This morning I took the service in Gartree Prison together with three friends from Theddingworth Congregational Church. All of us feel that this is an important part of the ministry God has given us. We work as a team. We try to make the service interesting, in some senses enjoyable, but always wanting to be sensitive to what God might be wanting to say.
Like the apostle Paul, we drew on cultural issues to illustrate spiritual truth - this time the World Cup. We reflected on being chosen for the team, and the contrast between the criteria the England manager uses and that which God uses, we thought about spiritual fitness, our individual roles within the team, enduring to the final whistle, and finally the bliss of winning the trophy - especially that which lasts for ever.
The four of us love to sing and sing in four part harmony, which adds a dynamic to the meeting. The lads sing well anyway. Today there must have been around 12% of the prison population at the service. All of these are serving life sentences. Of course punishments for crimes such as murder need to be appropriate but the wastefulness of life in prison never fails to move me. In Christian terms the challenge is to work out how God can redeem this situation they are in, and how they can live fulfilled Christian lives including ministry as members of the body of Christ within the prison community.
So please pray for the lads who came today. And please remember me in my weekly visits there on a Tuesday afternoon.
One man I know quite well has just been found to have a brain tumour and now has to see a specialist.
Another man I got to know well and who is no longer in this prison has recently had his sentence quashed after many years in prison but will face a retrial presumably for manslaughter. He is still quite young and he will need appropriate counselling and support beyond that which would be normal within the system.
Pray for the work of the choir, which goes well beyond singing. It is really therapeutic. We could do with at least six new members as some of the lads have been transferred to other prisons.
Pray for the Chaplaincy team - full time, part time, and a host of voluntary workers, visitors etc. Of course, in addition to the Christians there are chaplains of other faiths with whom there has to be a harmonious relationship.
Spend a moment to think how you might feel living in a room 8' x 6' which has to serve as your dining room, bedroom, and toilet. How might you feel knowing that you cannot support your family and have left your wife to cope with bringing up the children and coping as a single parent. Such a situation could easily last 12 or more years, Imagine that what put you inside was a moment of stupidity, an argument that went too far, perhaps under the influence of drink. For some of the men - indeed some that I work with - that would be typical, though there are others with a history of violence. Justice needs to be done but the cost to others than the guilty person is high. So pray for those that work with the families - and also remember that for each man inside there is also very probably the grieving family of the victim outside.
Sunday 30 May 2010
Saturday 29 May 2010
The coming week's activities
A quieter week which will allow me to press on catching up with administration and the backlog of orders for "No Ordinary Man" and other resources.
Sunday 30th May
Enter Gartree Prison (Leics) at 8.30 with Steve, Liz and Margaret for the 9.00 service followed by informal fellowship.
18.00 Share in the service at Theddingworth, Leics.
Monday 31st May (Bank Holiday)
Ministry prep and admin.
Tuesday 1st June
13.30 to 16.00 Gartree Prison (on my own with the choir this week)
Wednesday 2nd June
Office activities all day.
Thursday 3rd June
Day set aside for pastoral ministry and teaching at Yelvertoft, Northants.
Friday 4th June
15.00 Funeral Service for Leison (the young man who died in a work related accident - see past blog), Stoke on Trent
19.00 Congregational Federation East Midlands Area Executive Meeting, Leicester.
Saturday 5th June
Free day.
Sunday 6th June
10.45 Yelvertoft Congregational Church, Northants
18.00 Market Harborough Congregational Church, Leics.
Your prayers are very much appreciated. Please read previous postings for news of the past week.
Sunday 30th May
Enter Gartree Prison (Leics) at 8.30 with Steve, Liz and Margaret for the 9.00 service followed by informal fellowship.
18.00 Share in the service at Theddingworth, Leics.
Monday 31st May (Bank Holiday)
Ministry prep and admin.
Tuesday 1st June
13.30 to 16.00 Gartree Prison (on my own with the choir this week)
Wednesday 2nd June
Office activities all day.
Thursday 3rd June
Day set aside for pastoral ministry and teaching at Yelvertoft, Northants.
