Our Connected Church: Trip to Tanzania 2018

Personal stories from the five churches in Babati

The Connected Church Partnership is one between All Saints Ecclesall, the Diocese of Kilimanjaro and Tearfund Tanzania. We work together on a programme called Church and Community Mobilisation (CCMP).CCMP is a dynamic programme, run by Tearfund, aimed at transforming people’s lives. In early 2018, two members of our church family, Elaine and Charlotte visited the programmes. They have brought back with them strories and picutres of the lives of those supported.

The diocese of Kilimanjaro’s mission is ‘Holistic Faith’. Through CCMP workshops they teach the struggling rural communities of Babati about using their God given skills to help their families and communities out of poverty.

The programme inspires people to work hard, to problem solve, to help each other and to grow in faith.

We saw the evidence of this during our visit to Babati. We visited each church and asked what challenges they faced and how the CCMP workshops had helped them. Here are some of their personal stories.

 Kiru Dick church

One of the larger of the five churches with 40-50 members. Pastor Stephen (below right) has this and six other churches in his parish and walks up to 20k per day visiting his churches. He has no transport.

Reverend Eliah coordinatoes the CCMP from the Bishop#s office in Arusha

Pastor Stephen – ‘Since CCMP workshops started we have been doing bible studies to understand about our gifts and what the bible says. We are helping people to see that there is a lot they can do if they work together. We have put a concrete floor down in the church and we all worked hard to complete this. We are very happy that we were able to do it with our own hands. We are learning about new agricultural practices so we have better crops. This year we have managed to harvest 10 bags of maize per person. Last year it was only 2 bags. We had training by experts who told us about new seeds, fertilizer and weeding. We have pesticides and new knowledge about the crops which grow best in different kinds of soil.’

Sampson – ‘I used to think that God and our everyday lives were different. New teaching and training has helped me see that my body is given by God to use in his church and community. I used to be selfish but now I talk to my family about how we can help each other.’

Abude Ali –‘ I have thought carefully since CCMP and I am now very careful with the way I use water’.

Eveline -  ‘I have poor health but I need to look after my family. I learned about how to keep chickens and I now have 70 chickens which I am very proud of. I am worried because the chicks can die and I have asked for help from the workshops so I can keep the chicks alive’. (NB Tearfund informed us that there is a vaccine which can be used and it will be introduced as part of the CCMP)

Mama Rosemary – ‘ We need to help people who don’t believe. We need to be salt and light and to draw people to God. All women worry about their families. We need a good place to sleep, education for our children and a hospital for when we are sick. We don’t have these things but since the CCMP workshops we have started a Woman’s group where we all come together and pray for each other and support each other in our practical lives. This is new to us and we are very pleased about it.

Philip – “ We have recently set up a cell of neighbours who support each other. We all contribute to a small pot of money to help each other in a crisis”.

Sala – “The training has been helpful to me as a mother. I need to look after my children. I have a sewing machine and now I am sewing clothes. They were difficult to sell so I now make shirts and cassocks for pastors and they all buy from me. I have started sharing my new skill with other women”. (NB the women are keen to have skills of their own so they do not need to rely on their husbands)

William – “I have been keeping chickens for a long time but I now see this as a serious business. I work hard and have gone from 3 chickens to 40 chickens in a year. I now always have something to offer at the auction at church on Sunday morning. This makes me happy”.

Ponguy church

This church over looks the beautiful lake Babati and is led by Pastor Lucas and his wife Meris. Their home is, unusually, next to the church. Pastor Lucas looks after 4 churches and has a rented motorbike to travel between them. The churches are approx.10 km apart.

Pastor Lucas – “We thank God for the training so far. Our spiritual growth and physical well being are linked together. We’ve learnt how to use the resources God has given us, personally and as a church as well. As a Pastor we should be an example of God.

‘Luke 4:18-19 - an emphasis on holistic transformation. God created us for a purpose, not to be poor. We must move forward; lead the church to have food security, and a safe place to sleep’. The church must be salt and light in the community.”

