Thursday 25 December 2014

The Real Thing?

Down the artificial ski slope on a snowboard
Well here we are – the day itself.  Chestnuts roasting on an open fire whilst dreaming of a White Christmas which will make a Winter Wonderland, while Rudolph the red nosed reindeer settles down for a well-earned rest and the jingle bells quieten as Santa finishes his mad dash.  You know it’s the most wonderful time of the year!  Happy Christmas!  Yo Ho Ho!

And so the pressure is on us to have the perfect Christmas and to enter into the Christmas spirit and to have an idyllic day or two.  I actually really enjoy Christmas, but it seems to me that there can be artificiality to the whole season.  Sure I love feasting and laughter and giving gifts.  I think that is really important and precious as part of the rhythm of life.  But it is difficult sometimes to know what is artificial and what is lasting about Christmas.

The sad fact is that for many people Christmas is but a phase and several days after Christmas it is put away in a box until the next year.  It passes us by and tantalisingly beckons to us to grasp it and hold it for ever and yet seems to slip through our fingers and go on its way, until next time!  “I wish it could be Christmas every day”.

Very recently I provided transport for our youth group in the Portland Methodist Circuit to go to a local Holiday Centre where there is an artificial ski slope.  It is really good to have that facility not far from where we live and our youth group members and leaders had great fun snowboarding down the slope.  They enjoyed themselves.  The reality though is that the slope is artificial.  Many people benefit from having a good time on it, but it’s not quite the real thing.

Many people benefit from having a good time at Christmas, but that doesn’t mean it is the real thing.

The real thing is the fact that Jesus was born in accommodation that was pretty rough, laid in an animal trough which is pretty unhygienic, that he was visited by shepherds who were usually looked on with suspicion and wise men who were foreigners and who would have looked very out of place in Bethlehem. The truly amazing thing in all this though is the Christian belief that God was present in Jesus entering into this world.  Because of that nothing would be the same again.  Because of that God showed his love and commitment to his world and the people in it.  Because of that God can make everything different in our lives and in this world.  That is a revolutionary message.

Here’s the thing though.  That is a message that is not confined to over 2000 years ago.  “I wish it could be Christmas every day”.  It can be.  The thing about Christmas is that it is actually about allowing Jesus to enter into our lives, and it is possible to allow that every day.  So please enjoy the transitory things about Christmas – the fun, feasting, laughter, generosity…..  Those can be terrific things, but instead of the wonder of Christmas slipping through our fingers again until next year how about inviting Jesus to be born in our hearts afresh each day and committing ourselves every day to worshipping the God who chooses to dwell with us and make a difference to our lives and this world.  Then it truly can be Christmas every day! That is not artificial. It is real.


A most blessed, holy, and peaceful Christmas to all.

Tuesday 16 December 2014

Waiting for Christmas

Christmas fast approaches.  For some people Christmas celebrations may already have been going on for weeks.  Indeed the first Carol Service I attended this year was on 30th November.  However, in the Church Calendar we are still in the season of Advent, a time of waiting for the coming of Christ.  This is hard for a modern society which wants everything now.  Whether it be instant tea or Prime membership of Amazon we want what we want with all due urgency. Waiting belongs to another age.

Easton Methodist Church, Portland
There are still some things though that take time and where we have to wait. Nature is one area where this is true.  Even though we try to force some fruits and vegetables to grow faster we cannot make them appear instantly.  Babies grow in the womb and continue to take months of growth before being born.

I think waiting may be a very important lesson to learn.  During a period of waiting we are able to reflect on what we are expecting and we are able to prepare ourselves for whatever it is we are waiting for.  In our rush to finish off Christmas by Boxing Day rather than starting it on Christmas Day we may miss all sorts of things.  In our desire to do away with waiting we may find that we are not prepared or tuned in for the possibilities that "God with us" can bring. Indeed we are more likely to be oblivious to them.

I do pray that we might take advantage of this waiting period of Advent in order that we might prepare ourselves to celebrate the coming of Christ into the world.  If you have not reflected on the great mystery and exciting event of God drawing close to us through a baby in Bethlehem then might I encourage you to do that over this Christmas period.  Perhaps you might consider visiting a church near to you.  There might be a Christingle service you could attend, or a Midnight Communion, or a Christmas Day service.  It may be that as we wait for Christmas we might find a sense of expectancy rising within us.  