Friday 4th June
15.00 Funeral Service for Leison (the young man who died in a work related accident - see past blog), Stoke on Trent
19.00 Congregational Federation East Midlands Area Executive Meeting, Leicester.
Saturday 5th June
Free day.
Sunday 6th June
10.45 Yelvertoft Congregational Church, Northants
18.00 Market Harborough Congregational Church, Leics.
Your prayers are very much appreciated. Please read previous postings for news of the past week.
The benefits of networking
During the past few days I organised and led two gatherings of rural church leaders - one in Market Harborough covers south Leicestershire and north Northamptonshire; the other is in the Rugby area and covers parts of Northamptonshire and parts of Warwickshire.
On both occasions there was encouraging information shared. This included news of an effective evangelistic mission held between Palm Sunday and Easter Day, and a whole raft of other stories, some of which had profound outcomes. We run these network gatherings roughly every other month.
Orders for "No Ordinary Man" continue to come in. Those who have seen the book and the scheme just jump at it. We are also now getting the responses to the survey coming in. So far these all contain very positive comments. If you are not too sure about this scheme please take a look at the section on our website, www.ruralmissions.org.uk. You will find a link on the home page.
Talking about the website, I am seriously considering making a change. It costs Rural Sunrise roughly £80 per month for this interactive website but most of those registered do not seem to make use of its facilities. Right now there is a free offer for an excellent resource but I have to make my mind up this weekend!
Final piece of information is that Saturday saw one of the enormous piles of accumulated paperwork disappear from my desk. One more to go! I am feeling so much more energetic since the operation, thankfully.
On both occasions there was encouraging information shared. This included news of an effective evangelistic mission held between Palm Sunday and Easter Day, and a whole raft of other stories, some of which had profound outcomes. We run these network gatherings roughly every other month.
Orders for "No Ordinary Man" continue to come in. Those who have seen the book and the scheme just jump at it. We are also now getting the responses to the survey coming in. So far these all contain very positive comments. If you are not too sure about this scheme please take a look at the section on our website, www.ruralmissions.org.uk. You will find a link on the home page.
Talking about the website, I am seriously considering making a change. It costs Rural Sunrise roughly £80 per month for this interactive website but most of those registered do not seem to make use of its facilities. Right now there is a free offer for an excellent resource but I have to make my mind up this weekend!
Final piece of information is that Saturday saw one of the enormous piles of accumulated paperwork disappear from my desk. One more to go! I am feeling so much more energetic since the operation, thankfully.
Monday 24 May 2010
In the Doldrums?
Yesterday I took the meetings at Yelvertoft in the morning and Theddingworth in the evening. It was Pentecost Sunday and I included in both a reference to the Doldrums. The word means a dull mood and is sometimes used to describe a state of depression. Geographically it refers to parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans at the equator where the heat causes hot air to rise forming convection currents moving north and south and where they then often cancel each other out.
In the days of sailing ships it was possible to remain becalmed in the Doldrums for many days or even weeks. With a limited supply of food and water, to become becalmed for long periods posed a serious threat to a ship. It was not unknown for a ship's master to decide to let down small boats manned with tough sailors and with a line back to the ship. The plan was that they would row as hard as they could in an endeavour to tow the ship out of the Doldrums and to a place where it could once again pick up wind in its sails.
It would have been hard work trying to tow a large and heavy ship by rowing from a small boat. Some cynics suggest that the task was undertaken to keep the men out of mischief. For me, at Pentecost, it provides an image for many Christian's spiritual lives and certainly that of many churches. The Holy Spirit is the driving force for holiness and power in witnessing to the gospel. Our worship should have the breath of the Holy Spirit in it. But instead of feeling driven we all too often lie motionless or even resorting to ridiculous human effort instead of catching the wind once more in our spiritual sails.
Of course the picture breaks down in that there is not any time when the Holy Spirits power is cancelled out, but it is certainly possible to arrive at a place in our lives or in the life of a church where we no longer feel God's mighty power at work. At such time the correct remedy has to be to pray and cry to God until we have come back to the place where we feel his power at work.
I don't know about you but I have no appetite for trying to tow a ship from a boat!
