St. Margaret of Antioch, Toxteth - Reflection by Canon Bob

 
For those of you who read these reflections and are members of the Cathedral Sunday morning congregation it must seem that I am the absent Canon! As I hope you know, this is because on most Sunday mornings I am at St Margaret, Toxteth where I am Priest in Charge; a post I combine with being the Dwelly Raven Canon.
​
Last year (in the good old days when we could gather together) we celebrated the Sesquicentennial (150 years) of the consecration of the Church. Over the years it has provided an orphanage, a convent, and a source of education to an ever changing population in Liverpool 8. The appreciation of that ministry was evident when during the dark days of the 1980s while all around there was riot and destruction not a window in the church was so much as cracked.

Throughout the years the Parish has been served by faithful and compassionate Priests on whose shoulders it is a privilege to stand, and a variety of congregations have prayerfully sought ways of being Church as we are doing today. When I was first appointed I was a University Chaplain and the main Service was on a Sunday Evening. I had tremendous support including from the Cathedral and invited different preachers each week. You will see some familiar names from 2014. We also joined together for some exciting musical experiences.

I suspect the area around the Church must be unique in terms of faith. Across the road is the Greek Orthodox Church, our neighbour is the Synagogue, and the Al Ramah Mosque is just round the corner. Thus there is a rich diversity of cultures as people move in to the area or visit to worship. However it is still a place where there is isolation and social need and as a worshipping community we take seriously the needs and concerns of the people who live around us.

These days our Sunday service is a Sung Eucharist at 10.30am. Our Services would be described I suspect as ‘High Church’ as we use candles, colour, music, movement, incense, and the ringing of bells to enhance our worship. On the last Sunday of each month we have a Taize Eucharist at 6.00pm.

Before the ‘shut down’ we were a congregation of around 40 and like all Churches we have continued to support each other via social media and provide ‘on line’ Sunday services. My prayer is that as we get back to the new normal we will have grown in faith and have a real commitment to look to ways in which we can live as people who are a reflection of God’s love to all creation.
 
Canon Bob

While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.