The mid-point of my college course and training looms close with the end of the semester studies on 1 February. With one assignment left to write - I turned in three for marking this morning - I'm on target to finish the necessary written work ahead of schedule. One or two fellow students are at pains to remind me we have an exam on 1 February to undergo and I have not forgotten that joy which officially rounds off the semester and the half way point.
So very soon it will be the down hill slop to finishing the course. Frighteningly we have begun to explore the Settlement process which will decide our future ministry's post-college. This prompts Walmer to think about its long term desires for ministry and of course a long hard look at its finances.
Our first Deacons Meeting of the year is scheduled for this week and the Treasurer seems happy that the accounts for 2010 have balanced and we have sufficient funds to keep things running for the time being. We need to prayerfully consider our application for Home Mission funding in 2012. Our AGM is a month away and we need to spend time as a church reflecting on the future goals, short and long term.
In the immediate future, however, is Christian Unity Week. It is a privilege to have been invited to preach st the parish churches and also to have an Anglican preach for us. Even more special is the opportunity to share with the Vicar in an United Service on Sunday evening which we are hosting.
We continue to be encouraged by church attendance and the number of new faces we see in the pews each week. It is also heartening to welcome back a number of folk who have been convalescing at home.
Monday, 17 January 2011
Monday, 10 January 2011
New Year - Still breathing
Happy New Year everyone - it is still only ten days old so I think I can get away with such an opening greeting. For those who have wondered whether the festive season had overwhelmed to to the extent that I had disappeared here is the reassurance that I am still breathing albeit after a period of hibernation.
Since my last blog I have been on Christmas break from college which has meant that all available time has focused on the church and our extensive programme of Christmas services interrupted from time to time by the falling of snow which necessitated some snowman building and path clearances.
All of our Christmas services were well attended by both visitors and regular folk and I hope we re-told the familiar story of the birth of Jesus in refreshing and challenging ways across the season. Certainly those who attended who received their gifts at the various pre-Christmas services - a glow stick, a bag of straw and a copy of John's gospel - had something to take away and reflect upon as well as share in the familiar carol singing and bible readings.
Our own carol singing in the neighbourhood proved a popular event and our 'choir' brought Christmas cheer to a number of our shut-in folk.
Laid low with the flu from Boxing Day, three days in bed provided a period of enforced rest which was probably necessary although I am not a good patient not least when I know I have lots I want to do and am physically not up to the challenge.
Anyway the flu has passed and we have journeyed with the Magi into the new year and the Epiphany Season. We have had three folk - local residents - visit us on Sundays and each has indicated a desire to return. We will look forward to welcoming them again.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity looms and this year I have been invited to preach at the parish churches and we will have an Anglican minister preach in place here. The Vicar and I will also lead a united service for our congregations which re-introduces something which has not happened in our community for 20 years or so.
Today I update this blog sitting in the college library having returned to Spurgeons for the last four weeks of the semester. Two assignments and a journal need to be completed by 31 January so I have enough to keep me occupied for the next few weeks but will doubtless find time to post another update here soon.
In the mean time the challenge remains to be still breathing....
Since my last blog I have been on Christmas break from college which has meant that all available time has focused on the church and our extensive programme of Christmas services interrupted from time to time by the falling of snow which necessitated some snowman building and path clearances.
All of our Christmas services were well attended by both visitors and regular folk and I hope we re-told the familiar story of the birth of Jesus in refreshing and challenging ways across the season. Certainly those who attended who received their gifts at the various pre-Christmas services - a glow stick, a bag of straw and a copy of John's gospel - had something to take away and reflect upon as well as share in the familiar carol singing and bible readings.
Our own carol singing in the neighbourhood proved a popular event and our 'choir' brought Christmas cheer to a number of our shut-in folk.
Laid low with the flu from Boxing Day, three days in bed provided a period of enforced rest which was probably necessary although I am not a good patient not least when I know I have lots I want to do and am physically not up to the challenge.
Anyway the flu has passed and we have journeyed with the Magi into the new year and the Epiphany Season. We have had three folk - local residents - visit us on Sundays and each has indicated a desire to return. We will look forward to welcoming them again.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity looms and this year I have been invited to preach at the parish churches and we will have an Anglican minister preach in place here. The Vicar and I will also lead a united service for our congregations which re-introduces something which has not happened in our community for 20 years or so.
Today I update this blog sitting in the college library having returned to Spurgeons for the last four weeks of the semester. Two assignments and a journal need to be completed by 31 January so I have enough to keep me occupied for the next few weeks but will doubtless find time to post another update here soon.
