Telling our Stories

 

I frequently feel confused by the big issues of the day, especially as presented in one sentence headlines; I’m talking about issues such as: immigration, asylum seekers, gender fluidity, climate change, strikes and anything to do with money!

So, over the last couple of weeks I’ve been very grateful to come across stories, real stories, that have helped.

The first was told to me by a retired ministerial colleague.  The church where he and his wife have now become members is providing a weekly café for immigrants currently housed at the local Travelodge.  150 are there at the moment and some have been resident at the lodge for over a year now, waiting for their applications to be processed.  My friend meets with a number of these people at the church café every week.  They read newspapers, play board games and most importantly of all, get to know each other over a cup of coffee.  He’s met folk from all parts of the world who have left their own country because of invasion and civil wars, people who are engineers and technicians, who are just longing to settle here and offer something to their new society.

My friend is aware that due process is necessary in all of this and that some cases may not eventually be approved for a variety of reasons.  Yet, because he has got alongside so many of the folk from the lodge and knows something of their background and personality, his understanding of the situation has changed and deepened.  He is thrilled that his new church community is offering such a positive welcome.

The other moment for me came as I was preparing a short talk for LunchBreak on the 75^th anniversary of the arrival of Empire Windrush.  There has been much talk of the Windrush Generation yet I was particularly struck, in my brief research, by the story of Mr Sam King MBE.  He came over on Windrush in 1948 and upon landing at Tilbury re-joined the RAF, with which he’d served during the War.  After a spell there he settled in south London and became a postman for 34 years.  During this time, he had a family and served his local church as a lay preacher.  Mr King became the first black mayor of Southwark and in 2008 was awarded the MBE.  He established the Windrush Project which seeks to explore ways forward for better multi-cultural integration.  When he died, aged 90, in 2016 his funeral was held in Southwark Cathedral attended by 300.

By focusing on one life, rather than talking about Windrush merely in statistics, I sensed I was beginning to understand and appreciate something deeper.

And maybe that’s always the case.  We need to go further than mere headlines and hear peoples’ stories.

As we enter Holy Week, we do that.  We hear once again the story of one man, The Lord Jesus Christ, and in that story, we encounter the deepest wisdom and the most important truths.

Committees

 

In a previous church, a long time ago (!) my heart sank when a well meaning lady described me as a ‘Committee Man’. I think it was meant as a compliment.

Well, in recent years I’ve tried to reduce the number of committees (outside of local church life) that I sit on.

However, I still believe in committees. And, yes I do know that Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the original Mini in 1959, famously said, a camel is a horse designed by committee.

This weekend at AFC we hold our AGM, at which a number of long serving Elders will be retiring – they are leaving the committee.

We are grateful for all the service our friends have so willingly and faithfully given. 

Our two church officers: Secretary and Treasurer, are also stepping down. I have worked closely with both over a number of years, especially during the Pandemic when we were in contact almost daily.  Their energy and vision throughout that period meant so much to me and enabled AFC to grasp every opportunity to continue its life together.

We are blessed that good folk are stepping up to the mark to fill these posts and serve with their own gifts and in their own style.

Committees can be a blessing because they offer collegiality and the benefits of talking through issues together.

That was never more appreciated by me than at a time in my life when I chaired a regional church council at a rather choppy time.  Every meeting had to be negotiated with great care, so I was much encouraged when a senior minister advised me that if the session got too fractious I should, as Chair, pause the proceedings, gather the trustees around me on the platform and take ten minutes to decide together how we might proceed.  In an instant a burden was lifted from my shoulders as I realised I was not alone, others were there to support, advise and encourage.

So, I’m grateful for committees – and in my book camels are rather splendid!!

A Different Take

 It's always good to think through why we do things.  Such a process might result in us laying down an old way, ‘reforming’ it or simply thinking about it differently. 