Incidentally, I finally completed and sent off the evangelism module to my colleague who is editing the Growing Disciples Course. It's an interactive module and is developed from one I use on church away days, or sessions on tailoring mission to the local church.
In the days of sailing ships it was possible to remain becalmed in the Doldrums for many days or even weeks. With a limited supply of food and water, to become becalmed for long periods posed a serious threat to a ship. It was not unknown for a ship's master to decide to let down small boats manned with tough sailors and with a line back to the ship. The plan was that they would row as hard as they could in an endeavour to tow the ship out of the Doldrums and to a place where it could once again pick up wind in its sails.
It would have been hard work trying to tow a large and heavy ship by rowing from a small boat. Some cynics suggest that the task was undertaken to keep the men out of mischief. For me, at Pentecost, it provides an image for many Christian's spiritual lives and certainly that of many churches. The Holy Spirit is the driving force for holiness and power in witnessing to the gospel. Our worship should have the breath of the Holy Spirit in it. But instead of feeling driven we all too often lie motionless or even resorting to ridiculous human effort instead of catching the wind once more in our spiritual sails.
Of course the picture breaks down in that there is not any time when the Holy Spirits power is cancelled out, but it is certainly possible to arrive at a place in our lives or in the life of a church where we no longer feel God's mighty power at work. At such time the correct remedy has to be to pray and cry to God until we have come back to the place where we feel his power at work.
I don't know about you but I have no appetite for trying to tow a ship from a boat!
Incidentally, I finally completed and sent off the evangelism module to my colleague who is editing the Growing Disciples Course. It's an interactive module and is developed from one I use on church away days, or sessions on tailoring mission to the local church.
Sunday 23 May 2010
This Week's Diary
Not quite so much in the way of activities this week - although work always expands to fill the time available!
Sunday 23rd May (Pentecost)
10.45 Yelvertoft Congregational Church, Northants
18.00 Theddingworth Congregational Church, Leics
Tuesday 25th May
13.00 - 16.00 Prison Choir, Gartree, Leics
Wednesday 26th May
12.00 - 14.00 Rural Church Leaders Lunchtime Meeting, Market Harborough, Leics.
(and Local Management Committee Meeting)
Thursday 27th May
12.00 - 14.00 Rural Church Leaders Lunchtime Meeting, Grandborough, Warwicks.
Sunday 30th May
8.30 am into Gartree Prison with Steve, Liz and Margaret from Theddingworth to take the morning service followed by informal fellowship afterwards.
18.00 attending Theddingworth Congregational Church
This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zech.4:6
Thank you for praying for me.
Sunday 23rd May (Pentecost)
10.45 Yelvertoft Congregational Church, Northants
18.00 Theddingworth Congregational Church, Leics
Tuesday 25th May
13.00 - 16.00 Prison Choir, Gartree, Leics
Wednesday 26th May
12.00 - 14.00 Rural Church Leaders Lunchtime Meeting, Market Harborough, Leics.
(and Local Management Committee Meeting)
Thursday 27th May
12.00 - 14.00 Rural Church Leaders Lunchtime Meeting, Grandborough, Warwicks.
Sunday 30th May
8.30 am into Gartree Prison with Steve, Liz and Margaret from Theddingworth to take the morning service followed by informal fellowship afterwards.
18.00 attending Theddingworth Congregational Church
This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zech.4:6
Thank you for praying for me.
Saturday 22 May 2010
A Word in Season
I've been tied to my desk for most of the day - such a super summers day too! But I have had to set up a new account for managing my work related income and expenditure and getting the opening balances right is a challenge. Until recently all expenses and purchases relating to the church, Rural Sunrise and others were usually initially covered with a credit card and then reimbursements passed through my personal current account until I discovered this was illegal! So the work has to be done and has to be absolutely right for HMRC, and I guess it will feel good when the job is finished.
I spoke with Sylvia again and passed on to her and Alfred the many messages of support that had come to me for them (see yesterday's post). As I had prayed for them and for Esther and the boys a passage of scripture had come to mind, which I alluded to in yesterday's blog:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
2 Corinthians 1: 3-5
We spoke about the wonderful way in which God brings his word to our minds and hearts at time of need and it reminded me of the day after my father died. He lay in a hospital bed and asked me to commit him to the Lord. Then they increased the morphine and my mother sat with him and held his hand until he passed away. His only words to her were "I'm alright". Mum coped amazingly the following hours, witnessing to doctors and nurses of her Saviour. That night she slept in the guest room in our community house where she woke early with sunshine streaming through the windows and - for the first time - felt those waves of loss and grief hit her hard.
