Letter from Clare
The months May-December are often known as the “green months” in the Church’s calendar. There are no major festivals or celebrations with the exception of the Victorian tradition of Harvest. These months are a time as the colour green might suggest for growth – steady growth in the love and understanding of God (Jesus), and of self, and of our place in the local community and wider world beyond.
These months are “business as usual” months – so what is the Church’s business? I’d like to suggest five “T”s. They’re not mine, they come from a far more credible source: the Lambeth Conference of Bishops. They are now widely accepted by churches beyond the CoE – as the five Marks of Mission, and they act as an agenda for a church and as a set of criteria, against which to judge how green we are – how healthy and how much growth is going on.
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Tell – proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God
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Teach – to teach, baptise and nurture new believers
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Tend – to respond to human need by loving service
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Treasure – to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
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Transform – to seek to transform the unjust structures of society.
These five “T”s are God’s work and ours – they happen in the life of the Church, but some of them happen beyond the Church. God is at work in the world and not just within the body of believers.
The five “T”s deserve to be memorised by every church member as a quick summary reminder of the privilege entrusted to us in sharing in God’s work. They are not options – they are imperatives and if the Church isn’t going them – it isn’t being the Church!
May your roots sink deep into the being and Love of God, so that you may duly grow in His grace and power and stretch out your limbs in service and mission to the glory of his name.
Clare Sanders