Sunday 23 December 2012

A gift beyond words

Let me begin by saying that I hope this will be a very blessed Christmas time for you.

No doubt, like me, you are finding yourself busy in the run up to Christmas.  In my blog last week I mentioned that there were less activities in the diary but it has certainly still been a busy time.  Next week should also provide space for rest - or possibly tidying up my office!

My usual prison ministry on Tuesday was cancelled as another event kept the prisoners locked up and unable to attend.  So the only events in the diary were ministry at Yelvertoft on 16th, a school assembly at Lubenham on 17th and becoming Father Christmas on Wednesday.  For the assembly I did a simple summary of the events of the first Christmas, periodically saying, "Can you imagine that?"  The aim of the assembly was to encourage the children to imagine themselves into the events, and in particular to think through how Mary and Joseph might be thinking.  It seemed to work well.

Today we held our annual Christmas warmer at Yelvertoft.  This is a visitor-friendly event where we welcome our guests with mince pies and mulled wine (alternatives available for us Tea Totalers) and then sing their requested carols.  We had the best attendance ever and a wonderful atmosphere.  The biblical account gets woven into the programme in word and song.  The folk at Yelvertoft Congregational Church all put in a lot of work and we had a sense of what "Emmanuel" is all about.

On Friday I undertook some pastoral visits and gave out leaflets in the village.  I returned home footsore and weary.  The rest of the day and much of Saturday I spend building a new website for the church at Yelvertoft.  I had hoped it would go live around 5.00 pm on Saturday but a quirk in my router would not let me into the new website but kept looking for an older version.  Finally at about 1.30 am Sunday morning after shutting everything down and starting again it finally worked.

Thanks to all who let me know about typos as requested.  I put those right this morning before going to church.  If you haven't taken a look please go to www.yelvertoftchurch.org.uk.

While on the subject of Internet you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ruralbarry (become a friend) and on Twitter (less often) at @ruralbarry (please follow).

In my many travels around the countryside if I need an overnight stay and haven't had an invitation somewhere I usually go to www.farmstay.co.uk and have found excellent B&Bs at good prices.  It's a great way of supporting the farming community.  Talking of farming do uphold your local farmers and pray for the work of Farm Crisis Network as farmers are sorely affected both by the bad weather and by the dreadful Schmallenberg virus.  Livestock feed is also in short supply in many places.

Doreen and I have been delighted to receive cards and messages via the internet.  The flow of news has been a blessing to us.  Thank you.  We have had some wonderful assurances of daily prayer support.  We have also received more gifts than usual and I am hoping this might just ensure we close this year without a deficit.  Perhaps I will be able to tell you more about that next year.

During the week our only meeting will be on Christmas morning.  Next Sunday, 30th, I am taking the morning service at 9.00 in Gartree Prison before going to Yelvertoft for 10.45.

As I close this blog my thoughts go once again to those affected adversely by the weather.  We have had heavy rain but nothing like what has been experienced in parts of the Southwest, Wales and Scotland.  If you have been going through a tough time please let us know how we can pray for you.

"Thanks be to God for his gift that is too wonderful to describe." (2 Corinthians 9:15 ERV)

Barry



Sunday 16 December 2012

Pre-Christmas Praise and Prayer News

I'll keep this weeks Praise and Prayer News to a minimum.  If you are a regular prayer partner then you will receive our annual summary of activities in the post soon.  Doreen and I have spent today printing it and getting the post ready.  Hence this blog is being written early on Sunday.

Last Sunday, after our morning meeting at Yelvertoft, Doreen and I went to Gartree Prison for the Annual Carol Service.  It was great to see the Faith Centre packed with prisoners and approved visitors from outside.  I don't think there was an empty seat and extra chairs had been brought in.  On these occasions we are joined by the band and songsters from Kettering Salvation Army.  Our Male Voice Choir sang "Holy Child, how still you lie" and we received many kind words of encouragement afterwards.  A couple from the SA said that this was the highlight for them.  My colleague, Jeanne, had written a special witty drama for the occasion and the senior chaplain gave a marvellous talk.

Please pray for those in prison as this is usually a bad time for them.  Pray too that the gospel message shared at Christmas services will find a resting place in their hearts.  I'm back at Gartree on Tuesday, and taking the morning service on 30th December.

I took the Senior Circle's Christmas Service in the village on Wednesday and will be taking the morning meeting this Sunday (16th).  I incorrectly wrote that we were holding our Christmas Warmer (a user friendly event) this Sunday but it will be next Sunday (23rd).  Somehow I lost a week!  Please pray that there will be people beyond the regular life of the village churches attending that meeting.

It was a pleasure to meet with Jerry Marshall the new Director of the Arthur Rank Centre during the week.  It has always been a privilege to work with the ARC and i commend Jerry to your prayers as he takes up the reins from Gordon Gatward who has now retired.

