Every month, I include a little message to you all, asking you to contribute to Anglican Life, and share with us the stories from your parishes. This month, that request, along with the upcoming deadline and my email address, is on the bottom of this page. A lot of these monthly papers come from columnists, and we have our bishops write for us on a regular basis. But the rest of the paper comes from you, dear readers. You are the people in the parish who write for Anglican Life, and you are all perfectly welcome and able to do just that.
This past year has been a difficult one for us all in almost all aspects of our lives. We haven’t been able to do the things that we want to do, and often those things are the activities that bring us comfort. I know that we all miss the way that church was before the pandemic. Yes, there are good things that we have learned. The online offerings have allowed us to reach a much wider group of people than the ones who just live close to our churches, and that’s been wonderful. We have also been able to “spy” on other congregations, and see what it is that they do and how they do it.
At the same time, we have had to put a lot of things on hold, and have had no church suppers, no fellowship times after services, and not always very much in the way of greeting each other on the Sundays when the church buildings are open. And with fewer things going on, the news has been harder to come by.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines are being given, and with summer weather, we will be able to see each other outside maybe, though still being careful to follow health guidelines. And when you get together, and when good things happen in your parishes, please do share them with all of the readers of Anglican Life. It’s easy, and I am happy to help you through the process if you need it.
I say all of this with one warning to you, future contributor: in one of his novels, Robertson Davies has one of his characters encourage his students to write “in the plain style,” by which means in a way that highlights the story rather than the writer. I encourage all who write for Anglican Life to follow that same advice. Please don’t use large words, or “fancy up” your natural writing style. Simple examples include writing “use” and not “utilize,” or writing “need” and not “necessitate.” Writing for Anglican Life is not a test of your vocabulary, so please do not feel that you are unable to send things in to me because your words aren’t fancy enough. That’s a good thing, and it makes it easier for everyone to read when articles are to the point and plain. Thank you in advance for your contributions!
