A QUESTION OF FAITH

With Rev Helena Whittaker, Associate Priest, St Mary’s Church, Hinckley Honesty, is such a lonely word, Everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard, And mostly what I need from you. (Billy Joel)

These are the words that are gong round my head, following a Bank Holiday weekend away at a Christian festival in Northamptonshire. Why? Because one of the main things I came away with was the honest responses I heard from Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, during an interview.

It is not easy to be honest; as the song says, honesty can be a lonely word. Honesty can mean saying things people don’t want to hear. These words can have the power to isolate us. But, as the song continues, it is necessary. It’s what we need to hear from one another, and from our leaders.

But sadly, there are times when the senior leaders in our country, our work places, our communities and in our churches haven’t always given us honest answers. They have perhaps tried to ‘fudge’ their answers, or not answer the question at all. What we want to hear is the truth.

So to hear the senior leader of the Church of England give such honest answers about a range of topics was refreshing. He admitted when he didn’t know the answers. He thought carefully before answering and he took his time. He didn’t promise the people asking the questions an easy fix, but he did commit to sticking with them and finding a way through the uncertainty together. He was honest.

When Jesus was about to leave the Earth in human form, he was with his disciples, his closest friends, and was sending them out to do his work. His last words to them weren’t full of comforting ‘You’ll be fine’ and ‘It’ll all be ok’. He didn’t promise them, what he couldn’t promise. He didn’t say the road ahead would be easy. Instead he promised them that he would be with them, in a different way, but still with them. Whatever the future held, he would be there.

It is encouraging and inspiring to recall those honest words of Jesus alongside his steadfast commitment to journey with us, come what may. It was encouraging and inspiring to hear the Archbishop’s honesty, alongside his steadfast commitment to offer leadership to the church, as it navigates the complexities and demands of today’s world.

Help us, Good God, to see how we can offer honesty to one another, and steadfast commitment to journey with one another every day, come what may.

God bless HAS anyone else noticed the state of the road drains in our area?

Travelling around I cannot believe how many drain covers actually have grass/foliage growing out of them.

With autumn fast approaching surely the highways department at the council should be addressing these drains in order to allow rainwater to quickly drain away.

If we do get the amount of rain that we’ve seen in previous years then I can see this being a major problem.

If I can notice this then surely highway inspectors see it as well.

If you notice such a drain then please notify your local councils so we can avoid damage to properties/ land that could be prevented. Concerned Stoke Golding

resident