AN ONLINE UPDATE FROM ROMSEY ABBEY & ST SWITHUN’S

eMAY 2020

Open Door is the parish magazine of Romsey Abbey & St Swithun’s, Crampmoor. We are unable to bring you Open Door in the usual way, so please enjoy a few pages put together

as we stay in touch during the lockdown. We hope you are keeping safe and well.

OPEN DOOR

www.romseyabbey.org.uk follow us on social media!

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1120-2020—900TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROMSEY’S NORMAN ABBEY CHURCH

THE VICAR’S LETTER

Revd Thomas Wharton, Vicar of Romsey

Dear Friends,

Lock down has brought a new kind of normal. All of us are now familiar with communicating at distance, be that 2 or 8 meters apart, using phone or snail mail or new technology such as Zoom or other video call applications. Businesses have also adapted to working from home through conference calls, email and operating remotely. And churches have adapted too, now offering worship and pastoral support online and remotely. And the result?

There certainly is some amazing creativity out there which a tour around Romsey Church websites will show. Moving church online has seen churches connect with people far beyond their regular congregations. A recent Facebook group called Compline at Nine started by an Abbey congregation member has developed a life of its own and now has over 400 subscribers. Online worshippers now find they can not only join their regular Sunday congregation but can drop into Holy Trinity Brompton, Canterbury Cathedral or a church in Sydney Australia, all in a morning!

But this new normal has also raised questions. How do we understand Holy Communion when we are not meeting physically together? How can we support families through grief when only 10 people can attend a funeral? What impact will online worship have when we are now used to fast forwarding the sermon and switching between different channels and churches?

Lockdown has brought good things for sure. We have rediscovered afresh, the Church is the people more than buildings, as beautiful and helpful as they can be. The church is a community, living, believing and shaped by the Kingdom of God. While no doubt the creativity of our online presence will continue after lockdown, perhaps more than ever we will appreciate how important human touch is, especially in our worship and pastoral care to each other.

Revd Sally Womersley, Associate Priest, with Revd Thomas Wharton,

Vicar of Romsey in St Anne’s Chapel. Photo: Ken Gibson.

Let the team say a prayer for you or someone that you know!Email, text or leave a voicemail to the details above. Prayers will be offered at the next midweek service after they are picked up.

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A note from the Editor

A warm hello to our subscribers, regular readers and advertisers and welcome to anyone new finding us online!

The April edition of Open Door is still locked up at the printers as we were unable to collect and distribute these ahead of the COVID-19 restrictions. We will endeavour to get these out as soon as we can safely do so. In the meantime, this e-edition is a quick update to keep in touch.

Hopefully you have been able to access the online service provision that the parish is providing as well as the Facebook events that Rhiannon Wilmott offers for children and families. I don’t know about you but watching the services makes me happy and sad. I love seeing who will appear but also recognise that there are many others unseen that make the magic happen. We are blessed to have such a creative and hard-working team, both ministers and volunteers. The images on the front page and opposite are a compilation of screen shots from members of the team and others that have been leading our worship during Holy Week and up to the Second Sunday of Easter.

At the time of writing there is no date set for the lifting of restrictions. The diary on page 2 has been set out based on the current online service provision. Obviously this may change so please keep up-to-date by checking the weekly bulletin on the Abbey website or subscribe to receive it via email each week, or follow us on our social media channels.

There are no adverts included in this online update and we will be in contact with all our advertisers in due course. Until the next time, stay safe.

Amanda Taylor

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Opposite: Primroses, bluebells and the flower beds at St Swithun’s. To quote Richard Pratt, ‘The church is closed but the garden is blooming’. Photos: Richard & Elizabeth Pratt

St Swithun’s Jottings

A great deal has changed since I wrote the last jottings. March began with a semblance of normality and quite a number of St Swithun’s congregation were in the Abbey for Sally’s licensing. It seems quite strange now to think that back then we were all sharing the Peace with handshakes.

By the second Sunday of March, we had moved to bowing to one another in the Peace, and receiving only the bread in our Communion service. Despite the increasing restrictions we still had a good congregation.

On 15th March we were delighted to welcome Rev Sally Womersley for her first service with us. Richard and I had met her in the church earlier in the week to show her around and explain what happens at St Swithun’s. Sally was warmly welcomed and we very much enjoyed her service. Unfortunately by that time we were getting very concerned with covid-19 restrictions setting in and I completely forgot to take any photographs for you. We also had our monthly book sale, which was a ood opportunity to stock up with reading matter before future restrictions on activities set in.

