Yesterday was Advent Sunday. At Walmer it marked the much heralded start of a new Christian Year. We had celebrate Christ the King Sunday the previous Sunday and now with our thoughts turning towards Christmas we began our period of anticipation and expectation.
After a number of years we decided to re-introduce a Toy Service, inviting a Missionary from the London City Mission to come and share with us insights into their work in the city. Darren Dotson who works in the Randall Christian Centre, Greenwich rounded off a holiday in Walmer at the LCM Retreat House by sharing with us. He and his family left us with their car laden with black sacks full of new toys we had donated for distribution over the Christmas season to families and especially children he worked with.
After several days of anticipation prompted by severe weather reports, snow fell across Walmer as the congregation walked, drove or cycled to church. It was apt that as we turned 'the page' and entered a new liturgical year that God chose symbolically to make everywhere white. Was this a sign for us that we should be reaching out to all our community with the message of hope and peace that Advent brings to our Christmas observance?
Since the last blog we have had a challenging time pastorally with several folk in hospital undergoing surgery and treatment, others are convalescing whilst others, myself included, are undergoing tests. Two friends have also died after long struggles and we will be joining their families and friends to remember them at services in neighbouring churches.
That said, the pace of church life remains constant and we have ensured that essential fabric maintenance tasks have been undertaken, finalised our plans for Christmas (including distributing 1500+ Advent & Christmas service invitations to our community), met with an architect to advance our kitchen project plans and this week have our Christmas shopping outing to Polhill Shoppig Village.
With a myriad of distractions and a couple of enforced weeks away from college to visit hospitals the deadlines for assignments start to loom large and prompt some serious study. I am preparing to travel back from London with what feels like half the college library in my case to facilitate the writing process over the next few weeks.
I must mention the value I place on having the opportunity to meet from time to time with my support group at Bloomsbury which I did this month. These informal opportunities to share highs and lows of both church and college life with friends who can offer sympathetic, supportive and understanding listening helps considerably.
So, Christmas is the next big event and despite my reluctance to get caught up in the commercialism that drives the secular world and often the church into its celebrations I am prepared and ready for the season. Under its blanket of snow Walmer for a few hours was calm, still, white - a Christmas Card scene. I'm sure God knows how excited I get about snow and, perhaps, as I begin my Advent journey he was smiling at his handiwork and prompting me to get excited at the beginning of a new Church Year.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Monday, 8 November 2010
Remember, remember....
One of the advantages of keeping this blog is that it offers an archive of information on the life of the church that might otherwise be forgotten.
We have just celebrated our second indoor firework party - Spuds & Sparklers - and the universal view was that we had more people attend this year than last. Looking back at the blog I reported last year on our joy at having almost 40 people attend our first outreach event since my arrival in Walmer. That this year we had over 60 attend is evidence that the event was popular and that we have an increasing group of friends who want to join the fun and fellowship of such occasions.
Our Table-top Sale on Saturday also had the feel about it that more people were dropping in than usual. Certainly we served more teas and coffees than usual as we had to refill the hot water pot twice!
The Eleven Empty Spaces exhibition we hosted on behalf of the Dover Museum also attracted over 200 visitors across three days which was encouraging.
We are moving towards Remembrance this week with the opportunity to gather at the graveside of a young naval rating who attended the church in WW! and whose remains are buried in the local cemetery. The local paper has run a small feature on this act of remembrance and we have made contact with a relative of Pte William Bennett.
Pastorally life in the church is challenging as we have a number of folk in hospital - some for cancer treatment - and others recovering from operations. But everyone is being supportive of one another and their needs which is good.
Encouraged by the BU to look at our bank balances we are spending some of our fabric reserves and now have two new sets of stacking chairs for easier use in the hall. The electricians have done some much needed improvements to the church electrics and today the plumber starts renovating the old gents toilet.
Christmas is just around the corner, a raft of assignment deadlines loom for college so the next few weeks promise to be busy!
We have just celebrated our second indoor firework party - Spuds & Sparklers - and the universal view was that we had more people attend this year than last. Looking back at the blog I reported last year on our joy at having almost 40 people attend our first outreach event since my arrival in Walmer. That this year we had over 60 attend is evidence that the event was popular and that we have an increasing group of friends who want to join the fun and fellowship of such occasions.
