Hackney Riots

I come originally from Bethnal Green/Hackney. I lived just down the road from where the riots took place yesterday. It was a deprived childhood, and lots of other things contributed to me leaving to join the Army and never to return in the mid-1960’s.

In the 1980’s and early 1990’s, working in London,   I worked with Hackney Council and their Schools on providing Work Experience Schemes for pupils, who came from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds,  all of whom, I  found eager to learn and to participate. Some went onto further education, while for others, in the main, from ethnic minorities, didn’t really have the option. I can remember one young Muslim girl, who came for interview with her mother, and anticipated her mother chapheroning her during the two week placement. This would have been impossible to manage, and we reluctantly had to decline the placement. After these placements, we would visit the schools to see the pupils reporting on their placements and their achievements during their time with us. I know that these young people contributed as much to us as we did to their education. So, I have a bias towards the young people, living in sometimes high deprivation, but who were determined to make the best of themselves for thier own sake and for their families.

More recently,  I’ve travelled regularly through Hackney, it has changed hugely, both with a much more diverse population, but also to the community facilities that exist there. The local authority, once a bye word for poor administration, has improved greatly and has striven to improve the area for its people. Some parts of the area has moved upmarket, evidenced by the high numbers of professionals moving into the area. Sadly, other parts, particularly the numerous social housing estates while improved, continue to suffer a high level of deprivation. Monied, city professionals, live, side by side with these estates of social housing, whose occupants, appear to derive little from their environment. Poverty, and unemployment are as bad, if not worse than it was in my young days there in the 1960′s.

The quality of the social housing is slowly being improved, but Hackney is a poor borough and does not appear to have received much regeneration money, most of which appears to have gone east to Stratford, Bow and Waltham Forest. Social evils include the high level of unemployment (about 35% of those between 18 and 65, mainly with the young), poor access to higher education NHS and Social services. Deprivation is a way of life. There is also the other social evils, drug abuse, gang violence and crime. Hackney struggles to overcome its history and to do better for its people.

I know that there are good community agencies, Churches and  charities doing good work in the Borough. Diana Abbott a local MP is a powerful advocate for the people of Hackney, but I wonder if anyone listens to her. These agencies even in partnership are just touching the tip of the iceberg of need in the borough.

The East End, including Hackney, has always been a melting pot, and it’s no different today. Local population use probably as many languages as are on the planet. Normally, they live side by side with no problems, but there is a high awareness of the police and stop and search is an issue for younger people. I understand that it was such an action was the spark that lit the tinder, ready primed to explode. I suspect that there is a an element of criminal activity, gang activity involved, but the scene was already set by what had happened in Tottenham the night before. I’m not sure about pre-planning or the use of social networking to spread the trouble but, given the high access and use of it by the younger generation, I’m sure it was used in some way to spread the word.

I’m not condoning in any way, what happened, those who carried out the violence, looting and everything else that happened, bear their own responsibility. But, in our safe havens, in suburbia, the realities of life in an inner-city borough are often ignored until they slap us in the face. We’ve allowed a monster to be created by our own inaction, our own inability to see further than our own bank balances and mortgages and self interest. We’ve ignored the needs for social justice and providing for those who are penalised by their post code. Now the monster is biting back.

When the dust settles, when the trials are over, when the Inquiry reports, when we’ve moved onto the next headline, the situation there will remain essentially unchanged, volatile, just waiting for the next spark. We need to catch ourselves on and act now, to prevent much worse in the future. I find it a disgrace, that one fo the richest countries in the world, allows people to exist on subsistence levels, in inadequate circumstances, without hope and without the means to move on in their lives. Condemned , discarded and forgotten.

I believe that it’s time for a National debate, where listening to the needs and aspirations of the people, particularly the young is essential. We need to provide the resources and incentives to allow them to see that they are valued and that they can do better for themselves by accessing higher education or vocational training, particularly in new technology, where the demand for their labour would be higher than the more traditional employment models. Most of all, we need to trust them and show it to do things for themselves, by empowering and encouraging their communities to work together to improve their environment. Hopeful signs are already there, in the cleanup campaigns, spontaneous giving and donations activated across communities. This could and should be developed to wider benefit in Hackney.

