Holidays

 

Holiday acquaintances,

It’s sad they pass by;

Their impromptu chatter

And laughter, happy talk,

Beneath the summer blue sky.

(or heavy rain, like 2008!)

Drawn together merely by chance,

We were holiday-makers,

You could tell at a glance.

Stopping to pass the time of day,

Before saying goodbye and drifting away.

The sea lapped gently over the shore,

And the evening sun sank lower and lower.

Nature’s reminders that life moves on;

A holiday is only a brief sojourn,

A chapter of memories stored away,

To be re-lived for many a day.

 

FR (written 2000)

 

 

 

Walney Island

 

We once watched the sunset over Walney,

Barrow’s off-spring isle,

A remote oasis in the Irish Sea;

You drew me to linger awhile.

White-tipped waves swept the shore,

And the huge, blood-orange sun

Shed its vast, shimmering reflection

Along the dark, brooding waters.

Pebbles crunched as we strode along,

And a lone bird sang its evensong.

 

FR (written 1997)

THE LAMBETH CONFERENCE

 

 

It’s all over, bar the shouting, as they say, and the 600+ bishops who attended have now returned to their home dioceses.  Several overseas bishops visited Manchester diocese, but possibly because we are currently without an incumbent, or more likely because their visit was so short, none of them came to Bolton.

 

Much was made in the media over the fact that so many bishops boycotted the conference because the American bishops were present.  Most of those not attending were from the countries of central Africa – some of them, we are told, would have liked to attend, but were forbidden by the all-powerful Primate of All Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola.  Only two English bishops did not attend (Rochester and Lewes).  Of course, the controversy was started by the consecration a few years ago of Gene Robinson (short for Eugene, by the way), an openly gay priest, as Bishop of New Hampshire.  He was not invited to Lambeth (but came to England, nevertheless, and received scant publicity).  But the Lambeth Conference was not chiefly about this issue (though it was debated at one session).  As usual, the press concentrated on the most publicity-worthy issue, as they saw it, and the rest of the Conference was largely ignored, though the march against poverty did get good coverage. 

 

One newspaper reported that the boycotting of the conference by some 150-200 bishops meant that the Church of England had made a loss of £1.2 million.  I don’t know where these figures come from, but the Lambeth Conference is not organised or paid for by the Church of England – it is organised by the Anglican Consultative Council, the Anglican Communion Office and the Primates Conference.  Only about a sixth of the bishops attending were from England, and the Church of England would only be responsible for a proportion of the expenses of the conference.  As the Americans are seen by some as causing the problem, perhaps it should be said that there is one parish in New York City which could probably cover the whole of the shortfall without batting an eyelid!

 

G.A.D

Car Park Fees

 

I wish to advise car park permit holders that their car park fee became due on the 1 September 2008. The fees now due are as follows: £65.00 per year or £35.00 per six months for the waged and £35.00 per year for the un-waged. Please make your cheque payable to “Bolton Parish Church Car Park Account” and forward it to Stephen Mort at the Parish Office, St Peter’s Parish Hall, Silverwell Street, Bolton, BL1 1PS as soon as possible.

 

S J Mort

Barbecue

 

Thank you so much Social Committee for bravely organising a barbecue for us, it was excellent – burgers, sausages and chicken and salad followed by fruit salad and a dollop of ice cream.  All this and good fellowship, and on a warm day, set in the too little used garden that Fred Partington keeps so well for us.

 

LME