That Was the Week That Was

It has been another busy week which I will try to summarise.


Sunday:  Following a united Songs of Praise Service at Yelvertoft, Northants in the morning (at which my Anglican colleague spoke of the Queens personal faith, Doreen and I watched the Diamond Jubilee Pageant and found the response of the Queen and other members of the Royal family quite moving.  Though I have republican tendencies I admire her Majesty, her devotion to her role and how she has coped with change as it has affected her.  The scene of the choir drenched yet singing as if the sun was shining while the royal party jigged to the music seems to have left a precious and abiding memory.


Holiday Monday:  What holiday?  Worked all three parts of the day preparing for a presentation I had to give at University on Saturday,  and drafting a contract of employment for our CF (Congregational Federation) East Midlands Area Mission Development Worker, and an advertisement and job description for a new post of Children and Families Worker also for the CF.  Sent drafts off to CF colleagues.


Holiday Tuesday:  Much the same as Monday.  Tied to the desk all day and wondering who it is that has the gift of administration and is looking for an overworked minister they could help!  Lots of re-drafting to do on those employment issues.  The CF Area has around 30 churches, many small and rural.  The Mission Development Worker is a renewed but modified role, but the other appointment is new.  Even though I groaned about the admin, putting two workers in the field is time well spent.


Wednesday: Unexpected complication within the International Congregational Fellowship with an email from Australia.  Had to spend time communicating with our worthy Co-Moderator who now lives in France and has poor internet connections and responding to the alarming email from Australia. Made a pastoral visit to the University Hospital in Coventry to visit a member from Yelvertoft.  This involves a 55 mile round trip, taking up the whole evening.


Thursday:  Finally received a video recording I have been waiting for so that I can complete a simple DVD promoting a major conference next summer.  Started trying to book studio time.  Have now got final confirmation that all three prospective new trustees for Sunrise Ministries have agreed to serve.  This is good news.  Started the admin procedures for their appointment.  Received a request to teach on rural evangelism in Ireland and confirmed my acceptance.  Received details of a CF training weekend at the end of this month in which I will participate.  One of the sessions in which I will be involved is on rural mission.  Took a long call from a friend in another organisation needing help and advice.  Received an email from a journalist wanting information on rural evangelism for a Christian magazine article.


Friday:  Discovered more about the Australia problem and started to work on that.  More communications with France as a result.  Tweaking the employment documents and trying to find time to finish preparing for my presentation at University and getting ready for a CF Area meeting in the evening in Leicester.  Left for the meeting at 6.15pm with Uni prep half finished.  Left the CF meeting at 8.15pm by which time the work done on the two appointments was approved and a new Area representative made to a CF national mission committee.  Good stuff!  Drove to Ducklington (near Oxford) arriving at farmhouse B&B just after 10.00pm.  On looking at the state of Uni presentation discovered it was 50% too long so set about editing at and fell into bed at 1.30am!


Saturday:  Following a pleasant early breakfast set off for Winchester where I gave my assessed presentation on the research project on rural evangelism.  Fellow students and tutors made kind comments (here's hoping!).  I am researching attitudes within rural churches towards local evangelism and the activities or inactivities that result from these.  We need rural churches that can confidently engage in mission and evangelism in ways that are appropriate and effective if we are ever to see rural Britain re-evangelised. Some aspects of this research programme are onerous but the intended outcome could be immensely helpful for advancing God's kingdom in rural Britain.


Travelled home to Market Harborough (4 hrs). Booked a visit to Wales for next weekend.  Rang the hospital to check on my church member.  Cleaned and polished the car and then shared thsi news with you.


It has been a very full and in some ways an untidy week.  There are some additional activities that I am not at liberty to share with you.  Reflecting on how I have sought to cope with several tasks at once and responding to incoming communications, I am reminded that much of the ministry of Jesus was reacting and responding to the agendas of others.  I hope and pray that out of the busy-ness of the past several days God's kingdom will have been advanced and the road prepared well for further advancement of the kingdom through the labours of others whose paths have crossed with mine.


You can probably work out for yourself items for praise and prayer from all the above information.  If I were to ask your prayers for one specific item it would be the work that I am doing with Winchester University.  Please pray that I will be able to find space and time to complete some essential reading and writing.  Please pray that Sunrise Ministries income will cover the costs involved (fees, books, travel etc).  Please pray that as the actual practical aspects of the research start soon the process will prove helpful to those whose attitudes and practise of rural evangelism I will be studying.  This is one of the most challenging aspects of my ministry over the years but one that offers exciting potential.


Thanks for journeying with me by prayer.  I really value this.  If you would like to keep up with the daily activities this coming week you can find me on Facebook and Twitter - both as 'ruralbarry'.  Meanwhile, why not pray for three opportunities this week to tell someone what Jesus means to you?


Barry

An Enjoyable Week

Apart from those times when the set subject for a school assembly is bizarre taking assemblies is a real treat. Last Monday at Lubenham the set passage was on John the Baptist.  This provided an opportunity to tell the children a little more about my own faith journey.  The children sat with their coats on in a cold hall and you could have heard a pin drop!  It was my last assembly there this year.  I have one other duty to perform there providing Rudolph and team can get me there on time!

Thursday I travelled to Winchester to make my presentation and be interviewed related to an application to do a part time MPhil research degree.  The  aim is to undertake a critical examination of how the task of evangelization is understood and practised in rural Britain, with particular attention to the need for appropriate contextualisation.  I was complemented on my presentation, asked several challenging questions and then received a positive response.  The work will start in February.  If anyone wants to know more details please feel free to contact me.  All rail connections worked with uncanny perfect timing almost as if they had been scheduled around my movements!  That's a first!

The YP raised enough for 31 goats in just two hours!

On Friday Doreen and I went to Yelvertoft to prepare for this weekend's events.  Then this morning an early start got us to Yelvertoft ready to support our YP who were running a Fund Fare to purchase goats for needy families in Malawi.  This is being done in association with Torch Trust for the Blind.  There are high numbers of people blind or partially sighted and a pair of goats can become a big step towards self-sufficiency.  The YP raised just short of £200 through various activities with a further £300 plus coming as donations prompted by this event.  We had a lot of fun for a really good cause.


Dr Gordon Temple, CEO of Torch Trust, is a member of my ministry team at Yelvertoft and was scheduled to take the service on 12th December.  However, while he was abroad in Malawi we had to reschedule this weekend's activities.  Instead of a normal Sunday meeting we have a special "Christmas Warmer" with generous hospitality and chosen favourite carols combined with a "Toy Service" with toys going to families in Malawi affected by blindness.  With immaculate timing Gordon - not knowing what was planned - asked if he could show a video of his recent visit to Malawi!  I love it when God's plan comes together!


One sad item this week is that my 1997 Astra is poorly.  It might just be a cold but could be far worse.  Returning from Yelvertoft on Friday it developed symptoms of a computer failure.  On the way back from Scotland the previous week I had been telling her how amazingly fit she was despite having 110,000 miles on the clock.  She will be admitted to "hospital" on Monday when I hope for a diagnosis and prognosis.


Typically in this period before Christmas engagements are fewer.  The only special items are Tuesday's final practice for the prison Christmas Concert which takes place on Wednesday evening.  The next Sunday it will be Theddingworth's Christmas Special in the evening.


Thanks as always for your prayers and support.  Both are appreciated and we thank God for those whom he moves to stand with us in our ministry.  If you would like to see this year's Christmas reflection it is on my other blog at barryosborne.blogspot.com.