It's Friday afternoon and I am preparing for a choir concert at Yelvertoft this evening where I am a guest soloist. I have prepared three songs, the last of which is "Were you there?" and will be sung a capello (without accompaniment). I hope I manage to pitch it right!
At present I am unsure how last Saturday's presentation at university went. You might have thought that after the hundreds of talks I have given using PowerPoint it should have been a doddle but I get over-anxious in exams. Fellow students made helpful comments but its the comments and marks of the assessor that matters.
Sunday morning at Goodwood Evangelical Church, Leicester went very well. It was a Fathers Day Family Service. We had some great songs. I used story telling and had three spots: Isaac reminiscing that it's sometimes hard to be a dad (looking back over the past 80 years with his own boys, and reflecting on his relationship with Abraham), the prodigal's older brother who found it hard to understand his dad, and a spot about good relations with fathers using my personal story linked to the Lord's Prayer.
On Monday I decided to walk to the next village, Lubenham, for the 1.00pm school assembly. I mistimed it and had to run the last half of the distance. Not a good idea if you are 65 and overweight! Once I had recovered my breath it was a good assembly. A kind teacher gave me a lift home! On Tuesday I had another school assembly this time in Yelvertoft on Tuesday (used the car!). I had ten minutes to give a talk on the books of the prophets in the Bible. This was allotted to me at a team meeting I was unable to attend, and I think I got the short straw.
Afterwards I went to the prison for a final practice for the concert on Wednesday evening. All went well apart from one unaccompanied song where the pianist gave us a note too low. The audience was very appreciative and I was proud of the lads. Changes to prison routine might mark the end of the choir. Please pray that we will find a way around this.
The rest of the week has been taken up with administration, pastoral visits, and study. I heard from the USA in the week that some material I wrote for the Annual Meetings of Congregational Churches there was well received.
The week ahead:
Sunday 26th - Yelvertoft in the morning with some friends from Rugby sharing. In the evening I am taking the meeting at Theddingworth when we will be looking at James 5.
Monday 27th - meeting with local Methodist Minister, Brian Kennard, to discuss his new role as the District Church in Rural Life representative.
Tuesday 28th - In the morning an assembly planning meeting for the autumn term. In the afternoon back to prison and the choir. Immediately afterwards I drive to Leicester for the diocesan rural group meeting.
Wednesday 29th - helping to run a training programme for the Salvation Army at their Training College in London.
Thursday 30th - combination of pastoral visits and rest.
Friday and Saturday I will be part of the Pastoral Care Board running a vocations weekend in Nottingham for students on the Congregational Federation's Integrated Training Course.
Sunday is a free day and Dr Gordon Temple will be leading the meeting at Yelvertoft.
Special Prayer Request: Doreen now has problems with her back on top of digestive difficulties and the peripheral neuropathy. She still stays active and wants to but often finds it a challenge to get through the day.
Barry
At present I am unsure how last Saturday's presentation at university went. You might have thought that after the hundreds of talks I have given using PowerPoint it should have been a doddle but I get over-anxious in exams. Fellow students made helpful comments but its the comments and marks of the assessor that matters.
Sunday morning at Goodwood Evangelical Church, Leicester went very well. It was a Fathers Day Family Service. We had some great songs. I used story telling and had three spots: Isaac reminiscing that it's sometimes hard to be a dad (looking back over the past 80 years with his own boys, and reflecting on his relationship with Abraham), the prodigal's older brother who found it hard to understand his dad, and a spot about good relations with fathers using my personal story linked to the Lord's Prayer.
On Monday I decided to walk to the next village, Lubenham, for the 1.00pm school assembly. I mistimed it and had to run the last half of the distance. Not a good idea if you are 65 and overweight! Once I had recovered my breath it was a good assembly. A kind teacher gave me a lift home! On Tuesday I had another school assembly this time in Yelvertoft on Tuesday (used the car!). I had ten minutes to give a talk on the books of the prophets in the Bible. This was allotted to me at a team meeting I was unable to attend, and I think I got the short straw.
Afterwards I went to the prison for a final practice for the concert on Wednesday evening. All went well apart from one unaccompanied song where the pianist gave us a note too low. The audience was very appreciative and I was proud of the lads. Changes to prison routine might mark the end of the choir. Please pray that we will find a way around this.
The rest of the week has been taken up with administration, pastoral visits, and study. I heard from the USA in the week that some material I wrote for the Annual Meetings of Congregational Churches there was well received.
The week ahead:
Sunday 26th - Yelvertoft in the morning with some friends from Rugby sharing. In the evening I am taking the meeting at Theddingworth when we will be looking at James 5.
Monday 27th - meeting with local Methodist Minister, Brian Kennard, to discuss his new role as the District Church in Rural Life representative.
Tuesday 28th - In the morning an assembly planning meeting for the autumn term. In the afternoon back to prison and the choir. Immediately afterwards I drive to Leicester for the diocesan rural group meeting.
Wednesday 29th - helping to run a training programme for the Salvation Army at their Training College in London.
Thursday 30th - combination of pastoral visits and rest.
Friday and Saturday I will be part of the Pastoral Care Board running a vocations weekend in Nottingham for students on the Congregational Federation's Integrated Training Course.
Sunday is a free day and Dr Gordon Temple will be leading the meeting at Yelvertoft.
Special Prayer Request: Doreen now has problems with her back on top of digestive difficulties and the peripheral neuropathy. She still stays active and wants to but often finds it a challenge to get through the day.
Barry
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