11.03.2024
Parish Urged to Look Forward with Hope as Bray Bids Farewell to Baden
Parishioners of Christ Church Bray and representatives of the wider community flocked to church on Mothering Sunday (March 10) to bid a fond farewell to their Rector of 25 years. The Revd Baden Stanley has retired with health issues but he and his family were left in no doubt of the place they occupied in parishioners’ hearts.
The Service of Thanksgiving for Baden’s ministry over a quarter of a century was led by the parish’s diocesan reader, David Reynolds, who declared at the outset that “this is family – the parish and community of Bray coming together to thank Baden for his 25 years”. Among the congregation was the Revd John Scott, with whom Baden served his curacy, along with local public representatives and people from various local organisations including Bray Lions Club who made a donation to Tearfund on Baden’s behalf.
In his final sermon as Rector, Baden remarked that the last two years had been a journey. It began on Mothering Sunday two years ago when he discovered that his Fibro Myalgia was back but there was also a tiredness that knew no bounds. “I’m really, really sorry for the way things have happened over the last two years. I regret that my family, my parish family, have had to go through this journey to get rid of me,” he commented.
He said that Mothering Sunday was a day of thanksgiving, for many it was bitter sweet. But it was a day when we rest in the reassurance of God’s care for us. “I might be leaving today but this is inconsequential because the Church goes on. This is a place of living stones which has been a place of worship for over 1,000 years. We are a fleeting moment in this,” he said.
He recalled some of his early sermons and also the many missional projects of the parish. “What we have learned together as a parish community is the importance of carrying each other,” he said. Speaking of the many meetings and parish plans he observed: “God directs our steps and leads us on circuitous routes so that we may pick up others along the way”.
Baden urged the parish family to look forward now with anticipation, hope and excitement for the new opportunities that would unfold in front of them but also to walk humbly referring to the reading from Micah (6:6). “Those of you who have endured the last 25 years will know there was a focus change to talking about the Ark [in recent years] – this building being a place of sanctuary, renewal and kindness but also about a community that welcomes everyone, a renewed spirit as we walk forward into our future and to all things may God be the Glory,” he concluded.
At the end of the service parishioners took the opportunity to pay their tributes with Joe O’Connor of the Select Vestry as MC. One of the longest serving members of the parish, John Leeson, recalled how, as one of the parish nominators, he and two others sent to see then Archbishop Walton Empey who said he had found a man who was willing to serve. They met Baden and Avril and their dog and were “mightily impressed” by his enthusiasm. Over the following years they discovered how fortunate they were and he also paid tribute to Avril for her dedication to the parish.
He looked back at the parish’s achievements and said that Baden was an “ideas man”. The church had been reroofed, there had been numerous concerts, the Narnia adventure and remodelling of the churchyard and family room were among the highlights. He singled out the special event in Christ Church Bray to mark the Centenary of World War I which documented all the people from Bray who had died in the war. He paid tribute to Baden’s ability to foster relationships with the other church communities in Bray and his sense of mission, as well as his confidence and calmness in officiating at key services such as baptisms, marriages and funerals. He commended Baden on his many “attempted comebacks” from fibro myalgia but said that long covid had put an end to that. “Baden was always there for the parishioners when they needed him,” he said adding that it was with Christian hope that he hoped science would find a solution so that Baden could enjoy the achievements of his wife and talented family.
Baden was presented with a number of gifts including work by David Salmon and a painting of the church. He thanked everyone for being part of the adventure and for being courageous enough to go with his ideas.
During the service Baden’s wife Avril and daughter Bethany read lessons and the service concluded with a blessing from Baden before the choir sang Bob Chilcott’s anthem, Irish Blessing. The voluntary was provided by Jonathan and Luke Stanley who performed When I’m Gone by Randy Newman.
