Passing on the blessing

Three activity groups at Holiday at Home

We have just concluded a week full of activities in the annual Holiday at Home event in Market Harborough.Under the leadership of my Methodist Colleague, Brian Kennard, Christians from various local churches formed a team that provided four mornings of various activities and interesting talks, aimed primarily at older people and those who might not otherwise have a holiday experience.  Clay modelling, creative writing, art class, flower arranging, origami, drama, using the internet, table games, knitting for charity, short mat bowls, making shopping bags, and more combined with a sing along, and talks on Street Pastors and the University of the Third Age.  Apart from helping to look after our guests, my role involved leading the sing along, running the computer/internet session, and giving two of the short devotional talks.

Each of the four days concluded with a super lunch and on the remaining day we provided an outing to a zoo that specialises in the conservation of primates.  They also had two wonderful and rare snow leopards.

Flower arranging demonstration

On Wednesday Doreen, my wife, attended the flower arranging group.  At the end of the session three arrangements and a bunch of the left-over flowers were given on a 'draw' basis.  Doreen ended up with the bunch made up from the unused flowers.  When Doreen discovered that a younger woman in the group had never been given flowers she happily passed the flowers on to her.  The joy of the recipient was an excellent reward.

The following day  I was chatting to this younger woman as she enjoyed her final smoke before coming in to Holiday at Home.  She had no idea of Doreen's identity or our relationship.  I mentioned the fact that I had heard she had been given some flowers the previous day.  Her face lit up.  Then with an even greater smile she told me that she knew of a woman who had never been given flowers so she had passed them straight on to her.  Grinning from ear to ear she told me of the joy that had given to the final recipient.

It made me aware of the tremendous joy that comes to those who pass on their blessing to tohers  It reminded me of an old Sankey hymn: Have you had a kindness shown, pass it on! 'Twas not given for you alone, passit on!  Let it travel down the years, Let it dry another's tears, Till in heaven the deed appears , pass it on!  The fourth verse reads, Have you found the heavenly light, pass it on! Souls are groping in the nigh, pass it on! Hold your lighted lamp on high, Be a star in someone's sky, He may live who else might die, pass it on!

This Sunday I will be leading the meeting at Yelvertoft Congregational Church.  How I need your prayers that the Lord will use me to bring his word faithfully to others.

On Tuesday I will be in Gartree Prison.  Please pray that God will make this more than a choir practice, granting the team of Jeanne, Roger and me, wisdom in our witness for him.

On Wednesday it will be the funeral service for Chris Allen in Yelvertoft.  Although we do not yet know all the circumstances, Chis' body was pulled out of the local stretch of the Union Canal on which he lived in a moored narrow boat.  Some of the folk associated a little with the chapel were present and assisted which was traumatic for them.  Please pray for Chris' mother and father, his brother and their family, and others at this time.  We plan to hold the funeral service in the open air as Chris was very much an open air person.  Please pray for the pastoral work and for the words I share at the service.

On Thursday I will be in Nottingham as part of a small committee making decisions relating to grants for mission projects.

Other important prayer points:
During the following week I expect to be in East Sussex for several days as we move the Action for Christ offices from Peasmarsh to Bodiam. (I would be grateful to hear from anyone living in the SE who could give a hand).  I have been busy with other trustees and staff during the past week addressing various problems relating to past unhelpful decisions.  Please keep praying for the AfC team.

We are also putting the final touches to plans for a rural consultation in Cornwall later this year and for an educational rural ministry and mission event in Northern Ireland also later this year.  Ireland is a new context for me so I will be listening carefully and reflecting on how best to use my experience in rural ministry and mission.  I hope that this will be the first step on helping to advance the kingdom of God in rural Ireland.

I am also waiting to hear how the work I have been doing to help churches in rural Germany has progressed.  Pray also for those promoting the work there.

Challenge for the Week:  Make a note of blessings received and pass them on!

Barry