News & Events - Parish News

Live-streaming, GDPR and Your Consent

Posted on Monday 16 September 2024 at 11:30am

Online live-streaming of services

Some of St Matthew's services (most Sunday mornings and some special services) are live-streamed or recorded for those who cannot attend church in person. Under GDPR, the church must gain the consent of anyone whose image may be captured, as this constitutes collection of "personal data". This includes clergy, readers/intercessors, musicians and congregation.

Whilst every attempt is made not to capture the faces of members of the congregation, this may occasionally happen if people turn around or move around the church during the service. The exception is communion, when the congregation is not filmed. The side aisles and back of the nave are so far as possible film-free areas not covered by the camera. Anyone whose personal data is collected must give their consent. Consent forms are available in church and online . The full policy can be read on our parish website or on the noticeboards in church.

Please read Our Privacy Policy - Filming & Photography and if you are happy to, give your consent by downloading, printing, signing, and handing in the form to a church representative or the Parish Office on your next visit. The consent form can be found at the bottom of the page.

September's Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

The Persecution of the Just

Posted on Sunday 1 September 2024 at 12:10pm

Fr Nicholas

As is so often and easily said, 'We live in a fearful world'. War and violence, fear and criminality of many kinds, dominate the media headlines. It is tempting to despair. The shocking spectacle of the recent riots, the manipulation of weak-minded mobs, the suffering of the wholly innocent, have only served to intensify the apprehension that is never far from the front of our minds when we are out and about. The dark side of human nature and our propensity toward sin is much in evidence. Without being trite, our faith can of course help and inform our responses and help moderate base emotions. There have also been a few profoundly moving attempts to bring perpetrator and victim together to deepen understanding, even bring about reconciliation. There is much good in the world, and we dare not lose sight of it.

Good people have always suffered at the hands of the wicked. They suffer because their blameless lives are a reproach to the wicked. They make evildoers uncomfortable by what they say in confronting injustice and evil, and sometimes just by the relative goodness and uprightness of their lives. It is precisely because they are good (not perfect) that they suffer.

Elie Wiesel, the Jewish writer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, tells a very disturbing story in one of his books. Once after delivering a lecture in New York he met a man who looked vaguely familiar. He began to wonder who he was and where they had met before. Then he remembered. He had known him in Auschwitz. Suddenly an incident involving this man came back to him.

As soon as children arrived by train at Auschwitz , together with the elderly and the sick, they were immediately selected for the gas chamber. On one occasion a group of children were left to wait by themselves for the next day. This man asked the guards if he could stay with the children during their last night on earth. Surprisingly his request was granted.

How did they spend that last night? He started off by telling the children stories in an effort to cheer them up. However, instead of cheering them up, he succeeded only in making them cry. So what did they do? They cried together until daybreak. Then he accompanied the little ones to the gas chamber. Afterwards he returned to the prison yard and reported for work. When the guards saw him, they burst out laughing.

In this story we see the brazenness of evildoers, and a marvellous example of service done to the little ones. The man's heroic act of service towards the little ones shines out all the brighter because of the darkness of the background. In Auschwitz all that was good and decent was trampled into the ground. Their self-interest was the name of the game. Compassion was rare as a flower in winter.

Yet this man rose above all of that. He risked his life to befriend the little ones. He had no answers to give them, no salvation to offer them. All he could do was accompany them during their last hours so that they would not suffer alone.

He is a Christlike figure. He would not participate in evil. Neither would he stand idly by nor watch others suffer without trying to alleviate their sufferings.

Even though he was just an ordinary prisoner, with no rank or status of any kind, he was undoubtedly the greatest person in that sad place on that sad occasion. What made him great was his goodness.

Christ was the supremely just one. Yet he too suffered. Throughout his public ministry he was hounded by his enemies. On the cross he suffered the taunts of his enemies and of the godless.

Christ was victorious, not by avoiding evil, but by confronting it and overcoming it. He gives courage and hope to all who sacrifice themselves for others in the cause of right.

Persecution has always been the lot of the righteous. However, it gives them an opportunity to show their true mettle. Besides, the just know that God is on their side. The conviction of the righteous is their belief in God's love for them. God never abandons the upright, but their reward is in the life -to-come.

Your sincere friend and parish priest,
Fr Nicholas

Building a Generous Church

The Stewardship Team

Posted on Tuesday 27 August 2024 at 1:51pm

Being a member of the Christian Church is not a private vocation but involves belonging to a group of people who accept the Word of God as the most important guide to living together and worshipping our Heavenly Father. The Church as an institution, and this Parish of St Matthew, relies upon our response to God's generosity as the only way to sustain, deepen and extend our life together. That life is not ours alone but demands service to the whole people of God, whether in the Church or without, and this may require our time and talents as well as our financial resources. This is what we mean by Stewardship, and the Church of England has chosen to focus on this in the months of September and October under the theme of 'Building A Generous Church'.

Through the coming weeks we will have the opportunity to learn more together and to reflect upon how we respond to the need to build a generous Church, both individually and collectively. In preparing to think about our response, we may focus on the acronym 'MINT' ~ Means, Impact, Need and Trust.

Means - At St Matthew's most members of our Stewardship scheme find it convenient to use the 'Parish Giving Scheme' of direct debit from one's bank account (which can be set up via our giving webpage) or weekly envelopes in the collection plate, but in recent years we have introduced other ways of giving, including the donation box and a payment device for bank cards at the back of church (helpful for visitors) and QR codes printed in the orders of service.