We also had to announce the postponement of our Spring Sale, which was a big disappointment as it is one of our major fundraising events. Not least is the disappointment of those whose spare rooms and garages are stuffed with items collected for the sale, although we have a bonus of a large collection of jigsaw puzzles! We have currently rebooked the sale for 3rd October and will have to wait and see what happens by then.

Since 15th March of course we have had no services at St Swithun’s. Richard and I have checked the church on some of our daily walks and said a psalm or prayer for you all while we are there. The church garden is looking lovely with large patches of primroses and celandines, and a few bluebells. Richard has been keeping people updated by email or telephone. We have also had a lovely weekly service sheet from Averil which has gone to our members via email or people dropping it in to neighbours who don’t have email. A number of people have also been logging on to the live streamed services from the Abbey, and it is nice to know we are all worshipping together even though physically apart.

Looking aheadWe have no idea what may happen in the weeks to come, so all I can say is that we must wait for better times. Let’s keep in contact one way or another and pray for one another.

Elizabeth Pratt

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Severed from routine and obliged to fashion new habits

Imagine a world where everything familiar has gone, the capital city’s most famous religious landmark has been destroyed, you have been transported to a foreign country, and have no idea when or if you will be permitted to go home. That’s roughly what happened to the Jewish people in what is called the Babylonian Captivity more than 500 years BC. Jerusalem and its Temple had been obliterated.

In exile, the Jews weren’t treated too badly, but they were bereft of the land they believed God had given them and where they felt Him to be present. When their captors, innocently, asked them to sing one of their religious songs, they bristled, ‘How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?’ But their faith matured in the 70-year exile. Scribes consolidated the Scriptures, new kinds of congregations, called synagogues, sprang up where they could worship and teach the faith. Their somewhat provincial view of God actually got bigger - not only did they find Israel’s God accessible in their foreign surroundings, but their prophets began to see that God was for all people. Here’s part of Isaiah, Chapter 45

“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone are deliverance and strength.’”

Finally, and after many of the original exiles had died, the Persians conquered Babylon, and gave the exiles the option to go home, which many did.

There must be a lesson here for many people round the world who, because of Covid-19, suddenly found themselves severed from routine and obliged to fashion new habits for an unspecified period. Regular worshippers were banished from their churches. The observance of Holy Week and Easter had to be in a makeshift fashion. Special events were cancelled. At the same time, on the first Sunday of this ‘exile’ the Church of England attracted its largest ‘congregation’ ever. A recorded service led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is estimated to have been seen or heard by around five million people. Nearly 30 per cent of those watching online were under the age of 34.

It’s too soon to say what the long-term impact will be. But while we cogitate on that, don’t forget to send your usual weekly offering to the Church Treasurer!

The Ven John BartonThe Ven John Barton makes a good point in that closing sentence. To donate visit www.romseyabbey.org.uk and click on donate. Thank you!

Be our hope

God of compassion, be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation. In their loneliness, be their consolation; in their anxiety, be their hope; in their darkness, be their light; through Him who suffered alone on the cross, but reigns with you in glory, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Barbara Glasson

Why Jesus walked on water

A tourist, planning a trip to the Holy Land, was aghast when he found it would cost £50 an hour to rent a boat on the Sea of Galilee. ‘Goodness,’ he objected to the travel agent. ‘In England it would not have been more than £20.’

‘That might be true, said the travel agent, ‘but you have to take into account that the Sea of Galilee is water on which our Lord Himself walked.’

‘Well, at £50 an hour for a boat,’ said the tourist, ‘it’s no wonder He walked.’

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1120-2020—900TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROMSEY’S NORMAN ABBEY CHURCHHector’s Corner

New Mental Health Reflections published by

the Church of EnglandA series of reflections on how to cope with anxiety and loneliness in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, including simple Christian meditation techniques and five tips, have been published by the Church of England.

A number of actions that could help people feeling isolated or worried, as well as those who grieve, are put forward in a new guide Supporting Good Mental Health and written by Durham University academic Revd Professor Chris Cook with Ruth Rice Director of the Christian mental health charity ‘Renew Wellbeing’.

