Great to meet friends from around the world!

I spent most of today in a room at the Guy Chester Conference Centre in north London today.  There I met with eight members of the International Congregational Fellowship's Theological Commission.  The purpose of my meeting with them was to explore the issues relating to setting up the ICF-TC as an independent charitable body but still part of the ICF "family".

I was just 19 or 20 when I engaged in my first efforts in developing a workable constitution that satisfied Charity Law.  It seems a long time ago and I am amazed that the finished job was no worse than it was.  In fact it served tolerably well for many years but did have at least one serious flaw.  But over the years one gets wiser and as a trustee or director of various bodies, and an adviser to others the knowledge and skills developed find good use in the work of God.

Of course, apart from having to ensure compliance with the law, the most important thing is to develop a constitution or other governing instrument that enables the work of God rather than inhibiting it.

The blessing of the day was the opportunity to meet up again with Manfred (from Canada), Issa (from Lebanon), Bruce (from South Africa), Rick (from USA) and Harding (from Argentina), and to meet Bill (from USA) for the first time.  All this in addition to meeting again with Janet (from England) and Geraint (from Wales), both of whom I tend to meet more frequently.


I am confident that the business skills are part of God's gifting in my life but I'm not quite sure where they fit in Roman 12 or the passages in 1 Corinthians 12-14.  Is it "administration"?  Whatever it is, I have yet another Committee meeting to go to tomorrow, this time in Nottingham where the Congregational Federation's Mission and Society Committee will meet.  But... when we are prepared to welcome him in, God can also turn up in some surprising places!


One final note, just to remind myself (and anyone reading this in time) that Steve de Gruchy's funeral in South Africa is at 17.00 GMT Saturday 27th February (i.e. tomorrow).  Steve died very tragically in a rafting accident recently.  I mentioned more details in yesterday's posting - you can see all by clicking on the name of the month.