Mothering Sunday, although a much cherished tradition, is an occasion that merits such a thoughtful approach.  To use it as a day to celebrate motherhood is good.  Yet, surely the day needs a kinder sensitivity that is aware of the sadness that can also be present.  For this Sunday may piece the heart of those who do not have children, have lost them and those of us whose mothers have died.  In short, amid the collective sense of celebration there will be individual pain.

In that light I was so inspired by a new hymn I discovered for Mothering Sunday, alas too late for this years’ service, but watch out for it in 2024; its last verse goes like this:

If motherhood calls but then passes by
Yet motherly love refuses to die
When this love is given, great blessing is known
For children are not raised by mothers alone.

It's a different take, yes.  But what a wonderful blend of honesty, insight, and kindness by George Stuart, from Australia who wrote these fine words.

May your Sunday this weekend be blessed.

Our Common Wealth

 Monday is Commonwealth Day.  Perhaps it’s not one we take much notice of.

A few years ago I was invited by a member of AFC to accompany her to the Commonwealth Day Observance at Westminster Abbey.  It was a thrilling and vibrant occasion full of wonderfully eclectic music and stirring words held in an ancient place yet feeling deeply contemporary and relevant.

I suspect, in the minds of many, the Commonwealth is viewed as nothing more than the British Empire morphed.  Yet that was never its intention.

The ‘modern’ Commonwealth was established two years after Indian Independence in 1949.  Today it has 56-member nations; the most recent to join, Rwanda, Mozambique, Gabon and Togo have no historical ties to Britain whatsoever.

One third of the world’s population belongs to the Commonwealth, with 32 of the worlds 42 smallest states (that is a country of 1.5million or less) as members.

With so many challenges in the world the Commonwealth, behind the scenes, does much to strengthen democracies, help with the oversight of elections, provide a sharing of good practice in civil and criminal justice and foster trading opportunities.

So often in the bible the ‘state’ is spoken of with fear and trepidation.  Rulers in that Ancient Near Eastern World were rarely democratically accountable with most people were ‘stuck’ in a social position predetermined at birth.

The world has moved on, all be it at a stuttering pace and unequally, since the days of Jesus. 

Commonwealth Day is one when we can give thanks for much that is good, whilst praying (in our own way) for a deeper sense of what belonging together amongst the nations might mean. 

International relations will forever be complex, history has taught us that much.  But it also teaches us never to give up on the ideals and hopes that can draw us together in peace – for surely that is, in essence our Common Wealth

The WORD became flesh

 Happy World Book Day!  Or perhaps you didn’t know it was!

Living with a teacher means I pick up on these things.  Actually, as Rachel teaches Maths rather than English, she has this cheeky T-Shirt (opposite) that she, somewhat provocatively, wears every World Book Day – I think it is a lost cause, but it gets a smile!

They say we’ve all got a book inside us, and perhaps you have already written yours!  Statistics from the publishing world tell us that of the 4 million titles that come out each year, 1.7m are from the self-publishing sector.  In Britain around 188,000 titles hit the shelves annually, 85,000 of these published by Penguin Random House, the biggest producer of books anywhere.

Even with the advent of Kindle I still love physically holding a book and reading it by turning the pages; Luddite that I am!  I’m also, I’m ashamed to say, a great underliner, even writing comments in the margins expressing my appreciation (or otherwise) at what is being said.  It means I’m a little reticent to pass my books on, as they say far too much about my reaction to them at the time of reading!

Most religions have a sacred text and, in a way, we have two; the combined Jewish and Christian scriptures.  We value these so much that, as ministers, we walk behind them every Sunday as we enter church.

Interpreting God’s Word revealed to us in Scripture is one of the most important, exciting and sometimes challenging aspects of our faith.  I’m constantly thrilled that after 36 years of standing in a pulpit Sunday by Sunday there always seems to be more to preach about.

Maybe that’s why the writer to the Hebrews talks of the Word of God as something that is living, and sharper than a two-edged sword. 

And, of course, for Christians, there is that understanding that we hear the voice of God in a special way through the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, described by St John as The Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.