Who'd be a vicar?

(Jonah)

Welcome

Welcome Baptism families

Introduction

During the past decades there's been an enormous change in the way in which churches are organised.

Go back a couple of hundred years, and there may have been only a couple of hundred people in Binley, ...and as far as the church was concerned the vicar did almost everything. As well as leading the services on a Sunday, he visited anyone in the parish who was ill, he did all the baptism and wedding preparation, ...he did the lot.

Life in Binley today is a bit different.

We now have approaching 20,000 people living in the parish, ...there's no way that the vicar can do everything on his own, ...and its great that more and more people are getting involved with this important work.

For example, just take the service here today,

...music group,

... prayers,

... drama,

... coffee rota,

...baptism preparation,

...and so the list goes on.

But does this mean that we no longer have a need for a vicar?

Well no!

The vicar is still an important focus in the community for the work of the church.

It's also important that a church has a leader who can lead us forward,

...and someone who can co-ordinate the work of others.

...it's a very demanding and challenging job.

The problem is we haven't got enough of them.

During the past 5 years the number of full-time clergy who are paid by the Church of England has declined by 10%.

And the projections are for a decline of a further 10% over the next five years.

Contrary to popular opinion this has nothing to do with finances. The Church can afford to pay for more clergy, ...its simply due to the fact that more clergy are retiring than are being recruited. There's an enormous block of clergy who will be retiring during the next few years. Just to keep the same numbers the Church of England needs to ordain about 450 new clergy each year.

So Coventry diocese has decided to take an initiative. In churches throughout the diocese clergy have been urged to have a special service called "Who'd be a vicar?"

We very much value the ministries of many people here at St. Barts, ...but just for today we've been asked to talk about the ordained ministry, ...in the hope that some people may hear God's call.

...and it could be you!

Service sheet:

Jesus we have promised to serve you to the end

Give us grace to follow, our Master and our friend

Song 501 O Jesus, I have promised

We ask God's forgiveness for our sins

God our Father, we come to you in sorrow for our sins.

For turning away from you, and ignoring your will for our lives;

Father forgive us: save us and help us.

For behaving just as we wish, without thinking of you;

Father forgive us: save us and help us.

For failing you by what we do, and think and say;

Father forgive us: save us and help us.

For letting ourselves be drawn away from you by temptations in the world about us;

Father forgive us: save us and help us.

For living as if we were ashamed to belong to your Son,

Father forgive us: save us and help us.

Absolution

May the God of love

bring us back to himself

forgive us our sins

and assure us of his eternal love

in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect:

Almighty and everlasting God,

who calls your people to serve you in many different ways;

give us wisdom to discern your calling,

and courage to obey it,

that we may bring glory to you,

and draw all people into your kingdom;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Song 181 God forgave my sin in Jesus' name

Graeme's Story

Today, all the clergy in the diocese are being encouraged to tell their story of how they ended up being ordained. The idea they want us to get across is that clergy don't come from another planet, ...(well some of us don't), ...but are just ordinary people like everyone else.

If you want to hear David's story, then come to the 6.00pm service this evening, ...but this is my story.

- Church background, became a Christian when 14, went to college to study engineering.

- Church mission in Newcastle. "Have you ever thought of doing this sort of thing full time?"

"Not me I want to be an Engineer"

- Got a job with Courtaulds, came to Coventry to work as an engineer, and started to go to Holy Trinity Church. ...met Jan.

- During the next few years I thoroughly enjoyed being an engineer, but at the same time got more and more involved with my church.

- Jan and I led a house group, ...we organised Parish Weekends away, ...I started to do baptism preparation, ...and the more I did, the more I enjoyed it.

- The only problem was that there wasn't enough hours in the day. I was often being asked to do overtime at work, ...I was out on many evenings with church things, ...and then we had Christopher, ...and that really threw us into confusion!

- During those years there had been a gradual shift in what I really wanted in life. ...I still enjoyed being an engineer, ...but I found that the things that gave me the biggest enjoyment was seeing God working in the lives of others, ...particularly those who I had had some involvement with.

- As the years went by I decided that I would really like to do Christian work full time, ...but there was one problem, I didn't feel that God was calling me to it. And so I decided that until I did hear God's call I would continue as an engineer.

- A few more years passed.

- Then one day I woke up with a verse in my mind. It comes from Psalm 37, and says:

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

- Perhaps the reason that I want to be ordained is because God has put that desire there. ...ie this desire is part of God's calling.

- Jan's reaction.

- CPAS magazine with details of 'You and the ministry' weekends.

- The first step in a quite a long process during which other people had to decide whether or not God really was calling me to be ordained.

- That first step happened 7 years ago. I continued as an engineer for 2 more years, ...then left Courtaulds to go to theological college in Nottingham for 2 years. ...and then came here 3 years ago.

Well that's my story. ...but in the Bible there are many other stories of God calling people to do something. ...We are now going to here Jonah's story.

Children to listen carefully because we are going to have a quiz afterwards.

Drama: Jonah and the Whale

Talk: Running Away

We sometimes here clergy talk about God 'calling' then to be ordained, ...and it can sound rather pompous. But I firmly believe that God 'calls' ALL Christians to serve him in some way.

He calls:

- some to be teachers,

- some to be cleaners,

- and some to serve him through all sorts of different occupations.

He calls:

- some to serve him in their place of work,

- some to serve him through their work at home,

- some to serve him through full-time work in the church.

God calls each one of us to serve him in some way. There are two questions to ask yourself...

1. Do you know in what ways God is calling you to?

If your answer is 'NO', then why don't you ask him? It's a great feeling to know that you're doing what God wants you to do.

2. If you think you know what God might be calling you to, how are you responding to that call? Are you like Jonah?

Quiz:

- What did God call Jonah to do?

- Did Jonah want to go?

- I wonder if anyone can think of some reasons why he didn't want to go? (We weren't told in the story).

- How did he run away?

- How did God bring him back?

ASK ADULTS:

- If we feel that God is calling us to give up our job and do something different, what reasons might we have for running a way?

I could never do it.

What would others think of me?

Financial.

Family.

All those fears have crossed my mind at some time or other, yet my own experience has been entirely positive.

From time to time I do miss engineering. I sometimes miss the overseas trips that I used to go on. I sometimes miss the extra money that I used to earn, ...but I wouldn't go back, because I'm enjoying what I'm doing now so much more.

MIGHT GOD BE CALLING YOU TO BE A VICAR?

In your pews you'll find a leaflet, and if you'd like more information there's a slip you can send off.

The diocese is also organising some informal gatherings during this coming fortnight where you can discuss it with others who are also thinking about the possibility, ...the phone number is on the sheet.

Let us declare our faith in God:

Songs 335 In my life Lord, be glorified

151 For I'm building a people of power

Prayers

The Lord's Prayer

Song 249 Our God reigns

Blessing

Almighty God,

who has saved you and called you to a holy life,

fan into flame the gifts that he has given you;

and the blessing...

We go out to serve the Lord:

Jesus we have promised to serve you to the end

Give us grace to follow, our Master and our friend