by the Revd Canon Valerie Plumb, Area Dean for Rural Mission and Development in the Diocese of Oxford and elected member of General Synod
I have spent nearly two years living and working remotely. This has been and remains a challenging situation for all involved in my household. It’s vitally important to make sure that all who are still medically shielding are not forgotten.
The government is desperately attempting to bring back ‘normal’ but nothing has really changed for the clinically vulnerable community. Now they are living in more fear and with a growing sense that they simply don’t matter any more.
‘Shielding’ and what it was all about seems to be fast dropping out of our vocabulary. Society is increasingly divided between mask wearers and non- mask wearers. Being pro and antivax is becoming a hot point for feelings and conversations.
In reality those who medically shield have no choice. Choosing life over potential death seems a no-brainer.
We who continue to shield begin to slip into the shadows and learn to live in what feels like a second-class level of existence. My biggest fear is that the church succumbs to the same mindset.
In November 2021 Archbishop Justin Welby declared in a General Synod inaugural president’s address ‘it’s not Christian to exclude’. It was a powerful address. As an elected member I heard that speech, and the rest of General Synod in the following days, online, but was unable to debate, vote, share in group work or even offer my maiden speech should I be called. This felt an awful lot like being excluded.
I felt so upset and outraged by the whole experience that I began to question it. This inaugurated months of ping pong correspondence with the Synod’s Business Committee.
By the February 2022 group of sessions I was delighted to hear that they had become fully hybrid. I was even able to offer my maiden speech. It addressed the importance of ensuring that remote working isn’t considered ‘not good enough’. It went down well.
I am one of many clergy across the country who are still working remotely. Not all of us have been supported in the same way. My Area Bishop and Archdeacon completely understand my situation. They support and acknowledge the seriousness of my need to shield whilst strongly validating my mission and ministry in these extraordinary circumstances. Others have not been so lucky.
Some people think that church isn’t proper church unless it’s in a building. Somehow, ministering to each other via zoom isn’t as valid as in person. It’s not the same, but it’s more a case of just being different rather than less. Thank goodness God is still God!
The pressure on those who continue to work from home remains extremely intense. It has led to some experiencing burnout because of a need to repeatedly validate their work. Even now I still get folks asking me ‘When I am coming back to work?’ Ironically, throughout this whole pandemic I have continued to lead services, chair meetings, train LLM’s, oversee ordinands, participate in discussions, interview people, lead retreats and even attend General Synod. I have been there pastorally for others. This sounds an awful lot like full time work to me!
During this uncharted time in history we have learnt to travel a new landscape. We must use this opportunity to learn and understand all we can and use that knowledge to prepare for future journeys.
Some decisions made by the C of E during this pandemic have brought panic and pain to vulnerable people. They have over burdened those trying to make local choices. Now we seek a better and brighter future. Let’s not forget those ones who are not yet able to put it all behind them.
It’s personal. I suffer from an immunological disorder requiring strong immunosuppressive medication. Shielding has been my only option. Covid 19 could bring a potentially deadly reaction. Even those I live with have had to change their lives accordingly. Last week my God-daughter finally sold her car having she lost her job because of the risk to me.
This journey has been hard, but it doesn’t feel wasted. I often think of Henri Nouwen’s words ‘Who can take away suffering without entering it? The great illusion of leadership is to think that a man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.’ Deserts can be interesting places to live, but being in them changes you.
Through all the trials and tribulations I have felt blessed with a constant sense of how precious life really is. Seeing this from the sharp end has encouraged me to live life to the fullest. It has created a purer sense of soul freedom that is beginning to show in my ministry.
This sudden and deep awareness of humanity’s fragility has allowed me to see how important it is for people to see their priests’ vulnerabilities. It shows they are real and accessible, but most importantly it shows them a God who blesses all people no matter what shape they come in. Churches are as vulnerable as individuals. Archbishop Justin’s November address acknowledged “our failures in safeguarding, in racism and the way we treat those with disabilities.”
It’s profoundly necessary for the church to recognise and cherish many different coloured sparks of holiness that come from those who bring difference to the holy table.
I leave the last word to a former Archbishop, Dr. Rowan Williams, who in conversation with me about illness once said ‘Val, I want you to always remember that God never wastes anything, and in your suffering, you will learn new skills and he will direct where and when to use them’
Guess what, he was right. Now let’s acknowledge this as a church!
Any thoughts?