The Canon Pastor

THE CANON PASTOR’S

REPORT

We have all learned to expect the unexpected, and to know that our plans are in God’s hands

The week I began in February 2021, we were immediately back in lockdown, and I wondered how a pastor could serve God without face-to-face contact with those to be cared for, even to meet people and attach faces to names. ‘Doth God exact day-labour, light denied’ I wondered (Milton, Sonnet 19 ‘On His Blindness’, 1655).

But I have discovered that, with the creative use of technology, the support of wonderfully able colleagues, and the expertise of our administrative and operational teams, much is possible. A team of five can livestream a service, Seniors can meet and enjoy a monthly presentation online, weekly Bible study (even a study and discussion of the Book of Revelation) can be effective online, and, although the coffee is not up to the usual Cathedral standard, we found we could meet on a Sunday morning and enjoy each other’s company and share our experiences of the week together on Zoom. And most of us who were born before computers had never heard of Zoom!

I am grateful to my predecessor, Canon Christopher Carolane, for his support. He is still the leading light for Seniors’ gatherings and had set in place many of the online strategies we have continued to revert to. Now, we have become adept at returning to them as required, so the clarifying question ‘online or in-person’ is repeatedly asked. Interestingly, Zoom worked surprisingly well for baptism preparation when parents could (at least sometimes) put little people to bed and focus on a discussion around faith, prayer and living as a Christian. Of course, some families had three dates planned for the baptism before we finally managed to get together with their relatives and church family in the Cathedral. I still have not solved the problem of an online baptism! But it is a delight to continue to welcome so many to God’s family.

We have all learned to expect the unexpected, and to know that our plans are in God’s hands. While we can’t always design activities in the ways we have been used to, we can usually, with inspiration and creativity, think of some alternatives. Sometimes it seems as if ‘They also serve who only stand and wait’ (Milton, Sonnet 19 ‘On His Blindness’, 1655).

The Revd Canon Jane Window

Canon Pastor