Page 7 - Moravian Messenger August 2021

Welcome to Question Time!
So how to go about this and where to get the trees from. Firstly, look at the land or space that you have available, and aim to plant the right trees in the right place. How boggy or dry is the land, how big will your proposed trees grow and what impact will they have on neighbours and nearby buildings. Can you apply to the Woodland Trust for trees? Are there local grant schemes for tree planting? Can you propagate your own trees from willow or hawthorn quicks or plant acorns or conkers etc? Can you buy certified stock from a local nursery? Can you protect the small trees from rabbits, sheep and deer? This need not be a costly project. If you can't plant a tree or trees on your property, can you donate to a charity that is involved in planting trees?
Trees are best planted between October and March so if it is too late to do something this year it is better to plan and wait until next year. It may also give you time to look at grants that may be available. If you want to plant a tree(s) for the Queen's Green Canopy you can download a template for a plaque from the QGC website.
It is a wonderful opportunity to join with others in doing something positive. In November last year I did a bit of guerrilla gardening with some local children - we planted, with the permission of the local land owner, a pile of willow slips in some boggy ground. It has been a delight to see them come into leaf this spring and I can't wait to see their growth through the summer.
The Mission and Society Committee would share in that delight when we hear at Synod 2022 about the trees planted this year in the autumn and at Synod 2024 about trees planted in 2022, and 2023 - not just as our Church's Christian commitment to the good of our world.
Old Trees are a witness to past events and young trees are a symbol of hope
So, these are the days! The ones
I've heard about.
Now, I can never complain about having such a wonderful and loving family. Surely its been the most enjoyable and defining thing. Every phase of being a dad has entailed new delights and challenges, some you anticipate and some you don't. The opportunity to revisit your own childhood interests being one of those delights. And yet its not always easy to predict which stage you are currently in and when you'll need to recover your unpractised strengths; both physical and mental!
A recent case in point: the other day, my newly teenage daughter had a few questions for me. (The fruit of Religious Studies classes at school it seemed). 'Dad, why are we Christians?' 'Dad, how can you believe in the Bible when it's all just stories? And it's sexist!' 'Dad, science is based on evidence so why should we believe in religion?' 'Dad, why did you have me Christened? Wouldn't it have been better to let me choose?'
Wow, I thought. We are here already? Welcome to Question Time! Once at eight years old, she sat in the John Gambold room sketching the Lamb and Flag of her own accord. Now it would seem, all our previous assumptions are to be shaken in a bag, re-ordered, held up to the light and examined! Perhaps the first visit of many to a world of spiritual curiosity. Am I up to this? My answers to all of the questions above has probably changed over time. Certainly, since I was 13 years old in any case. How to give answers that are true but can also evolve? How to reconcile the different views of the world we hold simultaneously? Where we feel one thing to be 'right', how to define that without condemning others as 'wrong', especially in a multi-faith context?
Question time indeed!
The occurrence of this gentle Father- Daughter wrestling match has reminded me how difficult it is to establish consensus on important questions . even sometimes in a group of one. Though some may value the very 'traditional' or 'hard' answers, for many young minds navigating the world they see around them, such explanations can ring hollow; an unsatisfying meal for the
intellect, however 'proper' or prescribed ... and it must be said, in these conversations there is none the less, an energy of renewal. Opportunities to re- engage and to remember: why do we believe the things we do? What about all the things we don't agree with in the Bible? Isn't truth just about evidence - that's why science is better surely?
Hmmmm . Well let me see .
'I wanted you Christened for the same reason I wanted you to have food and clothes . understand that one however you wish!'
'Some things we read we understand clearly, others take time and perspective. The stories offer lessons as well as traditions and histories. People have made good use of them but sometimes poor use of them too. Our challenge is to always do better - or at least try our best to. Let me know how you get on!'
'Well ... everything depends! So, remember when Solomon was asked to decide between two women who claimed the same child? Who was the true mother? A scientific approach may be to ask for a DNA test and to settle the matter with certainty. Solomon's approach, threatening the child's life, might seem quite barbarous and unscientific on the face of it. However, his method served to establish who cared for the child most. The woman he chose may not even have been the child's biological mother but the 'truth' of her claim was in how much she cared. We may sometimes draw on strengths beyond the narrowness of certainty!'
So far so good. The world keeps turning and Christmas is safe - for now - even if Santa has long since been replaced by an endless stream of delivery vans. Despite the perils of walking the parental tight rope, it's good to know that thoughtful young intellects will come up for air and look at life afresh. As a dad I only hope I can stay ahead of the game and on demand,
serve up digestible, nutritious meals for those hungry young minds. No pressure then!
Br Herbert Daly
Fetter Lane
for the future.
Sr Sarah Groves
Mission and Society Committee and Gracehill
91
© Br Herbert Daly