Keyterm: prayer

Meet Giles Goddard who is the Vicar at St John’s Waterloo. Giles is Gay and Christian, he explains his life journey and how he manages the ups and downs of being Gay in the Christian community. Giles has often felt conflicted throughout his life being gay and has faced many difficulties but through Christianity and the love of God he has found his true path in life. This documentary was created in partnership with the BFI during the BFI documentary residential 2024.

Transcript

Let Us Love

Giles: So I think for me, love is the life force, that's the core, really, of all that I'm preaching and all that I'm teaching and how I'm trying to get this congregation to live. Love is not just about being in a relationship. Love is friendship. Love is community. Love is warmth. And love is knowing that you're cared for and knowing that you're able to care for other people. Um. Love is long suffering. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love feels. It's about being fulfilled as a person. So my name is Giles Goddard, I'm the vicar of this church, Saint John's Waterloo, which is the church by the Imax in central London. I've been here for about 13 or 14 years, and I've been a vicar for about 25 years. When I was about 15, I became a much more committed Christian, and that was very, very good for a couple of years. But I discovered and this was a long time ago, this was back in the 1970s. After a while, I worked out that there seemed to be a conflict between my sexuality and my faith, and I was being told by the leadership that, you know, it wasn't okay to be an active gay person.

I kind of struggled with that for a bit. And then I decided, or it felt as though the Christianity that I thought I'd discovered wasn't what I was being offered. So I gave it all up and decided not to be a Christian anymore. Satisfied myself that God didn't exist. I was kind of living the life of a London gay man. Um, so there was a lot of clubbing. It was great, I enjoyed it. I'm not anti clubbing. Um, but it was all a bit. I felt a bit lost. I think it was quite hard to kind of form relationships and things and I and this was also during the Aids. It was when Aids was at its worst as well. And a friend of mine, actually, who I'd been at school with, said, I think you should come back to church. I certainly didn't go back with the intention of becoming a vicar. Um, but I felt that it was a place where I could be myself, and it felt like a place where I could make friends. I had other friends, but this felt like a kind of deep kind of friendship. But the vicar of the church that I was going to began to kind of talk to me about ordination, which is becoming a priest. Initially I was very resistant. I thought, why do I want to turn my life upside down? That would be completely crazy. And why would I want to be part of an institution that appears to be homophobic? So I resisted it for probably about a year. But once it planted the seed, the seed kept growing, and I really felt that more likely to be able to change an institution from within than from outside. So I actually met my partner in church. He came from abroad and he spoke to the chaplain of his university and said, I want an inclusive place of worship. I don't care if it's a mosque or a synagogue or a church. She said, you better go to Saint John's Waterloo. So we met in Saint John's and he's actually very involved here now. Um, so I feel kind of richly blessed. It's not always the case that your partner is supportive of this kind of thing, but he very much enjoys being part of it and brings a lot to the congregation. And I think we see this as a shared journey as well. So we're both trying to work out our faith and what it means.

So I think my sexuality has certainly affected the way I understand God and the way that I relate to God. I think when I was in my teens and I began to realise that being gay was a permanent state. Um, that was a huge challenge for me. And in the 1970s, it wasn't easy. I mean, it's not easy now, but it certainly wasn't easy then. Um, I think that gave in many ways. It gave me a sense of low self-esteem and not really feeling a low sense of self-worth. I think I didn't really understand the love of God at that stage either. And I think to become involved in Christianity when I was 15 or 16 was important because it gave me a sense of the loving God. But then, as I've said earlier, it also undermined my my sense of sexuality. I think I've learnt a lot since then, and I think in a way, being gay gives you a different understanding of how society works and gives you a different understanding of who you are. And I've had to work out how to integrate that with my faith. Um, so I think my faith has got deeper as a result. But it's been a difficult journey. Of course I have doubts. And of course I have.

I feel very challenged at times. Um, there are times that I feel very depressed, um, about the way the church is going. There are times when not so much now, but certainly in the past when I was more involved in these conversations, I used to find it very, very difficult when you're being told basically that you know, you're not acceptable as a Christian or indeed as a human being. And it's really difficult. And sometimes, you know, I have thought, I just want to give up on this and go and do a proper job, but that's the reality. So the advice that I give to a fellow Christian who's struggling with their sexuality is to find someone who could support them.

