I found myself muttering to God this week about the activities that have preoccupied me over the past several days. Most times I am happy to get on with whatever God puts in my way or calls me to do. The only exception to this usual sense of contentment relates to administrative matters. And it isn't that I find them hard to do. I think it may have something to do with how I perceive their relative value. But often these are very important and I suspect that those who have a gift of administration are among the most undervalued servants of God. I'm just not sure that it's my gift, but maybe...
I had spent time the previous week organising an important telephone conference for the Sunrise Ministries trustees that would ensure that our child and vulnerable adult protection policies were brought up to date. Our chair of trustees had done useful work and since the trustees were not due to meet again until November I had sent all the documents to them electronically. The conference I facilitated was held first thing last Monday and all went well. I wrote up the minutes and sent them off to the Chairman for his approval. Meanwhile there was a certain amount of work needed to get a few odd wrinkles in the policy documents ironed out. In particular the Protection of Vulnerable Adult Policy needed more editing and I completed this task on Tuesday (in addition to the weekly prison visit) and sent the new draft to the Churches Agency for Safeguarding for approval.
The next task was to draft a new constitution for the International Congregational Theological Commission. This had been sitting on my desk for several weeks and I was finally bumped into finishing the task as I was due to meet with one of the ICTC Co-Chairs on Thursday. Writing a constitution for an incorporated charity is a challenge and it took me sixteen hours - though some of this was getting "Word" to format it in a way that the Charity Commission might be happy to accept. It was as I staggered off to bed in the early hours of Thursday morning that I started muttering to God.
There was a sense of fulfilment in getting both the policy documents and the constitution efficiently drafted (as far as I can tell) and I also reflected that the previous week had also included a session with leaders of a local church looking at a new trust deed for them. In many ways I didn't mind giving time to these tasks, though I could think of other aspects of ministry I would rather have been doing. And that is it - it is a ministry (1 Corinthians 12:28). What I could not think of was anyone to whom I could have delegated these important tasks. It is important that the local church will be able to operate effectively. It is important that our organisation operates both legally and safely. It is important that the Theological Commission can develop its valuable work with an enabling new charitable status. It is a ministry. Perhaps I shouldn't have muttered!
Thursday I went to Congregational Federation offices in Nottingham (a) to meet with others as we plan a Church Leaders Conference for next Easter, (b) to meet with the Co-Chair of the Theological Commission, (c) to meet with the Mission Development Officer, and (d) to meet with the Finance Officer. All four sessions concluded in under five hours and I was on my way back home. But such meetings also generate administration!
Friday I had a change. I produced several copies of the second "Treasured Gospel Songs" CD, designed and printed off CD labels and case inserts and put some in the outgoing post for the day. Now, at last, I can give more thought preparing for the services at Gartree Prison and Yelvertoft tomorrow.
Praying through the coming week
Sunday - 9.00 Gartree Prison; 10.45 Yelvertoft Congregational Church.
Monday to Friday (except Thursday) we are running Holiday at Home for the fourth year. This is a friendly outreach aimed at older people and is really pre-evangelism. I will be interacting with those attending, backing up the organising minister, running a couple of sessions, singing and giving a short talk. Mostly it is about showing God's love to folk as they move towards the last years of their lives so please pray that they will see Jesus in me and the others running this programme.
Tuesday afternoon - Gartree Prison Choir
Thursday - lunchtime networking meeting for the rural churches around Rugby, Warwickshire.
Final thoughts
Pray for those to whom God has given the gift of administration that they will step up to the mark, and that they will recognise the value of their ministry and be recognised within their churches for the valuable role they undertake. What makes the work of value is the fact that it comes as a trust from God.
Barry
I had spent time the previous week organising an important telephone conference for the Sunrise Ministries trustees that would ensure that our child and vulnerable adult protection policies were brought up to date. Our chair of trustees had done useful work and since the trustees were not due to meet again until November I had sent all the documents to them electronically. The conference I facilitated was held first thing last Monday and all went well. I wrote up the minutes and sent them off to the Chairman for his approval. Meanwhile there was a certain amount of work needed to get a few odd wrinkles in the policy documents ironed out. In particular the Protection of Vulnerable Adult Policy needed more editing and I completed this task on Tuesday (in addition to the weekly prison visit) and sent the new draft to the Churches Agency for Safeguarding for approval.
The next task was to draft a new constitution for the International Congregational Theological Commission. This had been sitting on my desk for several weeks and I was finally bumped into finishing the task as I was due to meet with one of the ICTC Co-Chairs on Thursday. Writing a constitution for an incorporated charity is a challenge and it took me sixteen hours - though some of this was getting "Word" to format it in a way that the Charity Commission might be happy to accept. It was as I staggered off to bed in the early hours of Thursday morning that I started muttering to God.
There was a sense of fulfilment in getting both the policy documents and the constitution efficiently drafted (as far as I can tell) and I also reflected that the previous week had also included a session with leaders of a local church looking at a new trust deed for them. In many ways I didn't mind giving time to these tasks, though I could think of other aspects of ministry I would rather have been doing. And that is it - it is a ministry (1 Corinthians 12:28). What I could not think of was anyone to whom I could have delegated these important tasks. It is important that the local church will be able to operate effectively. It is important that our organisation operates both legally and safely. It is important that the Theological Commission can develop its valuable work with an enabling new charitable status. It is a ministry. Perhaps I shouldn't have muttered!
Thursday I went to Congregational Federation offices in Nottingham (a) to meet with others as we plan a Church Leaders Conference for next Easter, (b) to meet with the Co-Chair of the Theological Commission, (c) to meet with the Mission Development Officer, and (d) to meet with the Finance Officer. All four sessions concluded in under five hours and I was on my way back home. But such meetings also generate administration!
Friday I had a change. I produced several copies of the second "Treasured Gospel Songs" CD, designed and printed off CD labels and case inserts and put some in the outgoing post for the day. Now, at last, I can give more thought preparing for the services at Gartree Prison and Yelvertoft tomorrow.
Praying through the coming week
Sunday - 9.00 Gartree Prison; 10.45 Yelvertoft Congregational Church.
Monday to Friday (except Thursday) we are running Holiday at Home for the fourth year. This is a friendly outreach aimed at older people and is really pre-evangelism. I will be interacting with those attending, backing up the organising minister, running a couple of sessions, singing and giving a short talk. Mostly it is about showing God's love to folk as they move towards the last years of their lives so please pray that they will see Jesus in me and the others running this programme.
Tuesday afternoon - Gartree Prison Choir
Thursday - lunchtime networking meeting for the rural churches around Rugby, Warwickshire.
Final thoughts
Pray for those to whom God has given the gift of administration that they will step up to the mark, and that they will recognise the value of their ministry and be recognised within their churches for the valuable role they undertake. What makes the work of value is the fact that it comes as a trust from God.
Barry
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