The Power of Influence

The Power of Influence
                                    “… and Geshem says it is true.” (Nehemiah 6:6)
Back in the nineteen eighties when I did my Management Studies one of the University tutors took a tutorial on the subject of power, authority and influence.  To illustrate the subject, he told a story about a company that was going through an important change.  The company directors had made careful plans so that no one would lose their job.  They published the information ahead of time so that no one would be caused unnecessary anxiety.  However, a shop steward (Union representative) suggested that you could not trust the directors, and this led to panic and industrial unrest.  Some left the company and moved to other companies.  The directors’ plans for a smooth transition were ruined.

Now the authority in this situation belonged to the directors, but because of his close working relationship with other employees the shop steward hadinfluence.  Clearly, the outcome showed that it was he who also had thepower!  Not necessarily what you might expect.

I went through a similar situation when working as a CEO of a charity.  Many of the key staff members, including the former CEO lived in community.  He regularly contradicted information I provided and made my life unbearable. No matter what I tried, his influence proved greater than my authority and I quit after three years.

In the UK we are being faced with making an important decision in a referendum in June.  Over the last few weeks I have been wondering whether the outcome on that day will come from informed knowledge or biased influence.  I fear that many will make the decision based on the editorial position of their daily newspaper. Day after day they will be deliberately steered in one direction.

As Christians, we too are easily swayed by popular opinion rather than taking the trouble to check it out for ourselves.  This even affects how we understand doctrine and interpret Bible passages.  If you hear enough of the same message Sunday after Sunday, you might easily think it must be true.  Sadly, I recently came across two churches where Christians have been affected by unbalanced teaching which seemed to have biblical authority because it was being taught with strong conviction.  There used to be a TV comedy programme entitled “Never mind the quality; feel the width”.  I sometimes think that some churches and preachers operate on the basis of “Never mind the truth; feel the passion!”

The book of Nehemiah tells us how Nehemiah led those who rebuilt the walls of the formerly devastated city of Jerusalem.  It was an important task but also symbolised hope for the People of Israel.  He met with opposition that used many tactics to wear down poor Nehemiah.  The quotation at the top of this article comes from a tactic in which Sanballat accuses Nehemiah of rebellion and the intention of setting himself up as a king.  This is of course not true.  So to add weight to the pressure he is putting on Nehemiah, he adds “Geshem says it is true”.

Fortunately, Nehemiah does not allow himself to be influenced by this tactic.  He knows the truth.

This Sunday many good Christian men and women will seek to open God’s word for a congregation aware that some who do not like what they teach will seek to influence them.  Some will hear those dreadful words “People have been saying…”  I have heard that just a few times and always respond by asking the bearer of the influence to ask any complainers to speak with me.  They have never materialised.

So, where am I going with this.  Firstly, I would urge you to be on your guard.  Don’t be influenced by the prejudices of others.  Study to learn the facts. Secondly, never do the cowardly thing of hiding behind alleged gossip.  Express your own opinion openly, honestly and always graciously.  Avoid using the “other people have been saying” approach.  Thirdly, if you are the one under pressure don’t play the enemies game.  Know the truth and gently declare.  That is what Nehemiah did, refusing to be knocked of course.  But first be sure you are on solid ground in the position you are adopting.

GREAT IDEAS FOR SEASONAL MISSION
The next webinar by Rural Mission Solutions will be led by Gordon Banks, one of our trustees.  He will explain how we can make mission more effective if we take advantage of seasonal changes both in church life and the communities in which our churches are set.  There are bound to be some good ideas for Spring. This is a great session and I urge you to register now to book your place.  Benefit for this 45-minute presentation on Wednesday 2^nd March at 7.30pm.  All you need is an internet connection.

Register now athttps://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2501067168754428930

Praise & Prayer from the Diary
Our Lent programme at Yelvertoft has got off to a good start.  We are discussing the letters to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.  I hope to put a short video comment on these passages on the Yelvertoft Church website.  Keep a note of the link and come back to it from time to time.

Please keep praying for the Chaplaincy Department of HMP Gartree.  Prison chaplaincies provide a vital service and we have been short one full time Anglican chaplain for almost a year.  Another good friend and colleague is off sick and another will probably cease his role in the summer.  Meanwhile, extra work comes my way.  While I value this ministry and derive pleasure from this service I want to see these men on life sentences being best served.  Advertisements have gone out.  Somewhere God has the right man or woman for this important post. Please join your prayers with ours.

Yelvertoft Congregational Church meets on Monday 29^th February for the next important meeting as they seek God’s guidance for the future as I step aside as their Minister. This is an important moment in the life of the church.  I plan to use released time to invest more in rural mission and evangelism.

