David Picken
Fr David Picken joined the ReSource Trustees in January 2009.
David is married to Cathy and lives in High Wycombe where he is Team Rector and Area Dean. David is also Chairman of OnFireMission, a sacramentally focussed movement engaged in the work of renewal. David has worked with ReSource in Wakefield diocese, and in his own deanery.
David recently contributed this article to Franciscan magazine.
Man of Sorrows, King of Glory
A priest needs to know his town and after four years I hope I
am in a place to say that of myself. Wycombe’s history owes
much significance to its river. No doubt when Wulfstan established a
church in the 1060’s there was a thriving community to
evangelise. In the Civil War, Wycombe was strategically placed on the
London-Oxford road and was a parliamentarian base. More recently,
Wycombe’s industry relied on paper production and furniture.
Though this has now dwindled, several national organisations are based
in Wycombe. It means that the local population is quite transient.
A number of people moved here from the Commonwealth in the
1950’s and ‘60’s. In particular, the
town’s population has a significant minority who look to the
Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Pakistan Kashmir as their
original or parental home by heritage. Their arrival would have been
notable but is part of the transience already mentioned. For this
reason in reflecting upon what it is to be incumbent of a place with a
significant Muslim minority I wanted to establish the cosmopolitan feel
because like no other Buckinghamshire town, High Wycombe has a
‘feel’ of being on the edge of London life.
What follows is part of an article I wrote for local consumption before
Easter. I hope it conveys some of the issues we face.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The Pope makes his ‘Urbi et Orbi’ address from the
balcony of Saint Peter’s on Easter Day. It translates,
’To the Church and the World’ and is a reflection
on the significance of Easter not just for the Christian tradition but
for the wider world. What might we say given our chance?
In February I was invited to join a school trip from our church school
to the Neasden Temple, a Hindu Mandir (which means ‘place of
worship’.) The Temple is a very grand building which has been
lovingly paid for by private subscription. When we arrived I was taken
away for a private tour and was treated very respectfully and as an
honoured guest. This always makes us feel good, but I was struck by the
openness to guests not driven by converting zeal. Visitors are given
access to what inspires Hindu faith and make their own conclusions.
Interestingly, several families were uncomfortable with such a trip and
asked to withdraw their children. These were people who felt that such
an encounter might compromise their understanding of the Christian
faith and thought, I believe, might expose young minds and souls to
potentially harmful spiritual differences.
On March 9th I returned slightly early from leading the Parish Retreat
to attend an invitation to honour the Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.
This event has been taking place over twenty years and involves a walk
through the High Street to the Jubilee Road mosque for prayer and
feasting. I understand this was the first time that a member of another
faith has been invited not just to join the event but to address the
gathering. This was quite an honour and an opportunity and I am
thankful for it. Again, I was treated with great respect and given
pride of place at the head of the procession with the attending imams.
You may now be wondering how all this links? I wrote a letter prior to
the mandir visit to all parents involved to say that ‘nothing
that compromises the uniqueness of Christ will be part of the
visit’. I am told this phrase persuaded some parents to let
their children attend, in addition to the fact that I attended. What
did I mean? Easter is not a comfortable festival for the wider
ecumenism (a phrase once coined for relations between the major world
faiths). The Cross is given to the Man of Sorrows who, in some way
caught up in the mysteries of faith takes it and thus restores
something within creation and particularly, in human relations with
God. Then, within three days the King of Glory is miraculously raised.
This is our Faith. It is not an easy ecumenical starting point, neither
is the subsequent activity of the Holy Spirit, about which even
Christians have radically different interpretations. So, how do we hold
this together and yet have fellowship with neighbours from other faith
traditions? Well, I think quite simply by following the example of
Christ. See Christ in others, honour your own tradition and respect the
goodwill and cooperation that can make our community a better place.
So, I can celebrate with the Muslim community without having total
agreement with them on matters of theology, for example. I can visit a
mandir and even listen to prayers without worrying about whether some
spiritual ‘taint’ might take place.
Yet, in all the above, I wish to honour what I said in my letter to
parents. Christ is unique and this season celebrates that. A world
changing event took place which is not matched elsewhere. Yet to be an
inclusive church in the best Anglican tradition is to hold our beliefs
sacred while not wishing to ‘turn away the
stranger’. This is our joyous time when we are thankful for
what God has done but we know it was achieved through pain and grief.
May we hold our good news for the world while carrying ourselves with
grace in respecting other traditions? Most of all, be prepared to see
Christ not just in those who look like us, but importantly, in those
who may not.
I would, in conclusion, like to talk of recent community successes. The
arrest of men on suspicion of terrorism in the town two years ago was a
shock, especially so for Muslim leaders. So we Christians did what
seemed natural. We asked them round for a cuppa and a chat and listened
to how it felt for them, as the men professed an Islamic motivation.
Relations between the faiths at this stage were quite distant, though a
‘Sharing of Faiths’ group is long-established. We
knew that local mosques were, essentially, moderate in approach.
However, what emerged was a resolution to talk more and relations
became much closer as we agreed the community was better served if
local faith groups were seen to cooperate where possible. The tangible
outcome of this has been the establishment of a Council for
Christian-Muslim Relations, a body which I am privileged to serve as
Vice-Chair. We have set our parameters clearly. We are working together
for community cohesion. We are not another interfaith dialogue group.
Things are not perfect but we are moving forward and sharing in
discussion and action.
Five years ago, I could have had little idea that I would be a senior
Christian leader in a town with a significant Muslim presence. I had
studied something of Islamic theology but my ministry to that point had
been in ‘white’ suburbia. I can say that I am
stimulated by this calling and am humbled by what God has made
possible. I continue to learn each day what it is to believe in the
uniqueness of Jesus while giving due regard to those of other faiths.
It is not always a comfortable place to be but I would not, at this
stage in my ministry, wish to be anywhere else.