After the initial CCMP training Pastor Lucas led by example by starting a chicken project, in the church grounds. He started with 5, but now has 20 chickens. Hippos were eating his crops, so he changed the crops to something the hippos dislike. He said, “food, a good/safe house, good education, water and projects that will give us income and help us grow spiritually will improve our family lives and will lead to a church full of love.”

Desire- He is a facilitator for the training and thanks God for the opportunity to attend. Says he had no vision before, but now has a chicken project; this raised enough money this year for seeds for crops, as the last harvest was very poor. He has also been able to afford to hire a motorbike to get to church, as he lives far away, and he has been able to give to the church offertory.

Paul- Also a facilitator. Didn’t have a house, realised he needed one after the training, so built one! Knows that his next step is to have chickens. Says he is growing physically and spiritually and that he realises they are important to build up together.

Dorcas- helps to lead the choir. She is the pastor’s daughter. “Music is so important. It’s a way of evangelising.” This view is held by the church. Dorcas says she knows the importance of spiritual growth for the choir as “evangelistic outreach.”

Dorcas talked about girls being “Salt: Good salt that won’t be thrown out. That people will see us as different.”

Philippo- works in agriculture and with livestock. After the training he changed his practice and tried ‘professional’ farming. The yield has increased from 3 to 15 bags per acre.

Philippo says he has learnt to improve his relationships and works with the community in a loving way. The community now call on him to deal with conflict, and he has become known as a ‘wise man.’

Meris- “I had nothing to do at home. After the training I bought a goat and 2 chickens. I am looking forward to the future.”

Meris has started a Mothers’ Union group, and now more women come to church, and some have joined the choir. She has also started a prayer group on Thursdays. “Lots of people come. Sick people come, and we see healings. God is at work.”

Prayer request from Pongay church: ‘for a change of mindset so we can change our poverty’

Wahari church (also known as Kiru Six)

The current church building (right) only holds about 15 people and is not watertight.

Paster John leads this church of 25 adults and 38 children. He had vivid memories of our visit in 2015 and was very pleased to see us again (and slightly disappointed not to see the 12 young people again!) He said that the first training in December 2016 gave them a vision of what they wanted for the future. They wanted a better place of worship where the community could come together – where they could support each other and do lots of activities as well as worship. They started to fund raise and have been slowly building a new church building. This is a joint activity and they hope to finish the walls by June 2018.  

Their numbers have already grown from 8 to 25 adults. Together they have decided to plant new crops – sugar cane and bananas as this will bring in the best income. They are also hoping for a maize grinding machine and are raising funds for this. They need a pump to pump water to the new crops and the CCMP are helping them to apply to another scheme for this.

Elisha – “When we open our new church it will be a church of the future. The CCMP process has helped us look at the future and to change our lives”.

Dirma church

Dirma church is led by Pastor George, who moved to this very remote rural area to ‘church plant’ after he felt the Lord tell him to do so 6 years ago. He shared with us that he had a dream, and he knew exactly where to place the church, he even saw the tree it was to be under. The people of Dirma live 14km from the nearest water source, and before they can do anything each day they must walk to get water for their family.

Since the training some of the congregation have formed a group and started a small farm. They were all encouraged by how much they have learnt from sharing ideas with the other 4 churches on the CCMP.

Pastor George-“I have learnt a lot and grown spiritually and physically on the training. I have started a chicken project and now have 50 chickens, which brings me great happiness. When Rev Eliah told me about your visit I was very happy to be able to share our stories and experiences with you.”

Aqueline- A facilitator for the training and an evangelist. She walks 14km to other churches to share the training she has learnt. She has to do this after ensuring water has been collected for her family. When she gets there people are busy collecting their own water, so are often not around. Despite this, she has brought women together, and they have bought 40 chickens for the church farm. Aqueline tried to keep her own chickens, but they all died.

Esther- A facilitator for the training. After the training, Esther trained more choir members. Choirs are very important, as the music attracts the local community. The music is always played very loudly, and the songs are often about old testament stories and acted out in dance. Esther has a vision of making a CD of the choir.

Since the training the choir have grouped together and bought goats. Everyone in the choir contributes financially and practically to this project.

