Hero photograph
Rev’d Penny Sinnamon and Bishop Steve Benford
 
Photo by Nicola Wong

Sadness and Gratitude at Secularisation

Andrew Metcalfe —

On Friday 29 January the St Michaels and All Angels' Church was farewelled at Clyde, after 157 years of a visible Anglican building presence.

A group of 34 parishioners, Anglicans from other areas, people with strong connections to the former St Michaels and friends gathered to say goodbye to the building set aside for worship since October 1877 . For Parish Priests Rev'd Penny Sinnamon and Rev'd Carol Masters, along with Parishioner's from Dunstan parish the represented an important moment as they continue to prepare to hand the buildings in Clyde over to new owners on 26 March 2021

Link to Video

Bishop Steve led prayers recognizing the mixed emotions of this kind of event: sadness, grief, gratitude along with disappointment and anger. There was an opportunity for people to voice their memories and feelings during this final service. The scripture reading was from the prophet Jonah while stuck in the depths of a large fish (Jonah Chapter 3. Steve reminded the congregation that Lament is acceptable expression of Christian faith, along with all other kinds of emotions, as well as the observation that the story of Jonah starts with the call of God and ends with the demonstration of God's mercy.

He also relayed a message from Archbishop Philip Richardson who was also secularising St Cuthbert's Church in Manaia, and prayers were said for this community. 

During the service the congregation joined in two verses of "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" from memory, with the words and imbedded harmonies making this a fitting accompaniment to the occasion.

Secularisation of St Michael and All Angels, Clyde, 29 January, 2021 Called South

The Rev'd Carol Masters (who is retiring shortly) also shared memories after the service of the first ever sermon she preached - which was at St Michaels and also based on the Prophet Jonah: a fitting way to remember beginnings and endings in this special place. 

After the official words of secularisation (attached below) people connected and talked with each other. It was a chance to say more than what was said during the service. There was also a remarkable sense of people who had been affected in different ways making peace with each other and seeking forgiveness.

Although this was an "ending" of a particular presence in Clyde, faith carries on as the Parish considers ways that they can continue to spread the love of Jesus Christ in Central Otago.

Angel — Image by: pixabay.com


A Blessing of Angels (from L'Arche Community)

May the Angels in their beauty bless us,
May they turn towards us streams of blessing.

May the Angel of Awakening stir our hearts
To the questions and struggles that are within and without us.
Open our eyes to the shades of light and dark in every one of us
And help us to face what is uncomfortable or difficult to absorb or comprehend.

May the Angel of Expression help us to voice
Our fears, hurts, anger, anxieties and hopes,
Our doubts, ambivalences and uncertainties
Especially when we feel alone in sharing them.

May the Angel of Transformation help us pass through thresholds,
Letting go of what needs to be forsaken
While receiving what is needed for the next stage of the journey
And turning shame into worship.

May the angel of Inspiration give us new understanding,
Moving us out of places where our lives have become too comfortable
And into new territories where all that is awkward is not hidden, ignored or brushed aside,
Healing our wounds and leading us into deeper truth, freedom and action.

May the Angel of Compassion open our eyes
To the loneliness and suffering – seen and unseen – around us
That we may be filled with love and have the confidence and courage to share it,
Giving life to those around us and healing all our wounds.

(Inspired by and loosely based on John O’Donohue’s ‘A Blessing of angels’ in ‘Benedictus: A book of blessings’)