Whoever Shouts Loudest

by Oct 24, 2019

Luke 18:1-8

The parable of the Unjust Judge who gives justice to the persistent widow 

I wonder when the last time you changed your mobile phone was? Many years ago I remember my phone was getting old. This was before smart phones and the numbers had all worn off the keys. I went in to the local Carphone Warehouse and asked what the options were for a new contract with my supplier. The shop attendant pulled out a chart of all the options. Then he said, but what you really want to do is ring them. Complain and tell them you are going to switch suppliers. I left to consider the chart he gave me and his recommendation. It always struck me as slightly unfair that the customer who complains, who makes trouble, who is loudest. Is the one that gets the best service.

Of course, a parent gets taught to be careful not to encourage bad behaviour by giving it attention. I remember watching Supernanny, before we had children, instructing parents to go in and put the child who had got out of bed back in bed without talking to them. Of course, as soon as I had a child of my own I made the exact same mistake. Or did the extreme opposite, not spotting when the issue was more than a desire to stay up. How difficult life is when we actually try to be fair, because not every situation demands the same response. One customer’s complaint might be quite reasonable and deserving of some sympathy, another’s might just be an attempt to get a free lunch. I think an episode of Mr Bean comes to mind.

We also have to be discerning about where we get the information we make our decisions based on. Newspapers have always had one bias or another. So that if you want to hear a view you will agree with, you go to the right paper or if you want to get angry at soembody else’s opinion – you go to the wrong paper – whichever one that is for you. For a while in curacy I would read a different paper each day of the week – to give me a rounded perspective. Of course now we have social media, and with the gift of the great gamut of data that provides, algorithms have been developed so that we get more of the things we look at. I am always getting videos of people building furniture on facebook, because I pause a little longer on them. Of course when it’s just videos of DIY it’s not an issue. The problem is when these kinds of algorithms create a bubble where we only see views with which we agree. In reality we need to be willing to hear different voices in our life, that is how true growth and learning happens. So we need to be engaged with the world around us. We also need to be prepared to reflect on our own blind spots – the places which we cannot see.

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells a parable about an unjust judge. How do we know he is unjust. Well if the first two commandments are to love God, and love your neighbour. This judge is introduced as failing on both counts, having no fear of God nor respect for people. But a widow, like the noisy mobile phone customer,
is persistent at demanding justice and the judge grants it. Jesus encourages the disciples to pray always.
To be persistent, because if the unjust judge can have mercy, then surely God can if we keep at it. I used to really dislike this parable, for the same reason I didn’t go off and ring my mobile phone company to complain and threaten to leave. Does God really do what we want if we keep asking. But that isn’t really what Jesus is saying. That is how the unjust judge operates, sure. But not how God does.

There is an old myth that during the space race, the Americans spent a fortune trying to develop a pen that could write without the need of gravity. A pen which could effectively write upside down. The Russians sent their astronauts with a pencil. There is something about persistence in prayer, but it is not to convince God of a new solution. But perhaps if we are persistent persistent reflecting, listening, reading our scripture, and in relating to others in the church. If, as Jesus says, we don’t lose heart, but carry on, our prayers will be answered, but not necessarily in the narrow way we think they should.

In the Old Testament reading Jacob sends his family on and then spends the night wrestling with an unknown man Even after having his hip knocked out of joint Jacob persists. The man asks to be released and Jacob asks for a blessing before he will release him. The man gives Jacob a blessing, but also a new name. As the man blesses him Jacob realises that he has been blind to the fact that the man is actually God. It is a reminder that we often get more than we ask for. The answer to our prayers may well come with a new task. A new challenge. As Jacob becomes Israel, he is in effect transformed, reborn and the son becomes the father of the nation, the one person becomes the name for many people. And we are reminded not only of how easily we are blind to the reality of our situation but also that it is in the fullness of community, a community not built on like minded people, or people from the same walk of life, or from the same socio-economic group, or from the same country, but a group like the Church universal, as diverse as the shades of colour in the creator’s pallet.

To follow Christ is not easy, often the answers to how we respond to the issues of the world around us are not straightforward. But if we are persistent in our prayer, in our relating to others around us, in trying to love them – as a kind of spiritual discipline, in listening to God in scripture, in prayer, in the world around us. Then we should not lose heart, that God will answer our prayers, as God does infinitely more than we can ask or imagine and bring us ever closer to him.

