Dear Friends

Peter Leigh’s article in last month’s magazine has certainly stirred up much conversation within the church and within the PCC.

We often forget how much the church has actually changed over the years. It was only a generation ago that the main service in the church was Mattins as was attested by another article last month by Major Mowat's son. Many of us were brought up with the Book of Common Prayer, which is still the foundation of the Church of England. I went to Mattins as a child and only when I was confirmed did I go to Holy Communion. Through the late sixties and seventies there was much experimentation with the Liturgy (Services) until the ASB (Alternative Service Book) came out in 1980. Then there was a big revision culminating in our new authorized book ‘The Book of Common Prayer' brought out just before the Millennium. One of the good things that have happened is the convergence of the services in all the churches. Whether you go to a URC, Methodist, Anglican or Roman Catholic Church the services are very similar. This is partly true due to the work of the ICET (International Commission on English Texts) where our services and translations are ecumenically agreed. Those who come to us from the other churches say how similar and familiar ours are.

The Church of England has always been a catholic (universal) church, but reformed. Henry VIII was ‘Defender of the faith', and he and Elizabeth I maintained the catholic faith and order within the Church of England. The marks of the church which we adhere to (The Lambeth Quadrilateral) are the Scriptures, the Creeds, the Sacraments and the Apostolic Succession. The main movement in the church in recent decades has been to put the Eucharist or Parish Communion at the heart of our worship. The church will always change and develop because it is a living thing — the Body of Christ.

My prayers and best wishes,

Fr. Philip Edge - Vicar