Labyrinth Prayer Walk

LABYRINTH PRAYER WALK - QUIET VIEW, KINGSTON, 18TH JULY 2011

I attended a Prayer Walk at ‘The Quiet View’ at Kingston, near Canterbury today. The Quiet View is a privately run site at the home of a former Chaplain to the Pilgrim’s Hospice in Canterbury and is located at a high point in a quiet, large house and garden on the Borders of Kingston, with outstanding views of the surrounding countryside.

The Quiet View was established as a development of Ministry in Paliative care by the owner, particularly after the installation of a labryinth at the Pilgrims Hospice. Now retired, the Chaplain  involved has developed her family home, over the past 30 years, to provide a quiet place for retreats, quite days and with excellent facilities for residential visits, small groups, and a wide range of activities suited to religious or secular activities, framed in a quiet, peaceful place, conducive to both prayer, spiritual development and just ‘being’. She installed a Labyrinth several years ago for personal and wider community use.

The day visit was organised by our Curate, in response to a prompt that I had felt a few weeks before. I needed to repeat in a different place from the last time. The Quiet View was chosen as a guide was available to facilitate the prayer walk. It was offered benefice wide, with a number expressing interest. In the event, most of those expressing an interest could not come. 3 of us actually, met a the parish church and travelled to Kingston, with another travelling separately, joining us at Kingston.

We were welcomed by our guide who showed us the newly installed ‘Churt’ in the ground, which is a modern, temporary dwelling based loosely on the design of a Mongolian Church, but purpose designed as a multi-use space for groups of up to 20 or more to meet for a wide range of activities. The circular shape of the Churt, with its internal accommodation height and light, is unique space and might be considered a sacred space, although, not consecrated. Further development is underway to extend its usability and to encourage wider use across the community.

Our Guide, gave us a brief on the history of her site, her ministry and the development of The Quiet View. She outlined the history of the labyrinth going back to pre-history, and its connection to spirituality. She had been instrumental in the installation of one at the Pilgrims Hospice and had studied the history in different places in the world, including some ancient sites. There was a definite connection with spirituality. ¹In the Middle Ages, walking a cathedral labyrinth was a substitute for going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Not everyone could make the long and arduous journey to the Holy Land, so walking a labyrinth in a church was a devotional activity. Today meandering labyrinths are often used as walking meditations, to focus the mind and put the walker in tune with the greater reality metaphorically represented by the labyrinth”.

Our guide outlined the ‘Three R’s’ of a prayer walk in the labyrinth. “² 1. Releasing:  Letting go of the details of your life. This is the act of shedding thoughts and distractions and a time for opening the heart and quieting the mind. 2. Receiving: Reaching the center and contemplating what is there for you to receive. 3. Returning:  Following the same path out of the center as you walked in, and entering the third stage, which is joining with your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work in the world. It has been said that each time you walk the labyrinth you become more empowered to find and do what your soul is reaching for.

After the introduction, we were invited to pursue our own path to the labyrinth, by strolling the garden, thinking or considering those things which might be on our minds. I was able to visit a small shrine in a tent, which had an Icon portraying friendship. There was also a Celtic Cross and a modern statue, which I visualized as portraying a mother and child, which I took to be Mary with the baby Jesus. I offered  a prayer here.

I had a number of things which I had been praying and reflecting on, the most urgent of which appeared to be to do with the ill-health and apparent onset of Dementia in an elderly relative. Whose future care is currently in the hands of social services, which might mean of loss of independence and move into a nursing home.

