Centenary

I have been rather preoccupied of late with Centenary arrangements at St Barnabas. It's been a great week, especially the service last Wednesday (St Barnabas Day), when the Bishop came to celebrate Holy Communion with us. He really appreciated the choral music, which I must say was superb - our 3 choirs combining. During the week, we have been running an exhibition and flower festival. Our St Barnabas people have been working incredibly hard, and there has been real sense of joy about the place. Tonight, we have a concert and tomorrow morning another special service when we are joined by the Lord Mayor, Erica Kemp. She is one of our own local councillors, with whom we have worked closely in the community, so it will be a special pleasure to have her with us.

One of the highlights of the exhibition has been the contents of a time capsule, buried behind the foundation stone in 1912. The contents have been well preserved, and include a copy of the Liverpool Echo, newly-minted stamps and coins, photographs of the clergy, and beautiful, coloured original architect's plans for the church. They are truly a work of art. One interesting article in the Echo is about a bishop's objection to the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham coming to conduct at a concert in Manchester. He urges Christian people to boycott the concert. Why? Because Beecham is divorced! How times have changed: those were the days of 'Christendom', when it was felt there was a universal set of values to which all were expected to subscribe. Those who did not were sometimes regarded as beyond the pale.

None of us would want that kind of judgmental attitude to return, which so often led to hypocrisy. On the other hand, it does reveal how in today's world there really is no connecting narrative about values - as the recent Gove/May spat has revealed. Many would agree it was the First World War which caused that. People's best hopes of a world which was gradually becoming more humane, more prosperous, more just, more pleasant were dealt a cruel blow. It all fell apart with the ugly, brutal, catastrophic, horrifying experiences of war.

I have reflected on the timeliness of St Barnabas' foundation. It was consecrated in February 1914: I like to think it was God's providence that a centre for prayer and community gathering was right there on the high street, established in time for those gruelling years.

I have just finished reading Half the Human Race by Anthony Quinn. He is a Liverpool-born writer whose first novel The Rescue Man (set in Liverpool during WW2) I have also read.This second one begins in 1911, carries us through the War and beyond. It is essentially the story of a romance, but weaves together women's emancipation, cricket, trench warfare, and art among other things. It's a good read, and certainly conveys the atmosphere of pre-war England and the social changes the war produced. In particular the role of women: one of the characters, a suffragette, says I'm glad (the war) is over - but it did make us useful. It proved to men that we weren't just feeble domestic halfwits. I mean, didn't we take responsibility? We worked so hard they eventually had to give us the vote. She continues sourly, But...they're not letting us keep those jobs. It's "thanks a lot and you can all go home now....men still have all the cards you know."

In our Centenary year, we're not just looking back though. Our slogan is 'Building for the Future'. We want to provide for those who come after us, as those 100 years ago and since have kept the flame of faith burning for us.