Christmas this year may mean that our lives are touched and changed in very special ways as we look for the Christ Child who was not only born in a stable so many years ago, but who can be born in our hearts today.  

Sunday 7 December 2014

Band Aid

Over the last few weeks the latest incarnation of the Band Aid song “Do they know it’s Christmas” powered to Number 1 in the Charts in the United Kingdom and 62 other countries.  It seeks to raise funds for the fight against Ebola in West Africa.  The song, by many well-known artists pulled together as a kind of “super-group”, has not been without controversy.  Some people, including some artists, have been concerned that the song is patronising.  You may have your own view about that.  Even if that were to be correct, the reality is it looks set to raise a lot of money again.  There is another issue though.  However well-intentioned the song and artists are it will only offer temporary help.  It will, as the collective name for the artists implies (although without intention) be something of a Band Aid, a sticking plaster solution.

At Christmas we remember another incarnation.  This is not another incarnation of a song, but we remember THE INCARNATION, which speaks of God entering into this world in Jesus.  This is a God who does not want a sticking plaster solution but who wants to go to the root of the problem and bring about change for ever.  The root problem is a broken relationship with Him and others that affects this world and our eternal well-being.  God in Jesus wants to do something about that.  He wants to be born into our lives and make a difference in this world and assure us of our well-being for eternity.

Why not find out more in a church near you this Christmas?


May God bless you this Christmas and grant you deep peace.

Thursday 4 December 2014

Worth the Struggle!

Weymouth Football Club Bob Lucas Stadium
I am so very pleased to have been a part of “The ‘Silent Night’ of World War One, which I shared in at Weymouth Football Club’s Ground, the Bob Lucas Stadium, earlier this evening.  The event was organised by “Refresh” (http://www.refreshme.uk/), an umbrella Charity for The Church in Weymouth and Portland.  I feel privileged to be a Trustee of Refresh.

In common with other places around the country we organised an event in a football stadium which consisted of both singing carols and commemorating the First World War Christmas truce where it would appear the English and Germans played football together.

It was fantastic to find that somewhere between 900 and 1000 people turned out to be a part of this evening.

We were pleased to have Richard Drax MP reading the account of the birth of Christ, a poem from Daisy White; a poem written by Keira Stewart and enactment of the Christmas truce football match;  a message from Andy Rimmer, Club Chaplain of AFC Bournemouth; a children’s choir from a mixture of local schools; a choir from local churches; the Salvation Army Band; and guest Caroline Milverson (granddaughter of  Regimental Sergeant-Major George Beck from Portland who served on the Western Front for the whole of the 1914 to 1918 conflict).

RSM Beck was awarded the Military Cross in April 1918.  He kept a diary during the conflict.  One entry details the Christmas truce of 25 December 1914, saying: "Germans very eager to exchange almost anything for our 'Bully Beef' and jam."

This was a very special occasion.  When we decided to organise this, and even up to this evening, we had no real idea whether we would have 100 or 1000 attending.  It was closer to the latter!  This was a real example of Community and Church coming together and partnering to make something precious.  You can see a small part of the evening here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2BXJQcp7Gk&feature=youtu.be

It seems to me it is still vitally important that within the Church we make every effort to make known the unity that God has given us in Christ.  Tonight was one example of this.  It is often easier to do things on our own, yet I am convinced God has given us each other within the Church, and that as we trust each other more, and minister and mission more, then we see God’s Spirit at work within is and around us in many and varied ways.

It is no surprise to me that when Church and Community work together there is something which is greater than the sum of its parts.  God created this world and therefore when Church and World come together to try to serve the community it is often the case that something with that X factor happens.  To use a worldly phrase the Church brings added value.  Maybe you might like to think of how the Church might bring added value to your life.


Partnership of church with church and Church with Community can be one of the most terrific things, even though it can have deep challenges and is rarely easy.  But then most things worth having are worth the struggle to get to them.






Tuesday 28 October 2014

Happy Halloween (Not!)

