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.

Bloggiog from Blackpool

It is Baptist Assembly weekend and I am sunning myself 'up north' in Blackpool. The weather is warm and sunny and the opportunities to network with friends past and present is great as well hearing inspirational addresses from notebale leaders in the Baptist Union.
Reflecting back on the last few weeks it is clear I am a bit behind with updates!
Holy Week saw us at Walmer prepare for Easter with reflections each lunchtime that attracted 10+ people each day. Good Friday was appropriately reflective and everyone left with both a hot cross bun and a hand crafted 'cross in my pocket'.
Easter Saturday saw the fun and chaos of our Easter Egg Hunt with a good number of children trying their hardest to claim the 500 egg prizes we had available. The creativity of our ladies who entered our bonnet parade was great - not least the winning bunny design.
Easter Day saw an early start with sunshining as we celebrated Easter Communion at 8am in the park. We shared breakfast together in the Hall before joining with Celia in celebrating her baptism with a much bigger than usual congregation.
Before heading here to Blackpool on the day of the Royal Wedding I took a few days holiday seizing the opportunity to finish and submit two of the remaining four outstanding assignments of this semester. Hopefully the last two will be completed in the next few weeks well ahead of the June deadline.
Blogging should return to normal next week and will doubtless include a further update on the Baptist Assembly experience!

Books, Eggs and Getting Wet...

We're unning a bit behind the politicians, but at college we begin our Easter recess after lectures on Tuesday. With a late Easter and the May Bank Holiday it seems we will be away from college for almost a month. This means that if assignments are going to be written and submitted upon my return I need to take my full allocation of books home. This week then, I am like a pack horse laden with books on the Great Awakening, Evangelism, Atonement and commentaries on Paul's letter to the Colossians. That's enough to keep me busy in itself but, of course, when I get home there will be plenty to occupy my time. Easter looms and that at the moment means counting Easter Eggs in readiness for our Easter Egg Hunt. It also means arranging a dry run with our baptismal candidate in the baptistery, checking the heater is still working and also ensuring that our 'wardrobe mistress' has got towels, gowns, etc. ready for the big day. A member of a neighbouring church has confirmed they've finished the mini cross-stiched crosses I've requested for distribution on Good Friday. The guest preacher for Palm Sunday (I'm taking the Sunday off!) has sent through the order of service. Easter invitation cards are bundled ready for distribution. And, hopefully, two members are working on my suggestion to create an Easter Garden in one of the church planters in our grounds that is viewed by bus passengers and passersby every day. So, I have assignments to write after pouring over the books I have at home, doubtless there will be chocolate to eat or at least see others enjoying eating, and on Easter Day the prospect of getting wet as we celebrate our Easter faith with a baptism - Hallelujah!

Removing the blindfolds

It amazes me that my congregation will try anything without protest. As we reflected on the story of Jesus healing the man born blind, so they dutifully put on the blindfolds they had been given and sat listening to the service with their eyes covered.

This sight of them (no pun intended) easily matches that of them blowing bubbles together in church on Pentecost Sunday last year.

When the blindfold came off we celebrated Mothering Sunday with the distribution of plants that the children had decorated and displayed at the front of church while the grown-ups where blindfolded.

This Sundy saw the start of our pledge drive to see whether we can commit to raising sufficient funds over the next five years to sustain either full or part-time ministry beyond my placement. The Deacons have worked hard preparing an information pack which has gone to every member and friend for their prayerful consideration.

Easter looms and nervously but excitedly our baptismal candidate is preparing for her act of witness on Easter Day. Invitation cards for our full programme of Holy Week and Easter services and activities have arrived and we will distribute them to homes locally next week.

Easter Eggs are coming in in a variety of sizes for our Easter Egg Hunt which I will be promoting at school at an assembly I'm taking on Wednesday before the start of the Easter holidays.

With the sun shining, and spring well and truely here with the gardens bursting forth with colour, as an Easter person I am a 'happy bunny' looking forward to sharing with the congregation and the community the Easter story and hopefully, for some removing the their blindfolds to reveal the mystery of our faith we celebrate.

Big Society - Small World

The title of this week's update comes from the lecture title of the lecture delivered by Archbishop Rowan at King's College, London last Monday. It was a privilege to be in the audience to hear him, to meet him afterwards and to rub shoulders with a number of the Anglican clergy I knew from my London past. It was an unexpected opportunity in a week of positive experiences. In Walmer, as ever, the week was busy. Deacons met and after transacting our business we had a useful discussion on Settlement options which helped them present options to a Special Church Meeting. (I'm grateful to Brian Curtis for coming from Broadstairs to help the church through the discussions and decision process necessary.) By all accounts the SCM was very well supported and a very positive and optimistic spirit was abroad. A strategy has been adopted which will explore whether the finance is available to sustain the ministry for the next five years. It will be exciting to see how God works through this process and how he chooses to reveal his plan. Home groups continue to be well supported and Kids Kingdom, our Parent & Toddler group on Wednesday afternoons is bursting at the seems. With a lovely photo and write-up in the local paper, and blessed with a glorious spring day, we held our Souper Soup Lunch on Friday filling the hall with eager diners who contributed almost £125 to the work of Christian Aid. It has been a glorious week weather wise which meant I could spend a morning mowing the church lawns and with the help of the Grounds Team, flower tubs and borders are bursting into colour and all looks well-loved and cared for in the church grounds. The week ended with a little bit of pain - necessary tooth extractions - a rather unpleasant experience but thankfully now past! Thoughts turn to Mothering Sunday next Sunday and a school assembly on betrayal next week. Oh, and of course, there are this week's lectures to participate in. All in all, with much going on in the life of the church and its past it worth remembering we are part of the Big Society in a Small World.