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Letters from 5 to 11 July 2010

Like all letters to the editor everywhere, these letters express the opinions of the writers and not Anglicans Online. We publish letters that we think will be of interest to our readers, whether we agree with them or not. If you'd like to write a letter of your own, click here.

The lost chord?

Not to nitpick, but the musical quotation at the end of last week's editorial needs a little attention. Unless you want the plagal cadence for the Amen to end on a minor chord, there really ought to be an F# in the key signature!

William McArton
St John's Anglican Catholic Church (TAC)
Parry Sound, Ontario, CANADA
wmcarton@gmail.com
5 July 2010

'It linked all perplexéd meanings into one perfect peace'

Your essay last week struck a responsive chord in me. I was a delegate to the recent General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada where we discussed the weighty matters affecting the Church, local, national and global. It was a great experience and by far the most harmonious General Synod I have attended.

Even so, it was a great relief to return to my home parish and "the trivial round, the common task", to enter again into the world of pastoral care, the duties of the Lay Reader, the work of the Altar Guild, and all the other every-Sunday / everyday ministries that affect and concern most people in the pew. It was a joy to be, once again, in the heart of my parish family, worshipping together and being refreshed and re-equipped to minister to the world around our doors.

While the hierarchy of the Anglican Communion fulminates, negotiates, advocates, demonstrates, mediates, prognosticates, and engages in mighty matters, the rest of the church gets on with the building of the Kingdom of God, caring for the sick, giving shelter to the homeless, visiting the prisoner, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sharing the Good News of God in Christ, and just plain being the love of God in the world.

Thank God for the people in the pews who, in synch with John Keble's beautiful hymn, just get on with it! Thank you for the reminder.

Rene Jamieson
St. John's Cathedral
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA
6 July 2010

Earlier letters

We launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published letters are in our archives.