met in thebeautiful Transylvanian town of Sibiu,in Orthodox Romania but with aGerman Protestant heritage as well.Organised by the Conference ofEuropean Churches and theEuropean Catholic Bishops’Conferences it was important as asymbolic meeting of Christians fromall traditions across the spectrum ofEurope.The theme was ‘the Light ofChrist shines on all.’ Many importantand challenging addresses were
5F R O M R O M A N I A T O L E B A N O N
B I S H O P ’ S M O V E SWhen a school pupil was asked what they knew about a bishop the reply was “He movesdiagonally across the chessboard!” Our Diocesan Bishop has been moving in all directionsacross Europe during the Autumn and writes about his visits and meetings.
delivered, from the EcumenicalPatriarch Bartholomew with hisconcern for care for creation, toCardinal Kasper on the unity of thechurch, and social challenges fromthe San Egidio community andothers. President Barroso of theEuropean Union accepted aninvitation to speak about theinvolvement of the churches andother faith communities in theEuropean project. It is these greatgatherings which enable suchinvitations to be issued and accepted,so that Europe’s Christian andreligious heritage is not air-brushedout of what becomes a union ofeconomic and political arrangements.The worship of the Orthodoxchurch reminded us that at the heartof our Christian lives is always theworship and praise of God, whomJesus called us to love with all ourheart and mind and soul andstrength.Without the grace and lifethat flows from that we cannot love
as neighbours as ourselves.Later in the month I was part of
the delegation accompanying theArchbishop of Canterbury on officialvisits to Armenia, Syria and Lebanon.We have had long and close relationswith the Armenian church and werewarmly welcomed by CatholicosKarekin, the young and dynamichead of the Church. Following thecollapse of the Soviet Union andtherefore independence for Armenia,the Armenian church, which looksback more than 1700 years to theconversion of King Tiridates by StGregory the Illuminator makingArmenia the first Christian nation,there are enormous challenges inmission and ministry.As a darkbackground there is the memory ofthe Armenian ‘genocide’, the terriblemassacres and ethnic cleansing at thetime of the First World War when theArmenian population of what is noweastern Turkey were slaughtered andexpelled from their ancienthomeland. One of the most movingmoments of the Archbishop’s visitwas the laying of a wreath andprayers at the memorial to theArmenian genocide on a hill on theoutskirts of Yerevan.A torch was litfrom the eternal flame by a grand-daughter of one of the Armenianvictims, together with a man fromDarfur where similar terrible eventsare also unfolding.A visit to thegenocide museum with its harrowingphotographs and memories is areminder that history needs to beremembered before there can bereconciliation – something that wasalso apparent in Syria, where theArchbishop met three hundredChristian refugees from Iraq, and inLebanon where he spent time withPalestinian refugees, still asylumseekers without full rights or properprovision of medical care.
The Armenian church has beenactive in such ventures as buying upproperties that were formerly centres
for the Communist Young Pioneers.In one we saw church-sponsoredteaching of arts and crafts and otherskills, as well as a superblyprofessional display of acrobatics anddancing by enthusiastic youngpeople. Health and safety would havetrembled but the vitality wasstunning.Another visit was to aprison, where the church has beguna prison chaplaincy, forbidden undercommunism.The Catholicosquestioned a young woman prisonerwith her seven year old daughter,and vowed to use all his influence toget her sentence commuted, as it waswrong for a child to be brought upin such circumstances. From theprison we went to a seminary on theshores of Lake Sevan. Recentlyfounded and opened, it has already afull complement of young ordinands.The Dean spent some time atMirfield, a clear indication of thevalue of these ecumenical exchanges.The haunting music of theArmenian liturgy and the plangentbells of the Mother Church ofEtchmiadzin echoed in our mindsand hearts as we left for Syria and Lebanon.
In Syria we were in anothercontext – a country where theMuslim majority and the Christianminority enjoy an excellentrelationship.This was symbolised on
our first evening where an Iftar (themeal which breaks the daily fast ofRamadan) was hosted by theChristian leaders of Damascus for theGrand Mufti and the Muslim leaders.On our second day it was theMuslim leaders who hosted a similarIftar for the Christians.The GrandMufti is concerned to stress thecommon inheritance of theAbrahamic faiths – Judaism, Islam andChristianity.The Christian leadersunderlined the freedom that theChristian community had.ThePresident of Syria, Bashir Assad, withwhom the Archbishop had an hour’sconversation, stressed that althoughSyria was a secular country, that didnot mean secularism – it was rather a framework for the differentcommunities of faith to have theirfreedom of worship and education, aframework in which confessionalopposition needed to be put to oneside.There are some very good storiesto be told about Syria as a countrywhich is committed to this kind ofreligious freedom, and which haswelcomed many refugees.