Katrina Thomas has been offered a part-time position with Rural Mission Solutions to help renew our work with children and families.  Katrina and her family have just moved into the South East from the East Midlands.  She will be working with a rural Parish Church and has another commitment.  We are encouraged by her appointment and hope to see this aspect grow – possibly through a network of part time ministries around the country.

Last Week. It was good to catch up with friends at Herstmonceux Free Church (a former pastorate) on Sunday evening and I spent a difficult 24 hours tackling a complicated situation in East Sussex where I am a co-trustee of a Will left in 1979.  We have had to take a tough decision which may well create challenges over coming weeks.  Unfortunately, my visit to the property left under the will was followed by two days of illness!  We had a great Get Messyat Yelvertoft this Saturday morning.

Coming Up.  This Sunday (21^st) HMP Gartree and Yelvertoft Congregational Church in the morning.  On Tuesday (23^rd) School Assembly in the morning and HMP Gartree in the afternoon.  Thursday (25^th) Early morning Communion at HMP Gartree followed by Lent Bible Discussion in Yelvertoft. Thursday afternoon I travel to Kent and will be working for Action for Christ for a couple of days returning to home for Sunday ministry.

Remember to register for the webinar on Seasonal Mission and Spring Outreach Ideas

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2501067168754428930

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Yours in His service,

Barry
Barry Osborne

The Missing Peace

Many of you will have grieved as I have grieved over the breakdown in the peace talks in Geneva.  Yet I was not surprised by the tactics of the government supported as it is by Russia.  Going into peace talks while launching violent attacks on those who oppose them is not new; it is just tragic.  It brought to my mind the verses in Jeremiah 6 and again in chapter 8 where false prophets are condemned for proclaiming, “Peace, peace when there is no peace”.  In that situation God, through Jeremiah complained against the practice of putting sticking plaster on a wound that needed serious attention (symbolically).

I try to avoid political comment in these letters and the blog.  My situation is somewhat compromised by the fact that I have Armenian Christian friends in the city of Aleppo in Syria – the one in the news at this time.  They are biased towards the government which, for many years, protected the Christians in Syria.  For them, against that background, the alternative must look bleak indeed.  I wonder how many of them might be among the tens of thousands fleeing the city as the government forces supported by the Russians press their attack.

It is only a few years ago that there seemed to be peace in Syria.  In the main the government and the President were popular.  Investment in hospitals and education seemed to be a priority.  All seemed well.  Even the impact of the “Arab Spring” was fairly modest, and I was encouraged by President Assad’s immediate offer to moderate the work of internal security forces and move towards democracy.  But that lasted only a few hours and was replaced by the warning of extreme bloodshed if those who opposed him failed to back down.  How dreadfully his prophecy has been fulfilled.

The presence of IS and various violent forces that have since mingled with the more moderate opposition has brought carnage.  Clearly, terrible things have been done by both sides and the cost of Russia’s intervention seems to be unspeakably dreadful.  There seems little prospect of peace.  The action on the ground (especially in Aleppo) while envoys talked peace is a cruel jest.

As always, there is more than one opinion in such situations.  My Armenian Christian friends in Syria might not agree with my view of the matter; I do not know.  But the clock cannot be turned back and nothing will ever be the same again in that country.  I wonder how similar the situation there has been to what happened in Jerusalem when a sticking plaster was offered to cover up a deep and festering wound.  Perhaps, after the conflict that Jeremiah foretold, Jerusalem looked much as Aleppo does today.

And does God weep? Weeping over the hatred and the carnage.  Weeping over the thousands that flee the country, leaving all that was once precious to them? I believe the heart of God must be deeply moved.  Oh, for a revolution of love and real lasting peace!  May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as in heaven!

Jesus shows that the pathway to peace is not violence but loving sacrifice, commending his love to us in that while we were his enemies he gave his life for us (Romans 5: 6-8).  A Hindu friend witnessed some unloving behaviour between professing Christians recently and, genuinely perplexed, asked me to explain how that could be.  It made me think of Ghandi’s famous comment, “I’d be a Christian if it were not for Christians”.

While there is much that divides Christians, there is much more that makes us one.  My own Christian tradition has no bishops but I rejoice over the planned meeting between the Pope and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church.  It’s a great symbol.   I rejoice more that, in the town where I live, Christian leaders and people express their appreciation and love for one another by working together for the glory of God.  We are not seeking uniformity, but are living out the unity that is God’s gift and the consequence of receiving the same Spirit.

Against the background of Christ’s example and such practical fellowship as I have just described the failure of some Christians to live in peace hurts me when I see it.  Jesus allowed for our fallen human nature when he said, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:24-3,24).

If my life were the only ‘book on Christianity’ I wonder how many might be attracted to Jesus, and how many might have been discouraged?
 
A missing piece
In my last letter I encouraged people to click a link to send an email so that I would know that you had read it.  But there was no such link!  Many sent an email anyway, so thank you.  Here is the link this time. This will open an email and all you need to do is send it.  Thanks.
 