In the mean time the challenge remains to be still breathing....
Monday, 13 December 2010
Completing Christmas!
We're midway through Advent and have finally started to get into the Christmas Spirit. We held a successful Table Top Sale on Saturday which brought in a new selection of stallholders and an ever varied selection of bargain hunters. It was a great atmosphere and everyone seemed to have a rewarding time. The efforts of our fundraising committee who organise these events is to be commended as the funds raised help towards building up a fund for future fabric and outreach expenditure.
In the evening (who had the idea to do these things on the same day!) we held our Christmas Dinner. Forty-eight attended which brought its own challenges for the catering team not least fining enough oven space for all the roast potatoes. In the end all way cooked and served and everyone was well and truely stuffed! The proceeds of the evening - £100 - were presented to representatives of The Folkestone Rainbow Centre, a homeless charity we had decided at Church Meeting to support. We rounded the evening off with carol singing - the first carols we had sung in the 2010 season! Reflecting upon the mountain of washing up, with fresh enthusiasm we resolved to commit to the challenge of relocating the kitchen by next year so we could prepare, cook, serve and clear up that much easier at such events.
Our 'alternative' Christmas tree has been placed in the church - a simply decorated cross - after it was displayed at the town's Methodist Church during the first week of Advent as part of their Christmas Tree Festival's display.
At our final Home Groups of the year we listen to the insightful recording of an interview with the writer/producer of the BBC series 'The Nativity' to be shown in prime-time during Christmas Week.
We prepare now for the long run of Christmas services and activities. The knitters have their Christmas Party on Wednesday, we hold our All-Age Nativity Service on Sunday 19th with Carol Singing to our neighbours in the afternoon. With our Carol Service on Wednesday of Christmas week, Family Carols on Christmas Eve and a Family Service on Christmas Day, we will be looking forward to the end of our celebration with Informal Worship on Boxing Day.
Having distributed over 1500 invitations to local homes we hope that we will see some new faces at some if not all of our celebrations.
College term finishes this week and I have two assignments to hand in well ahead of the 31st January deadline and hope to relieve the library shelves of a few books to help complete one, if not two more, over Christmas.
On a personal note having skipped a couple of weeks of college for hospital appointments I am awaiting news of results but with the assurance of the Consultant that all seems well.
So Christmas is coming...and so, if the weathermen are correct, is more snow - hopefully the right sort this time so I can build some snowmen! Then my Christmas will be complete!
In the evening (who had the idea to do these things on the same day!) we held our Christmas Dinner. Forty-eight attended which brought its own challenges for the catering team not least fining enough oven space for all the roast potatoes. In the end all way cooked and served and everyone was well and truely stuffed! The proceeds of the evening - £100 - were presented to representatives of The Folkestone Rainbow Centre, a homeless charity we had decided at Church Meeting to support. We rounded the evening off with carol singing - the first carols we had sung in the 2010 season! Reflecting upon the mountain of washing up, with fresh enthusiasm we resolved to commit to the challenge of relocating the kitchen by next year so we could prepare, cook, serve and clear up that much easier at such events.
Our 'alternative' Christmas tree has been placed in the church - a simply decorated cross - after it was displayed at the town's Methodist Church during the first week of Advent as part of their Christmas Tree Festival's display.
At our final Home Groups of the year we listen to the insightful recording of an interview with the writer/producer of the BBC series 'The Nativity' to be shown in prime-time during Christmas Week.
We prepare now for the long run of Christmas services and activities. The knitters have their Christmas Party on Wednesday, we hold our All-Age Nativity Service on Sunday 19th with Carol Singing to our neighbours in the afternoon. With our Carol Service on Wednesday of Christmas week, Family Carols on Christmas Eve and a Family Service on Christmas Day, we will be looking forward to the end of our celebration with Informal Worship on Boxing Day.
Having distributed over 1500 invitations to local homes we hope that we will see some new faces at some if not all of our celebrations.
College term finishes this week and I have two assignments to hand in well ahead of the 31st January deadline and hope to relieve the library shelves of a few books to help complete one, if not two more, over Christmas.
On a personal note having skipped a couple of weeks of college for hospital appointments I am awaiting news of results but with the assurance of the Consultant that all seems well.
So Christmas is coming...and so, if the weathermen are correct, is more snow - hopefully the right sort this time so I can build some snowmen! Then my Christmas will be complete!
Monday, 29 November 2010
Is He laughing at me?
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.
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, 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.
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