From Syria to Lebanon, stillsuffering from the results of therecent conflicts, as bombed outbuildings in Beirut made clear, wherea different history and culture hasmeant that politics are confessional.The unresolved Israeli-Palestinianissue leaves its marks here aseverywhere you go in the MiddleEast.The ethnic cleansing that waspart of the coming into being of thestate of Israel is also something whichwill in the end have to be faced, as arecent book by an Israeli historian,Ilan Pappe, makes clear.TheArchbishop was able to meet with theChristian leaders of Lebanon and theSunni and Shia leaders, as well as leada seminar on inter-faith dialogue – areminder of how blessed we are in anArchbishop who is able to do suchthings from a depth of learning and spirituality.
From Beirut I went to Bucharestto represent the Archbishop at theenthronement of the new RomanianPatriarch, Daniel. On my visit in JuneI had met his predecessor,Teoctist,who, still vigorous at the age of 93,had reminded me of the long andclose relations between the Churchof England and the Romanian
Orthodox Church, and the fact thatthey had recognised Anglican orders.Patriarch Daniel is a Christian leaderof considerable dynamism who hasalready contributed much to theecumenical movement and to theOrthodox Church in Romania. It wasgood to be there to welcome him on behalf of the Archbishop at thebeginning of his ministry as Patriarch,and to be present in the formerRomanian Parliament building, nowused by the church, where a greatfresco of the Resurrection faces thehorseshoe assembly hall where once a hammer and sickle or a symbol ofNicolae Ceacescu must once havebeen – a reminder that the Gospel of the resurrection endures and triumphs over dark and seeminglyintractable political systems.
The Diocese in Europe has itsunique part to play in the life of thechurch in Europe and beyond.Visitssuch as those I have described arespots of time when we can see a little of what God is about in ourworld today, as there are surely spotsof time in every congregation andchaplaincy, and indeed personalChristian life, when we see and know a little more of the life of theSpirit in the Church. Be encouraged,go on being encouraged by God,and encourage others in the way of Christ.
Above: Bishop Geoffrey with the Catholicos Karekin and the Archbishop ofCanterbury at the sacred flame memorial in memory of Armenian Genocide.Right: Bishop Geoffrey meets the Grand Mufti of Syria in Damascus.
6 Y O U N G M I N D S D I S C O V E R B I B L E T R U T H S 7F O C U S O N F I N A N C E S
At St. George’s in Madrid we arestarting our third year of an excitingchildren’s education program calledGodly Play, which is what its founderFr. Jerome Berryman, an Episcopalpriest and Director of the Center for the Theology of Childhood inHouston, calls his interpretation ofMontessori religious education. Webelieve that through Godly Play wehave seen God’s hands shaping this program.
Each Godly Play session involvestwo adults: a doorkeeper and astoryteller. The children are greeted
This is a common introduction to atelephone call to which my responseis “You are speaking to him!”Around 60% of my time is spent onchaplaincy financial matters and thebalance on diocesan fiscal affairs. Togive some idea of the turnover ofwork that crosses my desk in 2006 Ireceived 5,000 e-mails; made 1,100payments out; received 1,300 chequesand other inward payments; received2,000 pledged Gift Aid donationsdirect to the diocesan bank accountas well as another 800 receipts and allcontained on 310 pages of bankstatements.
Tasks carried out on behalf ofchaplaincies include the paying ofbills and expenses. The looking afterof Gift Aid donations on behalf ofchaplaincies, amounting to £328k in2006 and including £72k ofreclaimed tax; contacting donorswhere Banker’s Orders in connectionwith Gift Aid Pledges expire and
Funding ministry andmaintaining buildings arecommon topics in churcheseverywhere. Although manycongregations in the dioceseshare or rent buildings and arespared the direct cost of theirupkeep we all share thefinancial burden through theCommon Fund payments.Introducing our special featureon how we control our costsand plan budgets for futuregrowth Finance Officer NickWraight explains what hiswork involves and how churchesacross Europe contribute.
Kendall Brees, Coordinatorof Children’s Ministry at St.George’s Anglican Church,Madrid, writes about anexciting education initiativefor youngsters.
chase up pledged gifts not received.Additionally, I send out quarterlyclergy pension contribution requeststo 60 or so chaplaincies, ensuring thefunds come in and then pass themoney on to the ‘Church of EnglandPensions Board’. In effect, I act asthe chaplaincies’ Sterling banker: nocharge is made for the service.
For the Diocesan Office I pay billsand expenses and look afterinvestment income. The comparisonof chaplaincies’“Standard Accounts”summary sheet to the AnnualChaplaincy “IndependentlyExamined”Accounts to ensure anequitable annual Common Fundcalculation. There is much financialreporting carried out for theDiocesan Board of Finance, CharityCommissioners,Archbishops’ Councilalong with many pieces ofinformation for this office and
elsewhere in thediocese. A major part ofmy job is answeringgeneral queries andenquiries from withinand outside the diocese.