Seeking a new Children and Families Worker
Rural Mission Solutions is currently in discussion with someone and believe that she might be the right person to enable us to start re-building our work to encourage and enable rural churches to establish and maintain programmes for children where they can come to know Jesus and grow in faith.  Please pray for guidance.
 
A Missing Chaplain
We are short one full time Anglican Chaplain at HMP Gartree where I also work as a part time voluntary chaplain.  I work with a choir most Tuesday afternoons and lead some services occasionally on Sunday and Thursday mornings.  This summer we shall also be losing our sessional Methodist Chaplain.  My forthcoming retirement for the ministry at Yelvertoft was not so that I could do more at prison, but so I could do more in rural mission.  However, we are facing a crisis.  The post has been advertised several times.  Please pray that whoever is God’s chosen person will hear the call!
 
Yelvertoft faces up to my departure
The church at Yelvertoft is currently considering a possible way forward.  This looks very interesting and I ask your prayers please over the next three weeks.

Reminder of Seminar on Personal Evangelism
Online Seminar on personal evangelism is repeated this coming Monday evening (8th).  If you missed the last one, click here to register.  It will take place at 7.30pm and you can attend from the comfort of your home and for free.  If you are not already confident in sharing your faith with others please book in.  Please also encourage others to register.

From the diary
Sunday 7^th Feb - 10.45 Yelvertoft; 6.00 Newton, near Rugby
Monday 8^th Feb - sharing in the Fresh Expressions Rural Round Table in London.  In the evening I will be running the presentation on personal evangelism.
Tuesday 9^th Feb – HMP Gartree in the afternoon.
Thursday 11^th Feb – Start of Lent study series on the letters to the churches in Revelation.
Saturday 13^th Feb – sharing in an East Midlands Area Executive meeting with several mission projects on the agenda.
Sunday 14^th Feb – 9.15 HMP Gartree; 10.45 Yelvertoft.

Final Reflection
Could you be a missing piece in God’s plan somewhere?  When did you last offer yourself to God’s purposes?  Is there a missing peace in your relations somewhere?  What do you need to do about that?

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support.

Barry          

The Cost to the Butterfly

Do you know what imaginal discs are?

In 1 Corinthians 15: 35-58 the apostle Paul seeks to explain the difference between our earthly bodies and our post-resurrection being.  He uses planted seed as an illustration.  What goes into the ground is not the same as that which later emerges.  I wonder what he might have written to those who have some idea of cell development and DNA.  Obviously, Paul drew on material with which they were familiar.  

Recently I found myself pondering on the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.  The cartoon is used under a licence and should not be copied please.

During its life cycle as a caterpillar, it will gorge itself on leaves with a voracious appetite.  It has only that one driving force until the time comes when it starts to weave and becomes a chrysalis.  Then something truly amazing takes place. The body of the caterpillar dissolves into a kind of soup.  But this contains ‘imaginal discs’ which are the basis from which other cells develop producing eyes, wings and everything else a butterfly will need.  Then one day, out of the soup of what was something new and splendid emerges.

The cost to the butterfly is virtually losing its old identity and structure.  While this might be a helpful illustration of life beyond this life when we shall be changed and made like our Saviour, it also speaks to me about how we should be progressing in our Christian lives here and now.  I began 2016 reflecting on God’s call to Abram (see Genesis 12: 1-3).  This is Abram’s first encounter with God and is the foundation for all that will follow in his life, in the lives of the People of Israel, and all that follows to us today.  It starts with the call to leave. God has things to show him and wonderful promises to give him but the first step is leaving where he is.

During the years in which I have sought to walk with God he has periodically called me to let go of what I treasured and to leave the comfort of the place to which he has brought me.  It has never been easy.  But each time, leaving what was created the opportunity to experience what could be.

I wonder how much is missed of the blessing of God because of Christians attachment to what is and the refusal to let go.  I wonder how much blessing has been missed in churches that cling to the comfort of the past. Perhaps if a caterpillar knew that he would basically have to digest itself and dissolve it might not be too keen to start weaving that cocoon.  Change is usually very costly in one way or another, but if God is calling you to let things go, take care that you do not miss what could be in the future. What might be the imaginal discs that help build the future?

Do you have friends who are not Christians?

Do you wish your friends shared your faith or that you could share your faith with them?  Most UK Christians value their faith but talking about it is a different matter.  If this is true of you, please do not miss the opportunity to join me in a free online seminar on Friendship Evangelism.  It is being held at 7.30pm next Wednesday 27^th January and repeated on Monday 8^th at 7.30pm.  It lasts just 45 minutes.  You can simply watch and listen or ask questions.