The Reverend Robin Sims-Williams

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Sunday Mornings

8.00am Said Eucharist
10.00am Parish Eucharist with choir and Sunday School

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Morning Prayer Monday through Wednesdays at 9.20am
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Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice – General

Your personal data – what is it?

“Personal data” is any information about a living individual which allows them to be identified from that data (for example a name, photographs, videos, email address, or address). Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information. The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) and other legislation relating to personal data and rights such as the Human Rights Act 1998.

Who are we?

This Privacy Notice is provided to you by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of All Saints’ Child’s Hill which is the data controller for your data.

The Church of England is made up of a number of different organisations and office-holders who work together to deliver the Church’s mission in each community. The PCC works together with:

  • the incumbent of the parish (that is, our priest-in-charge);
  • the bishops of the Diocese of London; and
  • the London Diocesan Fund, which is responsible for the financial and administrative
    arrangements for the Diocese of London.

As the Church is made up of all of these persons and organisations working together, we may need to share personal data we hold with them so that they can carry out their responsibilities to the Church and our community. The organisations referred to above are joint data controllers. This means we are all responsible to you for how we process your data.

Each of the data controllers have their own tasks within the Church and a description of what data is processed and for what purpose is set out in this Privacy Notice. This Privacy Notice is sent to you by the PCC on our own behalf and on behalf of each of these data controllers. In the rest of this Privacy Notice, we use the word “we” to refer to each data controller, as appropriate.

What data do the data controllers listed above process?

They will process some or all of the following where necessary to perform their tasks:

  • Names, titles, and aliases, photographs;
  • Contact details such as telephone numbers, addresses, and email addresses;
  • Where they are relevant to our mission, or where you provide them to us, we may process
    demographic information such as gender, age, date of birth, marital status, nationality, education/work histories, academic/professional qualifications, hobbies, family composition, and dependants;
  • Where you make donations or pay for activities such as use of a church hall, financial identifiers such as bank account numbers, payment card numbers, payment/transaction identifiers, policy numbers, and claim numbers;
  • The data we process is likely to constitute sensitive personal data because, as a church, the fact that we process your data at all may be suggestive of your religious beliefs. Where you provide this information, we may also process other categories of sensitive personal data: racial or ethnic origin, sex life, mental and physical health, details of injuries, medication/treatment received, political beliefs, labour union affiliation, genetic data, biometric data, data concerning sexual orientation and criminal records, fines and other similar judicial records.

How do we process your personal data?

The data controllers will comply with their legal obligations to keep personal data up to date; to store and destroy it securely; to not collect or retain excessive amounts of data; to keep personal data secure, and to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and to ensure that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

We use your personal data for some or all of the following purposes:

  • To enable us to meet all legal and statutory obligations (which include maintaining and publishing our electoral roll in accordance with the Church Representation Rules);
  • To carry out comprehensive safeguarding procedures (including due diligence and complaints handling) in accordance with best safeguarding practice from time to time with the aim of ensuring that all children and adults-at-risk are provided with safe environments;
  • To minister to you and provide you with pastoral and spiritual care (such as visiting you when you are gravely ill or bereaved) and to organise and perform ecclesiastical services for you, such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals;
  • To deliver the Church’s mission to our community, and to carry out any other voluntary or charitable activities for the benefit of the public as provided for in the constitution and statutory framework of each data controller;
  • To administer the parish, deanery, archdeaconry and diocesan membership records;
  • To fundraise and promote the interests of the Church and charity;
  • To maintain our own accounts and records;
  • To process a donation that you have made (including Gift Aid information);
  • To seek your views or comments;
  • To notify you of changes to our services, events and role holders;
  • To send you communications which you have requested and that may be of interest to you. These may include information about campaigns, appeals, other fundraising activities;
  • To process a grant or application for a role;
  • To enable us to provide a voluntary service for the benefit of the public in a particular geographical
    area as specified in our constitution;
  • Our processing also includes the use of automated systems when you visit our website including cookies to help improve your experience when browsing our website and personal identifiers from your browsing history to enable us to assess the popularity of the webpages on our website, further information about our use of cookies is available on our website (https://www.allsaintschildshill.com/cookie-policy/)
  • Our processing also includes the use of CCTV systems for the prevention and prosecution of crime.

