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An Associate Minister from the East Riding of Yorkshire is launching her first volume of Christian poetry. The Revd Daphne Kitching will be reading from her new volume, ‘Walking with us: Poems and Prayers around the year’, at St Barnabas Church, Swanland, on Saturday 21 March at 2pm, and all are invited. The volume, published by Parish Pump Publishing, features a foreword from the Rt Revd Richard Frith, formerly Bishop of Hull, and will be on sale priced at £6.99 at the launch, or from enquiries@parishpump.co.uk or daphnekitching@hotmail.com at £6.99 +p+p.
The Revd Daphne Kitching said, “My role as a minister is sharing the love of Jesus, and that’s what motivates my poetry as well. The poems explore how Jesus walks with us through the seasons of our lives.
“The poems have been inspired by many different people and events. The poem ‘Mary, a woman’ was inspired by Archbishop Sentamu. When he visited Beverley after being made Archbishop, he was asked what he thought about the ordination of women. He replied that as Mary had carried Jesus in her body, who was he to say that a woman should not handle in her hands the sacrament of his body and blood to the people in the bread and wine. His words stuck with me, and I wrote the poem nine years later to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of women becoming priests.
“’The Difference’ was inspired by Bishop Richard Frith, who once
spoke about how churches can sometimes feel like membership groups, but
we need to welcome people in, and not exclude people by our expectations
of behaviour. I wanted to reflect how Jesus accepts and loves us all.”
The
Rt Revd Richard Frith (Bishop of Hull from 1998 to 2014 and now Bishop
of Hereford), said, “Daphne Kitching is a person of faith, warmth and
sensitivity. It is these same qualities which shine from her poetry and
make this collection of her writing such a joy to read. She uses
phrases which shed light on the bible’s own imagery, and her poetry is
thought provoking and inspiring.”
Daphne was originally a primary
school teacher, and her first two volumes of poems ‘As Long As There Are
Trees’ and ‘Spider-Flavoured Sausages’ were written for children. Her
poetry for children has been featured in over sixty national anthologies
and is often used in speech and drama competitions. Daphne began
writing poetry for adults in 2006 for Parish Pump, a website which
provides resources including articles, cartoons and poetry for church
magazines.
‘Walking with us: Poems and Prayers around the year’
is published by Parish Pump Publishing, and contains illustrations by
artist Elaine Hill.
Daphne was ordained in 2009, and is the
Associate Minister at St Barnabas Church, Swanland. She will donate a
percentage of sales from the launch to Swanland East Africa Trust to
support Swanland Village School in Nairobi.
Mary, a woman
(Lk1:26-38,46-55)
Mary, a woman
Carried Jesus
All those years ago.
Obedient to her calling,
In the “Yes” of her faith,
Mary carried Jesus.
Filled with the Spirit
She praised God
And sang of his glory,
His might and his power,
Of his faithfulness
In the past,
And his promise for the future.
Mary, a woman, carried Jesus
To the people.
Receive
the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for you, and his
blood which was shed for you. Eat and drink in remembrance that he died
for you and feed on him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.
Holy is his name.
The Difference
(Romans 12:2)
So often
I can’t wear the right clothes,
Speak the right words,
Fit the right mould,
Be the shape people want me to be,
Expect me to be,
Demand that I am,
To conform.
But you Lord
Accept me,
Release me,
Make it possible to be me,
Perfectly free
In your service,
Open for you
To transform.