To ‘attend’ the seminar from the comfort of your home you need to book in advance.  It will cost you nothing.  You will be asked for your name and email address but you are not joining anything and will not suddenly find yourself receiving unsolicited emails.  You provide this information so that you can receive the special link.  Use that link a few minutes before the scheduled start of the seminar and follow the instructions on screen.  This might involve downloading a ‘launch programme’.  This is perfectly safe.

People who previously attended this particular online seminar said that it was very interesting and helpful.  People who have learned to share their faith always talk about how it has also helped their faith to grow.  I would love to help you to confidently share your faith in a way that would not be embarrassing.  So please sign up to attend today (spaces are limited) and spread the word to other Christian friends who might find this helpful.

Click this link to register your place for the seminar

For Praise and Prayer

I have appreciated prayers for the three occasions this month when I have attended funerals.  The latest one was this week for an aged aunt in Hastings. Our thoughts and prayers are for those who heel the loss most keenly.

Deep appreciation was expressed by the 30 Salvation Army Cadets (officers in training) at the William Booth College on Wednesday where I had taken part in the Safeguarding training.  I teach three sessions exploring how and why sexual abuse can happen in a Christian context, and how to support those who have been victims.  Understanding enables us to have safer churches. I continue to be impressed with the high standards of the Salvation Army.  I also give thanks that one larger denomination has increased its safeguarding team from one part-time person to seven full time people.  Bad practise in the past leaves much still to be done in this area of pastoral acre and action.

I have been having some useful pastoral conversations with some of the men at HMP Gartree where I work most Tuesday afternoons.  I shall be taking the Sunday Service for them on 31^st January.

Please keep Yelvertoft Congregational Church in your prayers as we process through various stages that will enable me to retire from that aspect of ministry in the very near future.

Give thanks that important work I have been doing for Action for Christ (Rural Evangelism) has been successful.  Pray for the trustees as we seek God’s guidance for the future of this organisation that has an exciting history but now faces changes.

Please pray that many will avail themselves of the opportunity to attend the online seminar on Friendship Evangelism next Wednesday.  Imagine what might happen if only more had the understanding, confidence and courage to share their faith with others. I would love to tell you that we had so many requests to attend this seminar that we have to repeat it through the year.

Please pray for my wider work within the Congregational Federation.  Currently I chair the Inter-Church Board and am a member of the Pastoral Care Board.  I am also part of the Mission Support Group for the East Midlands Area.  I need to review how much time I can commit to these roles and value prayers for wisdom so that I focus on what God wants me to do.  Sometimes it is better to do less and do it better!  There are some encouraging opportunities to help the churches in the East Midlands Area.

Please give thanks for the faithfulness of friends who though their prayers and practical support keep us serving the Lord.

Thank you for your friendship and prayers.

Barry

Microsoft Backs Evangelists

Microsoft Promotes Evangelism

If this is something new to you then you are likely to be surprised as much as I was when I heard this.  However, before you get too excited, please read on. Like other biblical terms the word “evangelist” has been hijacked to describe a secular activity.  Here is a description of this kind of role from Wikipedia:

“A [technology] evangelist promotes the use of a particular product  or technology through talks, articles, blogging, user demonstrations, recorded demonstrations, or the creation of sample projects. The word evangelism is taken from the context of religious evangelism due to the similarity of relaying information about a particularset of beliefs with the intention of converting the recipient.”

So how do you feel about the use of the word being adapted in this way.  Personally, I am wondering whether it could prove positive.  The “E-word” began to become unpopular in many churches at the start of the 1980s.  For this reason, the last major Billy Graham Mission in the UK was called Mission England avoiding terms like evangelism, crusade or campaign.  Could the term now become rehabilitated by its use in a secular context?

The word, evangelist, simply means someone who has good news to share.  It is not the word that is the problem but the image.  Take this cartoon, for example, which I use in order to help people articulate negative feelings about evangelism (I own the rights to the cartoon).  Certain TV evangelists have also helped to create a poor and unhelpful image of what evangelism is really about.  My opinion is that if something labelled evangelism does not come across as good news then it cannot be evangelism.

The secular word has been misusing the term evangelical for some time, in my opinion.  They have used it to describe someone who is passionate about something, so perhaps they would have done better to have said, evangelistic.  Again, sadly, the term evangelical has sometimes been used negatively as defining a rather extreme and unattractive kind of Christian.  For me, and evangelical is someone whose faith has the good news or gospel at its heart, and who has particular respect for scripture. 19^th Century evangelicals were world-changers campaigning against slavery and promoting much social good.  They were not aggressive bigots.

While I am happy for biblical terms to be used appropriately in a secular context, and am excited by the use of evangelist by Microsoft, I don’t wish to give away the use of these words within a Christian context.  I want to see them recovered correctly.  Perhaps what we need to do is to take a hard look at who we are, what we believe, how we live and what we say and ask, “Is all of this GOOD News?” But the adjective, good, should be from the perspective of those observing or hearing us, rather than how we define ourselves.

