The letter this month is written by The Revd. Ian Hunter Smart: a resident of Carlton who has the Bishop’s Permission to Officiate, and helps out in our Stanwick Group of Churches on occasions.
Dear Friends,
Coming to live in Carlton nine years ago I was immediately impressed by ‘The Parish’ which is a magazine for both Church and Community News. The Church should be at the heart of the community and the community’s wellbeing should be at the heart of the Church.
One of the first community activities we took part in on arrival in the neighbourhood was the Aldbrough Feast. Apart from coming last in the car treasure hunt, we particularly enjoyed the communal barbeque on the Green and sharing sumptuous puddings in the Village Hall. But the Aldbrough Feast is just one of many community activities which take place throughout the year in our villages and this is something to be really proud of. There is a vibrancy to community life here which, although it takes a lot time, effort, and often the dedication of a few, contributes enormously to the wellbeing of all age groups.
‘Wellbeing’ is a bit of a buzz word these days, but evidence suggests that a small improvement in wellbeing can help decrease some mental health problems and also help people to flourish. There are five generally recognised ways to improve our mental wellbeing: Connecting with people; learning; giving; being active; and taking notice. Participating in the activities on offer in our communities is a great way to start.
As well as being an Anglican priest, working in secular employment, I am also a Quaker, a member of the Religious Society of Friends. Quaker worship is our response to an awareness of God; however we might interpret that word. We seek a gathered stillness in our meetings for worship so that all may feel the power of God’s love drawing us together and leading us. That means ‘taking notice’ and being attentive to the promptings of love and truth in our hearts.
To Quakers, the visible mark of being a ‘church’ is not conformity to a particular creed, or liturgical or sacramental practice, but the quality of communal life which reveals the extent of the community’s willingness to seek and to follow the Spirit’s call to loving fellowship.
Whether we are part of a worshipping community, of whatever denomination, or not, the quality of communal life can make or break our ability to connect with other people, our keenness to learn, our willingness to give and be active in the community and our readiness to take notice of each other, the world around us, and above all to what is going on inside us.
So I encourage you to take part in the activities on offer in our villages and, if you can, to invite others, who find this more difficult, to join with you, so that together we may flourish both as individuals and as a community.
Yours in friendship,
Ian Hunter Smart