Friday 26 December 2014

Never a Good Time for Bad News

The following was written on Boxing Day 2014; the day that news broke that City Link had gone into administration with the apparent consequential loss of employment for many. In some situations hope is not enough.

For 2,727 men and women this Christmas has brought bad news with the closure of City Link and the loss of their jobs.  Probably, their CEO, David Smith, and Board members will be feeling pretty rotten for some time to come. The company has clearly been struggling from time.  In 2013 Rentokil sold the business to Better Capital for £1 with the hope that some £40 million was going to be invested.  Just a few months ago a number of key people were added to the Board of Directors in a rescue attempt.  It looks as if the firm has been running on optimism since 2007.  Having twice been in a similar management situation I can imagine the painful gut wrenching decision making that has been taking place behind the scene - including the decision of when to break the news to the men and women whose lives have now been shattered.

During the Thatcher years things looked good for some time.  In the town where I lived at that time I had responsibility for a small Christian bookshop that was far from adequate for serving the many local growing churches.  A through business appraisal was undertaken before deciding to love to new and larger premises in a good location.  Although the rent was expensive it was expected that growth in business should bring us into profit within two years of trading.  In the first year of trading customer numbers and sales far exceeded the predictions.  But the second year saw customer numbers increase but sales actually decline.  It was the first indication of the recession that hit the town hard at the end of the eighties and early nineties.

I invested long hours and £6,000 of my own money (almost everything I had) to try to keep the business afloat.  But the independent actions of a new Board member resulted in the loss of a major customer and we were left with no option other than to put the shop into administration.  A plan which involved the establishing of a smaller Christian bookshop and a relatively good settlement for suppliers, sweetened the bitterness of the situation.  But even that was spoiled by the action of one creditor, leaving several smaller suppliers in difficulties.

While the loss of that business was the result of three situations beyond my control it still took several years for me to get over the negative feelings it generated.

Some years later I was asked to help rescue a privately owned academic institution.  The education provided by this college was both unique and excellent.  Unfortunately, it appeared that inadequate business management had led to the crisis in which it found itself.  
The Board of Directors, which by then included me, took several radical steps, cutting operational costs, redirecting capital, and had succeeded in what would have been an effective plan that would have reinvigorated the College.  It began to turn around and light was clearly visible at the end of the tunnel.  The final piece of the puzzle involved some adjustment to staff salaries in hope that redundancies could be avoided. Sadly, a senior academic staff member convinced the owner of the College to act against the decision of the Board and instead to invest more personal money she could not afford to support his alternative plan.

Inevitably, the Board members resigned, the company was liquidated a few years later and the owner lost her investment.  Instead of experiencing some temporary reduction of salaries, the staff all lost their jobs.

Fortunately most enterprises in which I have been involved have not suffered bad news such as on these occasions.  But we live in a world where bad things happen - sometimes as the consequences of our own failings, and sometimes because of the actions of others. In the business world, hope alone is no guarantee of a good outcome.

It appears that City Link has been failing for some years in a business sector that has become increasingly competitive.  No doubt the Board members have been doing all they could do avoid the bad news that has come out this Christmas.  I expect that  all in the firm have been hoping for a better outcome. It is probable that, to some extent, hope that things will get better will have been shattered by circumstances beyond their control.

How well this resonates with the story Jesus told of a farmer who, having experienced and exceptionally good year of business, made plans to sit back and enjoy a comfortable life for years to come.  (See Luke 12:13-21.) But there was a major unforeseen factor beyond his control that would take place within a few hours.  In his situation the final outcome would have been better for him if he had given his surplus goods to feed the hungry and help the poor.

It will not just be the 2,720 employees of City Link that will feel emotional pain, suffer financial loss, and possibly other long term problems.  Other businesses will be affected.  Other family members will be affected.  I pray that, wherever possible, churches will be ready to give emotional support to those who are the casualties of this bad news.  I pray too that hope will not be entirely abandoned, but rather that it will be put into that which is always absolutely certain: the character and promises of God.

Monday 15 December 2014

The Original Virgin

No doubt many times during this month the words of Matthew 1:23 will be read: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God wish us."   These words were included by Matthew into the story where Joseph learns in a dream the miraculous nature of the conception and is assured that he should take Mary into his home as his wife.  It is among the best known messianic prophecies but few seem to know the background.