Last year I began running a programme entitled “Friendship Evangelism”. An introduction to the programme is one of our free online seminars (webinars) and it is also available as a one-day course for churches.  The aim is to encourage ordinary Christians to be good news and confidently and lovingly seek to help those they care about to come to know Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour.  Please note that we are running the introductory online seminar again later this month.  Whether or not you are comfortable about sharing your faith the opportunity to watch this on your computer could prove a valuable investment of 45 minutes.

If the term evangelist is not to be lost to the world we need many more ordinary Christians who can become comfortable sharing the good news in gentle and winsome ways.  Do you need to become one of these?  If so, please sign up for the free webinar.  Or you might be a church leader with people who are less than confident in sharing their faith; then you too should find this webinar helpful

Click here for more details.

Click here now to register for either seminar.

For praise and prayer this week

We thank God for his blessing at the burial and subsequent Thanksgiving Service for the life of John Bradley, a former trustee and long-term supporter of Rural Mission Solutions.  John was a greatly loved Methodist Minister with a heart of the wider church.  He wrote his own “last words” which were read at the Thanksgiving Service.  Do please read them.

Over recent months I have lost three former colleagues who have gone to be with the Lord.  Please remember those closest to them at this time.

This Saturday, 9^th January, members of Yelvertoft Congregational Church meet to reflect on the implications from my plan to retire as their Minister later this year.  Join me in thanking God for this church and its work in the village and surrounding area.  Pray for wisdom.

Please pray for Doreen (my wife) as she undergoes further tests this weekend to discover the cause for chronic gastric problems.

Please pray for the work on Obambo, Kenya and for Nigel Lindsay who will be travelling to there on 13^th January.  The loss of my colleague, Monica Cook, is keenly felt both in Kenya and in the UK Friends of Obambo team.

Give thanks for continued prayer and financial support for the Children’s Department of Sunrise Ministries and put your prayers behind finding a competent person with a heart for rural ministry to head up this work.

Give thanks for the completion of important work required for Action for Christ.  This took up much time during December and we now await an important communication from a government department.  Once this has been received, the trustees of AFC (which includes me) will start to take prayerful steps regarding the future of that rural ministry.

Tuesday 12^th January I will take a school assembly followed by regular ministry at HMP Gartree.

Saturday 16^th January “Get Messy” (Messy Church) at Yelvertoft with an all-age service on the following day.

Give thanks for the encouragement from those who attended the online seminars in 2015.  These were held on Saturday morning and we are experimenting to find the day and time most suitable for those who could benefit from these webinars.  Please pray as these need to be scheduled throughout 2016.

Thank you for your friendship, fellowship and support.

Barry

Change is here to stay

Some years ago, as part of my Open University Management Studies, one of the modules dealt with the management of change.  A catch phrase in those days was “Change is here to stay”.  I thought then, and have done since, that this ought to be a banner or poster put up inside every church.  As we enter into this New Year I find myself reflecting on the topic once again, most importantly as far as it relates to my own life.

New Year has traditionally been a time for making resolutions.  Most of these express aspirations for personal change.  I could think of dozens of changes that that are needed in my life but, knowing how hard it is to maintain such needed changes I plan to keep them all in mind and do the best I can through the year without actually encapsulating them into a resolution.  I certainly do not intend to bore you with a long list of things in my life that need improvement!

Something I read recently did make me think about the fact that some Christians will have resolved to do more for God or make more time for in 2015.  It was, “We are not saved by the promises we make to God, but by trusting the promises he has made to us”. Sometimes we try too hard to make ourselves more spiritual or holy, when the desired outcome cannot be achieved by self-effort.  

I remember at a time as a teenager, vexed by what I saw as besetting sin, I was sitting on Hastings’ sea front watching the incoming waves.  There are a number of granite groins along the beach that stretch into the sea functioning as breakwaters.  As I prayed I seemed to hear God say,” Watch the waves.” As watched I noticed that as the wave first encountered the breakwater it washed over to the other side.  But as the wave got further up the beach it was no longer washing over but had become separated from the other side.  I then felt God saying that sanctification was achieved not by self-effort to change but by pressing ever closer into union with God.  This wave (me) is still pressing forward with some way to go!

We have an unchanging and unchangeable God who is in the business of changing people.  In our relationship with God change will always be here to stay until that ultimate moment when we shall be so changed that we find ourselves in his presence and like our wonderful Saviour.  Doreen, my wife, reflects that, prior to her responding to Gods offer of forgiveness and salvation, her speech was marked by constant swearing which had given her notoriety.   After some time, she suddenly realised she no longer swore.  In 40 years of marriage I have never heard her swear. It was a token of the change God brings when we open ourselves up to him.

