Back from Derbyshire

Welcome to my 200^th blog!

Yesterday I returned home from Derbyshire after a four day stay at The Hayes in Swanwick for the four yearly Retreat Association Conference.

It was a great time, shared by no less than three hundred and fifty of us. It was also possibly the best expression of ecumenical community that I’ve ever experienced.  Our badges simply stated our names and not whether we were from the Baptist, Anglican, URC, Methodist or Catholic retreat groups which make up The Retreat Association.  No denominational drums were being beaten; instead there was an almost tangible atmosphere of mutual respect and companionable journeying.

Over these last four days we listened to the main session speaker, none more thought provoking than Graham Sparkes on what God can teach us during ‘desert times’ in our walk with God.  We were led in worship by the irrepressible Graham Maule from The Iona Community and we attended a huge variety of small and stimulating workshops.  Yet maybe the best part was the meal table conversations – I had so many!  It was a pure delight to talk with third order Franciscans, Diocesan Spirituality Advisors, Brother Christopher from Ampleforth Abbey, Retreat House wardens and many folk from the Baptist Union Retreat Group.  I loved all these exchanges – however, breakfast was a little hard going on Wednesday sitting next to a retired high-church Anglican complaining about the changes to the prayer book – there’s only so much of church politics I can take over the cornflakes at 8.30am!

I came home last night grateful to have shared these last few days with such sincere people.  It all felt so different to the many ministerial conferences I’ve attended when a certain game of ‘one up-man-ship’ has been played out with questions like: how big is your church and how many baptisms did you have last year being asked over the coffee cups.  There was nothing like that this week.  Instead I sensed the gentle presence of God’s Spirit among us – a real pleasure in meeting new people and immediately feeling you were spending time with sisters and brothers in Christ.

So I thank God for The Retreat Association and the small part the Baptist Union Retreat Group plays in its life – and I thank God for meeting so many fellow pilgrims in Derbyshire this week.

With best wishes,

Ian

Facilitating Queues!

Oh dear – I feel I’m turning into something of a ‘Victor Meldrew’ at times!  One occasion was last week whilst doing the drying up in the kitchen.  I was tuned in to the Radio 4 news and heard a report about the ‘test-drive’ held that day at the Olympic Park.  Apparently the public had been ‘let in’ and the big story to emerge was that, on average, it took about twenty minutes to queue for each event.  Much earnest discussion about this ‘dire’ situation took place on the radio until the interviewer asked the lady from the Olympic Authority for a final word and her big parting shot was: rest assured we will do all we can to ‘facilitate’ these queues.  At which point, in true Meldrew fashion, I cried out ‘I don’t believe it’!

What, I wonder, does it actually mean to ‘facilitate’ a queue? Answers on a postcard....

Using language sensitively, even correctly, is a constant challenge – partly because it is always evolving.  ‘Wicked’ now means ‘good’ and ‘cool’ means ‘hot’! 

We have a language of faith which, I guess, is sometimes difficult to understand if you haven’t been around a church ‘culture’ most of your life.  At other times we think everyone should understand what we say, only to discover what we’ve said isn't the same as what's been heard (ask any preacher!). 

So here are some words that I think we need to be clear about:

Church – a community of faith rather than a ‘club’.
Congregation – that’s all my local church brothers and sisters, not just the ones I would naturally and easily call my friends.
Service – a joyful offering of my time and talents to God – not a duty to be done just because my name is on the rota this week.
Worship – a way of life lived in thankfulness to a loving Saviour – much more than just an hour a week on a Sunday morning.
Diaconate – a group of servants rather than a management committee.
Church Meeting – a time to gather and discern the mind of Christ not just a moment to ‘have my say’.

I know words are sometimes open to all sorts of definition and usage – language is never easy.  We discovered that at the evening service last week as we discussed those last two characteristics of The Fruit of The Spirit: gentleness and self-control. Yet, our use of words is important because it goes a long way in defining our identity and communicating our core values.

So, in August as the Green family queues up at the Olympic Stadium for the first morning of the athletics, I look forward to being ‘facilitated’!

With best wishes,

Ian

What did the Queen say to the Mayor....?

Sounds a bit like the opening line of a joke!  Actually the two have come together in my mind because of the events of these last twenty-four hours.

Yesterday evening I attended our town’s Mayor Making – held in The Sanctuary of our own church at South Street.  This prestigious event followed on from the Town Council AGM – this was a good meeting but I have to confess I smiled somewhat as we received the report from The Bus Shelter Sub-Committee (miss one meeting and then three come along at once!)

