Concert
Bury Parish Church
Black Dyke Band - 11th April at 7:30pm

Once again we welcome the famous Black Dyke Band to Bury Parish Church on the 11th April 2024 at 7:30pm.

Buy tickets online, inside church or at Bury Tourist Information Centre (Moss Street)

Black Dyke Band - 11th April at 7:30pm

Refreshment donations for the month of September 2023

Since Douglas Macmillan founded our charity in 1911, they have grown to be the UK’s leading source of cancer support, helping more and more people living with cancer, all with your help.

At present more than 3 million people are living with cancer in the UK. By 2030 this figure will rise to 4 million.  We’re here to help everyone with cancer live life as fully as they can, by providing physical, financial and emotional support. We'll do whatever it takes, no matter what a person's needs are, we will listen and support them however they need us to — big or small.

www.macmillan.org.uk/

All Souls' Day Services - 1 November

All Souls’ Service

Sunday, 1st November at 3.30pm, 5.00pm and 6.30pm

There will be an opportunity to attend one of three services planned. The services will start at 3.30pm, 5.00pm and 6.30pm.

Each service will last about 30 minutes and during them we will read out the names of people that we have gathered. We will also pray for those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. There will be an opportunity to light candles in memory of them.

If you wish to come to one of these services, due to restrictions on space, we ask you to book in through Eventbrite. The tickets are free. This allows us to manage numbers and keep people safe. Click here for tickets.

Sheila's Letter in the October Magazine

Dear friends,

As I write this letter to you autumn, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness as famously described by Keats, has arrived.  Autumn is my favourite season – the glorious riot of colour as leaves change from green to shades of gold and brown, the chill mornings with that unique autumnal smell. Who doesn't enjoy observing the leaves from the trees and plants changing into multi-coloured works of art before finally falling away? The bare and vulnerable branches that are created reveal the true and beautiful scenery underneath.  Most of all autumn, with its lengthening nights, is a time of reflection.  As Mitchell Burgess wrote:

If winter is slumber and spring is birth, and summer is life, then autumn rounds out to be reflection. It's a time of year when the leaves are down, and the harvest is in and the perennials are gone. Mother Earth just closed up the drapes on another year and it's time to reflect on what's come before.

Looking back, surely the re-opening of our churches in July for prayer and worship must be a standout event!  As churches began to re-open, a friend prompted me to read Isaiah 43:

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Whilst I have read this passage before, this time it led me to consider whether there was more to the matter than the simple re-opening of the church doors. It imparted a theological flavour to this seemingly ordinary event.

This passage was written during the time when God’s people were in Babylonian captivity. During that difficult time, Isaiah, the prophet, reminded them of the many things that God had done for them in the past. God delivered them from Egypt, rescuing them from their enemies. Their redemption story is the most beautiful and wonderful experience they had with God. It was with a powerful hand that he delivered and fought for them until they inherited the promised land.
What is interesting here is that, as beautiful as the story was, Isaiah seems to be discouraging them from being stuck in the past. I believe this to be what God is saying to us today. As we are returning to our churches, maybe we should not do so with our minds stuck in the past. Instead, we should look forward in faith, expecting and trusting God to do new things among us. We often hear people referring to the “new normal”. Perhaps this is the way we can perceive the hand of God in guiding us and be part of what God is doing now.
This exhortation was given in the context of the wilderness. God said to his people, ‘I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert’ (v19). In light of the Babylonian captivity, the people of God had been experiencing a form of wilderness, a dry and fruitless season. They had lost everything they thought was permanent. Right there, in their wilderness experience, God gave them words, ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’ (v18).
It doesn’t need a rocket scientist to prove that the lockdown due to Covid-19 was a form of the wilderness experience for many of us. It was a challenging and uncertain time. Hence, it is exciting to see our church building re-opened, even though there are numerous regulations that we have to abide by; sanitation, face covering, social distancing among others.

However, in this wilderness experience God has a word for us, ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’ (v18). The wilderness is where God brings forth a fresh moving of His Spirit, fresh ways of doing things and fresh ways of living. It is never a sign that God has abandoned us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, ‘“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”’

Let us pray that, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we can look forward in faith, expecting and trusting God to do new things at a time such as this.

With every blessing

Sheila

Black History Month

Black History Month?

In the UK, October brings something new to many of us, Black History Month. It is not new. It started in 1987. This year, given the tension in the USA and the ever-present questions around this, I thought it would be helpful for us to explore this whole subject. As Christians, we sell the faith short when we do not grapple matters that may be peripheral to our own lives but part of the national conversation. We cannot and must not say it is not our concern if it is the concern of others.

