Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Portsmouth
To be read to all parishes on Sunday 11 January 2004
The start of a new year is often taken as a chance to make fresh plans or to renew a sense of focus and commitment. Perhaps you have made New Year’s resolutions, or marked the beginning of 2004 in some other way.
As Bishop of this Diocese, I am constantly thinking about the different ways in which the Church can move forward. Each new year brings new challenges, which the Church has to face. The year 2004 could see many significant changes in many aspects of our lives, and the Church cannot remain unaffected. Whether we like it or not, things change; and the Church must change too.
In recent years it has become clear that the patterns of ministry and organisation we have inherited are being challenged by many pressures. Unless we want to see the Church become increasingly marginalised and ineffective, we need to make some critical decisions. Over the past eight years, I have grown to love the richness and vitality of church-life in this Diocese, and I long to see it grow and flourish in the years to come. But for that to happen, we must listen to what God is saying to us amidst all the challenges and opportunities of modern life.
Throughout the Bible, there is a strong sense of God’s lordship over time. Before the birth of Christ, God’s people looked back to the time of exodus from Egypt and arrival in the Promised land, and forward to the day when God would act to save his people. In Christ, that time has come. Indeed, Jesus himself often spoke of his ‘time’ or ‘hour’ – the moment of God’s salvation and the revealing of his glory in the world. And the word often used to describe this critical moment is KAIROS.
I believe that the year 2004 is a moment of KAIROS for Portsmouth Diocese. We have come to a point of challenge and opportunity, and we must act. And in order to seize this opportunity, I have initiated a process of review and regeneration within the Diocese, which I have called KAIROS. It is the implementation of the work begun by the Strategic Review Group, and it will be the main focus of our energy throughout 2004 and part of 2005.
The purpose of KAIROS is to reflect on how the Church can grow and flourish now and in the years ahead. As your Bishop, I know that there is a great deal of good work and firm faith, which we must treasure and support. But there are areas where we could do more or do better. And this is bound to mean change, of one sort or another.
Like most people, I often feel uncertain when faced with the possibility of change. There is a danger of losing good things from the past, or of making mistakes and poor decisions. So, of course, I want to encourage you to be wise and careful. But it is important that we do not allow fear of change to leave us permanently stuck where we are. For if we do become stuck, and everything else moves on around us, then we will no longer be a living witness to God’s presence in the world.
So, at the start of this new year, I am asking every parish to commit itself to the work of KAIROS. We must not let this God-given opportunity pass us by. Instead, we will all work, and think, and pray to discern what God is calling us to do and be. It is a vital task, and it will be demanding. But we have no choice. The time has come.
* * * * *
On Sunday 1st February, I will launch KAIROS at a special service in Portsmouth Cathedral. This coincides with the Feast of Christ’s Presentation in the Temple, when we recall his dedication to God. I am asking every parish to send two representatives to this service, at which we will dedicate the whole Diocese to KAIROS, and pray that the Holy Spirit will bless and guide us on our journey into the future. There will also be material available at this service for the representatives to take back to their parishes.
