Fellow Travellers
Former dean dies Alex Wedderspoon, Dean of Guildford from 1987 until 2001 died on 10 June 2014. He was a noted preacher, whose wisdom, spiritual counsel and dry humour were valued by many, and he provided a steady hand on the tiller in an era when cathedrals were examining their role in a changing world. He came to Guildford after serving as a lecturer in religious education at London University (1963-66), education adviser to the Church of England Schools Council (1966-70), and vice-dean and canon treasurer at Winchester Cathedral (1970-87). Sheila Kirkland, who was his PA during his 14 years at Guildford Cathedral commented: “Alex was a modest and self-effacing man, very easy to work for and with a delightful sense of humour. He was much loved by the Cathedral congregation, which increased during his time there. “Great care and thought went into his sermons which were widely appreciated and valued, and he also had a gift for saying just the right thing on any public occasion. His immediate dedication to the
Cathedral was apparent at his installation when he preached a memorable sermon based on the text ‘A city set on a hill cannot be hid’. This became the title of a book of his sermons which he reluctantly allowed to be printed near the end of his ministry. Alex will be a great loss to many of us, but the Cathedral lives on as a memorial to a very special Dean.” Editor’s note: Used copies of Alex’s book A City Set on a Hill - a selection of sermons, published by RLS Smith & Associates in 2000 can be found at www.abebooks.co.uk.
‘Make your Mark’ Recipe Book Calling all keen cooks! Sheila Kirkland, now retired but formerly PA to the Very Revd Alex Wedderspoon, has volunteered to put together a recipe book in aid of the Cathedral Appeal and is keen to include any contributions from the parish churches. All types of recipe will be welcomed, whether sweet or
savoury, tried and tested family favourites, or maybe something special handed down by a mother or grandmother! If you have something to offer, please send your entry to either the Cathedral Office, Stag Hill, Guildford GU2 7UP addressed to Sheila Kirkland or via Sheila’s email address at s.kirkland4@ ntlworld.com. Please include your name and the name of your church.
Nine new LLMs Licensed On 21 June at the annual service of celebration of Licensed Lay Ministry at St Saviour’s, Guildford a congregation of more than 200 welcomed for licensing four new LLMs (formerly known as Readers) who have trained on the diocese’s Local Ministry Programme: Sue Browning (St Peter’s, Chertsey), Paul Fenner (St Saviour’s, Guildford), Kate Hillman (St John’s, Windlesham) and Deborah Lock (St Peter’s, Hersham). A further five, who have moved into the area from other dioceses or have previously been Methodist lay preachers, were also welcomed. These included Jill Priest (All Saints’, Banstead), Mike Edwards (St Nicholas and St John, Alfold and Loxwood), Hugh Montgomerie (St Mary, Oatlands), John Cooper (St Giles and St George, Ashtead) and David Ingoldby (St Peter’s, Chertsey). It was also an occasion to say ‘thank you and well done’ to those retiring from active ministry who are granted the honorary title of LLM Emeritus. One of
these was Clive Davis who served the Church for the Deaf Community, which meets every month at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Farnborough. He has been an LLM (Reader) for a total of 60 years – surely a record! Bishop Ian also thanked Mary Bowman (Shalford) and Betsy Herdman (Worplesdon) for their service as LLMs. Commented Stephen Linton, Registrar of LLMs: “We had a great day! It’s always good to welcome new LLMs, but it’s also an important part of the service for us all to rededicate ourselves to serve God in this role to which he has called us.” Just before the service, those to be newly licensed were asked to describe, in three words, how they were feeling (‘hot’ was not allowed!). Their replies were ‘relieved’, enthusiastic’, ‘privileged’, ‘hesitant’ and ‘eager’, but the three most often used words were ‘humbled’, ‘excited’ and ‘(a little bit) ‘scared’. If you would like to find out more about what is involved in becoming an LLM, please contact Gertrud Sollars, tel 01483 415182, or email WardenofLLMs@cofeguildford.org.uk
The Home of Devenish Weymouth Dorset
From left to right: Gertrud Sollars, Mike Edwards, David Ingoldby, Bishop Ian, Paul Fenner, Jill Priest, John Cooper, Deborah Lock, Kate Hillman and Sue Browning
There are 23 Bungalows and 2 flats available to widows of clergymen of the Church of England or widows of officers of the armed services (excluding Territorial Army and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve) providing they are members of the Church of England.
(Anti-)social media?
In an effort to instill some discipline into her prayer life, Sadie, a churchwarden in the diocese, started to write a daily prayer blog earlier this year. Here, one of her posts focuses on the topical subject of social media. Each property has 2 bedrooms, is unfurnished, occupied rent free and is centrally heated, decorated and maintained free of charge. Council tax is also paid by the Charity. They are not warden controlled.
For further information or an application form please contact:
Mrs J Kemmis-Betty, The Home of Devenish, Manor Coach House, Stottingway Street, Weymouth, Dorset DT3 5QA
Telephone: 01305 813895 www.devenishhomes.org Registered Charity No. 202400
Page 16
The Wey August 2014
Social media presents such a dilemma: it can be a great channel for interconnectedness, or a monster displaying the worst of human meanness. Love it or hate it, it’s out there now and you can’t ignore it. It really wasn’t long ago that the only opinions one had access to were in printed books or newspapers, or on the radio or TV, or in your own head. Now there’s a vast spectrum of views from the knowledgeable and reasoned to completely muddled prejudice splattered all over the place. The reality is that social media platforms are filled by relatively few
people talking to each other, but it’s easy to get the impression that they represent ‘what people think’. You can’t blame anyone for entering the arena warily, but increasingly I think it’s time for the ‘silent majority’ to speak up. ‘Dear Lord, information technology in human hands can be used for good or for evil just as any other tool. My prayer is that across social media the positive will come to balance the negative and the mean-spirited. I pray that those who are quiet but who know your presence in their hearts will have the courage one day to speak out in all sorts of ways about the impact you have had on their lives. Amen.’ You can read Sadie’s prayer blog at www.maycontainchristianity.wordpress.com
Is there a faith message… …to take away from Brazil’s crashing defeat in the World Cup? Or from the inquiry into how UK public bodies have handled child abuse allegations? The editorial team would like to hear readers’ views on whether more space should be given in the Wey to reflection or comment. If you have observations on faith in everyday life and would like to share it contact editorial@cofeguildford.org.uk