A legacy of Bishop Graeme's term of office which we hope will endure is the annual Pray the Keeills week. The week this year runs from 17th to 24th May, when there will be services and events at many of these ancient sites. On Sunday 18th May we are hosting a "three-in-one" service here, worshipping successively in the Parish Church, on the field (weather permitting!) and in Old Kirk Braddan. Please come along and support us - the service begins in the Parish Church at 3.00 pm.
The existence of the Keeills, ancient places of worship, serves to remind us that the Island's long history is one in which Christianity has played a dominant role. Today we are becoming, beyond doubt, a more diverse society, ethnically and culturally. With this is coming a greater variety, not just of Christian traditions, but of other faiths as well. This is not necessarily something to be feared, and it is important that we work at promoting inter-faith understanding. However, our background and present-day ethos are overwhelmingly Christian; the vast majority of people of other faiths have no problem with this and, indeed, often wonder why we do not make more of it! The history of the Church has been one of change; the era of the Keeills eventually gave way to the parish system, and we have also seen the rise of the Free Churches, to name only one of many developments. What the future holds is, in some ways, problematical. Within the Church of England, the next 5 to 7 years will see a tide of retirements which cannot fail to have an impact on the way we are structured. New patterns of ministry may well emerge. All this reminds us of the importance of prayer. The Keeills were primarily places of prayer, and we must be certain that this vital means of communicating with – and listening to–- God underlies all our deliberations about future structures, styles of ministry, and so on. It is, after all, God whom we worship and serve, and whose Kingdom people we are called to be.
By the time this appears, Bishop Robert will have been consecrated in York Minster, and his enthronement as our diocesan bishop has been arranged for Saturday 14th June at 2.30 pm in the Cathedral. Arrangements re tickets etc. will appear in due course; in the meantime please pray for him and Pauline his wife as they p[repare for their future with us.
With warmest greetings in Christ
Philip