News

Our latest news can be found on the home page of this website where you will find the weekly pew slip, a copy of the most recent Parish News and many other notices.

You can also keep up to date via our social media: our Facebook page and Instagram.

We have a dream…

On the evening of Sunday 4^th August, a far-right demonstration took place on New Road between St. Alphege and the Ramada Hotel. Our church notice boards were covered over with messages of hate, and photographs taken which quickly appeared on social media. At the same time there was a very unpleasant Islamophobic demonstration on Hermitage Road outside the Hub (Deen Central). Whilst both the national and local picture have significantly calmed, we should not underestimate the distress caused to many in our Solihull community, and nor should we be under any illusion that there remains a minority who, through truth-twisting and the dissemination of lies, continue to stoke fear with the aim of causing division. Against this background we are called to witness to the Gospel we proclaim, to the surpassing love of Christ which demands us to welcome all without discrimination and always to care especially for the most vulnerable and the refugee.

All of this makes the Civic Service held at the end of June yet more important – about which I wrote a report for Parish News some weeks ago (also contained in this September edition). Within that service we sang the hymn based on Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I have a dream speech’. It included these verses:

We have a dream: our children shall be free

from judgements based on colour or on race;

free to become whatever they may be,

of their own choosing in the light of grace.

We have a dream that truth shall overcome

the fear and anger of our present day;

that black and white will share a common home,

and hand in hand will walk the pilgrim way.

 

…and cause to hope

As I reflect on both the Civic Service and recent events, I must say my hope remains undimmed. First, because the light of truth and love has been evident in the widespread sense of outrage reflected in much larger counter-demonstrations that have taken place across our nation. And second, because this hope is based not on us but upon Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace and King of Love, with whom we will together continue to build God’s perfect eternal kingdom despite the set-backs, a kingdom reflecting the wonder and diversity of heaven.

As I close it is another hymn which comes to mind:

Through the night of doubt and sorrow

Onward goes the pilgrim band,

Singing songs of expectation,

Marching to the promised land.

 

Clear before us through the darkness

Gleams and burns the guiding light,

Pilgrim clasps the hand of pilgrim,

Stepping fearless through the night.

 

Soon shall come the great awakening,

Soon the rending of the tomb;

Then the scattering of all shadows,

And the end of toil and gloom.

 

Bernard Severin Ingemann (1825); transl. S. Baring-Gould

 

REPORT ON THE CIVIC SERVICE:

Proclaiming the Gospel afresh in this generation:

St. Alphege hosted the annual Civic Service on Sunday 30^th June, welcoming and praying for the mayor and elected councillors. Our new Mayor, Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE, is Muslim, and we were therefore pleased to include a reading from the Qur’an focussing upon God’s truth and light. This was wonderfully intoned by Imam Qari Elaimy from The Hub, Solihull, with the English translation read by Madam Mayor. We then heard ‘Ya Ellahi’, an Arabic rendition of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, sung beautifully by Mikhael Mala. The related themes for the service were unity and light, in view of the growing diversity of Solihull Metropolitan Borough, as well as the general election, then just a few days away. We enjoyed a fine sermon from the mayor’s chaplain, Rev. Paul Day, along with anthems by Bruckner and Stanford showcasing the talent of our St. Alphege choirs. At the end of the service, before the mayor and councillors were commissioned, faith leaders from different traditions lit candles in honour of the uniqueness and integrity of each faith, whilst recognising that the light is one. The service concluded with the pronouncement of God’s blessing and singing of the National Anthem.

Through the planning and leading of this important service, I was reminded of what it truly means to be the established or national Church of England, privileged to extend God’s welcome to all and to serve every citizen without fear or favour. The opportunity this year to be more intentionally inclusive sets a helpful precedent for the future – with the expectation that future mayors may wish to choose their own reading to sit alongside the chosen Gospel. In making this choice the key is not so much the source (which could be from any faith tradition or none) but rather how it supports the theme of the service and compliments the Gospel message. We regularly apply this same principle for occasional services (weddings and funerals), where the Church has for many years overwhelmingly said ‘Yes’ to requests for the inclusion of readings and music from alternate traditions, because those asking are unfailingly respectful of our tradition and thoughtful in their choices.