After I while I felt prepared to start the labyrinth. On the way in, I was able to stop, take stock and to offer the situations to God, to lay them at his feet and to ask that they, through divine providence, might be make the way forward clear. As I approached the centre point, I seemed to sense that pressure was being lifted from me. A feeling of light headedness and even a little giddy. The sensation was as of something being let out, of perhaps breathing out the issues I had. On reaching the centre, I was able to pause and to reflect briefly, that I was feeling relieved. It seemed to me that a prayer specific to the situation was the Lord’s Prayer, which I offered up, silently it was heart-felt. I was prompted to move on. As I came towards the exit, the thought came to me, that I needed to let it go. The situation was out of my control, it was my relations immediate family who should deal with the situation, my practical support and prayers were enough.

After we had all been around the labyrinth, we all gathered in in the Site Caravan and took tea and discussed our experience and had a lovely conversation where we learned something about each other, we might not have shared before. This was definitely, for me the ‘returning’ being affirmed as we each returned to our day to day lives and normality.

What did I get from this experience:

1. For me, this was one of those golden times, where, I had a tangible experience of God. It seems to me that we struggle sometimes, to feel and know God within our lives. He can become a disconnected entity, with a strained relationship. I have learned that at times like this, it is important to actively seek the face of God in others we meet and inter-act with, but also to seek a quiet space, away from our routine. Here we might experience him on a more personal, one-to-one basis. Short retreats at sites such as The Quiet View, provide this outlet. We need some prepare for them. I spent some quiet time in prayer in St Peter’s Church to prepare. I said Morning Prayer aloud in an empty church, which just seemed right at that time.

2. I seem to have a tendency to visualize much of my experience of God.. I close my eyes and seek to see a sign, shape or colour which reminds me of his essence, whose face I have never seen, but hope to one day. In this experience, while walking I sensed rather than saw anything, which is something new. The gift of sensation is to precious to waste, and I thanked God for it.

3. I know that some will say that I have an overactive imagination, but what may be unreal for them, is real for me. It’s yet another sign to me of God remaining active in my life, minute by minute, hour by hour, each day. This is a gift which I feel draws me even more towards active Ordained Ministry, to serve and to share something of what God has so generously given to me. Thanks be to God.

1 John Algeo, Quest Magazine, Issue 1276, http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1276, accessed 18 Jul 2011

2http://www.pilgrimshospices.org/patient-care/labyrinth/about-our-labyrinth/ accessed 18 Jul 2011

Ordination Service

Yesterday afternoon, I was privileged along with others from the benefice and parishes across the diocese to join the family and friends of the 14 Ordinands to be ordained priest at Canterbury Cathedral. This was the first time for me, and I was expectant and hopeful, particular as our curate, who has been an inspiration since she joined us last year, was to be priested.

I met our Curate outside the Cathedral on her way to anointing and she took the time to stop and to chat with me. I have been praying for her and her fellow Ordinands and shared thoughts about her big day with here and how I seemed seminal for me in seeing her progress. Being a ticket less event (for most of us) it was a bit of a scrum, but I was able to get an Aisle seat just behind the reserved seats, about halfway down the nave. Not a particularly good view, but I was just glad to be there, to be sharing such a momentous event in the journey of the Ordinands, and our Curate’s in particular.

The service was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury assisted by the Bishop of Dover. The Preacher was the former Bishop of Dover, Richard Llewellin, who has just returned from a 3 month stint in Palestine as a Peace Observer on the border between Israel and Palestine.

I found the whole service of Ordination and the Eucharist most uplifting. Particularly the singing, I don’t think there is anything quite like a large congregation in the Ancient Cathedral at Canterbury, ringing to the rafters as a very musical surge of sound. As is my wont, I visualized it knocking on the doors of heaven, demanding to be heard. (It was that sort of day). The whole service lasted two hours and it was well staged, vibrant and electrifying in places, particularly the ‘Rite of Ordination’ and the 'Eucharist'. Cathedral worship is a little more complex than parish worship and the choice of prayers used seems to be a wider use of common worship set services. The Archbishop has a melodic voice which resounded when he sang some of the service. The choir was magnificent and Richard Llewellin’s sermon resonated. It seemed to me that joy and grace was bathing all there, particularly for those being priested, but also those supporting them. Love streamed to and fro and we were united in one accord, worship of service to God.