Veronica- Encouraged by the farm group that has been started since the training, she talked about changing her farming practice. She grows maize and sunflowers. She’s learnt about good spacing of plants, and better root management to get better seeds and crops. Veronica wants to use the capital from this to yield more crops and buy more land. She asked for prayer that the newly taught methods would work well.

Pastor George proudly showed us his chickens

Eli-Talked about spiritual and physical training. He visits people and evangelises.

Dareda church – led by Pastor Jacob.

This is a very small church building with a small congregation but they have a big vision to build a new church building so it can be the centre of the community. They have a river nearby so CCMP has encouraged them to ask the local authority to help them with water pipes. They can then run lots of activities for women and children from the church building. They have started the new build and it is progressing slowly. They are enthusiastic about building together and hope to finish the walls and roof by Christmas 2018.

Pastor Jacob – (centre) ‘we want to be salt and light, we want people to come to us and to find God. CCMP has helped us see how we can come together to help each other and we want to do this for our community here’.

Financial Accounts and APCM Report

2017 has been another busy year in the life of All Saints, Ecclesall. Over the past 12 months we have welcomed more people into our church family, seen a growing number of people giving their lives to Jesus through Baptism and Confirmation and served many thousands of cups of tea!

As we approach our Annual Parochial Church Meeting at 7.30pm on Monday 30 April 2018, we can reflect on the blessings that those involved in this work have provided, both practically and financially. You will find links below to some important annual information, provided for anyone who would like to see what the church does, and it's finances. Of course, this is just a snapshot of what we do, for anyone who hasn't joined us before, we would love to meet you at any of our services on a Sunday or at one of our projects. You can find more information throughout our website or by contacting our office.

Draft APCM minutes 2017

Annual Report 2018

All Saints Financial Accounts 2017

All Saints Financial Summery 2017

Easter at All Saints

We would like to extend an open invitation to everyone in our community to join us at special services and events during Holy Week. 

From the Vicar March 2018

Welcome to the March edition of 'From the Vicar'.  To begin, I would like to say some public thank yous.  Many of you will know that Gillian and I have just returned from a once in a life time four week holiday in New Zealand. We were visiting Gillian's sister Kate and family in Auckland. They emigrated seven years ago, so it was absolutely wonderful to share in the new life that they have made on the other side of the world. We were particularly thrilled that Gillian's nephew who now lives in London, also flew back to New Zealand for part of our visit. It was a very special time indeed.  An unexpected bonus was meeting up with Nick and Ruth Totterdell who were in New Zealand at the same time visiting their daughter Anna and her husband James. We had a lovely lunch and afternoon together.   

So I am hugely grateful to the wardens, staff and volunteers who made our time away possible. It was wonderful to come home to find All Saints in such good heart. We had missed you very much.  At the same time, I was delighted by conversations with members of the church family who wanted to tell me 'everything went really well while you were away' and 'the staff team were brilliant, everything ran so smoothly'. So my especial thanks go to Dan Christian and Rachel McLafferty and the team for the extra responsibilities shouldered in my absence. They are undoubtedly 'brilliant' and we are all hugely in their debt.

It has been very exciting to return to see the upgrading work in progress at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Whirlow. The work is going really well and the chapel will be very ready for the 60th anniversary rededication service in September. The upgrade includes double-glazing to all windows, an improved kitchen, toilets, data projector/TV screen and lots more storage space.  Once it is complete, the whole facility will be very much more useable for us, Whirlow Grange Ltd and the wider community.  Huge thanks go to John Stride and Whirlow Grange Ltd for leading the project. In the meantime we have been able to welcome a number of ‘Whirlow’ activities to the All Saints church building and I am grateful to the operations team for all that they have done to accommodate the extra meetings and services. Watch this space for more news.

Coming closer to home, I have come home to an important update from the Church Architect. In preparation for discussion about a possible extension to the church, the PCC commissioned a survey of the crypt and the areas to the south and the north of the church building.  A little bit like the TV programme Time Team, we had a laser survey to map what we cannot see under the ground around the church. In particular we are keen to detect graves and any other structures that might stop the idea of an extension from the outset. As the PCC has prepared to talk with the wider church family about a possible extension, we realised that many would quite rightly want to explore the potential of the crypt. PCC members are now thinking through our response to the surveys. Please have a chat with them for an update.

