Dear all,

The brown lidded bins provided by Durham County Council are no match for the number of leaves that fall in the Vicarage Garden. Over the last few weeks, I have joined the steady stream of cars calling in at the recycling facility at Stainton Grove: the back seats of my car laid flat to make way for jumbo builders’ dumpy bags full of dry leaves. ‘Hallelujah’ for the dry and relatively calm weather which has made collecting and transporting them so much less of a chore.

As the clocks have changed and the year has turned, summer and autumn colour has given way to the low winter sun shining through the outline of the trees stripped bare.  Yet, of course, despite all appearances, the trees have not died: there is life within them, a source and a depth of energy that sustains them that will produce new growth.

The institution of the Church of England has taken a kicking over recent weeks over concerns around ‘safeguarding’. Like the winter trees it has lost much. Reputationally its credibility has been questioned; the Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned – unlike others in public life who have overseen failure (The Post Office Scandal, Hillsborough, Ministers of State in any number of departments), taking personal responsibility for institutional failure.  It is all rather disheartening.

Here in the parish I write knowing that our Parish Safeguarding Officer (David Ewart), the Church Council and many others across the Diocese are conscientiously promoting a culture of safeguarding within our churches; that we practice ‘safer recruitment’ for positions that see volunteers involved with children, young people and vulnerable adults; that DBS checks are sought out, risk assessments written and  training requirements fulfilled by parishioners seeking to offer service to the community through church activities. And yet this all seems as nothing as past abuse is brought to light and past failures at a senior level demand accountability. This is hard and the church is humbled.

Humbled, yes, but not without hope. Soon we will hear Advent readings in church that speak of a ‘shoot coming from the stock of Jesse’, of new growth emerging from something that had seemed dead. The Old Testament reference has long been applied to the birth of Jesus, the one we recognise as Emmanuel, God with us. As an institution ‘the church’ may well need to be laid low for new life to flourish. As a community of believers gathered into Christ’s presence there is always hope even in a season of darkness. May we continue to rejoice in the presence of the Lord, the one who was prepared to take responsibility for the failings of the whole world.

Alec