Our Table-top Sale on Saturday also had the feel about it that more people were dropping in than usual. Certainly we served more teas and coffees than usual as we had to refill the hot water pot twice!
The Eleven Empty Spaces exhibition we hosted on behalf of the Dover Museum also attracted over 200 visitors across three days which was encouraging.
We are moving towards Remembrance this week with the opportunity to gather at the graveside of a young naval rating who attended the church in WW! and whose remains are buried in the local cemetery. The local paper has run a small feature on this act of remembrance and we have made contact with a relative of Pte William Bennett.
Pastorally life in the church is challenging as we have a number of folk in hospital - some for cancer treatment - and others recovering from operations. But everyone is being supportive of one another and their needs which is good.
Encouraged by the BU to look at our bank balances we are spending some of our fabric reserves and now have two new sets of stacking chairs for easier use in the hall. The electricians have done some much needed improvements to the church electrics and today the plumber starts renovating the old gents toilet.
Christmas is just around the corner, a raft of assignment deadlines loom for college so the next few weeks promise to be busy!
Monday, 18 October 2010
Year Two, Semester One, Update Two
For the returning students on the Church-based Course we have by now, I think, managed to re-establish our routine of college days back into our busy weeks. We have our assignments and the deadline of the end of January to turn them in. Some eager beavers have already begun in earnest to get these done - like me perhaps - aiming for a self imposed pre-Christmas deadline.
After a busy summer it takes a little time to readjust and I'm sure that I am not alone in trying to keep the 'at Church' workload moving at the same pace and volume despite the added pressures of college work.
It was good to take 'time-out' on Saturday and spend a few hours in London, at Bloomsbury, sharing in the joy of the wedding of two young friends. It was good too, to have the opportunity to give some face-to-face updates to Bloomsbury folk who are always interested to know about both college and Walmer life.
At Walmer, we continue to press on with our programmes and activities. We've started our new BibleGLO studies, knitting still flourishes and we are getting ready to host the Eleven Empty Spaces - Royal Marines local history - exhibition next week.
We've had two full church celebrations of Harvest with our local school. As ever, the children were superb - sadly parents have little or no idea about church and many struggled to know how to participate appropriately if at all.
Our decision to spend some fabric money sees us taking delivery of our new chairs for the hall this week. Our new water boiler awaits the plumber and the electrician to install and both these contractors have given us start dates for this and other work.
Sunday saw us say a fond farewell to one friend who has been worshipping with us for three years or so but who is returning to the USA. We also joined with our friends from Deal and Mongeham for a Baptists Together service at Victoria.
Finally, a number of our folk are currently recovering from surgery and others are anxiously awaiting the results of tests which adds to the pastoral demands on the Pastor.
More news soon...
After a busy summer it takes a little time to readjust and I'm sure that I am not alone in trying to keep the 'at Church' workload moving at the same pace and volume despite the added pressures of college work.
It was good to take 'time-out' on Saturday and spend a few hours in London, at Bloomsbury, sharing in the joy of the wedding of two young friends. It was good too, to have the opportunity to give some face-to-face updates to Bloomsbury folk who are always interested to know about both college and Walmer life.
At Walmer, we continue to press on with our programmes and activities. We've started our new BibleGLO studies, knitting still flourishes and we are getting ready to host the Eleven Empty Spaces - Royal Marines local history - exhibition next week.
We've had two full church celebrations of Harvest with our local school. As ever, the children were superb - sadly parents have little or no idea about church and many struggled to know how to participate appropriately if at all.
Our decision to spend some fabric money sees us taking delivery of our new chairs for the hall this week. Our new water boiler awaits the plumber and the electrician to install and both these contractors have given us start dates for this and other work.
Sunday saw us say a fond farewell to one friend who has been worshipping with us for three years or so but who is returning to the USA. We also joined with our friends from Deal and Mongeham for a Baptists Together service at Victoria.
Finally, a number of our folk are currently recovering from surgery and others are anxiously awaiting the results of tests which adds to the pastoral demands on the Pastor.
More news soon...
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Back to Blogging... promise!