This year our Easter celebrations will begin with a Messy Church event on Palm Sunday where we will be joined by a donkey for the first time. While on Maundy Thursday we will be holding the Big Bring and Share Agape meal at 7pm in Church.

Following Jesus’s teaching at the Last Supper the theme for the evening will be servanthood.  In response to this the staff team have offered to serve the church family that evening.

It will be a very special Maundy evening meal for all ages.  Everyone is invited and asked to bring some savoury food to share as well as wine/soft drinks. A sign up sheet is now in the Welcome Area.

Looking further ahead, I am eager to encourage everyone to save the date for the BIG CHURCH WEEKEND AWAY – Friday 25 January to Sunday 27 January 2019.  We have booked the whole of the Palace Hotel in Buxton for this. Our speaker for the weekend will be Daniel McGuinness who teaches the New Testament at St Hild College.  He is a lot of fun and very engaging.  His teaching is always applied to everyday life.  I am also really pleased that Bishop David and Helen Williams have agreed to act as chaplains for the weekend, and that Joy Adams from Whirlow has accepted my invitation to lead optional early morning and late night prayers. The hotel has great food and facilities including an indoor pool and multi-gym.  It is very suitable for a multi-generation church family of all ages.  Booking will open after Easter.

Yours in the service of Christ Jesus

Gary

Vicar

From the Vicar February 2018

DEFINITELY NOT PERFECT BUT DEFINITELY MAKING PROGRESS!

Welcome to the February edition of ‘From the Vicar’. Often when I sit down to write, I look back at the edition of a year ago. Last February I was writing about the near completion of the renewal of the church roof and relaying of the path from the church building down to Ecclesall Road South. I was also looking forward to the launch of the new website and the rolling out of the new logo and branding.

The new roof and the re-laid path are now much admired, and while we are still rolling out the branding, the new website, logo and branding have been widely appreciated. They so clearly speak of All Saints, that it feels as though they have been part of us for much longer than 12 months.

Last Autumn we completed a major upgrading of the main part of the existing lighting system including the welcome area, the nave and the MU chapel.  The new lights are significantly brighter and now using 90% less electricity.  Over the coming months we plan to review the lighting in the sanctuary and in the choir area.  Also last autumn we took possession of two additional chalices and two silver flagons on permanent loan from ‘The Vine’ church in Netherthorpe.  We used them for the first time on Christmas morning. The flagons are particularly impressive.

By time you are reading this, 50 of the church chairs will have returned from Hayes and Finch, refurbished and reupholstered.  At key moments during the year we will send off batches of 50 chairs at a time.

The coming weeks will see the installation of the new Fire Alarm panel and upgraded sound system.  As with all new systems, the sound system will take a little while to settle in and for the Sound Desk team to be trained. There will be the inevitable glitches and hiccups.  So thank you for your patience in advance.

Looking ahead this summer we will be tendering for significant repairs to the stone guttering and the porches.  Once these are completed the church will be 100% watertight.  We will then be able to start planning to redecorate and eventually re-carpet. As always we will proceed one step at a time and as finances allow.

WORKS AT WHIRLOW

The redevelopment works at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit have now started. They include an additional toilet, improved kitchen facilities, double glazing and new data projector and screen.  This means that Whirlow will be closed during weekdays and that the Tuesday morning communion and the Friday morning Community Bible Study Group will transfer temporarily to All Saints church building.  Please make them feel welcome and why not come along and join in.

CONGRATULATIONS TO RACHEL

1 February marks Rachel McLafferty’s first year as Operations Manager.  Her responsibilities include supporting governance, administration, communications and oversight of the estate. She has made a huge difference to ‘operations’.  We are making so much progress on many fronts because of her contributions.  On behalf of the Church Family I would like to thank and congratulate her publicly for an amazing first year in post.