Sometimes we get worked up by the lack of change within the organisational life of our churches where, far too often, things have to be done the way they have ‘always been done’.  Doubtless we all know that the last words of a dying church were “We have always done it this way!”.  When responding to a request to serve what became our second church, I asked the small congregation whether they were open to change.  I was immediately asked in what way I wanted them to change, and had to point out that was not the issue.  What mattered was whether the congregation was open to hear from God and act in obedience as that always brings change.  Happily, they assured Doreen and me that they were and so began one of the most exciting phases in 50 years of Christian ministry.

So my New Year’s challenge (to myself and to you) is to start now by opening ourselves up more and more to God, enjoying sharing his life and his sharing in ours.  A man stood watching a sculptor as he worked away on a large block of stone to produce a statue of a horse. The man watched fascinated as the sculptor seemed to chip away bits of stone slowly revealing the form of the horse.  “How do you do that?” he asked in wonder.  The sculptor replied, I just remove anything that doesn’t look like a horse!”

Be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet!

Items for Praise

• Give thanks for God graciously using a still imperfect servant through the past year.  Give thanks for all who have found salvation or moved closer to God.
• Give thanks for God’s faithfulness in providing for our needs and keeping us safe in our journeys.
• Give thanks for the band of good friends who care about us and pray for us.
• Give thanks for blessings received personally while serving in four pastorates in Hastings, Herstmonceux, Theddingworth, and Yelvertoft, and for the good folk that continue the work in those churches.

Items for prayer

• That I will be so filled with the Holy Spirit that wherever I go something of God spills from my life to bless others.
• That I will always be open to God and able to hear his voice.
• For guidance in Sunrise Ministries as we seek to fill staff gaps and look to God that the vision he gave might yet become reality, which might not be in my lifetime, of course.
• For guidance in the trusteeship of Action for Christ (formerly Mission for Christ) as we continue on the pathway of recovering from the deep crisis into which it was plunged by earlier mismanagement.  2016 will be an important year of decision for this organisation.
• For wisdom in time management.  During 2016 I expect to lay down some responsibilities as I wish to focus on fewer things but do them better.  This includes being a better husband to Doreen and a better friend to others.
• For yourself as I depend on you in the Lord.  We are partners in the mission of God.  Serving God is an enormous privilege and we cannot do it alone.

And coming up in January…

• Regular ministry in Yelvertoft including facilitating a process of seeking God’s purposes for the church after my upcoming retirement.
• Schools ministry never fails to bless me as I seek to share God’s truth in creative and effective ways.
• My work in HMP Gartree and the men serving life sentences with whom I work.  We are still looking for another full time Christian chaplain on the team.
• My work with the Salvation Army and elsewhere helping make churches safer places for the vulnerable and better carers both for victims and perpetrators.
• The networking with rural church leaders and others engaged in rural mission, especially through the Rural Evangelism Network.  There is room for improvement in this area of ministry and aspects of service that depend upon this.

