Articles - From the Vicar

July 1999

We have nearly concluded our debate about re-ordering the interior of the church: on 12th July the PCC will make a final decision about the re-ordering committee's proposals and we shall then have to apply for a faculty to implement whatever alterations are decided upon. The matter then passes to the Diocesan Adv isory Committee who, in turn, will advise the Chancellor of the Diocese as to whether or not a faculty should be granted.

The re-ordering debate has evoked strongly held feelings and, for many of us, has not been a comfortable exper ience. The discomfort is, perhaps, the necessary price we all have to pay for belonging to a church family of such diversity and breadth of Christian experience. Yet out of our very diversity and breadth of experience arises one of St. Edmund' s great stren gths: we are, in many respects, a microcosm of the Church of England, a Church whose diversity at times defies the imagination. By holding together at a time of change, rather than going our separate ways, we have a great opportunity to witness to the ess ential unity we have in Christ - a unity of which Paul speaks when addressing the Corinthians about their own internal squabbles:

One of you says "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; anot her "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised into the name of Paul?

Let us rejoice in our diversity and allow space to those who differ from us. But let us never compromise our unity in Christ by acting in ways that undermine our fundamental calling to encourage one another and to build each other up in the Lord. For in serving and loving each other we are also servin g and loving God.