Reaching for the Gideon's Bible beside her bed she cried to God to say something that would meet her need in that moment. She opened an unfamiliar Bible at random and found herself looking at Ezekiel 24:16-17. Of course you and I know that there could not possibly be anything to comfort someone who has just lost the love of their life, but take another look!
I could give you a well reasoned argument for the Bible being God's word, but the clincher is that God speaks his word through these words in a way that touches our hearts and changes our lives. Thank God for his word - he has yet more light and truth to break forth from it, as Pastor John Robinson said in 1620 when bidding farewell to those who became known as the Pilgrim Fathers.
I spoke with Sylvia again and passed on to her and Alfred the many messages of support that had come to me for them (see yesterday's post). As I had prayed for them and for Esther and the boys a passage of scripture had come to mind, which I alluded to in yesterday's blog:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
2 Corinthians 1: 3-5
We spoke about the wonderful way in which God brings his word to our minds and hearts at time of need and it reminded me of the day after my father died. He lay in a hospital bed and asked me to commit him to the Lord. Then they increased the morphine and my mother sat with him and held his hand until he passed away. His only words to her were "I'm alright". Mum coped amazingly the following hours, witnessing to doctors and nurses of her Saviour. That night she slept in the guest room in our community house where she woke early with sunshine streaming through the windows and - for the first time - felt those waves of loss and grief hit her hard.
Reaching for the Gideon's Bible beside her bed she cried to God to say something that would meet her need in that moment. She opened an unfamiliar Bible at random and found herself looking at Ezekiel 24:16-17. Of course you and I know that there could not possibly be anything to comfort someone who has just lost the love of their life, but take another look!
I could give you a well reasoned argument for the Bible being God's word, but the clincher is that God speaks his word through these words in a way that touches our hearts and changes our lives. Thank God for his word - he has yet more light and truth to break forth from it, as Pastor John Robinson said in 1620 when bidding farewell to those who became known as the Pilgrim Fathers.
Friday 21 May 2010
Good News and sad News
I received a phone call first thing this morning from Sylvia. She and her husband Alfred had been colleagues when I worked in Mission for Christ way back. Sylvia's voice betrayed her emotion and my first thought was that something had happened to Alf. But it wasn't Alf; it was their third son, Leison. An accident at work had caused a large heavy oak beam to fall on him and his skull had been crushed. He was not expected to live; we were asked to pray for all the family, especially his wife and their children.
Much of the rest of the day was taken up with phone calls to mutual friends with more requests for prayer. Later, after another phone call from Sylvia my phone calls were to pass on the news that he had died this afternoon. This is the second time something like this has happened and I still could not find anything special to say beyond the promise of our prayers. Esther, his wife is not a committed Christian but so many in the family are and I pray that they might be able to comfort Esther with the comfort they will (I pray) receive from the Lord.
Struggling to get my personal accounts in order and ensure I have claimed the expenses I should have claimed seemed far more mundane than usual. It does not feel a very productive day today. I collected my car from the garage. The Astra that I use for work is now 13 years old and has over 102,000 miles on the clock. Recently it has been depositing oil on the road - mostly in front of my neighbours homes, to my embarrassment. The garage had fixed one cause a few weeks ago but it seems that was not the only source and a bolt on a bracket had worn. The car has run up more bills than I want recently but it is still in general good order and the engine is good. It has seemed wrong to take up the car scrappage scheme but perhaps it is becoming uneconomical. I'd better pray for wisdom.
The School Assembly on Monday went well. I was asked to speak on "Forgive us our sins" - not an easy topic for the younger half of the 4 to 11 year olds! Had a quick chat with my colleague who is following up next week with "... as we forgive those who sin against us".