Afterwards the Archbishop and the Bishop of Dover remained outside to meet and to greet the congregation and we were than able to meet and greet our new priests. Our curate was full of joy and excitement, which I believe we fully shared and I was gifted with a hug and a kiss on the cheek which just seemed to me to be right and natural. She is shortly to be married, so the cause for double joy for her this month. By this time I was quite tired and having a long journey, had to leave. I would have loved to stay and share more, but knew that I had much to go home, to pray and to reflect upon.

What did I get from this day?

It’s difficult to expound to much without sounding deferential, but it’s at occasions like this when I reflect back on my own reception (confirmation) into the Church of God at the Cathedral in November 2008, I just seem to be taking steps on a path, one at a time, sometimes knocked back, but always with an impetus to persevere and to push on. The Cathedral has a special place in my heart. Following my confirmation. I know that my journey as a Christian had started as a child, had been abandoned, but seemed to be really kick started at that confirmation. Immediately after just as I was coming down from the high, I received, the voice inside started nagging at me ‘its not enough - there’s more to do’ which has led me so much further on a journey, which I could not have imagined three years ago and If I am honest, I would had not believed.

For me, the experience of the three prior services I attended, reflect how worship can be so uplifting, but, can on occasion, disappoint. I go to worship hoping and seeking an experience where I feel God and the Holy Spirit to be present with us. In the main, I get this experience. Sometimes intensely, sometimes not at all. It also reflects on times when I personal prayer I really feel surrounded by the Spirit and feel comforted, warmed and even glowing. At other times I can feel nothing, but know that the routine and discipline of personal prayer is integral and really needs to be inbuilt. Not something to be picked up and laid aside when convenient. It needs total surrender of the heart, mind and spirit.

Something of which, will give the joy and certain knowledge as at the Ordination Service of fulfillment, of affirmation, but just being at peace and resting in God’s love. Ordination services are special, but it seems to me that we should treat every single act of worship or prayer as a renewed meeting with God, with greetings, praise and acknowlededment of how much he has done for us and to share with him our cares and woes along with our life. He is there, he is listening, he is comforting, he is affirming, he is Love.

Odd Socks

ODD SOCKS

During an amusing twitter conversation about the number of Odd Socks that we all seem to have, mainly by pairs being disconnected during the laundry process, it struck me, that Odd Socks and being disconnected seems to be an anology for much in our life today.

And Odd Sock is alone, it’s isolated without its partner. It doesn’t know it’s alone, it doesn’t understand that it’s not a lot of use on its own, it’s redundant, useless without its pair. To me, it symbolizes the individualistic society we live in today. We want it all, but seem to believe that we can do it on our own strength and without any support or having to be part of any community. It leads back to a conversation going on at i-church over do you have to be part of a church to be a Christian.

Before I became a committed Christian, I was that Odd Sock! I was isolated in my Agnostic/Secular Ghetto, relying on my own ego and strength, and seemingly proud of my need not need a God, not to need any influence in my life, except my own self indulgent, selfish ego.

I had it all,I was in the Army, had been commissioned and promoted. It was a good job, successful and at a career pinacle. I had my spouse, who loves and supported me, despite my arrogance and ignorence, I had good family relationships and firm friends, who accepted me for who I was, and were never critical of what I did or didn’t believe. I now know that most, were, including my spouse, Christians, but not of the ‘in your face variety’. Life was good and I had still more to look forward to. Retirement, security, the prospect of a third career working part-time promised. What could possibly go wrong?

Proverbs 16:18 tells us that “Pride goes before a Haughty Spirit and a Haughty Spirit before destruction” (NIV).