LOOKING FORWARD TO LENT

Lent will be very soon upon us.  As well as the Christian Voices in the Contemporary World programme on Wednesday evenings, Lent will also begin with a special services of Holy Communion at 10.30am and 7.30pm on Ash Wednesday – 14th February.  Again this year we will prepare for Easter with Messy Church including a donkey on Palm Sunday 25th March and the Big Agape ‘Bring & Share’ Meal at 7.00pm on Maundy Thursday 29th March.  Please put these dates in your diary.

If you would like a book for Lent I would like to recommend Margaret Whipp’s  ‘The Grace of Waiting’.

TEARFUND CONNECTED CHURCH  PARTNERSHIP

Following the very successful youth visit to the Diocese of Kilimanjaro in 2015, Charlotte Driver and Elaine Howarth are making a return visit to Tanzania this coming February.

They will be commissioned on Sunday 18 Feburary and will be away from the 28 Feb - 8 March.  Elaine was a part of the original team.  We will send them with our love and greetings to all churches and projects that they will visit. They will be based in Arusha, visiting and spending time with representatives from the Diocese of Kilimanjaro but the main focus of their visit will be at the 5 parishes that we currently support in the Babati region. Their visit will have a critical impact on our growing relationship and they will no doubt return with lots of stories and pictures to share. We send them with our huge blessings and prayers to share and will hugely look forward to their safe return and to learning about the difference that our Connected Church Partnership is making.  In the meantime please would you pray for their safe travelling and their good health while they are away.  Please would you also pray for their families in their absence.

Yours in the service of Christ Jesus

Gary

Gary Wilton, Vicar

Contemporary Issues discussed during Lent

All Saints Church in Ecclesall will launch its fifth Public Theology programme in February, as part of its programme for Lent.

'Christian Voices’ is a well-established annual forum which invites members of the community and the wider public to listen to speakers on a range of contemporary issues. Sessions are lively and include opportunities for questions and discussion.

The talks will take place throughout February and March and will include themes on Christian Muslim relations, gender-based violence against women and immigration in a post-Brexit world.

Gary Wilton, Vicar at All Saints Ecclesall, said: “I am delighted that such distinguished speakers have agreed to contribute, and on such a fascinating range of topics covering the contemporary social, ethical and intellectual issues affecting Christians today.”

The programme for the series:

28 February

‘Mutual flourishing in a place of disagreement– what does this have to say to the world?’ 

How do we understand and hold disagreement theologically within the church?  How does this impact of our mission in the world?

Pete Wilcox - Bishop of Sheffield

7 March

Encountering Islam – Christian Muslim Relations in the Public Square

After centuries of mutual animosity and stereotyping, Christian engagement with Islam is arguably the most pressing task for the church in its relations with Islam and Muslims today. But how is the Church to engage with Islam in 21st-century Britain?

Richard Sudworth- Priest in Charge Christ Church Sparkbrook

14 March

A Christian Response to Violence Against Women - The Role of Religion for Good or for Ill

An exploration of the breadth, intensity and root causes of gender-based violence against women, and the resources we need to draw on in order to make a meaningful and effective stand against it.

Elaine Storkey- Fellow of Aberystwyth University

21 March

Christian Perspectives on Immigration Post-Brexit

How should Christians think about immigration after the vote to leave the EU?  In what ways might Christian belief impact on our thinking about future immigration policy?

Ben Ryan- Researcher Theos

Event Information

Each evening will take place at All Saints Church, and begin at 7.45pm with tea and coffee provided from 7.30pm, and will be followed by a reception. The events are free and there is no need to book.

For more information, contact Rachel McLafferty on 0114 2687574 or email rachel.mclafferty@allsaintsecclesall.org.uk 

Sharing a Gift of Love with Asylum Seekers and Refugees this Christmas

Next Sunday we will be collecting gifts to donate to vulnerable women and children living in Sheffield. Today we are catching up with a volunteer at one of our partner organisations, The Fusion Group, Sheffield.

Who are you and what do you do?

Hi, my name is Tina English and I am a volunteer facilitator at the Fusion Group in Sheffield. Fusion Group was started over 3 years ago after identifying a real need for a place of support for both Asylum Seeking and Refugee women and their children.

