The Voice of the Church
Life is always busy and ringing, work, and studying all vie for our attention. At the moment across the country there are many people preparing for great changes to their lives. They are being ordained as deacons and priests at the end of June, Petertide. Some are ringers and throughout the last few months have quite likely been reflecting on the role of ringer and ordained person. They bring worship and the skill of ringing closer together. Some being made deacon may be wondering how to make ringing work for them because the pattern of Sunday will be different. Some may be leaving bands where they have become an integral part and are feeling a sense of loss at moving on. All this is positive because God has called each one to a different place. Some will be moving house, some staying in the same location but life will be changed as God uses them differently.
Those clergy who may be moving to a new parish will be learning to work alongside a range of different people, the young, the families, those who have retired, all of whom make up the family of the church. Thinking of families, part of the church family may well be the band of ringers. Each group needs to place trust in the other family members. Trust that together a greater faith in Christ will grow.
In The Voice of the Church (2023) it is noted that ringing ‘brings one down to earth’. In the tower you rely on what you know and can achieve whilst aiming to learn more. It might be that some new clergy may be thinking about returning to ringing and are worried that their skills have diminished whilst studying, others may be thinking that they are not going to be ‘good enough’ to join a band that appears to be ringing at a higher level than they can manage. Remember though that St Paul talks of God loving all people and there are no such things as Greek or Jew, slave or free, male and female (Gal:3:28). God loves all people equally. He teaches that respect and acceptance are all part of life. Therefore the new clergy are to be welcomed into ringing circles and the clergy themselves learn to respect the skills the ringers have as they each bring their different ministries to the growth of faith and love of Jesus Christ.
Rhona McEune