The thing that went wrong was that Proverb 16:18 smacked me squarely in the face. Given the task of helping the family of a fatal casualty from Afghanistan, I suddenly found that relying on your own strength only goes so far. Trauma and grief as well as having a tremendous impact on those bereaved, can also extend its reach to those supporting those in that position. I had no instinctive moral or spiritual support available, my pride and arrogance were suddenly of no use. I was the useless Odd Sock, without a partner, alone, isolated, not coping and in danger of being unable to function in the vital role that I had been given for the family. The instinctive and spiritual partner that was the other sock was missing.

Marvel of marvels, those missing ingredients were given to me, not by a counselor or by a sudden realisation that I could cope, but by the direct intervention of Jesus Christ in my life when at a low point, when I was desperate and receptive he spoke directly into my life saying “I’m here - let me in”. I just seemed to know that it was him. Who else can whisper into your life, convince you at a stroke that he is love and he is here ready to carry you, to allow you to lean on him on the way. Instinctively, I said yes and was immediately filled with a sense of peace. There is a witness to all of this, who was alongside me, a Padre and Priest who was helping the family, but also, unkowingly, being in the right place at the right time to help me.

The outcome of this direct experience of Jesus intervening in my life was that I was able to carry on supporting the bereaved family through the whole process, but even more importantly, to know that my life previously had been one of selfish self indulgence and that I became a committed Christian, a disciple and someone who was reunited with the other sock, which had never been far away, just waiting to be reunited. Praise be to God.

God Working in my Life

I have been pondering on how God seems to be working pretty hard in my life at the moment. I first thought about it at my last DDO meeting, when I could actually see a position that had clearly changed from its diametric opposite in the space of one meeting.

As a rule, I try not to imagine that God has inspired something, I try to discern how he might have approached an issue and what he might have done and then act accordingly. But things are just happening at what I could consider break-neck speed, given that upto now, things seemed to be moving at a pace that while I have never been in any rush to tread the path of Ordained Ministry, seemed to be mostly about waiting on God, while the church did its job of discernment and decision making. The church, being the good old CofE was never going to be speedy, perhaps over cautious might be a reasonable description. Slow, might be another.

In the past few weeks, I have detected a certain increase in pace. A new momentum, which initially I put down to the church getting its act together, but now I seem to feel is something actually empowering the momentum. I attribute this to the power of the Spirit, exercising God's will actively in my life.

I've always been quite a visual person, examples being my experience of sensing that cold breath in a church rising above the congregation as they pray as being our prayers rising to heaven. Other things I've experienced over the past year or so reinforce the visual experience as being a valid perception and being intrinsic to how I experience my faith and personal relationship with God.

It appears to me now that many things that I am experiencing are active interventions, perhaps to help me to grow as a christian, but to me, seem to be directing my vocation experience to become wider, deeper and perhaps with a more intense focus.

Last monday was the DDO meeting, which I blogged on just afterwards. As I left the meeting, I felt as if I was walking on air and full of joy. Grace had been poured into the meeting with the DDO, it was perceptible to both of us I think as we actually spoke about its effects.

On Tuesday I attended my Parish mid-week communion followed by a staff meeting. I seemed to be still uplifted and full of joy, and expressed this to those, who actually had seen how I was for themselves. On Wednesday, expecting to have a quiet day, I was prompted to attend Holy Communion at a local church (not my Parish_ and again, felt the exhilaration and joy of being there, worshiping and sharing with others the Joy of just 'being'.

On Thursday, I attended an Intercessions Workshop run in our Parish by our marvelous, inspiring curate, during the hour and a half of the workshop, those attending shared their experiences of researching, preparing, writing and leading intercessions. Again, having started with prayer in the vestry, we just seemed to be 'released' to speak freely and to share, perhaps more than we would have otherwise. The small group, the intimacy of the setting, in a 1000 year old church, surrounded by the prayers of generations might have been conducive to the atmosphere, but the Holy Spirit among us was perceptible to me, which I believe empowered us to be so constructive and to receptive to the learning experience we took part in.