From a diocesanpoint of view, we could not functionwithout the receipt from chaplainciesof Common Fund each year. Theannual diocesan budget is set,including the total Common Fundcontribution for the next calendaryear, at the autumn meeting of theDiocesan Board of Finance heldduring Bishop’s Council; the detailedcalculation for each chaplaincy occurssoon after and when all chaplaincieshave sent in copies of their annualaccounts and Statistics for MissionReturn. For 2006 the total diocesanCommon Fund amounted to £307kthat was substantially used in thepaying of Chaplaincy Grants (£43k);Archdeacons’ Grants (£49k);TrainingDepartment (£47k); DiocesanPublications, including The EuropeanAnglican, Diocesan Yearbook andDirectory of Chaplaincies (£33k);Communications (£16k); CentralChurch contribution (£47k) andSynodical Government expenses (£42k).
May I speak tothe diocesanFinanceDepartment?
G O D LY P L AY I N T H E
H E A R T O F S PA I Nby the doorkeeper and enter thesacred space (the classroom). Thedoorkeeper is essential to setting thetone as the children enter the session.Then the children prepare themselvesto experience a sacred story, liturgicalaction, or a parable told by thestoryteller. They respond as a group
then individually to the story inwriting, or using the hands-onmaterials.We collectively pray andprepare a feast to share.
The power in Godly Play comesthrough children entering into theBible stories. In a discovery way oflearning, the materials we use arecarefully chosen to facilitate this:wooden figures which fit in a child’shand, an ark made of beautifulwoods, images of Christ mounted onwooden plaques.The whole child isengaged – hands, hearts, minds,intuition and senses.
At St George’s we are blessed witha supportive priest and churchcouncil. Everything we needed(within reason) has been granted.Our project did not involve hugeexpenditures and our needs werefully met by church funds, directdonations and small sales. We are alsoblessed with a dedicated team oftrained people teaching andsupporting the effort. Our GodlyPlay team spent countless hourspreparing materials, learning stories,and getting our sacred space ready.
In 2004, when Fr. Ian HutchinsonCervantes arrived as Chaplain of St.
Resource and ContactInformation
The official websites are:GodlyPlay.org.ukAND GodlyPlay.org
Our websitewww.stgeorgesmadrid.com – or [email protected]
Recommended reading:The Complete Guide to Godly Play:Volumes 1-6, Jerome W. BerrymanYoung Children and Worship, SoniaStewart and Jerome W. Berryman
George’s, he had recently attended a oneday workshop on Godly Play in Londonwith his wife, Raffaella. I had previouslylearned about Godly Play at anEpiscopal Church in Virginia Beach,USA, and we were helped by DavidPrichard, a certified Godly Play trainerliving in Madrid, who presented a
workshop shared with members of othercongregations in Madrid.
Before each class in the church hallwe set out the rugs, materials andstories. Class sizes vary from five totwenty-one children, and ages from 3 to12.We started with the Parable stories,using the materials we made at thetraining workshop, then focused onAdvent, Lent and Easter. We have fivededicated teachers sharing theresponsibilities. In an expatriatecommunity like Madrid, where peopleand families move in and outthroughout the year, we have beenfortunate to have such a devoted groupof teachers.
Last year the church was renovatingthe crypt - a damp and dark space usedfor storage. Our contractor did such aphenomenal job, additional space wascleared for a dedicated Godly Playclassroom.We were able to use our newroom by October of 2006. Preparingfor class now simply entailed openingthe door and turning on the lights!
That Autumn we also brought in newstories and materials. We ordered moreof the core Old Testament stories for theautumn of 2006. In the spring of 2007we were able to add “Jonah, the
Backward Prophet”, and “The GoodShepherd and the World Communion”,a story that ties Jesus to the reason wecelebrate Holy Communion. We have also continued to expand ourteachers’ knowledge of the Godly Playmethod. Two were fortunate to attend a three day, intensive Godly Play training course in England in Junethis year.
In September we opened a secondclassroom to offer separate classes for 3-7 year olds and those 8 and older.Our roster of storytellers has grown toseven, and we have five doorkeepers.We are not a large congregation, but we have such interest because theparents have seen how their children
respond to this program.They want tocome to church!
While our program grows andevolves, we want both children andadults to experience the mystery ofGodly Play. Our quest continues. In theautumn of next year Madrid will host aEuropean Godly Play Conferencewhere we hope to share.
A range ofactivities andaction for theyoungsters inMadrid.