The booklet gives advice ranging from putting aside time to rest and eating and sleeping well, to using the phone and the internet to reach those who may be struggling on their own. Making a list of all the good things – and people – that you miss when you are on your own and thanking God for them, can be a way of helping cope with loneliness, the guide says.

Simple prayers can be said repeatedly as a means of helping to deal with stress, the booklet says, and lighting a candle, where safe, can be a helpful form of prayer for some people. Quotations from the Bible can be a useful aide to

meditation and calming fears, including writing down and repeating short passages, it suggests.

A phrase such as Psalm 18:1 ‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer’ could be chosen for each week and used as background for a mobile phone as a ‘go to’ thought when someone is anxious.

It also suggests repeating a simple phrase from the Psalms such as Psalm 4:8 ‘I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety,” to help calm the mind before sleeping.

The Rt Revd James Newcome, Bishop of Carlisle and the Church of England’s lead bishop on health and social care, said: “I welcome publication of these further resources.

“For some time now the issues of loneliness and isolation have been identified as major problems within our society. The coronavirus pandemic will only create further challenges in this respect. So it is vital that we do all we can as a church to protect people’s mental wellbeing. The reflections are beautifully presented and scripturally based, with the ‘Have A Go’ sections intentionally focusing on how people should be kind to themselves. That is so important at this time. My prayer is that as many people as possible are able to draw upon these new resources over the coming weeks and months.”

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D i a r yThe Intention (the special object of prayer for the day) is printed in bold letters at the end of each day’s notes.

WHAT’S ON IN

1 Friday, Philip and James, Apostles. 8pm Online Compline. Our assistant clergy and ministers 2 Saturday, Athanasius, bishop, teacher of the faith, 373. Teachers and pupils 3 Fourth Sunday of Easter. 9.30am Online Parish Eucharist. The Good Shepherd 4 Monday, English saints and martyrs of the Reformation Era. 8pm Online Compline. The NHS 5 Tuesday. Doctors and Nurses 6 Wednesday. 10am Online Morning Prayer & Holy Communion. NHS support staff 7 Thursday. All involved in medical research 8 Friday, Julian of Norwich, spiritual writer, c. 1417. 8pm Online Compline. Those living alone 9 Saturday. The Emergency Services 10 Fifth Sunday of Easter. 9.30am Online Parish Eucharist. Going to the Father11 Monday. 8pm Online Compline. All in authority 12 Tuesday. All involved in mental health 13 Wednesday. 10am Online Morning Prayer & Holy Communion. All facilitating contact via technology14 Thursday, Matthias the Apostle. The Vicar15 Friday. 8pm Online Compline. Volunteers16 Saturday. The bereaved and those who mourn17 Sixth Sunday of Easter, Rogation Sunday. 9.30am Online Parish Eucharist. Farmers and growers18 Monday, Rogation Day. 8pm Online Compline. All involved in food production and distribution19 Tuesday, Rogation Day, Dunstan, archbishop, monastic reformer, 988. Artists and craftsmen20 Wednesday, Rogation Day, Alcuin, deacon, abbot, 804. 10am Online Morning Prayer & Holy Communion. Stephen Cottrell, Designate Archbishop of York21 Thursday, Ascension Day. Jesus Christ, our risen and ascended King22 Friday. 8pm Online Compline. The Churchwardens23 Saturday. The Children’s Society24 Seventh Sunday of Easter. 9.30am Online Parish Eucharist. The coming of the Kingdom of God25 Monday, The Venerable Bede, monk, scholar, historian, 735. 8pm Online Compline. Historians and Translators26 Tuesday, Augustine, archbishop, 605. Archbishop Justin Welby27 Wednesday. 10am Online Morning Prayer & Holy Communion. Parents and children28 Thursday. Overseas Links (Uganda)29 Friday. 8pm Online Compline. Overseas Links (Burundi)30 Saturday, Josephine Butler, social reformer, 1906. Social Workers and Reformers31 Pentecost Sunday. 9.30am Online Parish Eucharist. The Holy Spirit

Rhiannon Wilmott - ‘Romsey Abbey Children & Families’ is on Facebook as follows:Sundays at 10.30am Children’s VideoMondays at 10.30am Live Singing Storytime for pre-schoolersWednesdays at 10.30am Live Wednesday Songtime for pre-schoolersThursdays at 1.15pm Assembly Collective Worship for Primary

Events and times may be subject to change. Check www.romseyabbey.org.uk / weekly bulletin / social media for latest news!

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