OK so I took the most of a college work free month and didn't update the Blog through September. But, now college has resumed - year 2 begun - I return to the discipline. If you are a regular reader and feel I'm slipping behind in my updates don't be afraid to tell me.
So September was a busy month inspite of nothing to do for college - apart from reading of course (just in case there are any tutors following!).
Back to Church Sunday was probably the highlight when couples who had been married here and who we had invited to return actually came. Along with couples in the congregation they renewed their vows together - a moving moment for everyone.
The lowlight was the frustration associated with getting the GLO Bible resource to actually download and work on a PC in readiness for our year-long exploration of the Bible together. The final solution which worked was to buy a new PC - mercifully a bargain from e-bay.
Our Church Meeting was dominated by our finances. The news the BU Grant we had hoped for had been cut was a disappointment but prompted us to look afresh at our personal giving and our church expenditure. We think we can balance the budget for 2011 with a bit of extra giving (£1.20 per attender a week seems about right) and we have agreed to spend some of our Legacy Fabric Funds, ahead of the VAT rises on some essential maintenance to electrics and plumbing as well as buying some new stacking chairs.
We have also agreed to work towards a £30K project to move the kitchen to a new location which will give access to the hall and the garden and increase our mission options considerably. We know we will have to fundraise very hard but see the target as reachable and from our initial discussions with an architect know it is viable.
As September ended and October began, we celebrated Harvest with David Goodbourn, who grew up in the church here. We also harvested our Thankoffering Talents (the £5 notes we gave everyone in June and encouraged them to grow). The result to-date is that our initial outlay of £250 has grown to over £1000 so our talents have multiplied three-fold.
And finally, our bids for community funding from the County Council to refurbish a toilet and to buy safety mats for Kid's Kingdom were both in part successful. Although we didn't get all we asked for, almost £1900 is very welcome.
Now college has resumed, the Modules for the semester reveal new deadlines for assignments and offer more lists of books to read. Life will be busy as I juggle study and church and of course also try to find time to blog too.
So September was a busy month inspite of nothing to do for college - apart from reading of course (just in case there are any tutors following!).
Back to Church Sunday was probably the highlight when couples who had been married here and who we had invited to return actually came. Along with couples in the congregation they renewed their vows together - a moving moment for everyone.
The lowlight was the frustration associated with getting the GLO Bible resource to actually download and work on a PC in readiness for our year-long exploration of the Bible together. The final solution which worked was to buy a new PC - mercifully a bargain from e-bay.
Our Church Meeting was dominated by our finances. The news the BU Grant we had hoped for had been cut was a disappointment but prompted us to look afresh at our personal giving and our church expenditure. We think we can balance the budget for 2011 with a bit of extra giving (£1.20 per attender a week seems about right) and we have agreed to spend some of our Legacy Fabric Funds, ahead of the VAT rises on some essential maintenance to electrics and plumbing as well as buying some new stacking chairs.
We have also agreed to work towards a £30K project to move the kitchen to a new location which will give access to the hall and the garden and increase our mission options considerably. We know we will have to fundraise very hard but see the target as reachable and from our initial discussions with an architect know it is viable.
As September ended and October began, we celebrated Harvest with David Goodbourn, who grew up in the church here. We also harvested our Thankoffering Talents (the £5 notes we gave everyone in June and encouraged them to grow). The result to-date is that our initial outlay of £250 has grown to over £1000 so our talents have multiplied three-fold.
And finally, our bids for community funding from the County Council to refurbish a toilet and to buy safety mats for Kid's Kingdom were both in part successful. Although we didn't get all we asked for, almost £1900 is very welcome.
Now college has resumed, the Modules for the semester reveal new deadlines for assignments and offer more lists of books to read. Life will be busy as I juggle study and church and of course also try to find time to blog too.
Monday, 6 September 2010
What no work?
With the final piece of work - my reflective journal - submitted to the college September offers a Spurgeons free month in terms of formal work although there are always books to read!
This month of freedom is welcome as thoughts turn to resuming programmes and activities suspended over the summer and there is the necessary planning of autumn events to finalise.
