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The Bishop of Woolwich writes ... 
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At an Eastertide meeting with Southwark Pastoral Auxiliaries (SPAs) we were able to explore together the pastoral imperative at the heart of the Gospel. When we are baptised all Christians become our brothers and sisters and the Church of England has a special duty of concern for the wellbeing of everyone in each of our parishes. In St Matthew's Gospel Jesus says to his disciples that when the Son of Man comes in glory, He will reveal that in caring for others we have been ministering to Him: 'for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' (Mt 25. 35-36). One of the earliest recurring representations of Jesus in religious art depicts him as the Good Shepherd.

Until relatively recently the burden of pastoral care fell heavily on the parish priest and was often reinforced by people feeling short-changed unless they were visited by the Vicar. Arthur Preston, Bishop of Woolwich in the 1930s, gave the title 'Visiting' to the first chapter in his book on the work of the parish priest and his opening words are robust and purposeful: 'Visiting is tremendously important; in fact, it is far more important than anything else in the parish. This is my honest opinion and it applies to all types of parishes.' These simple perspectives are today sometimes crowded out by other competing priorities. They need to be recovered in ways that are appropriate to changing social and community dynamics. Where absent or low down the list the community of faith is itself impoverished and the wider community neglected.

Our SPAs have done much to show the creative way in which pastoral ministry can and should be shared by the whole baptised community and it was encouraging to hear from them about different patterns of visiting in each parish and the contribution they make. Because the Mission of the Church is God's Mission, caring for each other and going out in search of the lost and needy is a sign of a healthy outward focused community of faith. Many people in London, not least but not only among the elderly and less mobile, will spend large parts of each day without physical contact with anyone else. This is unprecedented historically among more settled parts of the community and is matched by the isolation often felt by those moving into London from overseas, who may well be trying to escape from political and economic injustice and hardship.

Engaging with the reality of current patterns of living in our great world city is a wonderful opportunity and challenge to the Church. In response to the gladness and joy we know as an Easter people, let us not lose sight of the pastoral perspectives which give integrity to our faith as we share our life together in Christ our risen Saviour.

+ Christopher Chessun

 

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