'We' say thank YOU!

The pressure of the third year's college schedule continues and shows no sign of letting up as assignment deadlines loom and word counts seem to be targets beyond achievement. But the focus today in this blog update is not on studies but upon church life.

Even through the semester break (half-term) life has been busy!

'We' - the royal we - have boxed up just over 50 shoebox gifts for 'Love in a Box' Christmas Appeal. 'We' have been industrious outside the church laying concrete to improve our paths. We have fed 70 guests at our (now) Annual Spuds 'n' Sparklers evening. To all who have made this possible - 'thank YOU'.

Our thoughts begin to turn to Advent & Christmas. Cards for distribution to our friends and neighbours with details of our services and activities have been order, printed and received and will be bundled for distribution soon. In advance of those who will sign-up to pound the pavements of our community - 'thank YOU'.

This week 'we' (again) prepare to host young Ukrainian visitors who begin a national concert tour here in Walmer. To those who will accommodate them and look after them - thank YOU.

It is Remembrancetide and we will gather at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month in the cemetery beside the graveside of Pte William Bennett and on Sunday stand in silence in church and in these solemn acts will say - thank YOU.

Over the next couple of weeks we will be preparing Christmas gifts for local shut-in folk and also collecting new toys for distribution by the London City Mission. Whilst we may not know the recipients of these gifts in our community or in London we are confident that each will bring a smile of happiness and love to the recipient, and for that - thank YOU.

Personally, I have the opportunity to speak at Bloomsbury next week about my travels in Thailand with BMS and it is encouraging already to hear of a goof number of friends who have committed to attend and share the Thai meal and hear my ramblings - thank YOU.

Finally, for your patience with my erratic attempts to blog and your continued interest in reading what I write, in an attempt to inform you of both my college and church experiences - thank YOU.

Pressure builds...

So, at week three the enormity of the challenge which is the third year assignment schedule kicks in. Today, I post this update from the library having taken time to extract from the bookshelves sufficient commentaries, I hope, of John's Gospel to enable me to write my first assignment in next week's mid-semester break.

College life falls into a routine pattern of listening to lecturers, participating when prompted in group discussions and the experiencing the diversity of expressing which is Chapel worship.

In Walmer pressure builds as a busy programme of Autumn events loom. This week sees our monthly Quiz Night, I'm speaking about Thailand to a group that meets at the church, we have two teams entered in the area Christian Aid Quiz Night and we have our monthly Table-Top at which I will be serving Bacon Butties as usual.

We are starting to plan for Spuds & Sparklers - our Indoor Firework Party - the visit by a Ukrainian Choir performing the first concert of their UK tour with us.

Last Sunday we celebrated Baptists Together at the Deal Church along with our friends from Mongeham and that ended a busy week when I attended a Womens World Day of Prayer Conference and a SEBA-run Conference on Homosexuality and the church's response.

The diary continues to fill up - today the Headteacher of the local primary school has booked an assembly when the Vicar and I will present Bibles to 60 year 3 children purchased from donations by our church members.

Thanks to our 'new' industrious fabric team members work whould start on concreteing paths around the church which have until now been problematic gravel beds.

So with Christmas looming around the corner, the pressure builds... bringing excitement, anticipation and challenges.

New Year, New Semester, New Experiences

I guess that technically the new year began with the Trans Cultural Mission Trip to Thailand in September. With seven fellow students and our lecturer, Peter Morden, we had a challenging and enlightening experience on our Short-Term BMS Mission Trip. (I've begun a round of presentations on the trip locally and this will extend to London next month.

Now back at college the Semester proper has begun - the start of my final year - and the assignment list for the January deadline is quite demanding. That said, it is good to be back in the routine of study, interacting with fellow students and making the most of enforced travel to London.

Pastorally, the return to London has thrown up some unexpected challenges but it has been a privelage to, in some small measure, be a support to friends.

Life in Walmer remains busy. We've celebrated Harvest as a fellowship and with childen and parents from The Downs School. Our new Badminton Group continues to flourish. Although we've received planning permission for our kitchen project, funding issues have arisen along with the stipulation we install a Fire Alarm system.

So, the Autumn continues with new challenges expected or unexpected... watch this space.

I'm alive!

OK, I realise that in this cyber world it is difficult to prove but I am alive. I am here - in the College Library - typing this long overdue update to my blog. I know many of those who are kind enough to follow the thread of my ramblings here have missed me. The e-mails building up in my in-box are testament to your concern.
What I have discovered, much to m frustration, is that I seem only to update my blog from my notebook pc rather than conveniently from my desktop pc in my study.
This is a feeble excuse, I know, but the effort of finding the notebook at home and firing it up just to update the blog constantly slips down the order of priorities especially when the pace of life changes in the summer college break.
But, here, finally, I am and on my notebook in the peace and calm of the College Library having come to London to hand in my freshly completed, bright yellow, Professional Ministry and Practice folder. In order to complete the final piece of work for year two, my Reflective Journal I need a couple of quotes from some learned scholars so after posting this blog update I need to hit the books.