As one might expect life is really no quieter than any other month and I type this blog update after a busy Sunday when we marked Home Mission Sunday with our good friend Rosie Davies leading our morning worship and representative of the 21 churches in our network coming to join us for tea and a Celebration Service in the evening.
Blessed with a pleasant day it was good to meet friends from the churches of East Kent, showcase ourselves, our facilities and activities and of course be encouraged and encourage our regional team from SEBA.
We have received news from Didcot that our BU Mission Grant application has been successful although we will only receive half of the sum we had applied for. Having looked at the figures we submitted it is adjudged that we have the resources available to fund both my half stipend, our running costs and our aspirational maintenance costs with a little less help.
This is a disappointment and prompts a close look at the figures by myself and our treasurer so that we can submit to the Deacons and Church Meeting an accurate picture of our current financial position and our financial needs in 2011.
We will need to set clear spending priorities and be seen to eating into our reserves - a financial strategy I, for on,e am uncomfortable with, but it seems is one the BUGB is encouraging churches to adopt.
Priorities for me are to move ahead with moving the church kitchen which will ultimately enhance our facilities. I'm meeting an architect next week to discuss the feasibility. Church Meeting will vote on the proposal in October. We need to finish the lighting in our 'new' Games Room and launch this new resources upon the church.
We've finally repaired our Induction Loop which is good news for the hearing impaired, the lounge carpet has dried out after last month's flood and we now have a superb new outside noticeboard to attract the attention of passersby and the passengers of the No.13 bus who draw up alongside it every hour as the bus turns onto Dover Road.
Oh, and the County Council have 'pleaded' with us to submit a grant application for play equipment for Kids Kingdom as the 'pot' of money they have is under subscribed. Hopefully we will be successful.
This month of freedom is welcome as thoughts turn to resuming programmes and activities suspended over the summer and there is the necessary planning of autumn events to finalise.
As one might expect life is really no quieter than any other month and I type this blog update after a busy Sunday when we marked Home Mission Sunday with our good friend Rosie Davies leading our morning worship and representative of the 21 churches in our network coming to join us for tea and a Celebration Service in the evening.
Blessed with a pleasant day it was good to meet friends from the churches of East Kent, showcase ourselves, our facilities and activities and of course be encouraged and encourage our regional team from SEBA.
We have received news from Didcot that our BU Mission Grant application has been successful although we will only receive half of the sum we had applied for. Having looked at the figures we submitted it is adjudged that we have the resources available to fund both my half stipend, our running costs and our aspirational maintenance costs with a little less help.
This is a disappointment and prompts a close look at the figures by myself and our treasurer so that we can submit to the Deacons and Church Meeting an accurate picture of our current financial position and our financial needs in 2011.
We will need to set clear spending priorities and be seen to eating into our reserves - a financial strategy I, for on,e am uncomfortable with, but it seems is one the BUGB is encouraging churches to adopt.
Priorities for me are to move ahead with moving the church kitchen which will ultimately enhance our facilities. I'm meeting an architect next week to discuss the feasibility. Church Meeting will vote on the proposal in October. We need to finish the lighting in our 'new' Games Room and launch this new resources upon the church.
We've finally repaired our Induction Loop which is good news for the hearing impaired, the lounge carpet has dried out after last month's flood and we now have a superb new outside noticeboard to attract the attention of passersby and the passengers of the No.13 bus who draw up alongside it every hour as the bus turns onto Dover Road.
Oh, and the County Council have 'pleaded' with us to submit a grant application for play equipment for Kids Kingdom as the 'pot' of money they have is under subscribed. Hopefully we will be successful.
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Busy, busy, busy
Is it really only just over a fortnight since I returned from my holiday. It seems such a distant memory.
Much of the last week or so has been dominated by the important task of finishing my first year Portfolio for college which I have now done and have dispatched to Spurgeon's.
Amidst this necessary there has been the distractions of 'the flood' - a monsoon style downpour which closed the road in front of the church, flooded many homes and businesses across town and left us with a very soggy church lounge carpet. Thankfully this is now showing signs of drying out and our minor inconveniences have made us appreciate the enormity of the strife in Pakistan as they reel from their flooding.
A number of us spent a pleasant afternoon at the Community Picnic on Walmer Green arranged by the Parish Council and from our stall in the voluntary organisations marquee promoted our activities.
