Bishop Dominic writes…
I remember visiting the Records Office in Berkshire and an old book on a shelf caught my eye. It was a record of the Archdeacon’s Court. The first entry I saw referred to the Archdeacon (on behalf of the Bishop) excommunicating a woman for being a ‘persistent and unrepentant gossip’. The rest of the entries all referred to legal action taken by the Archdeacon for various offences. An Archdeacon is, of course, a legal officer with his own area of jurisdiction, but he is much more than that.
A Church and a Diocese need to have rules, procedures, good practice and standards to be able to live and work together as a family, but Christians are called to follow the teachings of Christ that puts love before the law (and you need to get to grips with the Letter to the Romans for a full explanation). Above everything else there must be love (charity). Today Archdeacons are seen in a more kindly light than their medieval predecessors, not just as legal officers but as people who share with their bishop in the pastoral care of the clergy and parishes. Their task is to have a care for buildings so that we exercise good stewardship, but their task is also one of mission and helping parishes to decide which buildings are going to be millstones around our necks and which are going to be assets for evangelism as we look to the future and engage in Mission Action Planning.
Our two Archdeacons meet regularly with me and share in much of my ministry. Some of their work is ‘trouble shooting’; some of it involves preparing parishes for a change of parish priest, making appointments and pastoral reorganisation. They take part in a number of committees to do with parsonages, faculty applications, education, finance and mission. They play their part in the Cathedral Chapter and one of them is always a member of the Governing Body. Archdeacons meet regularly with the Area Deans and the Bishop’s Staff Team and are involved in helping to form the policy and strategy of the diocese. I think it is important for Archdeacons to have wide experience as parish priests, good judgement, and a heart for mission.
As you will know, the Archdeacon of Newport, the Ven Kenneth Sharpe, retires in July and I have invited him to return to the diocese in October for a presentation (it will not be a home computer!) at the Diocesan Conference so that we can formally express our appreciation for his forty-five years of ministry. Most of those years have been spent in this diocese as a parish priest, youth chaplain, children’s’ adviser, rural dean and archdeacon. Over the past five years I have greatly valued his support, his integrity, his gentle pastoral care and his eye for detail. I thank him and Christine for all that they have contributed to the life of the diocese and wish them well as they retire to their house in the Diocese of St David’s where I am sure Ken will continue to offer much priestly ministry.
I have appointed the Archdeacon of Monmouth to succeed Archdeacon Ken as Archdeacon of Newport and the Vicar of Monmouth, Canon Richard Pain to be Archdeacon of Monmouth. They will be collated and installed in the Cathedral on Sunday, 6th July at 6.30 p.m. and I invite you to come along to support them as they take up their new ministries. Both will continue with their present parish responsibilities until they move houses in the autumn.
+ Dominic