The group is hosted by The Together Women project in Sheffield, they kindly provide the resources and space for us to meet every Thursday morning.

It is a safe environment where the women and children can come and be welcomed and supported by myself and my colleague Helen Jones. Both myself and Helen have many years experience supporting women housed in Sheffield in Asylum Seeker accommodation.

The main purpose of Fusion is to help women who initially feel very isolated and alone in a new city. They can find out about the city, where to go, what to see and meet new friends and contacts. It is a lifeline for many, a place where they can ask questions, know there are other women they can genuinely trust and who have their best interests at heart.

We have women from many countries and different cultures. It is a real privilege to meet them and get to know them. Many bring paperwork and letters they have received and we help them sort out issues by phone calls and support at appointments.

What have you been up to this week?

Every week we plan a different activity. Last week we made scented candles and decorated the glass jars. The women are able to take home anything made in the sessions. This week we will be doing a stir fry from scratch, preparing the vegetables and cooking. A lot of our group activities involve food and eating and many bring in their own food to share.

It is always a fun, relaxed time with opportunities to improve their English language skills, which is very important to them all. I am also a volunteer English teacher so my skills in this area really help. Learning English is vital to help with integration and feeling at home in their new environment.

Can you tell us more about the work of The Fusion Group?

We organise trips out, regularly visiting places such as Chatsworth and Bakewell and various parks. Many would never venture away from the city center and their own locality. To see them discover the countryside just a short bus ride out of Sheffield is amazing.

Being part of Fusion really helps boost  confidence and self esteem. Women are able to find out about other groups in the city and take advantage of many activities provided for women and children. They are able to start putting down roots and feel part of community. Some women even feel confident enough now to run sessions at our group, sharing their own skills and talents.

What is so encouraging for both myself and Helen is to see how the women and children can grow and contribute to the community. How lasting friendships develop and flourish throughout time.

How can we support the work of The Fusion Group?

Living as an Asylum Seeker can be very hard, barely enough money just to survive. We are so grateful for the gifts this church has kindly given at Christmas time. It has made such a difference to the women and children. We always celebrate with a Christmas Party and the joy the gifts bring is wonderful to see. They are so thankful that people they have never met are  so kind and generous to them and their children. The women are of many faiths but know the gifts are given by a Christian church. Myself and Helen also deliver presents to many Asylum Seekers, survivors of human trafficking and refugees throughout the city too. Women we have come to know and love over the years and we continue to support.

We are so thankful that the wonderful people at All Saints, Ecclesall are planning to generously give gifts again this Christmas. Children's gifts are a real blessing to us all. 

It is really helpful to add a label indicating the gender and age so we can easily allocate the presents to the children. Presents for the women are also welcome, I know they particularly appreciate anything scented, like body lotion, perfume etc. they never have the money to treat themselves, or family to give them gifts.

Both myself and Helen are Christians and work out our faith by showing the love of God to these women and families that are in so much need of friendship and acceptance. If any women in the church would like to find out more about the group, maybe to visit or volunteer their time and talents, please call Tina on 0775 773 5589.

All Out In Rome

At 7am on Wednesday 18th October, twelve vicars and ordinands met at Gatwick airport to travel to Rome to play the Vatican at cricket.

On hearing the news, most people respond – ‘The Vatican! Do Italians really play cricket?’ The truth is that as a rule Italians don’t play cricket nor do they even understand what cricket is.  But the Catholic Church draws in people from all nationalities and the Vatican team – known as St Peter’s xi – is composed of priests and seminarians from England, Australia, India, Sri Lanka and Africa.  The Archbishop of Canterbury’s (ABC) xi is a team that was started four years ago after an invitation from the Pope to play St Peter’s xi.  This year it was our turn to tour Rome and we were invited to play two 20twenty games, one against Rome’s own cricket club – Capanelle - and the second against a Vatican team. 