Our Knitting for the Needy group have also featured in a very nice article in the local paper -with a picture - as we sent Debbie back to South Africa with assorted garments for distribution amongst the AIDS orphans she works with.
We've had a double dose of Bloomsbury visitors, first with the Bowers and June Peat on Sunday. It was good to include Richard in our service as he helped us with our affirmation of faith. It was good too to have our local vicar in the congregation taking a break from his own flock.
Then we have had the big Bloomsbury invasion with the Tuesday Lunch crowd descending upon us and the people of Deal & Walmer for a summer outing. They came for tea which gave our ladies the opportunity to show their talents as only Walmer does best with a magnificent spread of sweet and savoury temptations. Doggy bags in hand the intrepid city folk boarded their train in good heart after a good dose of sea air and Walmer's hospitality.
This week sees the need to complete one final piece of work for the college - a reflective journal which must be in the post by tea-time on Friday!
We then turn our minds to Home Mission Sunday and our hosting of the East Kent SEBA Network Celebration on 5 September. Oh and I need to do a spot of training for the Friends of Kent Churches Sponsored Cycle Ride which looms on the horizon on 11 September.
Keep watching this space...
Much of the last week or so has been dominated by the important task of finishing my first year Portfolio for college which I have now done and have dispatched to Spurgeon's.
Amidst this necessary there has been the distractions of 'the flood' - a monsoon style downpour which closed the road in front of the church, flooded many homes and businesses across town and left us with a very soggy church lounge carpet. Thankfully this is now showing signs of drying out and our minor inconveniences have made us appreciate the enormity of the strife in Pakistan as they reel from their flooding.
A number of us spent a pleasant afternoon at the Community Picnic on Walmer Green arranged by the Parish Council and from our stall in the voluntary organisations marquee promoted our activities.
Our Knitting for the Needy group have also featured in a very nice article in the local paper -with a picture - as we sent Debbie back to South Africa with assorted garments for distribution amongst the AIDS orphans she works with.
We've had a double dose of Bloomsbury visitors, first with the Bowers and June Peat on Sunday. It was good to include Richard in our service as he helped us with our affirmation of faith. It was good too to have our local vicar in the congregation taking a break from his own flock.
Then we have had the big Bloomsbury invasion with the Tuesday Lunch crowd descending upon us and the people of Deal & Walmer for a summer outing. They came for tea which gave our ladies the opportunity to show their talents as only Walmer does best with a magnificent spread of sweet and savoury temptations. Doggy bags in hand the intrepid city folk boarded their train in good heart after a good dose of sea air and Walmer's hospitality.
This week sees the need to complete one final piece of work for the college - a reflective journal which must be in the post by tea-time on Friday!
We then turn our minds to Home Mission Sunday and our hosting of the East Kent SEBA Network Celebration on 5 September. Oh and I need to do a spot of training for the Friends of Kent Churches Sponsored Cycle Ride which looms on the horizon on 11 September.
Keep watching this space...
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
The wanderer returns
I'm back!
After the longest break I have taken in years I have returned home to the routine and busy life of running the church here in Walmer. Three days from my return the break all too quickly fades into a distant memory as life gets consumed by pastoral matters, planning for the autumn programmes and, of course, the need to finish my college Portfolio.
But what of Hawaii and the Baptist World Alliance Congress you may ask?
Well having spent two preliminary visits in Honolulu researching both hotel options and travel arrangements in and around Waikiki there were no real surprises on the logistics front.
Having secured accommodation in a hotel within walking distance of both the beach and the conference centre I was able to settle into the routine of long sunny, summer days very quickly.
With over 48 hours before the start of the Congress there was amply time to hit the beach and play 'Spot the Baptist'. It proved quite challenging at first to identify any Baptists although as the opening night of the congress drew closer some obvious groups from the Caribbean and Africa became more noticeable. American Baptists were less easy to identify and Brits were clearly in very short supply. All changed when the Congress identity badges were issued along with Congress bags and it was easy then to know who was who although of course the rebel in me kept folk guessing refusing as I did to add a new bag to my collection or to wear my badge unless forced to in the Congress Centre. That said, close contact when I was wearing my Walmer's Pastor t-shirt gave the game away but I was careful who I got close enough too to reveal that!
