It was great to celebrate St Gilbert's Day on Wick Green today with Wickford SOS, Revd Sue Wise and the Mayor of Basildon. Congratulations to Wickford SOS for securing Wick Green's future as green space.
Here's the brief reflection I shared before leading prayers:
It is a pleasure to be with you today celebrating the life of St Gilbert and celebrating Wick Green being placed under the protection of The Fields In Trust, for which many congratulations to all involved with Wickford SOS.
From small beginnings, St Gilbert built a chain of 26 convents, monasteries and missions. He was unique in his time being the only person in Medieval England to found a conventual order and to include women, as well as men, in his order. The Gilbertines became known for "the plate of the Lord Jesus", whereby the best portions of the dinner were put on a special plate and shared with those who were poor. This reflected Gilbert’s lifelong concern for people less fortunate than himself. As he inherited his father’s wealth, Gilbert could have lived a life of luxury, as many of his fellow priests did at the time, but, instead, he chose to share his wealth with those who were poor.
Wickford SOS will, likewise, have had a small beginning and yet became a movement sufficient to achieve the aim of having Wick Green placed under the protection of The Fields In Trust in order to protect local green space, wildlife and residents quality of life. Just as St Gilbert’s life and witness are an inspiration, so is the work of Wickford SOS.
The churches in Wickford and Runwell, like the Gilbertines, are seeking to support those most in need in our community through The Gateway Project, the Foodbank for Wickford and Runwell which is hosted by The Salvation Army. We remain grateful for all the ways in which people from the wider community support that initiative and, thereby, provide help to those less fortunate than ourselves. Then, like Wickford SOS, we are seeking to raise awareness of environmental issues and support for a planet that is threatened by human activity. Together, the churches are planning an Arts Festival from 13 – 26 May that will be called ‘One Beautiful World’ and that, through the Arts, will seek to celebrate our one beautiful world and draw attention to environmental issues and concerns.
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Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi.
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