Impact - The importance of Stewardship is better understood if we are fully aware of the impact that it will have on the Church's ministry and mission. Impact is about how we are realising our vision as a Church, such as bringing more people to Christ, supporting vulnerable people or creating a sense of community cohesion in the Parish. Once we understand better what we can do together, we can think of new and creative ways to spread the Gospel.

Need - Our response to God's generosity can be encouraged through a proper understanding of need, not only in terms of money but also of our mission of service to the wider community around St Matthew's. Sustaining and developing our daily and weekly worship, providing a place for the 9 celebration of the great festivals such as Easter and Christmas, and being here for life events such as baptisms, weddings and funerals, are all part of this.

Trust - The resources that we have, both personal and financial, ultimately come from our Heavenly Father and we have each been entrusted with our share. If we seek to utilise the time and talents that we have within the Parish, we must show to those who give that we are wise stewards of their generosity and that their giving is being used productively and appropriately.

Over the course of the next few weeks you will find more information about this initiative being made available in the pewsheet and the orders of service. If you would like to know more in the meantime, you would be most welcome to approach any member of the Stewardship Team (Donald Cran - Treasurer, Polly Matthews - Stewardship Recorder, Gary and Dave the Churchwardens, and David Waller).

Northampton Theological Society

By David Waller

Posted on Tuesday 27 August 2024 at 1:49pm

Did you know that Northampton has a theological society? Composed of both clergy and lay people, it currently meets every other month on a Tuesday evening at the Abbey Centre Chapel in Hunsbury, for a talk by an invited speaker. The subject matter of the meetings includes not merely questions of doctrine and theology in an academic sense, but also the history of the Church, its relations with other faiths, and the practical application of Christian belief in the world today. Through discussion with fellow members from across the different Christian traditions in the Northampton area, members are encouraged to deepen their understanding of their own beliefs and faith-life.

Soon to celebrate its twentieth anniversary, the NTS was set up at the initiative of Bishop Frank White, the then suffragan Bishop of Brixworth, and for the first 15 years of its life, it was largely run by St Matthew's folk, with Alan Riley in the chair and Ros Catlin and Richard Alcock serving as secretary and treasurer respectively. The annual membership subscription is a modest £15, but visitors are welcome to attend individual meetings for £5.

The next meeting will be on 17 September, when Rev Bruce Thompson will be speaking about the relationship between Christians and Jews; Bruce is a Methodist minister who has written knowledgeably on the subject of Judeophobia (Echoes of Contempt: a history of Judeophobia and the Christian Church, 2018). Anyone who would like to know about the NTS, or wishes to attend the next meeting, is welcome to contact David Waller.

Review: Sounds Historical Ensemble

By Kay Warçaba

Posted on Saturday 3 August 2024 at 1:44pm

On 27 July the Friends of St Matthew's Music hosted the most recent of their summer recital series Saturdays at 4. The guest artists this time were the Sounds Historical Ensemble. They presented a most interesting programme called From Hildegard to Haydn, which charted the development of music and musical instruments from the monophonic (single line) vocal music of Hildegard of Bingen through the development of harmony and polyphony to the much more familiar harmonic landscape of Haydn's music.

As they explored the development of music, they played a wide variety of instruments (over 50 in total) which were contemporary with each piece played. The instruments ranged from the familiar such as consorts of recorders to the less so, consorts of viols and the theorbo (a giant bass lute). The artists talked briefly about the development of the music and instruments as they introduced each piece of music.

All in all it was a most interesting, informative and imaginative programme, and most importantly, excellently played.

There are still a few recitals left in the current recital series. These will be on the fourth Saturday of every month at 4pm. Do join us!

August's Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

The Primacy of the Heart

Posted on Thursday 1 August 2024 at 12:00pm

Fr Nicholas

In education we generally attach more importance to the head than to the heart. Indeed, the heart hardly gets a look in. We make more of a clever child than of a good child. The world of business and politics rewards cleverness rather than goodness. And yet in our everyday language we acknowledge the primacy of the heart. Here are a few examples.

We judge a person by the heart. One of the most damning things we can say about anyone is that he (or she) has no heart, or that he has a cold heart or a hard heart. But one of the best things we can say about anyone is that he has a heart, or that he has a warm heart or a soft heart.

We judge the degree of a person's commitment to something in terms of the heart. Of one we say, his heart is not in it, or he is only half-hearted. The result is that he will probably quit. Even if he stays, he will not put his best into it. Of another we say, his heart is in it, or he is whole-hearted. Then, in all probability, he will not only persevere but also put his best into it.

We describe sorrow and joy in terms of the heart. We say her heart was broken, or she went with a heavy heart. Or we say, her heart over-flowed with joy, or she went with a light heart. We describe burdens and wounds in terms of the heart. A heavy heart is the most wearisome burden of all. A broken heart is the most painful wound of all.

There are many more examples that could be given. However, let us end by looking at two. The first concerns worship. The most damning thing that can be said about someone's worship is that the person's heart is not in it. In which case it is mere lip service, like that of the Pharisees. And one of the best things that can be said about someone's worship is that the person's heart is in it. The second concerns badness and goodness. A corrupt heart is the worst form of badness. It means to be bad at the core. A pure heart is the best kind of goodness. It means to be good at the core.

The Gospel places great emphasis on the heart, and we can see why. The heart is the source from which all our thoughts, words and deeds flow. If the heart is clean, then all that flows from it will be clean, like water flowing from a pure spring.

The Pharisees are often depicted as paying more attention to the outside than the inside. We have all met them. They were preoccupied with keep the rules, with having clean hands than having clean hearts. It's the heart that matters. But only God can see what is in the heart. and only God can make it into what it should be. Spiritually speaking, how healthy is your heart?

Your sincere friend and parish priest,
Fr Nicholas

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