With all large scale events of this nature there were highs and lows. Whilst the Congress theme was 'Hear the Spirit' and we were enthused on the final day to believe how many had heard it I came away wondering whether we had given sufficient if any time to be still and actually hear the Spirit of God speaking amidst, when we were assembled, an almost continuous round of worship sessions, key-note addresses, Bible studies and Focus Groups.
That said, attending one of the Focus Groups on Inter-faith dialogue was refreshing, not least as it showed that in countries where there is a stereotypical view of hostility particularly to Muslims, on the ground there is reasoned dialogue building mutual trust and respect between those of the Abrahamic religions. (Less conciliatory tones were evident which is a worry but my hope is that those more conservative thinkers might 'Hear the Spirit'.)
According to Jonathan Edwards our own BUGB General Secretary, around 40 Baptists had registered from the UK. I think I saw around 12 including three retired folk from the north of England who joined me in regular seats at the back of the auditorium, happy to avoid the daily rush for front row seats to be nearest the platform and stand a good chance of being a face on the big screen when the cameras panned around! From the back it was possible to resist the frequent calls to stand and sing, clap, greet (even hug!) our neighbours and also beat a hasty retreat before the mass Exodus after each session.
The almost 400 strong children's choir from Korea was a memorable sight and sound, beautifully turned out and regimentally organised, singing in perfect dictionary English.
Informal conversations with fellow Baptists from around the world were illuminating even if Indian Pastors were at time a little pushy in their approach to wanting support for their ministries! 'Amen' affirming ladies from the Deep South who went around in packs were useful sidestepped and I have to confess at times were on the verge of affirming both negative and positive statements from the platform when they got into 'Amen', 'Hallelujah' auto-pilot.
On the whole I'm pleased to have experienced the event, proud to have been able to represent our small church in the South East of England and have that noted by both the General Secretary of BUGB and the Director of BMS World Mission and I shall make every effort to attend the next Congress in 2015 in South Africa.
Two days after the Congress and after most delegates had either left the Islands or slipped into anonymity without their land lards, I returned to the West Coast of the US and what is to me the familiar surroundings of San Francisco.
My hotel has had a make-over since my last stay and become Hotel Frank which reminded me of Bloomsbury and I half expected Mr Brown to appear from the lift at anytime. The four full days I had scheduled in San Francisco were 'Seyan time'. I know the city well enough to navigate without a map or guidebook. I know the weekday service times at Grace Cathedral and when the prayer Labyrinths are likely to be quietest. I know where to eat for good value food that caters for my diet and of course there's the opportunity to check-up on how Ryan and Amy Parker are doing.
It was good to spend an evening with them exchanging news and enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal (thanks Amy!).
All too soon the long flight home was called and although I'd not been successful in securing a place beyond the waiting list for a first class seat on any flight on the return trip I has an empty seat next to me which meant I could wriggle more and spread out although as is the norm any attempt at sleep proved impossible.
Now back home, here and elsewhere I need to report on my BWA experience and attempt to be positive and less cynical. More importantly right now the deadline for submitting my Portfolio for my first year looms as the end of the month fast approaches.
At church, today we have a photo call with our Knitters and the local paper, we are finalising our church outing plans for next week, I've started planning for Back to Church Sunday and Harvest and ordered banners and invitation cards. We also have a visit from friends at Bloomsbury, a Strawberry Tea and the East Kent Network Celebration we are hosting to enjoy over the next few weeks.
As ever, I hit the ground running fresh from my travels and will try and post an update here again soon.
After the longest break I have taken in years I have returned home to the routine and busy life of running the church here in Walmer. Three days from my return the break all too quickly fades into a distant memory as life gets consumed by pastoral matters, planning for the autumn programmes and, of course, the need to finish my college Portfolio.
But what of Hawaii and the Baptist World Alliance Congress you may ask?
Well having spent two preliminary visits in Honolulu researching both hotel options and travel arrangements in and around Waikiki there were no real surprises on the logistics front.
Having secured accommodation in a hotel within walking distance of both the beach and the conference centre I was able to settle into the routine of long sunny, summer days very quickly.
