Travelling to the New

I keep singing an old school hymn, the chorus of which goes like this: ‘It’s from the old I travel to the new, keep me travelling along with you.’

In more than a few areas of life, we have been moved into ‘the new’, as there have been some significant changes as a result of Covid. The way to get to see the doctor has changed, as has the idea of being able to go to a bank and talk to someone.

Old institutions are having to change and even the good old Church of England is having to adjust to the new post-pandemic landscape.

As a church, we are finding ourselves in a time of travelling from the old to the new, and it involves getting used to change.

The old institutionalised ways of working in the church are having to give way to more fluid and flexible forms of ministry which for a heritage church like our own is quite a challenge.

It is in this changing environment that the second half of the old school hymn becomes most pertinent. The words ‘keep me travelling along with you’ refer to our need to stay close to the Lord so that we can navigate a straight course into the new and largely unchartered waters of the future.

If you are interested in the future of the church and would like to know how we are getting on in this time of change from the old to the new, then you are welcome to attend our Annual Parochial Church Council meeting that is being held on Thursday, May 19th at 8 pm in the Cloisters room of St Mary’s Stansted.

Rev. Dr Christopher Noble – Rector

For more information see our website stmarysstansted.com. For further details please contact the Rev Dr Chris Noble on 01732 822494 or email: rev.stmarysstansted@gmail.com