Letter from the Vicarage

As many of you know, recently Jim and I visited the USA to meet our new grandson. We had already seen-and-heard-him, thanks to the marvels of modem communication. By means of SKYPE, we are able to see and speak to family via our computer. Nevertheless, we looked forward to meeting him in the flesh, getting to know him and creating a bond with him.

We spent six very happy days with him and his parents in Syracuse, up-state New York, a sprawling conurbation of about 250,000 people.

Quite nearby are sizeable Mennonite and Amish communities. Like most residents of Syracuse their ancestors emigrated to the area many years ago but, unlike others, they have not embraced modern technologies and ways of living. They have retained past customs and close knit family groupings. As I understand it, they do not marry out of the sect, integrate with other racial groups or use modern gadgetry, including electricity. Their lives are governed by `the Book' - the Bible and their long held rules of living.

One day, on an outing to the nearby Finger Lakes, we were charmed to come across a group of children playing in the yard of a tiny Mennonite School. They were all dressed in black smocks, the girls wearing old fashioned bonnets and the boys straw hats.

A short distance away, a team of six horses was pulling a plough which was being guided by a very small Mennonite boy. It was a charming scene and evoked a nostalgia for a world where modem day pressures and temptations are unknown, free from the tyranny of e-mails, phones and constant bombardment by the media.

The next day, I baptised our grandson, Archie, in his parents home.

Our daughter-in-law's large extended family - staunch Roman Catholics - gathered to join us in the happy event.

I was sad that our third son, Michael, as Godfather, couldn't be there as he was busy at work in Aberdeen, Scotland. It meant that he could not make the baptismal vows himself on behalf of the baby and his brother would have to stand proxy.

However, I was informed that this would not be the case. He'd be with us via SKYPE. And so it was: he was able to see us, hear us and speak to us by means of a lap top computer. When the baby was baptized, the godmother held the laptop so he could get a good view of what was going on at that point.

Unfortunately, the wonders of modem technology didn't extend to him being able to partake of the champagne, canapés and lunch.

I pray that he may never need it, but if Archie becomes seriously ill, he will have the benefits of modern medicine and technology to help cure him. If one of those Mennonite children becomes seriously ill, his parents have an agonising choice to make: they either remain in the family group and risk the child dying, knowing that there are cures available if they use modern technology or they are expelled from the Mennonite Fellowship and shunned by their own families if they avail themselves of available treatment to save the child's life. How hard must that be !

The thought of maintaining a close knit community and trying to keep out the ills and pressures of the modern world can seem very appealing. However, as Christians we are called to engage with our fellow human beings, whoever and wherever they are and that requires us to be in the world and part of it.

Only then can we do as Christ commanded his disciples to: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGNS

These have been taking place in all the parishes.

Their success is vital to the future viability of full time ministry in these parishes. Therefore, we are very grateful to all those who have responded.

All good wishes,

Anne