While Christmas does bring some extra activity into the diary, it actually means that overall my pace of life slows down.  Doreen and I take a break at this time of year.  Apart from the Sunday ministry at Yelvertoft I will be taking a school assembly at Lubenham on Monday (also being Father Christmas on Wednesday), and going to prison on Tuesday.  Otherwise we start the annual office tidy up!

Thank you for your prayers.  I pray that this Christmas will bring home just how amazing is the love of God, and the gift of a Saviour that it has brought.

Yours sincerely in Christ

Barry

Saturday 8 December 2012

Ppromoting Good News in the Countryside

I take comfort from the fact that in some ways I am still relatively young but, of course, whatever years lie ahead it is logical that they will be much less than those that have passed.  One of the symptoms of growing older is noticing the more frequent passing of your friends.  This week I received the news that Bessie Bryers has recently gone to be with the Lord.  Arthur and Bessie were special friends because we share a common concern for proclaiming the gospel in rural Britain.  Arthur was General Secretary of the Friends Evangelistic Band (now known as Village Hope) when I came to know him.  He was one of those who saw the importance of different rural missions working in a generous and supportive way towards one another, and was a founding member of the Rural Evangelism Network.  Bessie was both a foil and a support to Arthur, complementing both his personality and ministry.  Our prayers go out to Grace Philip and Margaret, and to those friends in Village Hope that will be saddened at the loss of Bessie from this stage in life.

It has been a quieter week compared to those immediately previous, but it has still been busy.  So much so that I have yet to do the administration behind the itinerary in Ireland, now several weeks back.  In addition to the regular (but not routine) ministry at Yelvertoft on Sunday and Gartree Prison on Tuesday, a village funeral (always a significant ministry) on Tuesday and Bible Study on Thursday, I took part in a telephone conference planning for the 2013 International Congregational Fellowship Quadrennial Family Conference.  This is scheduled for July and will be held at Brunel University.  Please take a look at information at www.intercong.org.  I look after this website and a couple of Facebook Groups for ICF.

It was a thrill to receive a letter and book from Germany recently.  It deals with rural ministry and mission and I am one of a number of contributing authors.  Both the letter and book are in German, so I was grateful to a friend who kindly translated the letter for me.  Part of it read, "Your contribution has enriched the discussion in the rural situation - many thanks."  Please pray as this book edited by Dr Thomas Schlegel and Marin Alex of the University of Greifswald reaches rural churches in Germany.

I know that many of you have been praying as I have shared in the appointment of a Children and Families Worker for the East Midlands Area of the Congregational Federation.  Carrying out the interviews for this new post was not an easy task as we short listed four applicants and all had much to offer.  This morning a final interview took place and we reached a decision.  This is not the right place to make a full announcement but I do want to thank you for your prayers.  Between now and the beginning of February when the role begins there is quite a lot of important work to be done.  I ask you prayer for Mick, Anna and me as we carry this out.

The Bible Discussion Group in Yelvertoft is working through 1Corinthians.  If anyone would find commentary notes from these studies useful please let me know.  I am hoping to produce a set of papers for those who are unable to meet with us on Thursday mornings and can easily share them more widely.

Please pray for the ongoing work of the trustees of Action for Christ  This is not an appropriate place to record all the problems we are still working though from previous management.  Terry, Elizabeth and I need your prayers.

This Sunday morning Doreen and I will be at Yelvertoft and in the afternoon we will be at Gartree Prison where the Prison Male Voice Choir will take part in song and drama during the annual Christmas Service.  The choir is singing Timothy Dudley Smith's carol, "Holy child, how still you lie" (MP 236).  There is normally a good attendance so please pray for all the Chaplaincy Team as we celebrate the amazing gift of Jesus.

On Wednesday I will be leading a Christmas Carol Service for older people in Yelvertoft.   Then next Sunday morning we will be holding our Christmas Warmer event instead of a more traditional carol service.  This is strictly informal, with carol requests, mulled wine, mince pies, coffee and chocolates. The biblical story of  Christmas will be woven throughout.  Christmas is a great opportunity for us to share the good news, but it is easily lost among the drama of the non-biblical story.  The challenge is to make the message clear and plain - yet winsome to win some.  I believe that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and we need to tell it well.

So I pray that God will bless you as you get caught up with all the activities in the run up to Christmas.  May there be space in your timetable to spend some quality time with the Lord, and real deep sense of peace and joy from the Holy Spirit.

Your in his service,

Barry

Sunday 2 December 2012

Riding a Roller Coaster

The past three weeks have felt something like a roller coaster.  It started with the itinerary in Ireland, followed the next week by an itinerary in Cornwall and Devon.  Then this past week has been very full once again.  In between I have tried to set aside time to spend with Doreen and to rest.  Roller coasters are not necessarily uncomfortable but they present the impression - which indeed is real - that someone other than the passenger is in control.  While that might be scary, it can also be very assuring when you know that the one in control is omnipotent, omniscient and utterly loving.