But the advice I'd really give us to come to Saint John's Waterloo, actually. But, um, if they don't live nearby, then, um, find a church which is welcoming and there are inclusive churches around the country that you can find or find a friend. Don't give up on God because God is the ground of our being. Different faith traditions, you know, have the same sorts of challenges. But within all those traditions, there are people who are struggling with their sexuality as well. Um, I've spoken to many Muslims and Jewish people and Hindus. Um, and within all of those different traditions, there are people who are working up the answers to the same sorts of questions that we've got. And God works in so many different ways. Um, so you don't have to be a Christian to understand God fully. Um, so my message, to the future is take action and be involved. Don't give up. Don't sit back, don't lose hope, but find people that you can work with. A million lights, a million little lights together can make one bright light. But if we don't have any of the little lights together. You don't get the bright light.

Let Us Love

Video length - 06.49

Published date - Jun 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

This clip comes from the BBC Series: Pilgrimage – The Road to Istanbul.

Mim finds a moment of solitude during the pilgrimage to perform morning prayer. He finds it a challenge to say the five daily prayers of the Muslim religion, but tries to pray at least once a day, before leaving home in the mornings. It not only calms him, but also allows him to express gratitude and thanks. He affectionately describes the prayer mat that has been with him through thick and thin for ten years.

Watch full episodes on BBC iPlayer.

Transcript

Pilgrimage Moments: Morning Prayer

Narrator: Mim too takes time to connect with his faith.

Mim: You know, within Islam, everybody says, you know, you got to pray five times a day and I'll put my hands up and I say, I don't pray five times a day. I sometimes don't have time. But what what gives me peace of mind and what I've been doing as a regular occurrence since I was young is at least praying once before I leave my house. It levels me out a little bit, you know. It calms me down. It makes me more peaceful. It's just a way of expressing thanks and gratitude as well. This prayer matt I've used for about ten years of my life. This definitely, probably still got some of my tears in there, but also can't really capture like smiles and what not. But it's definitely shared moments like that. So this has been there through thick and thin.

Pilgrimage Moments: Morning Prayer

Video length - 01.25

Published date - Mar 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

Shanice takes us on a tour around an Anglican Church – pointing out the various features, explaining their meaning, and talking about her faith.

Curriculum Mapping

Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teaching and practices - Christianity - Worship and festivals - Prayer and its significance, including, set prayers and informal prayer. The role and meaning of the sacraments: •the meaning of sacrament •the sacrament of baptism and its significance for Christians; infant and believers' baptism; •different beliefs about infant baptism.

Area of Study 3 – Christianity - Section 3: Living the Christian Life - The role of the sacraments in Christian life and their practice in two denominations: the role of the sacraments/ordinance as a whole; the nature and importance of the meaning and celebration of baptism and the Eucharist in at least two denominations, including reference to the 39 Articles XXV-XXXVI; divergent Christian attitudes towards the use and number of sacraments in Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant traditions. The nature and purpose of prayer: the nature of and examples of the different types of prayer; set prayers; informal prayer and the Lord’s Prayer, including Matthew 6:5–14; when each type might be used and why; divergent Christian attitudes towards the importance of each type of prayer for Christians today.

Component Group 1 - Christianity - Practices - Sacraments• The meaning of the word sacrament • The role and meaning of the sacraments •The role of Baptism and Eucharist in the life of a Christian •Common and divergent attitudes towards the practice and meaning of Baptism by different Christian denominations •Common and divergent attitudes towards the practice and meaning of the Eucharist by different Christian denominations •Common and divergent attitudes towards the Sacraments,including which practices are considered by different Christian denominations to be a sacrament •Different interpretations and emphases given to sources of wisdom and authority by different Christian denominations

2.2 Unit 2 - PART A - Christianity - Core beliefs, teachings and practices -- Practices Life’s Journey: Sacraments and key acts of worship:  Baptisms (Mark 1:9-11); Infant and Believers' Baptism; reasons and rituals  Eucharist/Communion (1 Corinthians 11:23-26): diverse Christian interpretations and associated practices  Confirmation - preparation and ceremony (Acts 2: 1-13)  Significance of a religious wedding (Mark 10:7-9): matrimonial symbols and vows 2.1 Unit 1 PART A - Christianity - Core beliefs, teachings and practices - Practices - Church - Importance of prayer, communal and private - Matthew 6:5-13, Matthew 18:20