The cricket was a huge success for the ABC xi.  Our match against Rome cricket club was a hard fought affair.  Rome batted first and started steadily eventually making 145 in their 20 overs.  I bowled the last few overs at the end of the innings and was particularly happy getting the wicket of their opening batsman, caught on the boundary in the last over for 98!  ABC xi started scoring runs quickly, but we were losing wickets just as fast.  After 5 overs we were 40-4, when the experienced batting of Jez Barnes and Chris Lee put on a great 100 run partnership to see us home with two overs to spare. 

A couple of days later, we returned to the one cricket ground in Rome to play St Peter’s xi.  Although the Catholic team had spent much of the previous day trying to feed us up like Christmas turkeys, we turned up raring to go.  I was asked to be 12th man during this game, although this was disappointing, I never felt anything but part of a close knit group of players.  We won the toss and asked to bat and after that it was the Chris ‘Kenners’ Kennedy show.  Kenners batted wonderfully to score 103 off 52 balls, hitting the St Peter’s bowlers to all parts of the ground.  With good support from Chris Lion (41) and a cameo from Chris Lee (11), we finished on 176-3 after twenty overs.  Amazingly, all our runs were scored by vicars named Chris.  The total was a formidable one and it turned out a bit too much for the St Peter’s boys.  Despite a good opening partnership, they were 65-0 after 10 overs, the run rate forced them to attempt suicidal runs which meant the first four wickets were all run outs.  Eventually, the St Peter’s xi finished on a very respectable 137-8, meaning the Anglicans won by 39 runs to retain the ‘Ut Unum Sint (That they may be one)’ cup.

It was a huge privilege to be asked to be invited to be part of the tour.  Alongside playing cricket, we were asked to spend time with the opposing team with the aim of walking together in our sport, our lives and in our worship of God.  This involved more formal functions such as a reception by the British Ambassador to the Holy See, to informal times of being given tours around St Peter’s Basilica and the Pope‘s residence as Castel Gandolfo.  During one of these trips, the manager of the Vatican team, Father Eamonn O’Higgins, spoke powerfully about the special relationships between Catholics and Anglicans.  He went on to reflect that in walking together we needed to acknowledge the wounds caused between us in the past if we are going to find healing in the future.  In particular it was hugely humbling to be invited into one of the seminarian colleges for Solemn Vespers with the trainee priests.  Very graciously we were brought into an intimate space and were able to experience an integrity of worship in a different style and language that we were used to.   

A lot of people (possibly quite rightly) think cricket is a pointless sport and because of that it would be easy to think such a trip was frivolous.  However, globally there is a vast amount of evidence that sport can play an important part of bringing people together and healing wounds.  Whilst, I am under no illusion that a cricket match isn’t going to heal the wound that Father Eamonn spoke about, what is encouraging is seeing the respect, graciousness and love between the two teams.  As part of the trip we were able to visit the Anglican Centre in Rome.  Here, we heard about how four years of cricket have been instrumental in the Catholic Anglican dialogue of recent times.  We may not be doing the diplomacy or the theology, but in simply playing cricket together we are beginning to live out the practice of what it means to walk or even bowl together. 

It struck me that it is five hundred years since the reformation began this month.  On the 31st October we celebrated reformation day, reflecting on Martin Luther’s protest against the Catholic Church.  We can be so torn by our divisions that we can miss that many of the critiques of the 95 theses have been addressed in the Catholic Church since then.  Our differences are still present and need to be recognised, but it is amazing that in five hundred years, the Anglican and Catholic churches have never been closer.  This year, Pope Francis attended a service at All Saints Anglican church in Rome, also an Anglican service was conducted in St Peter’s Basilica for the first time ever.  Most of this dialogue has arisen out of the deep friendship between Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin.  I just hope, in a small way, playing cricket has been part of the healing of that deep wound.

I would like to thank the many people who made this trip possible.  For the sponsorship from the Church Times (Paul Handley in particular who was with us to report on the trip) and Ecclesiastical; for the effort of the Archbishop of Canterbury in making such an event happen; for the support of Mark Rylands, the Bishop of Shrewsbury who chaperoned our trip; for the wisdom of our coach Tom Benham and our chaplain Rob Walrond; for the team and the fun, friendship and unforgettable memories that we shared together.