C O M M O N S E N S E O N
T H E C O M M O N F U N D
“Spain is still
a top holiday travel
destination for
Britons”
“There’s an eagle
eye view from the
Jungfrau summit”
The Diocese in Europe owns very fewbuildings – either churches or a smallnumber of clergy houses and officeproperties. The few which are owned mustbe maintained. A few churches are givengrants to help congregations keep them intheir best condition.
We are grateful forpeople whoremember us withgenerous legaciesand gifts to helpspecial projects anddevelop sustainableministry in thediocese.
Each Sunday across the dioceseworship is held in English,French, Arabic, Tamil, Turkishand other languages reflectingthe diversity of Pentecost andthe diocesan global family.
The diocese is working to cut carbonemissions and become greener,although travel within Europe isessential for many for visits andadministration. Travel costs – andmodes of transport – are regularly keptunder review.
In our fast growing diocese withmany different expressions ofchurch, training of Clergy,Readers and Lay Assistants canbe costly – but encouragingshared ministry is essential.
Mission and development grants aregiven to assist the rapidly developingchurches and congregations acrossEurope. Local initiatives areencouraged and helped with fundinguntil they can support their ownpriests. New congregations have beenstarted in Finland, France, Italy, Spain.
Our publications, displays, reportsand the diocesan yearbook help toraise awareness of our work inEurope. The European Anglicanmagazine reports the activities of our270 congregations. Our website,static displays and videopresentations give more informationabout the Diocese.
A small but dedicatedadministration team in theDiocesan Office supports theflow of information around thecongregations and clergy inthe 45 countries where wework. We have the smallestdiocesan administrationteams of the 44 dioceses inthe Church of England.
Our Diocesan and Suffragan bishops arefunded directly by the Church Commissionersin the UK not from the diocesan budget.They travel thousands of miles each year tosupport churches and congregations.
Children’s hopes, dreams and faith areencouraged in our churches. Our ChildProtection team monitor checks oneveryone working with youngsters andvulnerable people so that the children’s and youth work can flourish across the 9 time zones of the diocese.
The Ministry Team encouragesvocations, training and Post Ordinationassistance for new clergy, Readers andlay workers who work alongside our140 licensed clergy in Europe. In 2006there were six ordinations to thepriesthood in the diocese.
On a much smaller scale thanthe EC, church government isimportant in the Diocese inEurope. Annual milestonesinclude a residential DiocesanSynod, meeting of Bishop’scouncil and meetings of eachArchdeaconry Synod. These allneed to be servicedadministratively and involvetravel and other costs toensure that the dioceseoperates efficiently.
Our DiocesanRegistrar andChancellor keepan overall view ofthe legal affairsof the dioceseand ensure itssmooth running.
“Brussels – at the
heart of the European
Community!”
“The Blue Danube
flows through
Austria”W H AT H A S T H E
D I O C E S E I N E U R O P E
E V E R D O N E F O R U S ?Where the money went in 2006
“Saint Paul preached
here!”
“Our fjords and
mountains leave
lasting memories for
the visitor”
“Moscow’s
architecture is
renowned throughout
the world”
“Young churches
of the New
Testament flourished
here”
“Mon dieu – une
autre eglise
Anglicane ici?”
“The Pope lives
here!”
“Santa Claus
welcomes youngsters
to Lapland!”
“What Diocese in
Europe?”
8 9
Janus is the Roman god of gatesand doors, beginnings and endings,and hence represented with a double-faced head, each looking in oppositedirections. He was worshipped at thebeginning of the harvest time,planting, marriage, birth, and othertypes of beginnings, especially thebeginnings of important events in aperson's life. Janus also represents thetransition between primitive life andcivilization, between the countrysideand the city, peace and war, and thegrowing-up of young people. Thisgod was one of the earliest to befound on the early RomanRepublican coinage. This coin wasminted in Italy.
Julian II, (360-363 ad), a relative ofConstantine the Great, attempted torestore the old pagan gods of Romeduring a time when Christianity wasgaining influence in the Empire. Hewas particularly devoted to the cultof Mithras, which the bullrepresented. The coin shown wasminted in what is today Turkey.
1 0 N U M I S M A T I C H I S T O R Y T R A I L 1 1D E N A R I U S O R E U R O – F A I R E X C H A N G E ?
O N A R O M A N A D V E N T U R E
T H R O U G H T H E D I O C E S E I N E U R O P E
By the Revd CanonHowell Sasser
My love affair withEurope and its long andcolourful history beganmore than fifty years agowhen I happened to find
a small Roman copper coin in apurchase of some old foreign coins Ihad received. That small Romancoin was the start of a wonderfuladventure that has lasted my entirelife. It has been my joy and privilegeover the past fifty-five years to collectand study the coinage of the RomanEmpire and living and working inthe Diocese in Europe has affordedme the rare opportunity to visitmany of the ancient sites associatedwith the coins in my collection.
