IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD
THIS WEEK’S COLUMNIST The Rev Lucy Winkett
I never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. Which is both exciting and unnerving sometimes. I live right by Piccadilly Circus in central London. Sometimes, if things are getting hectic, I say, ‘It’s like Piccadilly Circus around here,’ then stop myself. I live next to the church, as vicars often do, and as it’s in the middle of London, it’s an intensely busy environment, with thousands of people walking or driving past every hour.
Because nearly all the other Christian churches in the world – there are over two billion people who identify as Christian – don’t ordain women as priests, there can be some very moving encounters. One visitor from Mexico stood at the back of the church as I was taking the service and asked one of my colleagues, ‘Why is that priest speaking in a woman’s voice?’
This year is the 30th anniversary of the first women being ordained priests in the Church of England, and I’ve been ordained for 29 of these years. It’s an immense
privilege to serve in this way, whether it means helping someone prepare for their death or their wedding or civil partnership. Or hearing the story of someone who’s been homeless for 10 years or 10 days. Or working with artists, musicians and scientists as we develop our programme ‘conversations under trees’, inspired by our beautiful hidden garden, moments away from one of the most crowded roads in the world.
Our drop-in counselling project has been there in the garden for 35 years: you can just knock on the door of the shepherd’s hut for free and a trained counsellor will listen to you for an hour. It seems to me this sort of free help has never been more needed, when so many are struggling today. In due course, the garden is set to become even more beautiful – a preview of the new garden is on display at this month’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, under the title Imagine the World to be Different, with a reimagined counselling cabin.
The historic church itself is peaceful and light: Christopher Wren want
