Hello! It’s been a joy to meet so many of you over my first couple of weeks at St Martin’s, and I look forward to meeting many more of you in the weeks ahead. As I begin to settle into life as a curate here I thought I might share some snapshots of my experiences so far, focusing on two recent memories which stand out for me.
The first is joining the Sunday International Group for the first time. I was really impressed by the generosity and kindness of the volunteers and the skill with which people were fed, watered, offered showers and fresh laundry. But sitting around tables with a cup of orange squash on that hot Sunday afternoon, I felt myself receiving more than giving as I heard peoples’ stories of life on the streets, life before life on the streets, vivid memories of a homeland now far away but never forgotten, passionate dreams and thoughtful ambitions for the future. I felt myself receiving as the space opened up for me to ask honest questions and to share something of my own story.
The second is being on my knees in front of the church’s huge stone altar, early in the morning. After the whirlwind that has been leaving college, moving house and getting ordained, my body and soul have been slowly calmed by spending quiet hours in the church, soaking up the prayers which linger in the space. Gazing at the altar on this particular morning, my mind was taken back to the Bread for the World service the previous Wednesday, when we were gathered around it in that familiar ritual of bread and wine, body and blood. Here blessed bread and wine in a silver chalice replaced my cup of orange squash – but the silence seemed to hold these two experiences together in a single movement, from the world to the altar and back.
At St Martin’s bread is broken and given in so many different ways for the life of the world – for this, let us rejoice and thank God.
Revd Angela Sheard
