27.11.2015
Lay Ministry is a Gift to the Church – Service of Commissioning for Parish Readers Hears
“The active and public ministry of lay people is essential to the lifeblood of our church,” Archbishop Michael Jackson told a service of commissioning of Parish Readers last night. Archbishop Jackson commissioned Janet Kirwan and Bruce Middleton as Parish Readers for the parishes of Ballinaclash and Castlemacadam before a large congregation in Holy Trinity Church, Castlemacadam, last night (November 26).
Janet and Bruce will join Lay Reader, Angela Winterbotham and Alan Pierce, Parish Reader in Aughrim, in assisting the Rector, Canon George Butler with parish duties. The new Parish Readers were presented to be commissioned by the Diocesan Director for Lay Ministry, the Revd John Tanner.
In his sermon, Archbishop Jackson said that those who are ordained need lay ministers to keep their feet on earth while lay people need lay ministers to keep their eyes on heaven.
In a world where communication was increasingly silent, he said that the Parish Reader’s role was to read out loud. “People pass you in the street engrossed in their iPhone, listening to their iPod or simply poking at their iScreen. You are called not to create a Website of Worship – but to Read. You are to read aloud the Services of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and the Service of the Word; you are to read aloud the Holy Scriptures; you are to prepare Prayers and to read aloud Prayers to equip the people of God to pray to God,” he explained.
He urged the newly commissioned readers to avoid becoming clericalized. “Clericalization is a cultural constant in any church and, as I say, is to be resisted and avoided. So: What is clericalism? It is the unwarranted sense of superiority before God of those who mistakenly view ordination as ‘above’ discipleship. It is the use of the God–given gift of distinction of Order in the church to dominate, to discriminate and to diminish. It is often used without understanding it is being used. And it is a constant danger for those of us, whether as Readers or clergy, undertake roles of leadership while continuing to be servants. It turns ‘The Other’ into ‘The Lesser’ without any warrant to do so… Again Parish Readers do the church some real service in recalling us in a tangible and a visible way that is unpretentious and seeks no reward,” the Archbishop said.
To read the Archbishop’s sermon in full please CLICK HERE
Photo caption: Newly commission Parish Readers, Janet Kirwan and Bruce Middleton (centre) are pictured in Holy Trinity Church, Castlemacadam, with Canon Nigel Sherwood, Archbishop Michael Jackson, Alan Pierce, the Revd John Tanner, the Revd Brian O’Reilly, the Rector Canon George Butler and Angela Winterbotham.