With over 48 hours before the start of the Congress there was amply time to hit the beach and play 'Spot the Baptist'. It proved quite challenging at first to identify any Baptists although as the opening night of the congress drew closer some obvious groups from the Caribbean and Africa became more noticeable. American Baptists were less easy to identify and Brits were clearly in very short supply. All changed when the Congress identity badges were issued along with Congress bags and it was easy then to know who was who although of course the rebel in me kept folk guessing refusing as I did to add a new bag to my collection or to wear my badge unless forced to in the Congress Centre. That said, close contact when I was wearing my Walmer's Pastor t-shirt gave the game away but I was careful who I got close enough too to reveal that!
With all large scale events of this nature there were highs and lows. Whilst the Congress theme was 'Hear the Spirit' and we were enthused on the final day to believe how many had heard it I came away wondering whether we had given sufficient if any time to be still and actually hear the Spirit of God speaking amidst, when we were assembled, an almost continuous round of worship sessions, key-note addresses, Bible studies and Focus Groups.
That said, attending one of the Focus Groups on Inter-faith dialogue was refreshing, not least as it showed that in countries where there is a stereotypical view of hostility particularly to Muslims, on the ground there is reasoned dialogue building mutual trust and respect between those of the Abrahamic religions. (Less conciliatory tones were evident which is a worry but my hope is that those more conservative thinkers might 'Hear the Spirit'.)
According to Jonathan Edwards our own BUGB General Secretary, around 40 Baptists had registered from the UK. I think I saw around 12 including three retired folk from the north of England who joined me in regular seats at the back of the auditorium, happy to avoid the daily rush for front row seats to be nearest the platform and stand a good chance of being a face on the big screen when the cameras panned around! From the back it was possible to resist the frequent calls to stand and sing, clap, greet (even hug!) our neighbours and also beat a hasty retreat before the mass Exodus after each session.
The almost 400 strong children's choir from Korea was a memorable sight and sound, beautifully turned out and regimentally organised, singing in perfect dictionary English.
Informal conversations with fellow Baptists from around the world were illuminating even if Indian Pastors were at time a little pushy in their approach to wanting support for their ministries! 'Amen' affirming ladies from the Deep South who went around in packs were useful sidestepped and I have to confess at times were on the verge of affirming both negative and positive statements from the platform when they got into 'Amen', 'Hallelujah' auto-pilot.
On the whole I'm pleased to have experienced the event, proud to have been able to represent our small church in the South East of England and have that noted by both the General Secretary of BUGB and the Director of BMS World Mission and I shall make every effort to attend the next Congress in 2015 in South Africa.
Two days after the Congress and after most delegates had either left the Islands or slipped into anonymity without their land lards, I returned to the West Coast of the US and what is to me the familiar surroundings of San Francisco.
My hotel has had a make-over since my last stay and become Hotel Frank which reminded me of Bloomsbury and I half expected Mr Brown to appear from the lift at anytime. The four full days I had scheduled in San Francisco were 'Seyan time'. I know the city well enough to navigate without a map or guidebook. I know the weekday service times at Grace Cathedral and when the prayer Labyrinths are likely to be quietest. I know where to eat for good value food that caters for my diet and of course there's the opportunity to check-up on how Ryan and Amy Parker are doing.
It was good to spend an evening with them exchanging news and enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal (thanks Amy!).
All too soon the long flight home was called and although I'd not been successful in securing a place beyond the waiting list for a first class seat on any flight on the return trip I has an empty seat next to me which meant I could wriggle more and spread out although as is the norm any attempt at sleep proved impossible.
Now back home, here and elsewhere I need to report on my BWA experience and attempt to be positive and less cynical. More importantly right now the deadline for submitting my Portfolio for my first year looms as the end of the month fast approaches.
At church, today we have a photo call with our Knitters and the local paper, we are finalising our church outing plans for next week, I've started planning for Back to Church Sunday and Harvest and ordered banners and invitation cards. We also have a visit from friends at Bloomsbury, a Strawberry Tea and the East Kent Network Celebration we are hosting to enjoy over the next few weeks.
As ever, I hit the ground running fresh from my travels and will try and post an update here again soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)