So, NEWS, I hear you cry...
1. The church remains in good heart. We've had a busy summer - with me around more it means we can do more. Here's what I can remember we've done...
Coach trip to Cite Europe & Boulogne
Entered a float in the town carnival
Held a Strawberry Tea
Hosted a two-day Nostalgia Exhibition (old photos of church events since 1940's)
Continued Knitting for the Needy
Started a Badminton Group
Run a series of Hymn-sings on Thursday afternoons.
Welcomed friends from Bloomsbury their summer outing and served them tea.
2. The future: I have agreed the Settlement terms offered by the church when college studies end and will remain here on a 70% stipend. We await to hear whether Home Mission will help us with our finances. We continue to work with our architect through the complexities of the planning process to relocate the kitchen.
3. Pastorally, with an older congregation we have found a number of folk laid low, with a couple currently in hospital. The untimely death of my father's friend/companion of 30 years+ and conducting both her funeral and memorial service was emotionally draining.
4. Thailand: My College Team trip looms ever closer - I will be away 1 - 19 September - and the recent vaccination crippled me for almost a fortnight with sickness and diarrhoea! Packing must start in earnest next week to ensure I can get all I perceive I shall need to take into my case.

So, an update, such as it is, is now typed. an hour or so of serious study lies ahead.

Thank you for your patience in bearing with my tardiness in not blogging more over the summer. I'll endeavour a new update when I'm back from Thailand but failing that college resumes at the beginning of October and hopefully I can return to my usual irregular discipline of weekly updates - ha, ha!

Busy Days...

A blog update is long overdue - sorry to regular readers who feel neglected!
Since my last blog - assignments have been written and marked, the Doctrine exam sat and marked too and the two 2-day Professional Ministry and Practice weeks have begun.
I am amzaed that the marks have come back as well as they have and that it has been possible to match the grades of year 1.

Around this, life has been busy in church as we have prepared for and celebrated the Big Lunch. Although it was a very wet day the Jardine's did a marvellous job with the barbecue and the fifty or so people who filled the hall had a great social time. It was good to have so many family members joining regular attenders for the day.

We have also gathered with friends from local churches for a united evening service to recognise the value of paticipating in the Lent Course 'Confident Discipleship'.

Pentecost afforded the opportunity to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Version and we had Danielle lead us in the Lord's Prayer in Afrikaans (appreciated by Dutch visitors that morning).

Thoughts are turning towards the summer, our hymn-sing programme, our outing to France and entering the local carnival.

Thailand with BMS in September looms large too not least since the days training in Birmingham last Saturday. Having found the necessary funds to pay for flights and accomodation as requested by BMS some additional effort will be needed to fund the necessary supplies - mosquitto net, repelent, vacinations, etc that are required and which don't come cheap.

This weekend we celebrate our Church Anniversary with our Regional Minister Team Leader Stuart Davison leading worship. Hopefully whilst he is with us it will be possible to inform the church of my response to their Settlement proposal of a Part-time (70%) appointment from next summer after their unanimous call. This is now possible having successfully received the Commendation of the College Principal a necessary step in the acreditation process as a Baptist Minister.

So in many ways it has been a busy time and promises to remain so for the forseeable future. Watch this space.

I don't believe it!

It can't be true! Tomorrow is the last day of lectures for the second year of this process. Next week is revision week when the last assignments need to get to college by Friday. After that 1 exam and four days of specialist training on Conflict Management and RE in schools and that will be it. (Of course there remains the summer project of the PMP folder but from here on in the pressure is off until October.
I don't believe it!

Looking back over the last couple of weeks since my last update there is little to report beyond the usual. Walmer life continues in the same vain, everyone in good heart and blessed by the gorgeous summer weather.

We have marked two special Sundays, one recognising the work of Christian Aid, the other the work of the London City Mission. We've begun to watch 'The History of Christianity' series in our Manse homegroups and held another successful table-top sale which attracted many new and familiar faces into the building.

Kids Kingdom, our Parent & Toddler group flourishes with 24 tots 'running riot' last week!

With sadness we will be remembering an elderly member who died recently at a memorial service this week. This will be the first such remembrance of my pastorate.

On a practical note, the new loo is installed and operational at the front of church which is already proving to be useful. Our architect hopes to have draft plans for us for the kitchen very soon. All very exciting!

Details of the arrangements for Thailand are emerging from BMS Headquarters. It sounds as if our trip will be busy, demanding and challenging and - I hope - fun. More of this later.

So as I prepare to upload this to the web I return to my initial thought...I can't believe it - but it's true.

The countdown...

Well there are three more teaching weeks left of year two and four weeks to get assignments written and submitted so the pressure builds. That said I'm on target - I think -assignment 3 of 4 is taking shape in my mind and may well be completed by the end of this week. It has been good to be back in college to catch up with news from fellow students on their experiences over Easter and the last two weeks.
It has been good too, to have time to reflect upon the positive experiences of Baptist Assembly - the worship, Pat Took's sermon, Wale Hudson-Roberts' Bible study, the countless opportunities to fellowship with friends and the innovative way communion was presented on Sunday morning.
Back in Walmer it has been a time to reflect as I received the call from the congregation to prayerfully consider becoming their Minister (70%-time) when my studies are completed in 2012.
We received encouragement from our Home Mission visitors who will seek to support our Ministry Grant application for 2012 and unsolicited encouragement in practical terms has also been offered from friends in London.
Work has begun on installing a new toilet at the front of church - a project muted around 25 years ago!! With the plumbers we have spent some time last week trying to understand the drainage system of the church and with the architect we've started on the 'kitchen project' by drawing up the plans we need to submit to the local authority.
So, the countdown to the end of year two has begun, we have begun the countdown to completing some fabric projects and the settlement process countdown is also underway.