Contacting the Abbey...The Abbey Offi ce12 Kingston BuildingsBath BA1 1LT

The offi ce number is (01225) 422462(Monday to Friday: 9.00 am - 4.00 pm).Answerphone service outside those hours.The offi ce is normally open to visitors in the morning.

Email offi ce@bathabbey.orgWebsite www.bathabbey.orgFacebook / Twitt er @bathabbeyFax (01225) 429990

Offi ce Staff Mrs Cheri Bragg, Mrs Annett e Smith,Mrs Lyndie Sugden, Mrs Deborah Coleman

ClergyPrebendary Edward Mason, Rector(01225) 318267;Revd Dr Alan Garrow, Vicar Theologian(01225) 466272;Revd Claire Robson, Vicar Pastor(01225) 484469;Revd Dr Sarah Hartley, Self-Supporti ng Minister (01225) 442462;Revd Evelyn Lee-Barber, Curate(01225) 422462

Clergy AvailabilityThe clergy welcome communicati on on any matt ersby lett er, email or telephone. Please contact theAbbey Offi ce.

July 2014

Abbey News

Services and Preachers...

Morning Prayer on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8.30 amHoly Communion on Thursdays at 11.00 am and Fridays at 8.30 am

Evening Prayer from Mondays to Fridays at 5.30pm

6 The Third Sunday aft er Trinity 8.00 am Holy Communion The Revd Evelyn Lee-Barber

9.30 am Parish Communion Peter and Jane Nott 11.15 am Choral Mati ns Peter and Jane Nott Collegium Regale Howells Blest Pair of Sirens Parry3.30 pm Choral Evensong O Lord, increase our strength Loosemore Dyson in D The Twelve Walton6.30 pm By the Way Evening Service Alan Garrow

13 The Fourth Sunday aft er Trinity 8.00 am Holy Communion Mr Colin Maggs

9.30 am Parish Communion The Revd Dr Sarah Hartley11.15 am Choral Mati ns The Revd Dr Sarah Hartley Never weather beaten sail Shephard Noble in B minor Blessed City Bairstow3.30 pm No Choral Evensong6.30 pm By the Way Evening Service Ann Dowling

19 5.30 pm Choral Evensong South West Chamber Choir If ye love me Tallis The Third Service Moore Hear my prayer, O Lord Purcell

20 The Fift h Sunday aft er Trinity – services will be sung by the South West Chamber Choir8.00 am Holy Communion The Revd Dr Alan Garrow9.30 am Parish Communion The Revd Dr Alan Garrow

11.15 am Choral Mati ns The Revd Dr Alan Garrow Teach me, O Lord Att wood Bath Service Stephen Trahair3.30 pm Choral Evensong Ego sum panis vivus Smart Stanford in C Like as the hart Howells6.30 pm Evening Service

26 5.30 pm Choral Evensong Christ Church, Swindon Here, O my Lord Whitlock Murrill in E Give us the wings of faith Bullock

27 The Sixth Sunday aft er Trinity –services will be sung by the choir of Christ Church, Swindon8.00 am Holy Communion The Revd Prebendary Edward Mason9.30 am Parish Communion The Revd Prebendary Edward Mason11.15 am Choral Mati ns The Revd Prebendary Edward Mason Jesu dulcis memoria Victoria Stanford in B fl at Grow in grace Archer3.30 pm Choral Evensong Jesu dulcis memoria Victoria Noble in B minor Evening Hymn Balfour Gardiner 6.30 pm Evening Service Jane Pleace

Welcome to our new bishopOn Saturday 7 June, more than 1,000 people from across Somerset gathered at Wells Cathedral for a special service to welcome Rt Revd Peter Hancock as the 79th Bishop of Bath and Wells. A Bath Abbey verger has historically led the Bishop from the door of his Palace to the door of the Cathedral. Michael Robinson, representi ng the Abbey, led the Bishop on these 365 steps. On arriving, Bishop Peter

struck the cathedral’s west door three ti mes with his staff before being granted entry. He was greeted by a child before the Dean of Wells gave the formal welcome. In Bishop Peter’s fi rst sermon as Bishop of Bath & Wells he stated: “Lord it is good to be here” and set out the challenges that are before him and the diocesan community as he begins his new ministry.

Please join us in praying for Peter and his wife Jane. Photo © David Hedges/SWNS

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WWI Centenary: Candlelit VigilMarking the start of the Great War10pm on the night of Monday 4 AugustFree tickets will be available from the Bath Box Office from Monday 14 July.

Drawing upon Sir Edward Grey’s famous remark that, “The lamps are going out all over Europe” we will be marking the Centenary of the start of the First World War with a Vigil Service. The Abbey will be lit with hundreds of candles which will be extinguished one by one until the final candle is blown out at 11pm – the moment of Britain’s ultimatum to Germany. The Vigil will include music, memoirs of Bath residents, scripture and poetry.

The vigil will be held simultaneously as the national service at Westminster Abbey.

It is not intended to be a premature marking of armistice, but will commemorate the centenary of the beginning of the war: remembering our common humanity and recalling the terrible cost in lives lost on all sides of this devastating conflict.

The service will be broadcast into the Abbey Churchyard for those without tickets.