The Tuesday presentation on rural mission to the Free Churches Group in London was described as helpful, informative and entertaining by the Chairman. A lot of interest was shown and I will have to follow this up as soon as I can. The talk outline was requested by the Secretary and will go out in the minutes.
On Wednesday I went to Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, for the Editorial Group for Country Way. The current issue looks attractive and will be out soon. We are now hard at work on the autumn issue which will coincide with the ACORA+20 special conference.
Yesterday we had a useful Church Meeting at Yelvertoft. I am hoping to start a monthly Messy Church as soon as possible and seeking help from churches in nearby Rugby. I value your prayers for this important opportunity in mission. We don't have the manpower to manage on our own, but we do have the potential children, the physical resources and a very real need.
That's the news on the week, but it is all rather overshadowed by those two phone calls from Sylvia and my thoughts are with her and Alfred, the rest of their family and especially Esther and the two youngsters.
Much of the rest of the day was taken up with phone calls to mutual friends with more requests for prayer. Later, after another phone call from Sylvia my phone calls were to pass on the news that he had died this afternoon. This is the second time something like this has happened and I still could not find anything special to say beyond the promise of our prayers. Esther, his wife is not a committed Christian but so many in the family are and I pray that they might be able to comfort Esther with the comfort they will (I pray) receive from the Lord.
Struggling to get my personal accounts in order and ensure I have claimed the expenses I should have claimed seemed far more mundane than usual. It does not feel a very productive day today. I collected my car from the garage. The Astra that I use for work is now 13 years old and has over 102,000 miles on the clock. Recently it has been depositing oil on the road - mostly in front of my neighbours homes, to my embarrassment. The garage had fixed one cause a few weeks ago but it seems that was not the only source and a bolt on a bracket had worn. The car has run up more bills than I want recently but it is still in general good order and the engine is good. It has seemed wrong to take up the car scrappage scheme but perhaps it is becoming uneconomical. I'd better pray for wisdom.
The School Assembly on Monday went well. I was asked to speak on "Forgive us our sins" - not an easy topic for the younger half of the 4 to 11 year olds! Had a quick chat with my colleague who is following up next week with "... as we forgive those who sin against us".
The Tuesday presentation on rural mission to the Free Churches Group in London was described as helpful, informative and entertaining by the Chairman. A lot of interest was shown and I will have to follow this up as soon as I can. The talk outline was requested by the Secretary and will go out in the minutes.
On Wednesday I went to Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, for the Editorial Group for Country Way. The current issue looks attractive and will be out soon. We are now hard at work on the autumn issue which will coincide with the ACORA+20 special conference.
Yesterday we had a useful Church Meeting at Yelvertoft. I am hoping to start a monthly Messy Church as soon as possible and seeking help from churches in nearby Rugby. I value your prayers for this important opportunity in mission. We don't have the manpower to manage on our own, but we do have the potential children, the physical resources and a very real need.
That's the news on the week, but it is all rather overshadowed by those two phone calls from Sylvia and my thoughts are with her and Alfred, the rest of their family and especially Esther and the two youngsters.
Monday 17 May 2010
This week's activities
Text for the week: "It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God! With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." (ICor. 15:56-58, The Message)
In addition to the activities below and general administration I will be focusing on completing a module on evangelism requested for the "Growing Disciples" Course run by the Congregational Federation. I am also in the midst of reviewing our website.
Sunday 16th May
11.15 Family Service at Goodwood Evangelical Church, Leicester
18.00 Sharing at Theddingworth Congregational Church, Leics.
Monday 17th May
13.00 School Assembly, Lubenham, Leics.
Tuesday 18th
Presentation on rural mission to the Free Churches Group, Euston, London. This used to be the Free Church Council and I expect either the leaders or key representatives to be present.
Wednesday 19th May
Country Way Editorial Group Meeting, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire
Thursday 20th May
19.00 Church Meeting, Theddingworth, Northants.
Sunday 23rd May (Pentecost)
10.45 Yelvertoft, Northants.
In addition to the activities below and general administration I will be focusing on completing a module on evangelism requested for the "Growing Disciples" Course run by the Congregational Federation. I am also in the midst of reviewing our website.