The words were originally spoken to Ahaz, King of Judah.  He was a morally corrupt king who had introduced and promoted idolatry in the land.  He was even guilty of stripping the treasures from the temple in order to pay tribute to the kink of Assyria.  You can read more about him in 2 Kings 16.  Reading Isaiah chapter 7 reveals that Judah is under pressure from the Arameans and the northern tribes of Israel  hat had formed an alliance against him,   Their plan was to bring an end to the Davidic line of kings, replacing King Ahaz.  King Ahaz is in a panic and this is spreading throughout the land.  They are shaking with fear.  Isaiah is told by God to take his son and for the two of them to meet Ahaz with an exhortation to put his trust solely in the Sovereign God.  God's promises previously given to David, which included the eventual coming of the Saviour, would hold true.   He is told the plans of his enemies will come to nothing but he must stand firm in faith if he is to stand at all..

Tragically, this corrupt king disregards this exhortation.  He is then offered the option of selecting any sign he wishes as proof of God's promise.  He declines using mock spirituality.  But the prophet says that God will provide his own sign, and this is where the words quoted by Matthew come from.  The virgin in Isaiah's prophecy obviously refers in the first place to someone within his own time, as the following verses make clear. No one knows for sure who the virgin was, though it is suspected that this was the second wife of Isaiah (his first wife having died after she had born him a son).  That first son bore the prophetic name meaning "A remnant shall return" bringing a promise of hope beyond the coming exile.  But the child yet to be born was to be given the name which means "God with us".  It brought the assurance that in the darkest hour God would be there.

Whether Isaiah saw the future relevance of the prophecy we cannot know.  However, Matthew sees that another child, conceived miraculously, more than 400 years later, brings God's delivering presence to lighten the darkness.  Like the original context of the prophecy the same word comes at the birth of Jesus Christ, and to us today: "Trust in God".  I love the words of John Henry Newman in his hymn, "Praise to the holiest in the height" and have included some of the verses in our Christmas greetings this year: O loving wisdom of our God! When all was sin and shame, a second Adam to the fight and to the rescue came. O wisest love that flesh and blood which did in Adam fail, should strive afresh against the foe, should strive and should prevail.  And that a higher gift than grace should flesh and blood refine: God's presence, and his very self and essence all divine.

Doesn't it make you want to shout "Hallelujah!"?

Introductory Webinar

Last Saturday I ran  an introductory webinar as a practise for the series of online seminars we intend to run throughout 2015, and was encouraged by how this went.  We were a small group but that was half expected and allowed the style of the seminar to be adapted.  Those attending all agreed that this offers significant potential.  My colleague, Monica Cook, and I must be among the most experienced people in rural mission and evangelism.  Not only have we put in many years but we have been priveleged to have broad experience.  In addition to being practitioners in rural mission, we both have a reputation for a God-given teaching ministry and the ability to reflect analytically on practise.  Also both of us have had significant of settled leadership responsibility alongside our itinerant work.  One of the major concerns of our trustees is that we find opportunity for sharing the understanding and experience as widely as possible.  So webinars are ideal.  Probably the major challenge at the moment is breaking down the kind of teaching we do on church away-days into modules of the right length for online teaching.  It was good to have the help of Gordon banks on this occasion.

From the diary

It was good to share God's word at the Torch Trust Christmas Carol Service last Wednesday and good to see it well supported. 

Following the morning service at Yelvertoft today I headed over to the URC in the next village to discuss their involvement in a special Prayer Mission I am helping to lead from 18th to 25th January.  More about this to follow.

Tuesday 16th following the Christmas Staff Lu inch at HMP Gartree I will be working with others with the men in the prison choir.  Recently our numbers increased and I have two new men who apparently have ADHD.  This has raised serious questions as to how we use the time, allow them to feel included but also manage discipline.  This is more sensitive than might be the normal case as their condition may have been a factor in their prison sentence. Please pray for grace, patience and wisdom.

Wednesday 17th I will be leading the Yelvertoft Senior Circle Christmas service in the afternoon. On Thursday morning I will be leading the Bible Discussion Group in Yelvertoft, which always excites me. Then we head into a very busy weekend.  On Friday I will be working with Lubenham Primary School.  On Saturday morning I will be part of the team running "Get Messy for Christmas" at Yelvertoft.  Please pray that we will have growth in numbers.  Then in the afternoon I will be back to share in carol singing at Yelvertoft Marina to the narrow boat community.  In the morning of Sunday 21st we run a Christmas Warmer event at Yelvertoft which is our regular Christmas outreach service.