Whilst celebrating this service – positively received by so many – I am conscious that some found the changes unsettling, raising questions about what it means to Christ’s Church and faithful to the Gospel Jesus proclaimed. Similar concerns have been raised about the recent decision of the Church of England to offer ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ in support and celebration of loving relationships of various shapes – including same sex relationships.

Whilst change can be challenging, and whilst an honoured place needs to be reserved for those who with grace and integrity retain traditional views, it is important to recognise that the bedrock has not changed – namely love, and in particular God’s grace and love we receive through Christ. And important to know that the more inclusive Church we are becoming is not in spite of what the Scriptures say, but because of the Good News we find in them – recognising that God’s love knows no limits and in Christ all barriers have been broken down.

Looking to the future, I am greatly encouraged to see the positive reception to the changes we are steadily making, especially from friends of the Church who are not, or not yet, full members. It is clear, that when we have courage to open our doors fully to everyone in the community, when we stand ready to offer God’s welcome unconditionally without judgment, there remains a warm reception for the Church’s voice and an openness to the Gospel proclaimed by Jesus Christ, namely, his promise of redemption, freedom, and renewal, and thereby the fullness of life he brings us by his Spirit.

Revd Nick Parker, August 2024

‘We are on the side of life’: UK Religious Leaders – Muslim, Jewish, and Christian – condemn violence

In London, the Archbishop of Canterbury has brought together Muslim and Jewish community leaders in a bid to discourage “any form of hatred or violence” in the UK.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Imam Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, and Rabi Jonathan Wittenberg give a press conference in front of microphones at a lecturn

Here’s what Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, a scholar and imam from Leicester, had to say:

“British Muslims and Jews have much in common – and there are many personal ties between us. We have, and will sometimes, be on opposite sides – but we live together as neighbours in peace and harmony… without resorting to hate or violence.

It is deplorable and wrong that our Jewish community here has been the target of hate crimes… I pray for an end to this war and all wars – and for the innocent caught up in this chaos.”

He was followed by Jonathan Wittenberg, a senior rabbi of Masorti Judaism who was described by Mogra as a “dear friend”. Wittenberg added:

“The Jewish community… has long condemned, and continues to condemn, all forms of racism directed against Muslims, from whatever source.”

As leaders in the British Jewish and Muslim communities, we affirm the importance of maintaining our relationships even, and especially, in troubled times. It is essential that we live together, across the UK, as neighbours and fellow citizens in peace and in respect.

My prayers too are with all the innocent people caught up in this horror. We are both on the side of life… and pray for a better future for all.”

Full transcript and statements here: Israel-Gaza Conflict – UK faith leaders condemn antisemitism and call for solidarity between faith communities | The Archbishop of Canterbury  (17.10.23)

Archbiship’s statement here: Archbishop of Canterbury statement on Israel and Gaza | The Archbishop of Canterbury (13.10.23)

Please pray for the people of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. Pray for the future of the Holy Land. Pray for those who will weep, and fear, and die tonight: Lord God, we pray, by your great mercy, defend your children from all perils and dangers of this night.  

You may wish to use the prayer made available by the CofE, found here on Facebook in video format or the prayers being offered daily currently by our Cathedral church:

Heavenly Father,
We look with horror upon the conflict in Israel and Gaza;
upon acts of terrorism; destruction; and death.
Hear the lamentations of all who suffer.
Heal the fear that begets violence.
Bind up wounds which are so deep
that peace seems unimaginable
except through your merciful intervention.
Grant peace. Grant justice. Grant hope.
We ask this for Jesus Christ’s sake
and in the power of his Holy Spirit;
Amen.

If you are able, please support the JMECA (Anglican Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem) appeal for the Ahli Arab Hospital to continue providing life-saving medical care: www.jmeca.org.uk/get-involved/donate/current-appeals-0/al-ahli-hospital-gaza-appeal

We hold the situation in our prayers as we gather each day for Morning Prayer and you are very welcome to join us.

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Our latest news can be found on the home page of this website where you will find the weekly pew slip, a copy of the most recent Parish News and many other notices.

You can also keep up to date via our social media: our Facebook page and Instagram.