A MEETING TO REMEMBER

Last night I had a wonderful opprtunity to experience what church life is like in a small parish in England. Andrew Tyler is serving as the priest for a two-point parish that consists of Cawston and Heydon. Both churches are near one another, both have buildings that date back at least 1,300 years, and both do not have indoor plumbing.

But they are quite different churches. St. Agnes is a growing congregation in a growing community not far from Norwich. Young families are coming into the community and joining the church. Sts. Peter and Paul, Heydon is in a stable, idyllic English village and has a membership of about 20 people, all of whom are on the Parish Council.

I was a guest at their three meetings, held in close succession in a community hall that has no windows because it is being refurbished. The first meeting was open to the entire community and was to elect the parish wardens for the year. Anyone can vote, but only church members were present.

The second meeting was the Annual Parish Meeting where elections were held for several offices and reports were given. There was one nominee for each office (the one currently in that office) except for treasurer which needed to be elected because the 20-year veteran treasurer was mvoing to another town. She had chosen her successor, so nominations were closed immediately.

Since this was a pure democrarcy, each office required a show of hands, and each office was elected in that way.

The third meeting was a meeting of the Parochial Church Council, the equivalent of our Congregation Council. A few more elections were held, one by one with a show of hands, and finally we got to the new business. The first item was to not hold an annual service becuase some people will be away that weekend. The second was to welcome the MG vintage group to finish their annual rally at the church with a special Saturday afternoon mass for the 70 drivers anticipated. Fortunately there are bathrooms in the tea room and the local pub and there is a car park for a few vehicles at the church.

After the meeting we walked over to the old vicarage (which actualy is rather new, not even 200 years old). There we had an elegant sit down dinner for everyone and a few spouses. It was wonderful and the conversation was interesting. I had more to eat than I needed to have.

The elegant hostess told me how she had been a football police person (one who watches the crowds at a soccer match in case they get too rowdy. She asked many questions including "What is a Lutheran?"

Next Sunday most of them will be there at worship, waiting for the arrival of a new blower for their pipe organ, using the King James Bibe for scripture lessons, and the Old English Prayer Book, just as their ancestors did for the past 400 years.

This was an evening to remember.