Kings Norton Parish

Tucked away at the back of this edition (p.36) is an article by a plant expert who confirms what we know instinctively: plants with deep roots are better equipped to survive difficult conditions. It is the roots that matter. Keeping them fed and watered is the key.

Danny Kruger MP made a similar point in his powerful speech during a recent Commons debate on the future of the Church of England (p.14). Our nation has deep Christian roots. If Britain is now, in his words, “at risk economically, culturally, socially and… morally,” it is because those roots have been severed or damaged. His urgent appeal to reconnect with them—a call for a revival of faith for the good of the nation—deserves our full attention and a wider audience.

Just as plants and civilisations have roots, so do we. If we cultivate them, we thrive; if we neglect them, we become vulnerable. On p.32, Josiah Trenham, an Eastern Orthodox priest, reminds us of our spiritual roots, which nourish us only if we pray. He claims that prayerlessness lies at the root of much human suffering. We become who we were designed to be by learning to pray.

Our parish is about to enter a challenging time as we embark on an interregnum, a period of waiting between one Rector and the next. Whether we grow as a church during this time—in compassion, patience, commitment, wisdom, trust, and in many other ways—will depend, to some extent, on the depth and health of our roots. It is a good moment to remember the image from Jeremiah 17: the tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream does not fear when heat comes and never ceases to bear fruit.