I shouldn’t jest because every report delivered last night had its rightful place in our community’s life and every committee has striven to enhance the life of our town.  I was proud that our church played ‘host’ to yesterday evening’s proceedings.

It’s easy to be cynical about ‘committee’ work – in churches I’ve known people avoid them like the plague!  Yet...it’s often when we come together as a group, as we discuss and tackle issues as a group, that we gain a much clearer and deeper perspective than when we approach these issues simply by ourselves.  That’s the genius of the principle of ‘Congregational Government’ in a church like ours – based on New Testament passages describing the disciples coming together as a group and only then making decisions under the guidance of the Holy Spirit – even the godly go-ahead maverick St Paul needed to consult with the Council of Jerusalem before embarking on his missionary journeys.

For me the high point of yesterday evening was the farewell to the outgoing mayor, Phil Chandler – a man for whom I have great respect (and who selected four of our GB and BB members to be his cadets – they gave back their sashes last evening!) – and then the installation of Clive Davis as our new mayor.  Clive’s wife, Sally, is well-known to many of us because she is a member of our Monday afternoon Women’s Group, and Clive himself attends our coffee mornings on most Fridays.  Let’s pray for Clive and Sally that they will have a terrific year as Mayor and Mayoress.

And then there was the Queen!  What a thing for Clive to be made mayor on Tuesday and welcome the Queen to town on Wednesday – I hope he doesn’t feel it’s all downhill from now on.

Along with Prince Philip the Queen visited the Diamond Jubilee Fayre at Nine Springs Country Park today – just down the road from our church.  The rain held off, school children lined the roads waving their flags and inside the Royal Enclosure members of our Boys’ Brigade helped make up the Guard of Honour – some are just visible behind Her Majesty in the above photograph. Well – I think many people will remember today for a very long time and it’s great that our BB played their part – so ‘well done’ lads for looking so smart and well turned out!

So – what did the Queen say to the Mayor?  Well – perhaps that’s between Clive and the monarch!  May God bless them both in their service – the Queen in her sixtieth year and Clive in his first.

With best wishes,
 
Ian

Virtual Church - a good idea?

I’ve recently been introduced to a really good development from Baptist House!  It’s called Daily News Sweep and it comes from the editorial team of the old Baptist Times (to get it simply go on the Baptist Times pages of The Baptist Union website).  This news roundup lands in the ‘in-box’ of my computer every day and is packed with interesting stories, basically of a ‘faith’ nature, gleaned from the press.  Today, for example, I read about the reluctance of many Anglicans in Africa, South America and Australasia to continue recognising The Archbishop of Canterbury as the head of their Communion – seems like Rowan Williams’ successor is in for a choppy time.

Another story from today’s Sweep caught my eye and is entitled: The Deep Limitations of Digital Church.  It was written by the President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr Albert Mohler.  In it he basically lamented a growing trend in the United States (and perhaps here in Britain too?) of people staying away from ‘live’ church in favour of simply tuning in to a webcast of the service at their convenience; sermons ‘on tap’ (with the ability to fast forward no doubt!) and fellowship at a safe distance....but is it really church?  Dr Mohler gives an emphatic ‘no’!

Now I have to admit to doing a bit of this myself.  I regularly tune in to the webcast of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church in Toronto most Mondays – I just love the minister’s sermons and the fine music.  This church also puts its order of service and notice sheet on their site – so (with a bit of detective work) I’ve even worked out the names of some of the choir members who sit on the front row and found myself saying the other week – ‘oh, Rosemary isn’t there today’!  Hang on – I’m three and a half thousand miles from Toronto – what am I doing noticing a missing choir member!! It’s fun but it’s not real fellowship.

Real fellowship is about that regular weekly commitment to come together as the People of God around His Word and Table.  Real fellowship is singing, praying, listening and serving together.  Real fellowship is sharing our joys and sorrows together in this journey of faith.  Real fellowship isn’t always easy but it always holds the potential for that touch of the Holy Spirit that turns a routine gathering into a service of worship.

So although I’m not going to give up on my webcast viewing – I recognise that the real thing for me doesn’t happen thousands of miles away in Toronto but here in Yeovil, at a church on South Street.

With best wishes,

Ian

Meeting Sincerity

Yesterday evening our Boys’ Brigade entertained a superb guest of honour at their annual Awards Evening.  Trevor Peacock – who played Jim Trott in BBC's Vicar of Dibley (the one who always said ‘no, no, no’ when he meant ‘yes’!) – came along to give a talk and present the awards.  Around these parts Trevor is a much loved ‘celebrity’ famed for his support of Yeovil Town Football Club.