Sunday 16th May
11.15 Family Service at Goodwood Evangelical Church, Leicester
18.00 Sharing at Theddingworth Congregational Church, Leics.
Monday 17th May
13.00 School Assembly, Lubenham, Leics.
Tuesday 18th
Presentation on rural mission to the Free Churches Group, Euston, London. This used to be the Free Church Council and I expect either the leaders or key representatives to be present.
Wednesday 19th May
Country Way Editorial Group Meeting, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire
Thursday 20th May
19.00 Church Meeting, Theddingworth, Northants.
Sunday 23rd May (Pentecost)
10.45 Yelvertoft, Northants.
Yesterday's Ministry
Yesterday I took the morning Family Service for Goodwood Evangelical Church, Leicester. Goodwood invite me once or twice a year and I have always enjoyed ministering here. They love to sing so I'm at home! I took as my theme a spiritual check up based on Philippians 3 where Paul sets out a pattern for Christian living. Obviously I adapted it to keep it relevant for younger children and built in lots of fun. Here's the outline:
The attributes of a model Christian
(a) Worshipping God with/by the spirit (i.e. having real communion with God through new birth)
(b) Being excited about Jesus.
(c) Not trusting in self effort to gain favour with God.
The aspirations (ambitions) of a model Christian
(a) To know (experientially) Christ
(b) To know (experientially) the power of the resurrection
(c) To know (experientially) the fellowship with his suffering.
The attitude of a model Christian
(a) I'm not yet perfect
(b) I'm not backward looking
(c) I'm eagerly pressing forward to grasp the prize.
Paul brackets this exhortation between two groups of people that he warns them against. The first is legalistic religious people; the second is carnal professing believers.
Friday 14 May 2010
During the silence
Regular visitors to this website will be aware that there was a lack of information following my return from holiday on 18th April until quite recently. Some blog readers will be aware that there were items in the diary and wondered what happened. Frankly two matters took up a great deal of time: preparing papers for a Sunrise Ministries Trustees Meeting (including the 2009 Annual Report and Accounts) and the fact that my car was struck by a lorry while parked and negotiations with insurance took time as the driver of the lorry denied hitting my car (despite two independent witnesses assuring us that he did know). Fortunately both kind witnesses made separate visits to our homes to report the incident.
So here's a short summary of some of my activities:
Monday 19th School Assembly at Lubenham, Leicester. Chose to walk the three miles there and three miles back during which my car was hit by the lorry! Who said walking is good for you?
Wednesday 21st teaching on Salvation Army Safe and Sound training at Hothorpe Hall, Theddingworth, Leics. A very good day and right on my doorstep.
Wednesday 28th Churches Rural Group met at the Arthur Rank Centre in Warwickshire. The chairman was ill and his deputy was delayed so I was asked to chair the meeting. We had a useful time sharpening up policy and procedures as well as a presentation on Community Shops.
Wednesday 5th May Christian Enquiry Agency Council Meeting in London. Proved a useful time as we are seeing the Agency getting back on its feet and offering a valued service to churches and organisations.
Saturday 8th Congregational Federation's Annual Assembly with over 400 present in Leicester. I headed up the organisation locally and ended the day tired but very happy.
Sunday 9th After the morning service at Yelvertoft I spent the afternoon preparing for the Sunrise Ministries Trustees Meeting, travelled down in the evening ready for Monday.
Monday 10th Trustees meeting in Battle, East Sussex, spent the afternoon sorting out the local accounts systems and travelled home arriving 11.00pm exhausted.
No Ordinary Man copies still going out and responses are now coming in.
SO grateful for a loving and understanding wife!
So here's a short summary of some of my activities:
Monday 19th School Assembly at Lubenham, Leicester. Chose to walk the three miles there and three miles back during which my car was hit by the lorry! Who said walking is good for you?
Wednesday 21st teaching on Salvation Army Safe and Sound training at Hothorpe Hall, Theddingworth, Leics. A very good day and right on my doorstep.
Wednesday 28th Churches Rural Group met at the Arthur Rank Centre in Warwickshire. The chairman was ill and his deputy was delayed so I was asked to chair the meeting. We had a useful time sharpening up policy and procedures as well as a presentation on Community Shops.