Later that day, I was drawn to go the the Cathedral and just sit. As I was going in, I noted that a 'Pilgrim' service was to be held at 4 pm, and it just came to me, that I needed to be there. I sneaked around the barriers in the Crypt to the Jesus Chapel and finding the visiting priest with his people, asked would he mind if I joined his congregation for their Holy Communion. He readily made me welcome and I was privileged to share the experience of a group of Anglican Pilgrims, sharing the bread and wine in the ancient cathedral crypt, this service was the culmination fo their pilgrimage, they were returning home afterwards. It was a joy filled service, and I was made welcome by all of them and included in everything. This just seemed natural to them, and helped me to remember that its not my church, its not their church, its Jesus' church, his body and we are all integral part of it.

I stayed on for Choral Evensong with the Boys Choir and again, had a worship experience that is second to none that I know of. The combination of voices, the Psalms the readings and the setting really seemed to me to be heaven on earth.

After Evensong and some supper, I went to attend a Meeting at a local church where the Bishop and the Diocesan secretary where to outline the 'Moving Forward Together' agenda and the resources required for the next year. Again, the meeting started with prayer, the Bishop drawing our attention to Paul's letter to Phillipi which he found appropriate to the context of the meeting and inspiring him to speak
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The Vision and the Objectives outlined are centered on discipleship and growth. They are both inspiring, but are, I can see, essential to allow the church to remain central to life in our communities.

One aspect which really resonated was the talk about 'Re-imagining' ministry. This is driven by the need to refocus our effort back onto community engagement, but to depart from the traditional, inherited model of ministry, which is increasingly, while working, becoming unsustainable and frankly, unaffordable. I've got loads more thinking and praying to do in this, but one model proposed is a vision of collaborative ministry, with many fewer stipendiary ministers, leading a cluster of churches, which might have self-supporting priests in charge, but with an enhanced, empowered, expanded lay ministry. Vocations are key to this and to future growth. Discipleship comes central to this as the means of empowering all laity to their baptism gift of each being a 'great high priest' in their membership of the church.

Today, I attended and participated in two services, a BCP Holy Communion and a CW Sung Eucharist where I led intercessions. Both services were uplifting worthwhile, worship experiences and I came away, refreshed and uplifted.

I had been prompted to review and amend the intercessions following the Thursday meeting, but again on Saturday evening I was prompted to edit them further. Evidence again for me of God's actions to draw the best from me. The intercessions drew praise and thanks, which is not a cause of pride, rather a cause for thanksgiving from me to the Triune God who has been and is being, so active and giving so much joy in my life.

When I read this back, and if I did not know myself, I might think how delusional is that? but sensing that God seems to have seen fit to entrust me with something, which might or might not be Ordained Ministry, is so empowering and overwhelming, that I can hardly believe that it has happened to me? But it has, and it is.

I have a sense of wonder that these gifts have been so freely given to such an undeserving case as I know I am. But, it gives me great joy to say, Hallelujah and Praise be to God for them.

DDO Meeting : Monday 13th June 2011

DDO Meeting : Monday 13th June 2011

I met, yet again, with the DDO this morning. Today, seemed to me and to him, to be a consolidation meeting. The DDO, had previously indicated, that the only thing stopping my moving to the next stage, was the processing of the faculty, this is now well underway.

We took stock of everything I have done, including going over the material submitted for my Portfolio and several reflections that I submitted in response to events that have occurred in the past month.

The DDO was keen to hear about the faculty meeting with the Bishop's adviser.. We discussed how I had felt about having to go through the process, particularly its intrusive nature. I was able to now say categorically, that having come through it, that my view had changed . Despite everything, it involved, It had been handled as sensitively as possible, given the nature of things being investigated. A change of heart that seems to show me, once again, how God is still active and working in my life.

I said that I had deliberately not told my spouse of the content of the interview as I had felt that her integrity would show through. This had proven to have been the best course to have taken. He was amused by this and said that while not advisable, it had been appropriate in this case.

I was given the opportunity to look again as some of the work I had submitted, but was content with it. I believe that revising something written up to a year ago would not be a true reflection of the journey and discernment process. Leaving it untouched was the best course.