January 18 -25 we hold the Prayer Mission in three Northamptonshire villages so there will be a lot of preparation work between now and then.  Please pray for Lorna Taylor with whom I am working
.

Thank you for your partnership through prayer and practical support.


Barry

Monday 8 December 2014

Christmas - an event not to be mythed

This is my  annual appeal to encourage Christians to tell the story of Christmas as recorded in the Bible.  The word 'myth' technically does not mean a falsehood but I have used it (incorrectly as a verb) in the sense of a fantasy rather than a true story.  The story is important to the gospel and Christmas provides many opportunities for sharing  it with people who do not normally come to church.  But we do no favours if we embellish the biblical account with all the traditional trappings.

This starts usually with the 'little donkey' song.  I have never been sure that a heavily pregnant woman would have found riding a donkey the most comfortable, and a cushioned cart is probably more likely.  Joseph did not do the rounds of 'Ye Olde Bethlehem Inns' as the word translated 'Inn' is most usually used to refer to an upper room guest chamber.  We even have to be careful about a stable.  Some traditions suggest a cave.  What we do know was that the baby Jesus was laid in a manger.  However the typical manger used in crib scenes is wholly unrealistic as a feeding vessel for animals.  Sheep eat grass, cattle, horses, and donkeys etc that eat hay would not eat it from a trough but usually a basket type arrangement fixed to a wall.  The shepherds hurried off so they must have left their sheep and did not bring a lamb as a gift for Jesus (the sheep would not be their own to give away any way).  There is no reference to angels in the place where Jesus was born.  At the time of the announcement there is no suggestion of them hanging from space.  The wise men (not kings) found Jesus in a house, not a stable and the Bible does not say there were only three of them.There certainly was no little drummer boy!

While I do not suggest we should be so pedantic that we cannot tolerate a little license in the telling, I do ask that as far as we can we stick to facts.  It might be useful to avoid the use of 'fabulous' and 'fantastic' when telling the story too.  There is plenty of fantasy around Christmas with Santa on his flying sleigh and popping down and up chimneys!  That I can live with; just let's make sure we don't confuse the facts and the fantasy please.


An Introductory Webinar

Next Saturday 13th December at 9.00 am I intend to run an introductory webinar as a practise for the series of online seminars we intend to run throughout 2015.  This will last no more than 30 minutes.  I will email you the details of how you can participate in this as I shall need a reasonable number of people.  It will cost you nothing.  You do not need to speak but you will have opportunity to interact and can type in questions if you wish.  I will try to answer all the questions.  All you need to be connected to the internet with either your speakers turned on or wearing headphones.  More information will come in an email to you.  Your presence online for this simple practise run will be very helpful.


From the diary

On Sunday 30th November I took the morning service at HMP Gartree where there was a good attendance.  The meeting focused on  a personal relationship with God and the privilege of knowing God as a friend.  It was very well received and several testified to this making a change in their lives.  On Monday and Tuesday I had two school assemblies where I used a special Advent talk I have written.  This is based on the story that Jesus told of wise and foolish virgins, but there are no virgins in my version.  You can read and download the story here.  On both occasions it was well received by children and school staff.

This past weekend was marked by a commemoration of an air collision between two Canadian Air Force bombers over our village of Yelvertoft.  Large numbers were attracted to the two services I led and we welcomed honoured guests from Canada and other UK locations.  More information is available on the church website.  Pictures have yet to be added.
Sunday 7th December included the annual carol service at HMP Gartree with band and songsters from the famous Kettering Salvation Army Corps. The choir I help to lead sang one piece with the Songsters but also sang a piece on their own.  We had chosen to sing Graham Kendrick's wonderful "Thorns among the straw".  This had a profound impact on the congregation which included many from outside the prison as well as men from the wing.  Some Salvationists testified to being moved to tears as men serving life sentences told the amazing story through this powerful song.
This is a typically busy week but I especially value your prayers on Tuesday when i will be back in prison and on Wednesday when I will be speaking at the annual Christmas Service for Torch Trust for the Blind.  Next Sunday I will be leading the meeting at Yelvertoft.
I hope to meet up with you online on Saturday morning.


Thank you for your partnership through prayer and practical support.
Barry