Many people may not realize itbut the Diocese in Europeencompasses most of the territory ofthe Western Roman Empire and agood portion of the Eastern RomanEmpire as well.
During its long history, theRoman Empire operated some 27mints located in all parts of theknown world, stretching fromLondon in the far west to Antioch inthe East and from Carthage in thesouth to Trier and Cologne inRoman controlled Germany. In factthere were mints all over the place:Atleast two in the UK, three in Gaul(now France), two in Germany, six inItaly, one in Croatia, one in Serbia,one in Bulgaria, one in Greece, andfour in Turkey. There were also mintsat Carthage,Alexandria,Tripolis,Antioch, and even one at Barcelona(Barcino) for a short period in thefifth century. These were theimperial mints of the Roman Empireminting the official gold, silver andcopper coinage but there were alsoquite a few local or colonial mintsthat produced small coppers for usein some remote locations.
There are people around who willhonestly believe that the Euro, thecommon European currency, issomething new and innovative. Notso! The first truly common currencyfor what is now Europe was issued
by Rome. The first commoncurrency for Europe was the Romangold, silver and copper coinage thatcirculated throughout the empire. Inmany ways what the Euro is toEurope today was what the Denariuswas to Europe nearly two thousandyears ago. The Denarius, a smallsilver coin was to be found in everypart of the empire and is evenbelieved to be mentioned in theBible as the tribute money in Luke20:24. That coin was quite possiblythe coin shown here, a Denarius ofthe Emperor Tiberius. In the Greektext of the Gospel of Luke, the coinis referred to as a ,a Denarius.
An important and interesting facet of the Roman Imperial coinagewas its use to convey social, political,religious and cultural messages to thepeople of the empire. In the earlydays of the empire the theme on thereverse side of coins often promotedreligious and social values.The coinsshown below are good examples ofthat policy. The top coin was mintedat Lyon.
The message conveyed sometimesdealt with serious political andeconomic issues such as the grainsupply for Rome from its NorthAfrican colonies and the hope thatpeace would be maintained in theEmpire. The two coins shown belowcarry such messages. One shows thealtar at Lyon the other the god Neptune.
The top coin is a copperDepondius of the Emperor Vespasian,showing a winged Victory carrying ashield on which is written SPQR –“The Senate and People of Rome”.It is the emperor and Senate whobring peace to Rome. The bottomcoin is a copper Sestertius of theEmperor Nero. The reverse sends animportant political and economicmessage to the people of Rome. Thecoin, dated to A.D. 64-66, shows aseated Ceres; she holds stalks ofwheat and a torch; in front of herstands Annona with a cornucopia inher left hand; between them is agarlanded altar on which sits amodius; in the background at theright is the stern of a ship The legendreads ANNONA AUGUSTICERES.The symbolism is clear: theship represents the transport of grainby sea, the modius its distribution tothe people, and Ceres and Annonaare the presiding deities of thatdistribution." Both coins wereminted at Rome.
Finally something must be saidabout the religious values oftendisplayed on the Roman coinagefrom the earliest republic to the endof the empire. Just as emperorswanted to convey political, social andcultural values by means of thecoinage, they also wanted to conveyto the people their beliefs andsupport of religious values. The threecoins shown below give threedifferent religious messages.
Flavius Magnus Magnentius, (350-353 ad) usurper in the West duringthe reign of the Emperor Constans,attempted to gain influence with andsupport from the Christiancommunities in Gaul by placing aChristian symbol on the reverse ofsome of his coins. He had littlesuccess and perished in battle againstConstantius II a son of Constantinethe Great. The coin above has amint mark indicating that it wasminted at Amiens in France.
So the Euro has a longer historythan many of us thought!
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1 3A R O U N D T H E D I O C E S E1 2 I N T H E P I C T U R E
Eric Devenport was ordained inSeptember 1952 and he celebratedhis anniversary 55 years later withthe congregation of the Church ofthe Holy Ghost in Genoa, Italy atthe baptism of two children.Bishop Eric, as he is now, is also an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese.
The Archbishop of Canterburyhosted a reception at Lambeth Palaceduring October welcoming guestsfrom the Gibraltar government forthe Cathedral renovation appealwhich has raised £308,304 during itsfirst 11 months towards the total of£850,000.A wide range ofcommittees is being used toencourage a broad base of donors.
The Friends of theDiocese in Europeenjoyed choralcontributions including aMass setting by Palestrinafrom the Lambeth Singersat their annual service atSt Matthew’s Westminsterin October.The newSecretary of the Friends isto be Rev Philip Warner,Rector of St Magnus theMartyr in London.
Mission and socialfunctions combined in theLuxemburg chaplaincy thisAutumn with a Big CurryParty provided by Indianmembers of the congregationwho entertained over 70people and helped raise 800Euros for the Ahmednagarhostel project run byAnglicans in World Mission inMaharashtra province in India.