Wednesday 5th May Christian Enquiry Agency Council Meeting in London. Proved a useful time as we are seeing the Agency getting back on its feet and offering a valued service to churches and organisations.
Saturday 8th Congregational Federation's Annual Assembly with over 400 present in Leicester. I headed up the organisation locally and ended the day tired but very happy.
Sunday 9th After the morning service at Yelvertoft I spent the afternoon preparing for the Sunrise Ministries Trustees Meeting, travelled down in the evening ready for Monday.
Monday 10th Trustees meeting in Battle, East Sussex, spent the afternoon sorting out the local accounts systems and travelled home arriving 11.00pm exhausted.
No Ordinary Man copies still going out and responses are now coming in.
SO grateful for a loving and understanding wife!
Getting smaller but staying big!
Wednesday and Thursday this week saw me in Manchester together with our General Secretary representing the Congregational Federation at a CTBI Senior Church Representatives' Meeting (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland).
Such occasions can be awfully dry, absorbed with nuts and bolts instead of living within the excitement of being part of the kingdom of God. However, it did have some highlights and some happy fellowship with Christian leaders from other churches and a few organisations.
CTBI has deliberately shrunk its staff and budget but has found some creative ways of continuing its life and impact. Now if only the UK government could follow suit!
Such occasions can be awfully dry, absorbed with nuts and bolts instead of living within the excitement of being part of the kingdom of God. However, it did have some highlights and some happy fellowship with Christian leaders from other churches and a few organisations.
CTBI has deliberately shrunk its staff and budget but has found some creative ways of continuing its life and impact. Now if only the UK government could follow suit!
Sunday 9 May 2010
After a long silence
It is now several weeks since I wrote anything on this blog. What I write now will only be a brief comment.
Following the emergency operation to remove my gall bladder while in Scotland, period of convalescence that included a Ministers Conference and a week's holiday, I have been doing my best to catch up with various matters. This has included two quite major aspects of work:
(a) Preparing for a trustees meeting for Sunrise Ministries (Rural Sunrise) which involves, among other things, merging two sets of accounts into one in an appropriate form for submission to the trustees, the Charity Commission and Companies House. When combined with regular ministry commitments this can take a couple of weeks;
(b) Preparing for the Congregational Federation's Annual Assembly, held yesterday in Leicester. While we had a small team to prepare much of the work fell on my shoulders. The weeks out related to illness combined with the pressure to get the Annual Report for Sunrise Ministries made it harder to organise proper delegation. We had a marvellous Assembly yesterday with almost 400 people attending.
Consequently there has been much burning of midnight oil, long working days and very short nights. So here we are on Sunday afternoon, having had a lovely morning meeting at Yelvertoft, and still with papers to prepare for tomorrow's trustees meeting which will be held at Battle, East Sussex meaning at least six hours of driving over the next 24 hours as well!
The words "cat" and "tail" do come to mind but I am honestly trying to be sensible and will take some time out soon.
Following the emergency operation to remove my gall bladder while in Scotland, period of convalescence that included a Ministers Conference and a week's holiday, I have been doing my best to catch up with various matters. This has included two quite major aspects of work:
(a) Preparing for a trustees meeting for Sunrise Ministries (Rural Sunrise) which involves, among other things, merging two sets of accounts into one in an appropriate form for submission to the trustees, the Charity Commission and Companies House. When combined with regular ministry commitments this can take a couple of weeks;
(b) Preparing for the Congregational Federation's Annual Assembly, held yesterday in Leicester. While we had a small team to prepare much of the work fell on my shoulders. The weeks out related to illness combined with the pressure to get the Annual Report for Sunrise Ministries made it harder to organise proper delegation. We had a marvellous Assembly yesterday with almost 400 people attending.
Consequently there has been much burning of midnight oil, long working days and very short nights. So here we are on Sunday afternoon, having had a lovely morning meeting at Yelvertoft, and still with papers to prepare for tomorrow's trustees meeting which will be held at Battle, East Sussex meaning at least six hours of driving over the next 24 hours as well!
The words "cat" and "tail" do come to mind but I am honestly trying to be sensible and will take some time out soon.
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