I think all of us present last night were struck by his gentle warmth and obvious sincerity.  He spoke with such humour and his timing was evidence of his Shakespearean acting – he is so much more than the stumbling Jim in The Revd Geraldine’s parish.  What’s more he instantly engaged the boys with his anecdotes and kept their attention.  Yet more than that it was the way he gave out the awards that made the most impression – he made every boy feel special and willingly and graciously posed for a photo with each succeeding recipient.  He was a charming guest, full of fun and warmth – and his gentle, yet persuasive Christian faith shone through.

You know ‘sincerity’ when you bump into it - and last night we met it in Trevor.

Our prayer must surely be that all we do as a church will ring out with integrity and speak of sincerity.  The way we treat friends and strangers, our concern for the marginalised, our expression of heartfelt belief, even if questions and doubts also form part of our journey – all of this will say something very deep about the people we are and the Christ we serve.

My thanks to The Revd Tudor Botwood for taking last Sunday's service - this Saturday I’m looking forward to taking part in the Commissioning Service for new Street Pastors at St James’ Church.

With best wishes,

Ian

Doing Easter Together

Good Friday Workshop

Last weekend was fizzing with activity because a lot of our Easter at South Street was done together!

A week on from Maundy Thursday I’ve been revisiting some of the services and events we crammed into those few days and it strikes me just how much had to be organised behind the scenes to make it all work.

Maundy Thursday: I walk into the Chapel Lounge to lead communion and everything has been set out thoughtfully with bread and wine provided and placed on the table.

Good Friday: A bustling craft workshop with six activities was provided – all the materials carefully laid out and ready for use so folks could express their individual creativity!  Alongside that copious amounts of tea, coffee and hot cross buns were provided by an enthusiastic team. Later that morning we held a walk of witness and open air service – and this meant service leaflets needed to be printed, amplification and musicians organised and even police permission and public liability insurance for the walk obtained!

Easter Day: An 8am service on Ham Hill – would anyone turn up?  Yes – 30 wonderful people!! And everyone had a printed service sheet.  Back at church we returned for a delicious full English breakfast served with some style.  At 10.30am we held our ‘big’ service of the day supported by musicians, singers, flower arrangers, welcomers, refreshment providers – done by all those people who regularly ‘grace’ our church every Sunday with their offering of Christian service.  At 6.30pm it was a quiet service of communion and once again everything was beautiful set up and ready.  But it wasn’t over yet...!

Easter Monday:  A walk through the Somerset countryside organised by the Social Committee – it had been thoroughly planned and was led with quiet skill.

Phew! 

I believe that part of the message of the resurrection is the new community God is building – a Community of The Resurrection centred around Christ and celebrating his life, death and rising again.  I hope, like me, you felt that in some small measure we experienced something of that community last weekend – and the biggest of ‘thank yous’ to everyone who made it happen!

This weekend The Revd Tudor Botwood, Naval Chaplain at RNAS Yeovilton, will be leading Morning Worship and Mrs Linda Lovell will be presiding at Evening Worship.

With best wishes,
Ian

Christ's Light - brighter than any darkness

I remember flying out of Birmingham Airport, en route to Australia, on a low cloud August afternoon.  It was dreary.  Then came the moment, just minutes after take-off, when we broke through the cloud and entered a sparkling sun drenched blue sky!  The sun was out all the time – even though in Birmingham it had been obscured by thick layers of grey Cumulonimbus!

At Easter Jesus Christ won for us a great victory – the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of heaven.  Yet, all too often our pressing circumstances make it feel as if there are great clouds over us. Clouds of ‘struggle’, ‘uncertainty’, ‘fear’ or simply ‘monotony’. 

Part of our spiritual discipline, because I think it needs to be an act of the will, is to lift up our eyes and see the sunrise of Easter for what it is – a reality that we can depend on and rejoice in. 

Christ has risen and light has overcome darkness.  We can be a people whose lives have been touched and changed by the sunshine of God’s grace and love. 

That doesn’t mean we won’t get days when the ‘cloud’ comes down – but even at such times we need to hold on to the truth that above them God’s light is shining – that Easter is a truth that changes everything, even on the cloudiest of days.

I hope the commemorations and celebrations of the next few days will provide sacred space and spiritual encounter for us all.

With best wishes,
Ian