PASTORAL LETTER
To be read at all services on the Sunday before Lent, 22nd February, 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Church in the East describes the days leading up to Easter not just as Lent but as ‘Great Lent’. It is the great season of the Church when for 40 days we make a special effort to observe the four great spiritual disciplines of prayer, bible study, fasting and almsgiving. Lent is a great time, when individually and corporately, we focus on God and remind ourselves of our dependence upon him and his great love for us.
Firstly, we are called to prayer. There is so much for which our world needs prayer. Prayer is not an attempt to manipulate God or to provide him with information he doesn’t already have! Prayer is a means of uniting our imperfect love with his perfect love and our imperfect will with his perfect will. Our prayer must be for the world and for others, and then for ourselves that we may be worthy disciples of Jesus. The word disciple does not mean a ‘follower’ but a student, and whatever our age, we should be on a journey of discovery and learning.
Secondly, we are called to study the scriptures. For five weeks of Lent this year I shall be leading bible studies each night of the week on the Gospel of St John. These will take place at five different venues across the diocese and I hope that as many of you as possible will come along for an hour each week. I enjoy the bishop’s role as a teacher and I hope that you will also enjoy the evenings and find inspiration and encouragement by engaging with the scriptures together. You will realise that this is quite a commitment on my part; I hope you will respond.
Thirdly, we are called to fasting. Fasting is an ancient discipline. Jesus did not say ‘if you fast’, but ‘when you fast’. He expected his followers to fast because it reminds us that we do not live by bread alone. It reminds us of those who are hungry. It heightens our awareness and it is a prayer in action. As in previous years, I am calling upon you to go without a meal on Ash Wednesday and each Friday in Lent, or if you cannot do that for health reasons, then to forgo some form of food or drink, and to let me have the money you have saved for the Lent Appeal.
Fourthly, we are called to almsgiving. You or your church, may have a particular cause that you support during Lent or you may wish to give an extra amount to the Lent Appeal. Almsgiving is a reminder that all we have is from God; money is both a symbol of power and a symbol of love. In this great season of Lent, please use it for love.
The Lent Appeal. In the past two years the money we have raised for the Lent Appeal has been given to our link Diocese of the Highveld and I thank you most sincerely for your generosity. The money you gave is being used for feeding programmes and for a teaching centre.
This year, I intend that the money from the Lent Appeal shall be used to help set up projects across the diocese to minister to young people in need. Many of our communities have young people who feel excluded and marginalised. Many hang out on the streets, in pubs and clubs and get involved in a culture of alcohol abuse and drugs - and sometimes of violence and crime.
The Street Pastor project, which is in operation in various places in England and Wales, trains volunteers from our churches to engage with the young people to listen, to share and to minister to them. Volunteers are trained and each project works in partnership with other churches, the police, Council and statutory agencies. This is a way in which we can take Christ’s love to young people and from its success in other parts of Wales, I feel confident that it can work in this diocese.
The money raised from the Lent Appeal will be used to recruit and train volunteer street pastors. The Street Pastor project works ecumenically and demonstrates to young people that the church has a human face that cares for them and is prepared to go out and meet them where they are. This is a project that can help change the lives of young people on our streets and also improve society. Please support the Street Pastor project with your prayers, fasting and almsgiving.
As in previous years, I am asking local churches to make arrangements to collect the money.
May God bless you - and may you have a profitable and Great Lent.
With my love and prayers,
+ Dominic