What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?

Most of our data is processed because it is necessary for our legitimate interests, or the legitimate interests of a third party (such as another organisation in the Church of England). An example of this would be our safeguarding work to protect children and adults at risk. We will always take into account your interests, rights and freedoms.

Some of our processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation. For example, we are required by the Church Representation Rules to administer and publish the electoral roll, and under Canon Law to announce forthcoming weddings by means of the publication of banns.

We may also process data if it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps to enter into a contract. An example of this would be processing your data in connection with the hire of church facilities.

Religious organisations are also permitted to process information about your religious beliefs to administer membership or contact details.

Where your information is used other than in accordance with one of these legal bases, we will first obtain your consent to that use.

Sharing your personal data

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential. It will only be shared with third parties where it is necessary for the performance of our tasks or where you first give us your prior consent. It is likely that we will need to share your data with some or all of the following (but only where necessary):

  • The appropriate bodies of the Church of England including the other data controllers;
  • Our agents, servants and contractors. For example, we may ask a commercial provider to send out newsletters on our behalf, or to maintain our database software;
  • Other clergy or lay persons nominated or licensed by the bishops of the Diocese of London to support the mission of the Church in our parish. For example, our clergy are supported by our area dean and archdeacon, who may provide confidential mentoring and pastoral support. Assistant or temporary ministers, including curates, deacons, licensed lay ministers, commissioned lay ministers or persons with Bishop’s Permissions may participate in our mission in support of our regular clergy;
  • Other persons or organisations operating within the Diocese of London including, where relevant, the London Diocesan Board for Schools and Subsidiary Bodies;
  • On occasion, other churches with which we are carrying out joint events or activities.

How long do we keep your personal data?

We will keep some records permanently if we are legally required to do so. We may keep some other records for an extended period of time. For example, it is current best practice to keep financial records for a minimum period of 7 years to support HMRC audits. In general, we will endeavour to keep data only for as long as we need it. This means that we may delete it when it is no longer needed.

Your rights and your personal data

You have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

When exercising any of the rights listed below, in order to process your request, we may need to verify your identity for your security. In such cases we will need you to respond with proof of your identity before you can exercise these rights.

  1. The right to access information we hold on you
    • At any point you can contact us to request the information we hold on you as well as why we have that information, who has access to the information and where we obtained the
      information from. Once we have received your request we will respond within one month.
    • There are no fees or charges for the first request but additional requests for the same data may be subject to an administrative fee .
  1. The right to correct and update the information we hold on you
    • If the data we hold on you is out of date, incomplete or incorrect, you can inform us and your data will be updated.
  1. The right to have your information erased
    • If you feel that we should no longer be using your data or that we are illegally using your data, you can request that we erase the data we hold.
    • When we receive your request we will confirm whether the data has been deleted or the reason why it cannot be deleted (for example because we need it for our legitimate interests or regulatory purpose(s)).
  1. The right to object to processing of your data
    • You have the right to request that we stop processing your data. Upon receiving the request we will contact you and let you know if we are able to comply or if we have legitimate grounds to continue to process your data. Even after you exercise your right to object, we may continue to hold your data to comply with your other rights or to bring or defend legal claims.
  1. The right to data portability
    • You have the right to request that we transfer some of your data to another controller. We will comply with your request, where it is feasible to do so, within one month of receiving your request.
  1. The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time for any processing of data to which consent was sought.
    • You can withdraw your consent easily by telephone, email, or by post (see Contact Details below).
  1. The right to object to the processing of personal data where applicable.
  2. The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Transfer of Data Abroad

Any electronic personal data transferred to countries or territories outside the EU will only be placed on systems complying with measures giving equivalent protection of personal rights either through international agreements or contracts approved by the European Union. Our website is also accessible from overseas so on occasion some personal data (for example in a newsletter) may be accessed from overseas.

Further processing

If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.

Contact Details

Please contact us if you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or the information we hold about you or to exercise all relevant rights, queries or complaints at:

The Data Controller,
All Saints’ Church
Church Walk, Child’s Hill
London, NW2 2TJ
Email: [email protected]

You can contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/ or at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

If you have any question regarding our privacy policy, please contact us.