During the dean’s absence on leave during July we were privileged to welcome John and Kay Morison to ‘hold the fort’.  Their’s is a shared ministry and they have kindly written the following articles.

Life in the desert

What a fascinating island Bahrain is!  From the hectic bustle of the Suq in Manama to the arid heat of the desert in the south.

Early in our stay we were taken by Betty Rajab to visit the Tree of Life.  We got out of the air-conditioned comfort of her car into what felt like 50 degrees of stifling air.  Ahead of us, on top of a sandy knoll, was growing this large, green Acacia tree.  No other vegetation for miles around.  How could the tree possibly exist there?  Obviously its roots must go deep, deep down below the floor of the desert to a hidden aquifer.  But how could the tree ever have survived on its little hill when it was young, with shallow roots?  No-one seems to know for sure, not even the guide books, though there are plenty of theories.

There’s a chapter in the prophet Jeremiah (17:5-8) which vividly describes the aridity of the desert and compares it to the life of someone who repeatedly ignores the Lord.  In marked contrast, the passage paints a picture of a fruitful green tree planted by a stream, with roots doing deep down into the water.  The tree can only cope with the drought and the heat, because it has this reliable supply of life-giving water.  Such is the man, says Jeremiah, who constantly relies on the Lord, rather than his own competence and superiority.

So the Tree of Life has reminded me vividly that Christians really need deep roots going down into the love of God.  A life nurtured by personal prayer, by the study of Scripture, the fellowship of fellow Christians and the grace of the Sacraments.

In our short time here, it became clear to Kay and I that life in Bahrain may be very stimulating, but it’s not all that easy.  Perhaps, then, the image of the Tree of Life can be a reminder to all of us that if we’re going to cope effectively in the long term, we too, need deep roots into God.  That’s certainly what the Lord seems to have said to me during this time.

So thank you so much to you all for your friendship, hospitality and encouragement during our month’s visit.  We shall never forget you.

With our prayers, 

A Reader?

It was such a privilege to share in the ministry at St. Christopher’s during July.  Several people asked me “what is a Reader, do you read the lessons in church?”

I guess the name is misleading!  In South Africa I was called a Lay Minister which is a clearer job description.

There have been male Readers in the Anglican church for many years, but women were only admitted in 1969.  I was licensed by the Bishop of Coventry in 1974.

The three year training is now very rigorous and follows that set for people being trained locally for the ordained ministry, except Readers don’t have to study Greek.  Each year there is a very special service in  my home Cathedral for those becoming Readers for the first time.  It was at that service I was welcomed into our “retirement” Diocese of Salisbury – my fifth Diocese.

So do I read the lessons?  Not often.  As a Reader I am licensed to conduct services, preach, administer the sacraments and do pastoral work like sick visiting, preparing folk for Confirmation etc.  There are four priestly functions that a Reader cannot do – pronounce God’s forgiveness, give God’s blessing, celebrate the Eucharist and conduct a wedding service.

With a continuing shortage of ordained ministers, the role of a Reader is becoming vital in the Church of England in order to keep the Sunday by Sunday worship going in many churches.  So we are a growing group of lay ministers, well trained both in the past and with continuing in-service training.

Thank you for the opportunity of sharing in the life of your services at the Cathedral.