On Halloween this year we’re hosting a Bright Lights Party at Upton Parish Church. It’s going to be a great family fun night with bouncy castle, games, big screen video games, food and loads of fun.
To find out about tickets go to our online booking page here.
And if you want to know more about why a Bright Lights party – take a look at this short video.
This article was originally published in the Bridge Magazine, October issue.
Where are you from?
I grew up in the North-East of England, the son of a journalist, moved to Sheffield when I was 18 to go to university (studied Economics) and after graduating spent the next ten years or so working for Rotherham Training and Enterprise Council in various capacities – before training to be a vicar in 2002.
Ordained in 2005, I spent four years working with a church on South Tyneside, and then seven years in New Barnet, on the north edge of London.
While I was in Sheffield I met Carol (who hails from Malvern and was training to be a Landscape Architect). Marriage and six kids followed, along with lots of trips back to Malvern – and now we’re back in Worcestershire for good.
Six kids – are you mad?
No – They play together, pray together and do life together. It’s wonderful – on a good day. Other days its hard work, and requires some pretty big lifestyle sacrifices. I remember thinking when we had our fourth child was born that I’d blown my final hope of ever having a fancy car. So now you’ll see me driving a battered 10-year old Renault minibus around. It’s not a car I’d ever imagined driving – but God is like that – he gives us what we need not what we want.
What are your hopes for your time as Priest in Charge of the Benefice of Hanley Castle, Hanley Swan and Welland; and the Benefice of Upton on Severn, Ripple, Earl’s Croome & Hill Croome with Strensham?
Broadly speaking I’ve got three priorities for our time here.
First of all – to encourage discipleship.
Being a disciple of Jesus isn’t just a one-time decision to pick a side in the religious free-for-all, it’s an ongoing commitment to actively living out the values Jesus taught and demonstrated in his own life, underwritten by a growing dependence upon prayer and the Holy Spirit.
Second – is what I call “getting the shop-window right.”
When we’re out shopping, there’s nothing catches our eye more than a well laid-out shop window. The goods look inviting, the colours and lighting entice. First impressions really matter.
Sad to say, many people’s first impression of church services isn’t as captivating – so one of my challenges over the coming years is to listen to the experiences of those outside our church communities to learn how our churches can do better.
One thing we’ve started straight away is getting rid of that awful name that our family of churches goes by – “the benefice of Hanley etc etc. “ It’s so long you probably didn’t even read the whole thing the first time!
I’m proposing we call our family of churches the “Hope Church Family” and our new website (www.hopechurchfamily.org) is a great place to visit to find out all about the various things going on in the individual churches. Do give it a visit – when you see it all together there’s a lot going on. And while you’re on the website, do sign up for our monthly newsletter which will tell you more of what’s going on.
My third priority is planning for the future.
Sad to say, some of the churches have only a very limited provision for children. Over time I hope to see that change – because without children our church congregations will never know a long-term future.
At my last church God blessed us with considerable growth in our children’s work – and I believe it can happen here too. But it does mean we might have to change a few things along the way so that children and young families can more easily participate.
It sounds like you’re going to be busy then!
Yes! But I also know I need to get to know our communities better and understand more of the rhythm of rural life. That will take time – Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it was built – so if you’re the sort of person who likes to build things and make a difference – please get in touch – we’d love to get you involved!
Barry Unwin
Vicar, Hope Church Family
Congratulations to Mary Purser, church warden at St James, Welland for completing her charity wing walk, and making the BBC website!
To see video of her flight and the story on the BBC website, click here.
Great article by Tom Holland, writing in the New Statesman
It took me a long time to realise my morals are not Greek or Roman, but thoroughly, and proudly, Christian.
With time, it darkened further still. My obsession with dinosaurs – glamorous, ferocious, extinct – evolved seamlessly into an obsession with ancient empires. When I read the Bible, the focus of my fascination was less the children of Israel or Jesus and his disciples than their adversaries: the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Romans. In a similar manner, although I vaguely continued to believe in God, I found Him infinitely less charismatic than my favourite Olympians: Apollo, Athena, Dionysus. Rather than lay down laws and condemn other deities as demons, they preferred to enjoy themselves. And if they were vain, selfish and cruel, that only served to endow them with the allure of rock stars.
Read the rest here.
But why the “Hope Church Family?” Let’s take each word in turn.
Now you might ask – Why “hope” and not something geographical that says where we are? The simple answer is that any geographical reference (for example Upton) would give undue emphasis to one of our communities over another.
The Hope Church Family name is recognisable enough to enable us to work together across our communities, whilst also being flexible enough for each of our family of churches to retain it’s own identity.
Barry Unwin
September 11th 2016
Over the past few years Bear Grylls has become the embodiment of adventure and outdoor survival in the public imagination. A former reservist in the SAS, Bear has climbed Everest, navigated the Northwest Passage and Paramotored over the Himalayas.
Whether it’s from the streets of the Philippines or the sidewalks of New York it’s great to be reminded that everyone’s journey is different, and everyone’s story is unique.
Bear’s is one of millions of different stories of exploration—of asking life’s biggest questions without knowing what will be found. Despite a life characterised by risk, danger and the unknown, it is this exploration that he describes as his ‘greatest adventure’. Watch Bear’s story:
Journalist James Macintyre writes an interesting article on the Christian Today website looking at the Archbishop of Canterbury’s much-misrepresented comments on gay marriage at the Greenbelt Festival this summer.
How strange it is to be at an event and then see it misreported. Stranger still to see that misreporting to be based on your own report of that same event.
Last weekend, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury came to the Greenbelt festival in Northamptonshire for the first time. There was a mood of enthusiastic anticipation on the Saturday lunchtime when Welby sat down on the main stage with the ‘Gogglebox vicar’ Kate Bottley, in front of hundreds of festival-goers. But despite the initial applause, there was no guaranteeing a favourable reception for what he had to say, especially on the inevitable question of sexuality. Greenbelt veterans warned that the festival’s crowds could be “spiky”. Their centre of gravity was certainly left-of-centre.
Yet in the event, Welby’s carefully balanced answer when the question came was well received, not just because it was unusually human, but because it was, broadly, progressive.
Read the rest here.
Between September and December we’ve a number of concerts and recitals at St Peter and St Paul’s Upton
Wednesday September 7th – 12.30 pm – Organ Recital by Paul Derrett
Paul was Director of Music at Upton and now has a career as an internationally known recitalist. It is good to welcome him back to St Peter and St Paul.
Saturday October 1st – 10.00 am – Come and Sing Messiah
An opportunity to enjoy a day singing this great work with soloists and instrumental accompaniment under the direction of John Holloway.
Wednesday October 26th – 12.30pm – Organ Recital by John Hocking
John makes a welcome return to Upton after his enthusiastically received recital last year.
Saturday November 5th – 7.30 pm – Hanley Voices – Fauré Requiem
One of the great favourites of the choral repertoire presented by our excellent local choir under the inspired direction of Ben Sawyer.
Wednesday December 7th – 12.30pm – Organ Recital by John Wilderspin
John is organist for the Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir and director of the Silurian Singers.
Sunday December 18th – 4.00 pm – Service of Nine Lessons and Carols
The high point of the church choir’s musical year. Join us to sing well loved carols and to enjoy the best of Christmas music.