Yours in his service,

Barry

Stuck in a traffic jam

Stuck in a traffic jam Yesterday I was driving home from Kent to Leicestershire when I encountered a 45-minute queue at the Dartford Crossing.  It was dark, I was tired and planning a break at the services the other side.  As often happens, common life experiences have faith applications.  Right now, it feels like I am stuck in a work traffic jam made more frustrating because I am tired! Back to the traffic jam on the M25, the first thing that comes to mind is the question “Why?”; what has caused this? It was mid-week and I was ahead of rush hour (or so I thought).  Traffic jams are often caused by some incident but on this occasion it was just too many cars using the same route.  And I was one of these, of course. I expect there is a mathematical model for determining which is the best lane to drive in during a slow moving queue.  I usually choose the middle lane and stick with it. I see other cars ahead of me changing lanes whenever it seems that another lane is moving faster than the one they are in.  The strategy does not help that much as usually I find myself passing them after a while.  So what else could be done? About a month ago I was in a similar situation and decided that the best course of action would be to take an alternative route so I headed through south east London to cross the Thames only to find that the other side was also full of traffic in stop-start mode and an average speed of around 3 miles an hour! Another strategy, if you are not in a hurry, is to stop somewhere, take a break and wait for the jam to clear.  That’s fine if you are not on a busy schedule and have to get to a destination by a certain time.  I needed to press on and the length of queue was getting longer by the minute. Like many in Christian work, I am multi-hatted.  That normally does not present a problem and I can usually cope with the volume of work this generates.  To change the metaphor, it sometimes feels like the plate spinning activity where an entertainer has spinning plates balance carefully on poles.  A significant number of plates on poles can be managed provided you can keep them all spinning.  I usually feel happy about the number of plates I have to spin. But the traffic jam analogy seems more appropriate to my present circumstances as I find myself unable to hit various deadlines and making slow progress on some urgent and important tasks. So it is time for some serious self-examination.  Firstly, I need to identify the cause.  Certainly some incidents have taken place that have complicated progress hindering the usual steady flow of work.  However, perhaps there is too much traffic on the road.  Progress might be better if I had less things to do marked urgent and important.  Constantly swapping between tasks (rather like changing motorway lanes in a queue) does not resolve the problem and just adds frustration.  Maybe reducing the amount of traffic will help in the future but I still have to deal with the present situation. I am inclined to think that taking a break would be best.  But this will mean ensuring that I do not let anyone down.  But sitting frustrated and tired in a queue is not as sensible as taking a break and having a nap at the roadside. When I reached the Dartford Tunnels I found that the reason for the stop/start experience over the 45 minutes was a traffic management system to ensure that a traffic jam did not occur within the tunnels. That made sense.  I recently heard that Transport for London are experimenting with asking people to stand both sides of escalators rather than keeping one side for those who wish to rush.  Apparently, slowing people down speeds up the system! There are times in our lives when we feel the need to rush and to push forward when better (and possibly faster) journeys could be made by slowing down.  Such was the traffic at the crossing that I was obliged to pass the services there.  That resulted in my having to take two sleep breaks later on!  A three-hour journey took me six hours to complete, mostly because of my own poor traffic management. So, all this is to flag up the fact that I am currently stuck in a queue making painfully slow progress with some jobs I would have liked to have completed by now.  I shall be using the ‘take a break’ strategy as best I can, but otherwise this is like phoning ahead to explain the current situation and ask you to be patient with me.  I am still on course and will complete all promised tasks as soon as I can Praise & Prayer News may be a bit irregular.  I am not sure whether Christmas cards will go out and some thankyou letters will inevitably be delayed. Non urgent tasks can be put on hold. I also ask your prayers please as I consider reducing my overall ‘traffic volume’ to ensure that what I do in 2016 is done on time and done well. Recent News I was saddened to learn of the home-call of two more former colleagues and good friends in the last few weeks (bringing the total to three this year).  Graham Silver, a former colleague in Mission for Christ and long-term supporter of Rural Mission Solutions, and John Bradley, a former trustee of Sunrise Ministries (Rural Mission Solutions’ formal name) and another log-term friend and supporter are now enjoying life in the presence of the Lord.  Please pray for family members at this time. Please pray for the members of Yelvertoft Congregational Church as I have served notice of my intention to retire from this aspect of ministry.  We will be meeting to consider the implications on Saturday 9th January. I have had some wonderful school assemblies and several special Christmas-based events with opportunity to make God’s word clear and plain in an attractive and effective way.  I thank God for his inspiration and blessing.  Prison ministry has also been rewarding.  At the prison carol service, led by a Salvation Army band and songsters.  The prison male voice choir sang one item on their own and joined in with the songsters for another special item.  The band played a special band setting for a carol tune I wrote a couple of years ago.  It was unexpected and moved me deeply to hear this.  To cap it all I was asked afterwards if I would conduct the band playing it again.  What an honour! Coming activities Urgent administration work being done for ‘Action for Christ’ (I am taking a break to write this) Saturday 19th Dec.  ‘Get Messy for Christmas’ (form of Messy Church) and carol singing witness at the Marina both in Yelvertoft. Sunday 20th Dec. The Christmas Warmer at Yelvertoft Congregational Church (a friendly and informal opportunity to share the real message). Tuesday 22nd Dec.  HMP Gartree Friday 25th Dec Christmas Reflections at Yelvertoft In January there will be some important meetings.  If you do not pick up the news in a Praise & Prayer News please follow me on Facebook and Twitter for information.  Use the links below and bookmark them in your browser. May God grant you a very happy and blessed Christmas.  Please keep in touch.  Thank you for prayers for all our activities, especially prayers and donations for Rural Mission Solutions.

Trustees and staff of Rural Mission Solutions thank those who have supported the work through another year.  All donations are acknowledged.  Cheques should be payable to "Sunrise Ministries" please and sent to 4 Clarence Street, Market Harborough, LE16 7NE.  If using internet banking the information you need is Account name "Sunrise Ministries"; Sort Code 40-52-40; Account number:00016072;Reference add your surname and postcode please.