Farewell to Alan, Emma, Sam and EleanorThis is going to be tough. Alan and Emma have put their heart and soul into the life and ministry of the Abbey over eight years. They are part of us and we will miss them very much.There will be a special opportunity to say thank you to Alan and Emma and to pray for them between the main morning services on Sunday 20 July. Please come if you can. An end of a ministry is as important as the beginning so it is an important occasion for us all. (Envelopes will be available early this month for all who wish to give a parting gift to Alan and Emma. Please look out for these or send your gift into the Abbey Office: Cheques made payable to Bath Abbey.)There will be other opportunities to acknowledge the contribution Alan and Emma have made to our lives. Some have been obvious such as Alan’s preaching and teaching, his work with exhibitions and enthusiasm for how the Abbey presents itself through its graphic design and interpretation.But here I want to draw attention specifically to the more hidden ministry they both share. Alan and Emma, Samuel and Eleanor, have played a critical role in faithful pastoral ministry. They have befriended and visited many, many of the congregation old and new. They have opened their home for countless Sunday lunches and evening fellowship meals. Quiet, diligent ministry like this is often overlooked. But it is as important as any leading of worship, preaching or broadcast. In this they leave us a great example. They have been strategic in their care of others, winning friends and gently and purposefully pointing to the one who is at the centre of their lives – Jesus Christ.A favourite word of Alan’s is authenticity. Alan and Emma have lived authentic lives of the disciple among us and we now pray for God’s blessing on them as they move to Sheffield.The Bishop’s staff has given permission for the Abbey to advertise the vacant clergy post in September. I expect there to be interviews in October and an appointment made. Only then will we know when the chosen candidate is able to take up the post but I do not expect this to be until Easter 2015. In the meantime, please pray for the selection process. The right person will be found through discerning what we believe is God’s will for the ministry here. Thank you Alan, Emma, Samuel and Eleanor. Go with our blessing and our prayers. We will miss you.

Edward

Sheffield: ‘The Crucible of Ambition’What could be so special about Sheffield? How has it inspired the Garrow family to uproot from the delights of Bear Flat to move there? It is really hard, for us as for most people, to make the decision to leave Bath. We have loved being part of this community in its beautiful setting, and it has been a particular privilege to be part of the life of the Abbey for these few years.

Our move to Sheffield, however, is inspired by a remarkable opportunity. Several factors have come together to make it possible for me to dedicate the next year to completing the research project ‘Missing from Scripture: the rediscovery of ‘Q’, Paul’s lost Scripture, 4 John and the Apostolic Decree’. I sketched an outline of this project in a series of Abbey lectures in Lent 2012.

In essence, the New Testament indicates the presence of some documents which, if they hadn’t been lost, would have been likely contenders for inclusion in the Bible. I believe that four of these texts are, after all, preserved within something called the Didache – a curious first century Christian document rediscovered in Constantinople in 1873. If I am right, then this is a very remarkable discovery. But – the only way to test this is to publish in peer review journals so that other scholars can assess the strengths and weaknesses of the case.

As I prepare for publication I’ll be working as a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Biblical Studies in the University of Sheffield. This is a big adventure for the whole family. Emma hopes to continue her counselling training, Samuel will begin Infants School and Eleanor will have many new experiences too, no doubt. However, as we look back on our time in Bath we will always be grateful for what has been a place of great blessing – not least in the birth of Samuel and Eleanor.

Thank you for the love you have shown all four of us.

May God bless you, Alan

Getting to know our volunteersJames Playfair Lay Vice Chair of Abbey PCC, Chair of the Mission Links Group, representative on Deanery Synod

How and when did you start volunteering at the Abbey?It is too long ago now to remember but when we moved to Bath I started walking in to the Abbey from our home in Larkhall. For years, I managed quite successfully to remain below the radar until ‘that’ Debbie Dewes asked me to do things.

Describe what your roles involve you in doing.On some occasions I chair the meetings of the PCC. Through the Mission Links group we have connections with five major projects and a number of charities which we support, locally and abroad. I believe strongly that going out there, even in to the heart of our city, and looking beyond the walls is an important part of the life of our church. We have also to find ways to grow closer to other parts of the Christian family, especially in places where the needs are the greatest. This is a real challenge for us all and for the church.

What do you enjoy about the Abbey?The Abbey is always a special place to come back to. This is as much after you have been away a while as after whatever you have been up to ‘in the day job’. We all know why. It is an oasis, a source of refreshment, a home.

What character traits do you most admire in your fellow volunteers? My role at the Abbey is far less demanding by comparison with the dozens of ‘proper’ volunteers who give their time and talents for our community and for the many visitors that they welcome, every day. Amazing people.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one book, one piece of music and one luxury item, what would they be and why? Simon Sebag Montefiore’s long, exciting and detailed history, Jerusalem, or otherwise I shall never finish it; Keith Jarrett’s 1999 recording of Someone to watch over me and the luxury object will have to be a good strong oyster knife, as there will be molluscs, and an eternal supply of Chablis.

Magnificent Meryl!On a hot June day, one of our congregation, Meryl Williams, completed a ten mile sponsored walk raising over £200 for the Footprint project. Setting off from Bradford-on-Avon and making her way along the Kennet and Avon Canal, Meryl arrived at the Abbey at 3pm and was greeted warmly by the fundraising team. A massive thank you from the entire Footprint team to Meryl for her effort and enthusiasm!

If you’re feeling inspired by Meryl and would like find out more about organising a fundraising activity in support of the Footprint project contact Katie McGill on kmcgill@bathabbey.org or telephone 01225 303314.

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