One of the things that make me very sad each year is the continuing growth and commercialisation of Halloween.  Billed as a fun time by businesses that see a market opportunity to be exploited youngsters (and adults) are encouraged to dress up in inappropriate costumes designed to scare people.  One large store for instance is selling chain saws with what purports to be dripping blood.  How amusing to open your door to see a 6 year old carrying that.  Have we really taken leave of our senses?  Others use this as an opportunity to justify vandalism and fear as eggs and flour are thrown at houses and in some places people (and not just old people) are terrorised.

I make it plain where I stand.  No Christian has any business encouraging anything to do with Halloween and society would be better off if it avoided it.

I want you to imagine a scenario.  You hear a knock at the door and open it.  Outside you see two small children with a beaming parent (after all letting children go door to door in the dark is ridiculous). One young child is dressed as Adolf Hitler and has swastikas on their arm.  The other is dressed as an Islamic State fighter carrying an IS flag.  I rather suspect that many people would think not only is this bad taste but celebrating such evil is highly inappropriate to say the least.  I would agree.  Yet we encourage children to dress as witches and the Devil and the like, deliberately encouraging dressing up as something that represents far greater evil.

I think we have our values and standards back to front in this country.

I am pleased that within Portland Methodist Circuit we will hold a Light Party on 31st October (see poster here) where we will emphasise good things and still have fun.  A warm invitation to come along.  Details on the poster.

For those who want to know more about the worrying side of Halloween please see these two links
http://www.mirror.co.uk/opinion/news-opinion/reverend-j-john-six-reasons-2486777
https://yourspiritualquest.wordpress.com/2014/10/19/ex-satanist-gina-marisas-views-on-halloween/

Saturday 25 October 2014

What's in a Name?

So - a very short blog.  The title up to now of my Blog has been Sabbatical 2014.  This was because it was based on my Sabbatical leave earlier this year.  Now the Sabbatical is over and the title is not really relevant so a new title as above.  What's in a name?  Well quite a lot really, particularly if it is misleading!!!!  So a new start and an opportunity to be more general in my postings - when I have the time!

Friday 17 October 2014

Served up on a Plate

The Olympic Rings carved in stone on Portland in Dorset
For those who are interested here is another little thing that came out of my Sabbatical - a reflection piece for Churches Together in England.

You can access the article via CTE Served up on a Plate

Maybe there are mission opportunities served up on a plate in your area.  Perhaps individuals and churches respond to these - if so Praise God.  Perhaps sometimes they do not.  It is tempting to allow the routine of church life and our church programmes to dictate what we do.  In fact we should be guided by the Spirit.

Something to think on.

God Bless.

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Reflections on 2014 Sabbatical: Worship

I have been reflecting a little further specifically on worship issues that arose out of my visits to a number of churches.  So here they are!
Hillsong in London.
One of the churches I visited.


1.   Within a number of mainstream churches in recent times the shape of church services has often been built round Approach to God, Ministry of the Word, and Response, often emphasised by the shape of liturgies included in Worship books that are published by denominations.

As I travelled to different churches and experienced the shape of their services I found that many took the shape of more distant years where the service would build up to a climax and challenge at the end through the sermon.  So the shape would be more like Worship of God with an emphasis on music and song, notices and information shared, Ministry of the Word.  Response would usually come as an invitation to respond to the word before or during the last song.

I was challenged to consider whether the idea of putting the sermon at the end, as was the case some decades ago might be valid once again.  I did not explore with church leaders why they shaped the service in this way, but it seemed to me that having the sermon at the end might be more overtly missional and aimed at encouraging commitment to grow as a disciple. 

Should we be more flexible with our shape of liturgy within worship?

2.   Music Provision in the churches I visited was usually built round a music group rather than a single musician or instrument.    The organ was non-existent or occasionally used (where one was installed at all).  There seemed to be acknowledgement of a wider range of gifts, greater participation and buying in to the worship with the use of music groups.  The gift of worship leading was more visibly present and encouraged and there appeared to be a more collaborative ministry being exercise where worship leaders and leaders of the church and preachers had to share together rather than one person being very definitely in charge of the service.  I was prompted to think whether within Methodism we quench this spirit of partnership and co-operation with our insistence of authority vested in the accredited preacher.   I wondered whether we need to adopt more of a partnership model.  Maybe the theological basis of this might be that we reflect the relationship of the Trinity if we encourage people to plan and minister together as partners in enabling worship rather than making one person the authority figure.

