God loves a cheerful giver

'God loves a cheerful giver' will be a verse increasingly familiar to worshippers involved in Stewardship campaigns which hope to persuade congregations to give more in their struggle to keep up with costs as their numbers dwindle. I can't say I found this phrase helpful. Far better, I used to think, if the verse read 'God loves a grudging giver' but that is ruled out in the full verse: "Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion". 

It is hard not to feel under compulsion when church politics get in the way. In the current debate on same-sex marriage the ink was barely dry on the paper for the first reading of the Bill before the Church in Wales was putting together a Press Release showing a clear intent to be open to a resolution from the Church’s Governing Body to allow ministers to marry same-sex couples, from previous utterances a position almost certainly insisted on by their Archbishop and well-know disciple of the ultra-liberal Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, an example of ecclesiastical destruction to come which should be obvious to all but the blinkered but congregations are still expected to pay for this political posturing.

The February edition of 'The Bell', The Magazine of the Cathedral and Parish of Llandaff, where the Archbishop is acting Dean despite being unable to fulfill his duties as Archbishop adequately without the assistance of an Ass Bishop, there is a plea for people to up their giving. The note says: Have you seen the notice on the back wall of the Cathedral indicating the revised 'cost' per worshipper per week that we are required to pay to the Diocese in our Parish Share for 2013? It is now £8.56 and so, if your contribution (whether paid weekly, monthly, or occasionally) isn't reaching that level you are implicitly expecting someone else to subsidise your attendance! Please think and pray about this when deciding on the amount that you, as an individual or a family, decide will comprise your offering. A fair point even if not strictly within the spirit of St Paul's Letter to the Corinthians. It is not unreasonable for the better off to contribute more based on contributing 5% of disposable income which still leaves those on the margin contributing relatively more - the widow's mite - but the message is clear enough bearing in mind that there are many other expenses to consider including heating, lighting and general maintenance as well as charitable giving to the many who are even less fortunate. 

Clearly this situation cannot continue indefinitely with fewer and fewer worshippers contributing more and more to sustain an organisation which appears to be completely out of touch with reality. Both in England and in Wales, those who now find themselves on the fringes are expected to pay their share regardless of the episcopal care they receive, if at all. Of first importance should be cost-cutting. In Wales, the good parishioners of Llandaff have to endure a dictatorial regime while, like others in the Province, being threatened with massive changes under the Church in Wales Review.  Their priority must be to reduce administrative costs (Section 15 of the Review) now, not wait four years so that worship in its present form becomes unsustainable; otherwise it will be impossible for the few who are left to keep the hierarchy in the style to which they have become accustomed. The lessons of the High Street should not be lost on the church when their main desire today is to be relevant to society.

Clang!

Photo: 'The Bell'

Writing a tribute to the retiring Dean in the July/August 2012 edition of the Llandaff Parish Magazine, The Bell, Archbishop Morgan wrote: 
"The Dean is called to be pastor to the congregation; to be someone who can, through the Cathedral’s worship, showcase best liturgical practice and someone who enables a ministry of welcome to organisations, parishes and institutions, so that through that ministry people feel that they are valued and cherished by God. It is an awesome responsibility." Without a hint of irony the Archbishop continued, "I have therefore appointed myself to be “in charge” of the Cathedral for the next few months".

In the September edition he writes of the Church in Wales Review Recommendation VIII, (The distinctive role of each cathedral as a centre of excellence should be fully integrated into the mission and ministry strategy of its Diocese):

    "It makes clear, what we know already, that any cathedral is central to the life of the diocese in which it is set.  Llandaff Cathedral as well as being a parish church is a place (like any other church, but with a special responsibility for it) of welcome, hospitality and friendship.  The Cathedral extends this to all the parishes of the diocese because it is  the diocesan church par excellence.  That dual role could lead to a conflict between the needs of parish and diocese.  That should never be the case, but rather should be embraced as a glorious opportunity to minister not just to the local community (the parish) but to the wider family of the diocese as well. 
That is why it is the Bishop’s church, the place where he has his chair – the place, in other words, where he has his home but the place from which he exercises oversight over the wider diocesan family.  And, it is in my capacity as Bishop, that I have decided to exercise direct oversight over the Cathedral for the time being."

So there you have it. The Archbishop has taken on the 'awesome responsibility' of making sure people feel that they are valued and cherished by God. Unless his words are intended as a veiled criticism of his former Dean's stewardship, this initiative comes rather late in his ministry. The truth is that people already feel valued and cherished by God but not by the Archbishop who sees ministry only on his terms. Claiming to be "gobsmacked" when he was appointed in 2003, Archbishop Morgan said he was "just an ordinary bloke who's got ordinary interests". Hardly! Just before his enthronement he came out with this observation:
   "Lots of priests who are homosexual by orientation don't practice and lead celibate lives and that is not a problem. "The problem comes if someone is homosexual and is promiscuous - then that is real issue, whether homosexual or heterosexual." He added:
the main challenge for the church concerned making "the connection between faith and life".

In another parish church at the other end of his diocese a packed congregation met on Sunday to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption in the knowledge that a much loved sister church looks set to be sold off to the local Muslim community, adherents of  a religion noted for its harsh treatment of homosexuality often leading to the death sentence but for reasons best known to himself, on good terms with the Archbishop. The question being asked was, "Will Archbishop Barry be prepared publicly to declare his support for female imams and same sex marriages in mosques?"  

For dwindling congregations the reality is that his liberal policy of 'connecting faith with life' has all but killed off the Church in Wales while facilitating illiberal Muslim expansion in his diocese but at least the Archbishop can be satisfied that in mosques, 'people feel that they are valued and cherished by God' - strictly on their terms of course. More here.  

Clang!

Postscript

In the last paragraph, above, I provided two links to reports of the oppression of Christians in Pakistan. Damian Thompson has  since published an article, Radical Islam revives an ancient hatred. It highlights the problems facing Christian minorities throughout the world. Read it here. Compared with issues surrounding homosexuality and the role of women in the church, the fate of Christians abroad receives very little attention. Celebrating diversity in our own country enhances the feel-good factor but this myopia ignores the fact that while good relations may be shared with minority Muslim communities, when Christians are in the minority the picture changes radically. To Muslims, Christians (and Jews) are "the worst of creatures" but this is not made obvious when Muslims are in the minority. In these circumstances deception is employed to hoodwink the gullible, see here (advance to position 18 if short of time and watch the whole later). Afterwards try to find 90 Mins to watch Islam - What The West Needs To Know.