John Le Page MBE made apiece of diocesan history when hebecame the first Church Armyofficer to be licensed to work asan Evangelist - in the Chaplaincyof St Andrew, Costa del Sol (East)in Spain. John previously workedin Jersey as warden of anAnglican/Methodist Centre.
22 women priestsenjoyed a 3 dayconference to shareexperiences of livingand working in theDiocese in Europeinspired by the beautifulsurroundings (andweather!) of theChateau de Bossey, theEcumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches just outside Geneva.
A September weekend sawEurope's largest flea market in theFrench city of Lille. Many visitors toChrist Church found real Englishtea, good coffee (all Fairtrade!) andhome made cakes and scones. Thenew chaplain, Rev Debbie Flachcalculates over 2,500 cups of tea,coffee and cake were served.
Harvest Festival at Javea onthe Costa Blanca in Spain helpsthe residents of a localResidential Home. Donations ofmoney are turned into goodshanded over each year by church members. In October churchwarden Moira Welch took two full supermarket trolleys to the Sisters of theAsilo Cholbi Home.
S A I N T A L B A N I N
S A I N T A L B A N SMore than 5, 000 pilgrimsvisited the Cathedral in theHertfordshire town whichboasts the name of StAlbans. Among the visitorswelcomed by the Rt. RevdChristopher Herbert, Bishopof St Albans was ArchbishopDesmond Tutu. Thepreacher at a specialmemorial service was theVenerable Mark Oakley,Archdeacon of Germany andNorthern Europe, andChaplain of St Albans inCopenhagen.We print edited highlights ofhis address.
I remember a priest in the LondonDiocese who said his motto in life wasstart each day with a smile – get it
over with. No wonder Nietsche saidChristianity would be a lot moreconvincing if Christians actually lookedredeemed! But there must have beensomething about the priest whoknocked on that door one night allthose years ago pleading for safety.The house owner, Alban, was asoldier, not used to disobeying ordersor stepping out of line. But somethingmade him open that door and let thisman in – hospitality? Curiosity?Humanity? We don’t know but theirconsequent whispering hours togetherled Alban to re-think his life. Wheneventually the soldiers come to arrestthe priest Alban put the priest’s robeon himself, ready to take his place. At his trial Alban aligned himself tothe Christian God, not to the gods ofthe day. He was whipped and torturedyet stayed faithful to Jesus Christ.Alban knew that God had stepped intohis home and heart that night, in theform of a fearful man on the run. Godis shared before he is understood.
”What family and race are you?”
asked the judge. ”What concern isthat?” asked Alban, ”I am a Christian .. . I am called Alban and I worship andadore the one true living God whocreated all things”. So the sword wassharpened and within a week ofmeeting, Alban and his unexpectedfriend, the priest, were both dead.Centuries later, we celebrate this man,stand near his remains, tell his story –and fall in love again with our callingto be Christians. The pagan gods ofAlban’s time may be forgotten but thegods of our time are still powerful. Letus visit just four of their shrines.
The first is Gloss, goddess ofbeauty and surfaces – a fickle being,incarnated in newspapers and adverts.We are drawn by her siren voice buther perfection is impossible even forthose who anoint themselves with hermany sensuous creams and labels.She teaches that life is survival of thefittest. Fit for what she never reveals.She makes objects into people andpeople into objects so in her advertsyou can never work out if the man ishaving an affair with the woman orwith the car.
Obese is the god of gathering, ofacquiring, who is never satisfied.Happiness for him is having what youwant not wanting what you have. Andhe always wants more even whenbloated. He is related to that great godwho makes us buy things we don’tneed, who charms us into spendingmoney we don’t have on things wedon’t want to impress people we don’t like.
Instantaneous is the goddess ofnow. She cannot wait. She must havefast cars, fast food, fast money, fastdeath. She is blind, never having thetime to stop and see anything. Shebeckons people to live full lives butstrangely leaves them feeling empty.She is afraid of people meeting face toface in case they discover the joys ofwasting time together, so she inventsscreens and devices that trick us intothinking we are communicating butwhich actually add to our loneliness.
Then there is Punch, the god ofviolence and division. If hate can beescalated he’ll have a go – if theydon’t agree with you, lash out. Ifthey’re different, slap them down.
N E W H O N O R A R Y A S S I S TA N T B I S H O P
The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Lord Hope, HonoraryAssistant Bishop of Bradford) is now also Honorary Assistant Bishop in Europe.
W E LC O M E TO
Rev Mark Cregan, formerlyChaplain to the English-speakingcongregation in Alexandria, Egyptwho has become Priest-in-Charge of the Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist,Casablanca, Morocco.
