Co Chair Ruth, Blog: 17th July 2023
Greetings!
The last couple of months seem to have flown by as there has been plenty to keep me busy. I was invited to speak at the Chester and Stoke-on-Trent District Day at Tunstall, in June, about my visit to Colombia – ‘Coconut, Cassava and Coffee’. The Exec Committee all made cakes from Colombian recipes – the coffee cake was definitely a hit! This was followed by our Easter Offering Service.
It was a joy to attend the ordination service in Coventry Cathedral for the ordination of our minister, Rev Sarah Butcher. We travelled by coach with other members of our Mission Area and were able to spend time in Coventry before the service. The Cathedral was packed, and the atmosphere was one of real celebration and worship. It was a truly memorable occasion.
The following day we journeyed to the NEC in Birmingham for the Finance Task Group meeting and for our long awaited, inaugural ‘Mary Bosanquet Lecture’, when Canon Dr Paula Gooder, Chancellor and Theologian in Residence at St Paul’s Cathedral, was the speaker. Paula’s excellent lecture was entitled ‘Reading Between the Lines: finding women in the stories of the Bible, even when it looks like they are not there.’ As a Pauline scholar, Paula was able to elevate the role of women who had just been mentioned in Acts and in Paul’s letters such as Pheobe, and Lydia, and to raise awareness of the women who had played a role who had not been mentioned, making the stories come alive. She continued to emphasise the role of women in the gospels, stating that there were probably women amongst the disciples and there were certainly women at the Crucifixion. They were the ones to prepare Jesus’s body for burial, the first to visit the tomb and Mary, was the first to see the risen Christ. We were encouraged to look deeper into the narrative and to research the role that women played in life in Biblical times. The Lecture Hall was full and many of the attendees asked when the next lecture was to be held. Planning will start soon.
This weekend we held our ‘Creativity Day’ at Stamford, when we had a choice of activities: making a collage, weaving, creative writing, photography or a Town walk. We were made very welcome, and it was lovely to meet the thirty ladies who joined us for the day. Many thanks to all those at Stamford Barn Hill Methodist Church and to our workshop leaders for making it such a day to remember!
Blessings
Ruth