The phrase “Black Lives Matter” has been difficult for some. It is promoting one section of society over against others. In our inclusive world, should we say, “All lives matter”? One of the things that Black History Month does is to deliberately ask me (and you) to do is pay attention to a part of our nation we may know little about. It is an opportunity to learn about how that community came here, to discover the richness of culture, to listen to the experience of what it is to be a stranger, to be welcomed or to be rejected, to be valued and to be oppressed.

Part of my reading since the death of George Floyd has been around the experiences of black communities and black individuals here in the UK. I fear that little of it has been comfortable. We have an amazing capacity to require the newcomer, the stranger, the outsider, to conform to our outlook, habits, and practices. We are poor at valuing difference or diversity.

In my reading, I have been reflecting on the history of the Church. There I have found this; that the people of faith have had periods when they have been oppressed (Hebrews in Egypt), have had power (Medieval Europe), have worked hard to preserve privilege (the southern Confederate States of America) and have invested in the subversion of evil (Wilberforce and the anti-slavery movement). Centre to my reflection has been Jesus and his constant requirement that we treat each other as those made in the image and likeness of God. Which would all seem to point to the idea that “All Lives Matter”.

Well, they do. But Jesus does something more specific, more awkward, and more radical. Jesus puts front and centre those who are being particularly abused, abused by culture, by religion, by creed, by race; the woman with the haemorrhage, the little child, the blind man, the Samaritan. When he does this, he is challenging those in power, those with all the benefits stacked in their favour. And he is saying this; the godly thing to do is to give these people an equal place in society. And for that to happen, those already in places of privilege need to pay more than lip service to the ideal of equality. And to do that, as God does throughout the bible, appropriate space and voice need to be given to those communities who, at any one time, are going through a dark period of life.

The point Jesus is making is this; that those he spent time with, those who were on the edge, experienced life negatively. Whatever those in the centre said or thought they were doing, those on the edge did not recognise any benefit coming their way. All they felt was yet more oppression at worst and the veneer of being patronised at best. Jesus gives voice to their experience.

Black History Month invites us to listen to the world through different ears. I might read the Exodus as vaguely interesting. Slaves in America read it then and African Americans read it now, as a story of hope and empowerment. It is this sort of insight that makes time spent investing in a different mindset as theologically, pastorally and spiritually enriching. It is an invitation for me (and you) to learn. Black History Month is an invitation to see the world through new eyes.

Choral Music returns to Bury Parish Church

On Sunday, 13th September some members of our choir return to sing at our 10.00am Eucharist. The present guidelines allows for a small group of singers to contribute to our worship. On Friday, we saw the first rehearsal with some of our junior choristers in church, whilst the adults continued to rehearse on zoom.

Our music list has been updated. This week, our choir sings the Communion Service in F by Harold Darke, along with Orlando Gibbons setting of Almighty and everlasting God, whilst at the communion we hear the William Byrd’s Ave Verum corpus

Closure of House on the Rock

House on the Rock
It is with great sadness that we have to inform the congregation that The House on the Rock is closing permanently. The impact of COVID-19, social distancing requirements, changing habits of shopping to online and projected lack of both customers and regular events which attract them means that the venture is not sustainable economically. Like many elements of our nation’s life, this decision has been imposed by circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
 
The House on the Rock was a visionary enterprise and enabled the Church to be open, for prayer, for worship, for daytime events, for refreshment, physical, spiritual and intellectual. We would like to pay tribute to Nigel Rushworth, the Manager, Margaret Hutchinson, Retail Assistant and the body of volunteers who contributed so much in making this a feature of our church and town.
 
The future of the narthex, in which The House on the Rock was situated, will be decided in due course by the PCC.

Black Dyke Band Tickets - Refund

Did you buy tickets for the Black Dyke Band concert at Bury Parish Church on Thursday 2 April?
If so, we would like you to contact us to arrange a refund.
Please would you contact info@thehouseontherock.co.uk no later than 31 October 2020.


Please enclose some proof of purchase, ideally a photocopy of your tickets.  Would you please also let us have your name, address (optional) and bank details, so that we can arrange a direct refund.


Unfortunately the House on the Rock is currently closed, so we cannot deal with any refunds in person. 
If you are happy to forego your refund but make it a donation instead, that would be a very generous and welcome contribution during these challenging times.


If you need any further information, please email: info@thehouseontherock.co.uk.

 

Notes from the Director of Music

Music at Bury Parish Church

One of the questions that have been raised by many is, ‘when can we have music in our church and sing again?’

Some very careful research is being carried out at the moment, and we hope that there may be a report on that by the end of August. Government and Church of England guidance will then be updated in the light of that research.

Present guidance allows for an organist/pianist and cantor (solo singer) for our worship.

Our Parish Council have agreed that they would like some form of music at our 10.00am service, and that our organ is played publicly for worship. I must warn you that the organ has not been tuned in recent months, and some odd notes (or sounds) might emit from the organ chamber. This means that Elin and I are coming partially coming out of furlough and will be playing on alternate Sundays.