We then discussed a number of other issues, my ongoing engagement with the wider church through the internet. My work in the parish and personalities we know. I mentioned an Intercessions workshop we were to run in our Parish this week with a repeat in July and he asked could he send some people from his parish on it. I said I would inquire and let him know. I am to write a reflection on my participation in this for next month.

We then moved onto the future. He said, that subject to the faculty, I would have to see the Bishop, but he was provisionally (for the second time) booking me on to a Diocesan Panel in September 2011. Following this, he would be running a Pre-BAP preparation in October and again in December, one of which I would be booked to attend one, dependent upon which BAP I was put forward to. He stressed that all decisions were within the Bishop's gift and that I can expect to meet him again before BAP.

All in All, this was a positive outcome. Once again I felt very relaxed during the meeting, sharing jokes and appreciating that the DDO has done so much for me. Taking my case himself, working with me, at times being highly critical, but always completely constructive and encouraging.

What did I get from this meeting:

I found the meeting encouraging and affirming. My state of mind was one of curiosity about where we could go, which was more than satisfied by the outcome. I came away, literally feeling light headed and grateful to God for his work sending the Holy Spirit to facilitate such a productive meeting.

The utter joy of this meeting seems to me to be one where there were three people in the room. Clive and me, but with God central. The Holy Spirit upon us and pouring grace into it. God be praised!

_________________
Where there is hope and love there is life!

hypocrisy or Prejudice or Homophobia?

Today has seen the publication of a memo written by the late Very Rev Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark, in respect of the meeting of the Crown Commissioners in 2010 to select a new Bishop of Southwark.

Benny's blog at http://bit.ly/l48IJB has given a reasoned reflection on what happened, in particular the alleged temper outbursts by Arch Bishop Rowan Williams and Arch Bishop John Sentu, which are described as reducing some of those there to tears.

I don't comment on the alleged outbursts of temper or even the procedure for the selection of Bishops, which seems to me to be an oddly outdated and non-sensical way of conducting selection. My main concern is the apparent cause of the outbursts which is the ongoing, running sore of the treatment of LBGT people by the Church.

The Church's position is made clear in their 'Issues in Human Sexuality' at http://t.co/72pn3gs where the thinking is that while they respect all individuals, gay or not, those who are gay, partnered and sexually active, are not eligible to assume a leadership position of any sort within the Church. The critical thing for me in this is that laypeople are not asked the question, while clergy are. Again, it doesn't seem to make sense to me to apply such a double standard to any position in the church, whether as a member, leader or in a representative position.

If you are Gay, you can get around the rules by prevaricating, hiding your sexuality or plain lying. This appears to be accepted very much on the position held by the US Military of 'Don't Ask - Don't Tell', but if you are caught out, you're in big trouble, and the church will deny any prior knowledge.

If you are gay and have integrity, you will be open and clear about your status and exclude yourself from serving in any capacity of responsibility within the church.

This hypocrisy has been sustained over generations, and the church appears to be willing to fight tooth and nail to defend the unjustifiable, without seeking to discern whether there might just be another way to move as the Spirit takes it.

The USEC has been very clear in its discernment of the position of Gays within the Church. It has selected and placed them in leadership positions. It has moved faster then is comfortable for some, and is set to be punished by the strictures of the Anglican Covenant for daring to break the stifling mould of hypocrisy which surrounds the whole area of sexuality across the Anglican Communion.

In my view, the integrity of the church in dealing with sexual orientation is in question. The reasons for continuing to discriminate appear to be spurious, unsustainable and plain illogical in their application and impact. The exclusion of Jeffrey John from Episcopal Ministry due to this is a scandal, a much larger scandal then would arise if he were selected and appointed.

The church wishes to appear united in issues of sexuality, but the events disclosed by Colin Slee, show how disunited and dysfunctional it is seen to be. Struggling to justify the unjustifiable.

Time for Change ans Ben says in his blog, and not before time.