A scene from the Cornwall Rural Mission Consultation
Last Sunday I was grateful that John Harris was taking the meeting at Yelvertoft.  It was good to sit under his ministry in the morning.  In the evening I shared in the meeting at Market Harborough Congregational Church which was led by members of one of the home groups.  My role was to bring ministry from God's word.  It was good to see the confidence and competence of those who spoke, and we felt the Lord's blessing.

On Monday around 80 people attended the service of thanksgiving for the life of Millie Couling.  It was an occasion full of praise for the goodness of God that had touched and transformed Millie's life.  It was an enormous privilege to conduct the service.  As it began I was reminded that I had failed to turn off my mobile phone as it began to ring.  I quickly silenced it and used it to remind others to do the same.  The irony was that the call, which I took later that day, was from someone else in the village asking if I could conduct another funeral service!

So it was that after taking the village school assembly the following day (Tuesday) I called on Sue and Ian to talk about a service for their friend who had just died.  Incidentally, school assemblies at both Yelvertoft and Lubenham are wonderful times of ministry.  It's a great privilege to take these occasions.  The response of children and teachers never fails to encourage me.  By 12.30 I had a reasonable idea about David, and regretted that I had not got to know him before he had gone into care with dementia.  Doreen had got a light lunch ready and I had just ten minutes before I was off once again - this time for my weekly activities at Gartree Prison.

This time I had an hour for a meal and a break before setting off for Narborough, near Leicester.  There I joined two other Congregational ministers to conduct two more interviews for the post of Children and Families Worker for the East Midlands.  All four candidates have much to give and ours is not an easy task as we seek the right person.  It is so important to pray that we get it right for the sake of all four we have interviewed and, of course, for the churches the successful applicant will serve. (see below)

Our final interviewee was delayed because of major traffic problems so we worked late and it was around 11.15 pm when I finally got home.  I had then to send off a report to the Director of Youth and Children's Work so it was early Wednesday by the time I hit bed.  Wednesday was spent on administration catch-up and preparation for Thursday's ministry at the William Booth College in London.  I had booked a room at the college for Wednesday night to avoid an early start from home on Thursday (and the risk of delay).

The working day started at 9.00 and the opening prayers were led by Major David Botting.  David was part of the team that I had the privilege of joining to write Time for Action back around 2001.  This book remains a significant authority on matters relating to the care and support of those who have suffered sexual abuse.  Part way through the production of this book (it was a report prepared for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland), David was appointed to a new position and his place within the Salvation Army Child Protection Unit taken by Dean Juster.  Dean quickly became a good friend and we seem to work together well.  There were 24, a mixture of Salvation Army officers, social work staff and others, on the three day course at which I was speaking through the morning and afternoon.  It was 8.30 pm when I walked in the front door of home.

Somewhere in the course of the past week I managed to produce a conference brochure for the International Congregational Fellowship, which will be held at the end of July 2013.  I also tweaked the website (www.intercong.org) to bring it up to date.  Another task was conducting a survey of members of the Rural Evangelism Network as we plan a 24 hour conference in 2013.  I was finally able to write and print off the newsletter this morning and with Doreen's help managed to catch the morning collection from our local post office.  The next task was preparing for Sunday, and David's funeral service.

Some of the afternoon was spent reviewing computer tablets (i.e. small but powerful hand-held computers).  As I have indicated two weeks ago I had concluded that obtaining a tablet would be beneficial to the ministry.  I have received an unexpected donation specifically towards this purchase but I have been struggling to determine which of three possible tablets I should acquire.  The Nexus 10 is the cheapest of the three.  The ipad has been dominating the market and works very well.  But it is the most expensive.  The Surface is a new Microsoft tablet and comes with all the main software I use pre-loaded.  Funds are limited and it's important to spend the money wisely.

So we come to another week.  At present it looks far less busy than the week just past.  This Sunday I take the morning meeting at Yelvertoft and then can rest through the afternoon before meeting with colleagues in the evening to pray about the appointment of the Children and Families Worker.  On Monday morning I take part in a telephone conference planning the ICF 2013 conference.  On Tuesday morning I will conduct the service for David and then go to Gartree Prison for my regular ministry.  On Thursday morning we continue our Bible Discussion group in the village.  The remainder of the time will be taken up with pastoral ministry and administration.  There's a lot of work to follow up the two itineraries.

Doreen is coping well but gets tired more easily.  That's not surprising as she keeps very busy.  We still wait for results from the scan and assume that if anything serious had been found we would have heard by now.  Apart from being a little tired I am OK and will get more rest through this week.  Of course Christmas is coming and I am not prepared.  I received an invitation today to record a thought for the day and do a small interview for a local radio station.  What a wonderful privilege it is to share the story of Jesus.  Let's all try to do that effectively over the coming weeks.  After all it's not our good news; it's God's and it is there's who need to hear it.

I pray that the Lord will super abundantly bless you this week.  Please drop us a line.

Barry