A number of music organisations has encouraged the Government to be proactive in ensuring music-making can resume in church buildings, once it is safe to do so. The latest guidance shows that the Government is still reviewing scientific evidence on how music and particularly singing can be resumed safely.

Responding to the latest guidance, The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, said:

"We know that for church musicians this remains a difficult time, and many are anxious to know the date it will be possible to sing and play together again. We are encouraging the Government to be alert to the consequences of our choirs’ continued silence - and to take a proactive approach to allowing singing to return to our churches and cathedrals as soon as it is possible to do so safely. This way we can safeguard our choral tradition which many believe to be the finest in the world. We look forward to a time where worship and music can once again be combined, in all their different expressions, as they have for centuries, turning our hearts to God.”

Our plan is to explore various ways of broadening our musical offering over the next few weeks and month, which will include music before, during and after our service. On some Sundays, a member of the choir will sing parts of the service from the choir stalls, keeping the required distance from the congregation. Music will include Mass settings by Merbecke and Martin Shaw.

I know we are all looking forward to that day when we shall be able to listen to our choir and join with them in the singing of the great hymns and worship songs of the church.

Rectors Letter for August

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I write this on the day the Government has said that we must wear masks whenever we are in shops and other indoor spaces.

The Church has “strongly advised” us to echo that in church. I am anticipating this Sunday that some will and some will not. Masks are there to protect others from ourselves, not us from anyone infected with Coronavirus. To wear a mask in the constantly moving stream of humanity in a shop is a physical expression of love for one’s neighbour and cuts across all the rather odd language about rights, freedom and choice. Wearing a mask in church, when we are not moving around, or doing so in an ordered way, is a slightly different matter. I hope that you will feel able, as adults, to work out what it is that you want to do. We are not requiring masks in church any more than restaurants or gyms are.

That said, I am anxious about masks. Not the wearing of them, though they are uncomfortable and restricting. Not the requirement to wear them, as I have heard more than enough of what the virus does to people and have a great desire that educational and economic life can return. Not even the strange message that some appear to think, that in wearing a mask they can return to social life as before. Masks are not magic. I am anxious about masks because of how they might make us relate differently.

There are lots of statistics thrown about regarding how much of our communication relies on words and how much depends on gestures, body language, face. I am no expert, but we all know that moment when someone says “I’m fine” whilst their whole demeanour screams that they are struggling. Those of us familiar with emails and Skype and Zoom and text and even old-school snail mail (letters to you and me) will know that it is easy enough to misinterpret what is being said. Not seeing someone’s face means that we will communicate less well. 

One of the joys on BBC over this period has been to watch Alan Bennett’s “Talking Heads”. Seeing some of our most impressive actors tell their character’s stories, camera paying close attention to the minute shifts in facial muscle as truth is revealed, has been a remarkable gift. I don’t know how long these things stay up but catch them if you can. They require close attention and tells us so much about how our faces betray or reinforce our words. 

Our faith is founded on face-to-face communication. The Old Testament offers moments of divine mystery, like the Burning Bush Exodus (Exodus 3), Pillars of Cloud and Fire (Exodus 13), the earthquake, wind, fire and sound of sheer silence (1 Kings 19). There are none of these in the New Testament. None because in the New Testament, Jesus is present. Paul puts it this way; For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4). To see into the face of Jesus is to encounter God. Faces are the windows into the heart. Paul explores this further when he says that the follower of Jesus has an “unveiled face” (2 Cor 3. 18), a face that is not ashamed to be seen because it reveals to others what is inside our heart.

One of the things I have valued in lockdown has been seeing faces, courtesy of the internet. I have seen members of the congregation, gatherings of colleagues from around the Diocese, scattered members of my family from across the world. Seeing faces and hearing voices, that sense of being in the same room (virtually), has been rather wonderful. I am grateful to those engineers, electronic and computer, electrical and mechanical, who have made this possible. It has been a reminder that we are so dependent as a

Back to faces. Whatever you decide in terms of mask-wearing in church, what we will see of each other are our eyes (if we can negotiate the steaming up of our glasses!). Practice smiling with yours. Even if we cannot see the whole face, what we can share is our joy at each other’s presence and that reminder, from St Paul, that God channels his gracious presence to each other by word, yes, but by face too.

With love and prayers,

Julian

Rector

Face Masks in Church - guidance

Face Masks and Worship
"We strongly advise that face coverings should be worn by all those attending a place of worship, including ministers, worshippers, staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors, where there may be other people present; remembering that they are mainly intended to protect other people, not the wearer, from coronavirus COVID-19 and that they are not a replacement for physical distancing and regular hand washing." - message from the Church of England.