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It's About Time

It's About Time I first started writing this the day before the clocks went back to GMT in the UK.  Unfortunately I was unable to find enough time to finish the task!  Someone once told me that sufficient time can never be found; it has to be made.  That makes a lot of sense.  Time is a precious commodity.  When we are young we seem to have plenty of it but after a certain age each year seems shorter than the one before, and the days of a week rush by.  All the more reason to make good use of it. You may already know that there are two different Greek words for time used in the New Testament.  Chronos is the word used for the kind of time we can tell from a clock, for example.  The other word is Kairos which has more to do with a moment of opportunity.  Both can be wasted, but Christians should guard against that. Those that know me well often make two distinct comments about time as it relates to my life.  The first of these goes back into childhood when I was chronically late for school (Did you get the Greek pun?).  I still tend to leave things to the last moment and end up either rushing or arriving late!  The other comment relates to how much I do with some wondering how I fit it all in.  The latter situation might, of course, contribute to the former.  I certainly seem to have full days of work. Someone once told me that he built space into his diary so that if something cropped up he could fit it in.  I’m not sure how to do that as I would feel bad about unprofitable time as a result of intentional gaps in the diary.  Consequently, when unexpected tasks develop I have to manage the diary by changing priorities which might in turn mean something not being done where this does not cause a problem. The key to this is, of course, knowing how to prioritise, distinguishing between what must be done, what should be done and what could be done.  Priorities are determined by whether something is urgent or important.  Mark’s Gospel reveals a picture of Jesus almost frenetically moving from one task to another.  But we know that Jesus made time to pray, that he encouraged his disciples to rest, that he needed to stop and rest and that he was prepared to be interrupted and consequently change his agenda. (Please click the links to find the Bible references for these). A personal, but undoubtedly not a unique policy is remembering to offer each day to God.  Daring to believe that for each of us God has a plans we ought not to miss I consciously offer the time he gives me back to him asking for his guidance.  If you do this too then I am sure that you will also experience the way in which events seem to fit together in a timely way.  It’s wonderful experience. Even as I am writing, and as you are reading, time is slipping by with no possibility of recovering it.  So it is with our lives.  The best way to use this valuable resource is to spend it with God.  Some time that might mean in solitude and prayer but God loves to share in our activities too. I recently went on a train journey with a table seat reserved.  Suddenly a mother and four children settled around me, the three oldest sharing my table, and the youngest and her mother sitting on the other side of the aisle.  After a time, and after ensuring that their mother was comfortable with it, I fell into conversation with those at the table seats.  Here was a kairos and chronosmoment.  As part of our natural conversation I mentioned that I write and tell stories.  They asked me to tell them one so I told a simple story with a moral about the folly of pride.  “Tell us another”, they pleaded so I told them the story about the giant who thought he was so strong he could beat anyone in a fight but met his end in a battle with a young lad and a sling. While the children seemed enthralled others sitting near were listening too.  Before the family left the train the mother kindly invited me to visit the family, meet her husband and share an African meal any time I’m in Nottingham.  As I hurriedly gathered up my belongings to leave the train a young man tapped me on the shoulder.  “I’ve come to Manchester to join a mission”, he said, “and “I want to thank you for the wonderful workshop on evangelism”! It was a humbling experience and has left me wondering was the whole thing organised by God?  You’ll have to draw your own conclusion. Can you spare an hour next Saturday morning? This coming Saturday, 7th November, you can sit in on a seminar from the comfort of your home.  It starts at 9.00 and will finish by 9.45.  All you need is your computer switch on, an internet connection and your sound working.  The theme is an Introduction for Friendship Evangelism.  Whether you are an experienced personal evangelist or have never shared the gospel with your friends I hope you will find this Saturday Seminar helpful.  If possible pleasemake some time and join us.  It is free but you need to sign up before the event.  To do so please click this link. Other Saturday Seminars in November Saturday 14th November – Does Your Image Hinder Your Mission?  (Click here to register) Saturday 28th November – Mission through Prayer. (Click here to register) Please pray for wisdom as I prepare to lead these Saturday Seminars. The Past Few Weeks A considerable amount of time has been taken up with hospital visits to two members of my village church.  The hospital is some distance from home so each visit took at least half a day each time.  When one was discharged to home with a care package this also required a lot of time.  Rural churches where numbers are inevitably small means that there are sometimes no others available at the time to whom tasks can be delegated.  That said, I did have some wonderful help for which I am grateful. There have been a whole series of engagements for ministry and providing advice/guidance for mission.  There is not room here to share the outcomes but please join us in giving thanks to God. A New Children and Families Worker Sunrise Ministries’ trustees have put together a package so that someone can be employed to build on the work begun by the late Monica Cook.  We will soon complete the job description and have this available.  It has been delayed by unexpected and urgent additional work that had to be given priority.  Please pray with us through this process.  If you have already emailed your own enquiry about this position and have not heard back please be assured that I will contact you.  Any other enquiries should email us by clicking here.   Thank you for your prayers and practical support.  Your fellowship means so much to us. Yours sincerely in Christ, Barry

As we approach the end of our financial year for Rural Mission Solutions we currently have deficit.  If you are able to help with a donation at this time it would be very appreciated.  Sincere thanks to  those who have supported the work financially over recent weeks. Account Name: "Sunrise Ministries" Bank: CAF Bank plc Sort Code: 40 52 40 Account Number: 00016072 Reference: Please use your surname and post