Component 2 (Route A) Study of Christianity: Practices: Sacraments ➢ Diverse beliefs regarding Sacraments ➢ The role, meaning and celebration of Baptism and Eucharist: John 3:3-6 ➢ Diverse interpretations of Baptism and Eucharist with reference to the beliefs of the Catholic and Protestant Churches Forms: Component 2 (Route B) Applied Catholic Theology : Theme 3: Life and Death: Artefacts: How Christian beliefs in the resurrection are expressed by the paschal candle as it is used in the Easter Vigil and during Catholic Baptism

Transcript

Holy Cribs Anglican Church

Shanice: Welcome to Saint Anne's Church! My name is Shanice and I'm a Christian. The church is where I come every Sunday to worship God, but there aren't any services going on at the moment, so I can show you around. Come in! Isn't it beautiful? The word 'church' can mean the building or the community of people who come here. So, the Church worships at the church. This is the main part of the building called the 'nave' - and in traditional churches like this one, it always faces east. If you could look at the church from above, you'd see that it's in the shape of a cross, the Christian symbol. Everyone sits in the nave looking east, so the main entrance to the church is usually at this end and it's called the West Door. The arms of the cross are called 'transepts'. So there's a north transept and a south transept. And the front of the church - the top of the cross - is called the 'chancel', and that's where the priest usually stands to lead a service. We have lots of names for a priest, but in the Church of England or the Anglican Church, we usually call the priest a 'vicar'. By the West Door, you'll often find one of these: a 'font'. It's a big stone basin which can be filled with water to baptize people at a special service. It happens when a baby is born and welcomed into the Church or when an older person becomes a Christian.

The vicar blesses the water and sprinkles it on the person's head. The font is near the door to symbolise that a person must be baptized before they can become a full member of the Church. When you come into the church, you walk down the aisle to find a seat. These long benches are called 'pews', although lots of churches just have ordinary chairs. In front of the pews you'll find these cushions called 'hassocks', which people kneel on when they pray. There's also these handy shelves, which people put their Bibles and hymn books on. So this is the centre of the cross shape. You have the north transept up there, and the south transept down there - and this is the 'chancel', the front of the church! During the service, someone will read to everyone from the Bible and this is done from a big book stand called a 'lectern', and in some churches it's in the shape of an eagle, and there are lots of stories to explain why. My favourite is that people used to think that the eagle was the bird that could fly the furthest and the highest in the sky, so it's a symbol that Christians believe that the words of God should be heard all over the world.

This little platform with stairs going up is called the 'pulpit'. The vicar or another member of the church gives a talk to everyone called a sermon, but now that we've got microphones, being up here isn't quite so important, so lots of people choose to speak from the front of the chancel here. This front part of the chancel is called the 'choir' because it's where the choir sits - or used to sit. Most churches had a choir to lead the singing of religious songs called hymns, but now we've got microphones this can be done by 1 or 2 people. In some churches, the hymns are sung along to the tunes played by a huge instrument called an 'organ'. It has keyboards like a piano, and it's noise is made from huge pipes and it can sound like a whole orchestra! But organs are very difficult to play... so lots of churches have bands playing guitars and pianos instead. Right at the front is the most important part of the church, and it's called the 'sanctuary' - it's separated from the rest of the church by a rail. And this table is called an 'altar' - you've got candles here, a special cup called a 'chalice' and a plate called a 'paten'. During a special service called Holy Communion, the vicar stands behind the altar, puts some bread onto the paten and pour some wine into the chalice. The vicar blesses them, and then everyone comes to the rail to eat a piece of bread and take a sip of the wine. We do this because Jesus asked us to. We believe that he died and came back to life so that we can all go to heaven. The wine symbolizes his blood, and the bread symbolizes his body. We all share them to remember that we are all part of the same community and will be together in heaven. Traditional churches like this one have stained glass windows to show scenes from the Bible. So that's it - that's my church! It's not just a place where people come to worship... During the week, there are nurseries for toddlers, after school clubs for young people, social clubs for old people and soup kitchens for the homeless. Most churches have a square tower or a pointy spire. They have bells which can be rung to let people know that the service is about to start. But the tower or the spire also shows people where the church is! So it can be, as it always was intended to be, at the centre of the community.

Thanks for coming! Bye!

Holy Cribs: The Anglican Church

Video length - 06.36

Published date - Mar 2023

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

A Day in the Life of a Christian Vicar – What does a Christian Vicar do all day? TrueTube followed the Reverend Jane around with a camera to find out.