Rev Jeffrey Williams,AssistantCurate in Cardiff is in Malta andGozo as Chaplain (Team Vicar).
FA R E W E L L TO
Rev Mervyn Boit,Priest-in-Charge of St Andrew,Biarritz in France has retired.
Rev Catherine (Kate) Gibson,Priest-in-Charge of St Edwardthe Confessor, Lugano inSwitzerland has resigned.
Rev Edward Farrow, Priest-in-Charge of All Saints, Marseille inFrance is due resign at the end ofFebruary 2008.
The Venerable Dirk vanLeeuwen,Vicar General and Archdeacon ofNW Europe; Chaplain of theAnglican Church of St George,Knokke;Associate Chaplain of theAnglican Church of St Boniface,Antwerp in Belgium resigns atthe end of December.
Rev Peter Jordan, Chaplain ofSt George, Barcelona in Spain isdue to retire at the end of 31March 2008.
Rev James Tayler,AssistantCurate of St George, Malaga inSpain has resigned.
M O V I N G A R O U N D
Rev John de Wit, Chaplain ofHoly Trinity, Utrecht in TheNetherlands becomes alsoArchdeacon of North-WestEurope from January.
The Venerable Arthur Siddallhas moved from Christ Church,Naples in Italy to be Priest-in-Charge of St John the Evangelist,Montreux in Switzerland. Heremains Archdeacon of Italy &Malta and is also Archdeacon ofthe separate Archdeaconry ofSwitzerland.
A VO L L E Y O F C A N O N S
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B E W A R E T H E G O D S O F T O D A Y1 4 1 5P E O P L E & P L A C E S
When in doubt, just punch them.Obviously Punch is the creator ofsome computer games, street gangs,film directors and state leaders buthe can be subtle and hide in middleclass consensus, his punch is less ofa fist and more of plausible,respectable, articulate words. Punchloves to play a little trick – he likes tomake people yawn whenever theconversation turns to human rightsand responsibilities, refugees, thepoor, the environment, equality – infact, anything that Christians believeare close to God’s heart. We need toresist Punch with every bit of energywe have.
These gods are alive and well,fracturing and splintering humanity.We need an Alban to call us back tothe one living God, source of life andlove. We need an Alban to tell us tolisten to the story God is telling usabout ourselves. We are unique,wonderful, loveable and forgivable.God loves us exactly the way we areand God loves us so much Hedoesn’t want us to stay like this. Weare not made to be consumers butcitizens, citizens of the Kingdom of God.
NAPLES has had a‘vintage period’, writesChaplain and Archdeacon, -Arthur Siddall. During theItaly & Malta ArchdeaconrySynod in October a new
commitment was to support the forthcomingministry to the Nigerian community in Paduaover the next three years.
Then, Naples was visited by the Archbishop ofCanterbury where he also met Pope BenedictXVI, but took time to celebrate Holy Communionin Christ Church. The weather was horrendous,but large numbers attended.
It was a great few days just after I hadcelebrated 40 years in Holy Orders! I was alsoable to present the Archbishop with an originalLondon Illustrated News article, reporting on theLaying of Christ Church Foundation Stone in 1863.
ArchbishopDesmond Tutuvisits SwedishBook Fair, NancyFjällbrant from St. Andrew´sChurch inGothenburg went along.
The four daysevent attended by more than 108,000 people inSeptember drew together authors, publishers,librarians and book lovers, with a rich variety ofseminars by some of the world’s most read andloved authors.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu who was primarilyat the Book Fair to mark the translation intoSwedish of the book “Rabble Rouser For Peace:
The authorised biography of Desmond Tutu” tookthe chance of his visit to share in a“manifestation for solidarity with the people ofBurma” during the event. He was received withtremendous enthusiasm. Many wore a red shirtor scarf as a mark of solidarity with the monks. Iwas sitting in the middle of the audience in theInternational Square and a neighbour remarkedthat Archbishop Tutu’s speech must have beensimilar to those he made against apartheid inSouth Africa.
A rabble-rouser for peace is a very gooddescription for Desmond Tutu, Nobel laureateand spiritual father of a democratic South Africa.Tutu understood that justice - a genuine regardfor human rights - is the only real foundation forpeace. He dared to oppose and stir up trouble,where others remained silent, and courageouslyengaged in face-to-face confrontations withSouth Africa's leaders. He led peacefuldemonstrations where he faced the fury of thepolice and he stirred up trouble on the worldstage, seeking international support.
He left Gothenburg for Darfur to take part inanother mission of conciliation as a member of“the Elders” a group of leaders including Nobellaureates former U.S. President Jimmy Carter,South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, veteranwomen and children's rights advocate GracaMachel, British tycoon Richard Branson, and theformer Norwegian Prime Minister Gro HarlandBrundtland.
