{"id":1693,"date":"2009-09-15T19:34:00","date_gmt":"2009-09-15T19:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/2009\/09\/the-vicar-on-fresh-expressions\/"},"modified":"2014-12-24T10:56:24","modified_gmt":"2014-12-24T15:56:24","slug":"the-vicar-on-fresh-expressions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/2009\/09\/the-vicar-on-fresh-expressions.html","title":{"rendered":"The Vicar on Fresh Expressions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Guest blogger, The Rev\u2019d Humphrey Blytherington is Vicar of St Hilda\u2019s, Little Snoring with All Saints, Great Snoring. He is a graduate of Plymouth University. He completed his studies for the ministry at Latimer Hall, Durham. He is married to Daphne and enjoys home brewing, model railroading and is an avid member of the Great Snoring Morris Dancers.<\/p>\n


\n<\/em><\/span><\/span>Well, lads I\u2019m not really sure what to think next! I was at the Clergy Fellowship Indaba<\/a> this afternoon, and after Lavinia, the lady curate over at St Etheldreda\u2019s finished a very attractive earth forgiveness dance prayer and went to change out of her purple leotard, the rural dean introduced the local Methodist minister. Colin Smee is a jolly Christian sort of chap\u2013tall with a little mustache. Daphne says he reminds her of Basil Fawlty. I can\u2019t see it, but she\u2019s always got some sort of humorous comment to make, has Daphne.\n
Colin Smee was there to tell us all about the Fresh Expressions of Church<\/a> thingy which is going on. Seems that this thing is really taking off. Methodists and C of E folks starting up their own churches. Colin said that rather than quarreling amongst ourselves all the time, we\u2019re finally realizing that we all pretty much believe the same thing and there\u2019s no sense in our fighting our own corner. \u201cWhy pull apart when we can pull together?\u201d is the way he put it, and I must say, I\u2019d never quite seen it like that before. Lavinia said, \u201cWhat we really have to get away from is all this dogma. All it does is divide us. Once we realize that the gospel is about justice for those who are prejudiced against we can work together to create a more fair world.\u201d<\/div>\n
When we broke down into our sub indabas, Giles, the Anglo Catholic priest said he didn\u2019t mind if dogma was divisive if that meant he didn\u2019t have to be a Methodist and start up a Fresh Expression. I\u2019m not too sure I agree with him. Seems to me all these Catholic types do is create divisions where there should be none. Lavinia got rather cross and said that if dogma could be done away with there would be no more need of denominations. \u201cGive peace a chance!\u201d she cried.<\/div>\n
Colin said Fresh Expressions was trying to do just that, and they were trying to \u2018create fresh expressions of church in a changing world.\u2019 I looked over to see that Henry Horton, the Rural Dean, had dozed off. Simon said it looked like the Rural Dean could use a Fresh Expression, at which old Horton woke up with a snort and said, \u201cPerfectly lovely. Perfectly lovely.\u201d Which was very odd. When I told Daphne later she suggested that the Rural Dean may have been having a dream about Lavinia\u2019s dance prayer. What an intriguing thought!<\/div>\n
Well, lads, I\u2019m getting off track. The thing is, Colin Smee asked if I would like to have a Fresh Expression at Great Snoring and Little Snoring. I still wasn\u2019t quite sure what it all entailed, and not wanting to upset Sheila Throckmorton and the ladies of the flower guild I said I would have to put it to the PCC first.<\/div>\n
The thing is, this Colin Smee fellow was awfully nice, but he was big on ideas and not very good on particulars. Just what exactly does Fresh Expressions mean? Does it mean we\u2019ll all have to learn some new hymns? Does it mean more guitars in church? Will I have to grow a mustache to relate to the young a bit better? I tried that once and it wasn\u2019t really very effective. I was in a rather troubled state of mind, when I got home to the vicarage and Daphne reminded me to feed her cat, Mefistofele . You could have knocked me down with a feather! I opened the cupboard door only to find that Mefistofele\u2019s kitty litter is called Fresh Expressions!<\/a><\/div>\n
I\u2019m all for creativity in worship if that is your sort of thing, and I\u2019m never one to discourage a good idea if it will help to bring in the young folks, but how on earth does one weave kitty litter into Matins? Perhaps it all has to do with St Francis and those rather wonderful pet blessing services they have in some parishes. Daphne said in her rather forthright way, \u201cI thought it was a load of bull****, but it turns out to be only kitty litter.\u201d<\/div>\n
Well, I don\u2019t mind telling you that I\u2019m not a little confused. I\u2019ll have to ask Lavinia about it. I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll be able to help me out.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest blogger, The Rev\u2019d Humphrey Blytherington is Vicar of St Hilda\u2019s, Little Snoring with All Saints, Great Snoring. He is a graduate of Plymouth University. He completed his studies for the ministry at Latimer Hall, Durham. He is married to Daphne and enjoys home brewing, model railroading and is an avid member of the Great […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":557,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[4,21,94],"class_list":["post-1693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-vicar","tag-alter-egos","tag-anglicans","tag-humor"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Vicar on Fresh Expressions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Guest blogger, The Rev'd Humphrey Blytherington is Vicar of St Hilda's, Little Snoring with All Saints, Great Snoring. 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