The Right Revd Mark Bryant, Bishop of Jarrow will lead a special service of dedication at St. Mary’s Parish Church, Barnard Castle on Wednesday 21^st July at 7.00 pm.  The servery, nave, baptistery, St. Margaret’s Chapel, labyrinth, aumbry and vestry will be re-consecrated to the service of God in this act of worship.  The service will also celebrate the skill and craftsmanship of all those involved in the work.  Refreshments will be available after the service. 

The project completes a further stage in the reordering of the church after a new organ was installed in the nave in 2008.  The reordering will allow members to offer hospitality after services from the new Servery and provide flexibility with movable pews and more space around the Font.  The new heating system is more economical, effective and environmentally-friendly. 

New spaces accessible to all have been created for prayer in St. Margaret’s Chapel and the Labyrinth in the south transept. A working group has developed information and resources to introduce and promote the use of the labyrinth by pilgrims and visitors.

The project has been financed by some small grants, a fundraising campaign, the Friends of St. Mary’s and the sale of the former Mission Hall on the Bank.

The Vicar of St. Mary’s Alec Harding said “We have managed to retain those things which have given the church its distinctive character down the years but introduced new elements that will open up new opportunities for ministry and service.  The rededication service acts as a celebration of what has been achieved and is a reminder that all of our work is geared towards better enabling the building to present something of God’s goodness to those who visit it”

A Bit of a do!

The Friday before the dedication in St. Mary's Barny - on Friday the 16th at 7pm - I am opening up the grounds of my vicarage in Low Green Gainford for a BBQ and drinks party. £7 for adults and £2 for children to include food and one drink. It would be nice to meet people from other parts of the Deanery. For tickets ring Sue 01325 730379 or Lynne 01325 730844

The lighter side!

* I'm still inwardly chuckling over the second episode of "Rev" and his encounter with the "successful" evangelical priest. If you haven't caught it yet, give it a go. Mondays at 10pm on BBC2 and repeated later. Amongst the mirth there are serious theological points being made along the way such as in Christian terms what does success look like anyway?

* Why is it people will order a double cheeseburger, fries and a DIET coke?

* Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

* Shops in Britain sell lemon juice made with artificial flavouring and washing up liquid made with real lemons

* Two aerials meet on a roof, fall in love and get married. The ceremony was brilliant but the reception was rubbish.

* Practice safe eating - always use condiments.

* My friend drowned in a bowl of Muesli. He was dragged in by a strong currant.

Thought for today.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus never (to our knowledge) ever wrote down a single thing in his entire life? Everything we know about him comes to us interpreted by others. We just seem to accept this strange fact without question. If we take at face value that he read from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue then he certainly couldn't be illiterate.  Did it never occur to him to write anything I wonder or was it a deliberate ploy not to consign a single thing to writing - and if a deliberate ploy...to what end? Would a gospel according to Jesus clarify matters I wonder or just add fuel to the fire? Could it be that Jesus was content to be a symbol, because a symbol is able to speak in many and various ways and mean different things to different people as the Spirit reveals him to people? Did He already intuitively know that words have a tendency to be used as prison walls rather than a way of liberation in the way St. Paul explained many years later when he wrote "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:6)