A number of clergy and lay officials have been honoured by the dioceseas Canons of the Cathedral Chapter
Rev Jonathan Boardman,Chaplain of All Saints, Rome in Italy
Rev Deborah Flach, Priest-in-Charge of Christ Church, Lille in France
Mrs Ann Turner, Lay Vice-President of the House of Laity inthe Diocesan Synod
The Venerable Colin Williams,General Secretary of the Council of European Churches, Geneva,Switzerland
Rev Phillip Storr Venter,Priest-in-Charge of All Saints,Highgate in London
Mr John Underwood,Registrar and Legal Secretary tothe Bishop of Gibraltar inEurope as Honorary (Lay) Canonof the Cathedral of the HolyTrinity, Gibraltar
Canon Ted Wetherall who celebrated50 years as a priest in June and stillleads services in Greece at the age of78 reminisces with humour onchanging times and trends
I was ordained priest in 1957 at BurySt. Edmunds Cathedral, part of theEdmondsbury and Ipswich Diocese(one of many new Dioceses createdin 1912 due to the then current onesproving unwieldy).The ordinationwas very jolly and friendly, with theProvost becoming muddled andgetting names and people confusedand everyone going up out of turn.
Having served a curacy in Ipswich,I was sent to a country parish in1959 at Hitcham in Suffolk whereone of my earliest embarrassedmemories was watching my fatherfall asleep while listening to mepreach a sermon. I stayed in thatremote country village on theoutskirts of Constable country for 32years. During that time another 3parishes were added. Of course Ipreferred the single parish as itallowed me to be involved witheverything including Sunday School.However, as time went on I was
1 6 A N D F I N A L L Y
Bishop Geoffrey is delighted toreport that the Bishop’s AdventAppeal in 2006 raised £5,237. 67pand want to thank the generosity ofchurches and individuals in helping.
A D V E N T A P P E A L S
C H A N G E S A N D C H A N C E S O F 5 0 Y E A R S I N
T H E M I N I S T R Y
given the nickname of the ‘BlackStreak’ through my trying to meetimpossible deadlines for 4 services in4 Parishes. My parishioners only halfjokingly advised their neighbours toavoid driving on Sunday mornings.Christmas Day was a nightmare withmorning services at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00and 11:00 a.m. at the differentparishes. Quite naturally, I wasinevitably late for most of them.
Christmas Eve was another matterwith only the Childrens’ CarolService at 4 p.m. where the childrencould choose their carols – ‘Can wesing away in a manger?’, ‘We’ve justsung it!’. ‘Can we sing Rudolph theRed Nosed Reindeer please?’, ‘No!’,and 11:00 p.m. midnight mass.
After my early retirement inDecember 1992 I visited Greece the following March. It was bitterlycold in Athens. I rememberdiscovering a tramp huddled inMonasteriki train station and onoffering change, being rewarded with‘How exceedingly kind of you!’spoken in impeccable English.
I began to be involved in leadingoccasional services, then found ahome near Nauplion - a ramshackleset of rooms with the back walls therock face at the bottom of a cliff andlived there for a few years. Nowonder rumour had it that I was a‘cave-dweller!’.
I now live in a pretty little houseat the top of the cliff with a gardenon the sea-side of the other side ofthe road - not easy to get to in thesummer because of the traffic but Ihave learned to follow one of my 6cats, who know far better than mehow to cross the road with aminimum of distress.
Plans for the future? Providing asudden need for U.K. health servicesstays dormant, I would like to stay inGreece and gently rust away.
C O S TA C O P S
What do they say about not finding policemen when you needthem – and then you get three? At a fundraising event in St Andrewson the Spanish Costa del Sol East,Chaplain Rev David Sutch (left) wassnapped doing grievous bodily harm,with two accomplices, to thePoliceman’s Song from the Pirates of Penzance.
W O R T H
A C LO S E R LO O K
Occasionally the European Anglicanis criticised for an overabundance ofepiscopal pictures which register onthe “Mitre meter”. So it seemed agood idea to show the support teamfrom Bishop’s Lodge at Worth in West Sussex – within easy reach ofGatwick! Pictured are MargaretGibson, Sue Hibling and Bishop’sChaplain Rev Kevin O’Brien, as well as a rare glimpse of the chapel at Worth.
This year’s focus is Friends of theChildren of Romania. The Bishop’sappeal can be seen onwww.friendsofromanianchildren.org.uk
WATC H O U T F O R
The next European Anglican – to bepublished in March 2008 will includea personal account of York Coursesand how they can be used inchurches around Europe for Lentgroups and other occasions, we meetthe Vicar whose parish includes StPancras with its new high speed linksfrom London to our churches, and apersonal account of the power ofprayer in Antwerp, Belgium.Please send your news and pictures to the Editor [email protected]