3.   Some of the churches I visited had the focus of worship very much on the front, perhaps with lights dimmed and stage lit.  Many people may have been involved in the service (visibly and behind the scenes) but attention was very much towards the front and the “main players”.  When is it worship rather than performance?  Do some modern buildings look more like auditoriums than worship centres? In many of the newer churches there was a noticeable lack of Christian symbols.  Is this important or is it just more Methodist than Methodism?


4.   Within the Methodist Church for our Local Preacher and Worship Leader training we place a solid emphasis on the importance of being aware of, and including different types of prayer in services.  I found that in a number of the churches I visited that although Praise and Adoration would feature often other elements such as Confession, Intercession and The Lord’s Prayer, could be more lacking. I should say though there were some very creative ways in other churches of including intercessions, eg at Hillsong in London prayers of praise and intercession are collected as people arrive and a number of these are posted onto big screens. 

Overall I found a number of the services I attended had a sense of incompleteness to me with some of the main elements of prayer apparently missing on the weeks I visited.  On the positive side I think sometimes it is possible to become a slave to an order of service and shape of liturgy and perhaps there are times when we need to hang a little looser to the shapes and orders that we can become so used to and so fond of.  Does the liturgy always need to be balanced or might we benefit from greater flexibility and freedom in the types of prayers we include and leave out?

In relation to the Lord’s Prayer it might be worth reflecting on whether it is important to resource people with that as a standard prayer that is learned, and whether there are risks to losing The Lord’s Prayer as a conscious and regularly used feature of private and public worship because of lack of use.

5.   Visible Leadership in relation to worship – (already touched on in Appendix 1 number 7 – the first main reflection on my Sabbatical) which means that maybe our present system of preachers chasing round churches with the lack of consistency that can bring at a number of levels is out-dated.  Unfortunately Church Stewards, who are the constant leadership in the church, are not really seen in the context of worship other than those who welcome preachers and share notices.  The answer could be that Church Stewards take Worship Leading courses, but some would not see this gifting.  So the idea that has been around for a number of years might also be worth re-visiting, that is a Pastor in every church, but this role should include high visibility at the church, including on Sundays.  Preaching Plans might also be drawn up which encourage the development of teams in specific churches rather than the general approach being preachers moving around whole circuits.  Are our preaching plans part of the problem?  Should we be seeking more visible leadership with perhaps a Pastor in every church?


6.   Concept of Welcome and Hospitality as it relates to Worship.
How do we make people feel at home?  Do we explain what is going on and why it is going on?  Do we make those whose styles of worship we are comfortable with feel at home, or do we push the boundaries of worship ourselves to ensure that we are able to welcome in those who might not always worship as we do?  This was not something I saw greatly in evidence anywhere.  It leads me to ask the question how far do we only want to attract people that will fit in with our worship rather than those who will help us be challenged to have a greater, deeper, wider understanding of worship.  Are we more at home with formality than informality?  Are we comfortable with one style of hymn or song?    How far do we challenge our existing congregations to grow and develop in worship and how might we do this?

7.   Minimalism seemed to be the hallmark of worship in a number of larger churches (although this did not mean short services).  In other words central elements such as music were incorporated (often with up to 15-25 minutes singing, particularly towards the beginning of the services) prayer, a longer rather than shorter sermon and opportunity for visible response.  No drama sketches, or dramatic readings, no displays from young ones leaving for Sunday School etc.

8.   It was not unusual to find Notices were on a screen and sometimes there was a film piece that advertised notices rather than text on the screen.  How can notices be a creative part of worship rather than an intermission where one feels that popcorn should be served?  But then is there anything wrong with serving popcorn at church J?

9.   I found that a number of churches specified that visitors should not feel they need give anything in terms of financial Offerings.  This was seen as the responsibility of the church members rather than anyone who came through the door. 




 Just a few more ramblings to add to the pile!

Friday 29 August 2014

Reflections on 2014 Sabbatical

      Some reflections on the last four months.  This is in a report and reflection form and just picks up a whole range of subjects and thoughts.


1.   As I visited and engaged with larger Churches and larger events a key characteristic which occurred repeatedly was confidence, first in the good news of Jesus and second that the life of their church or event would be vibrant and that there would be engagement with new people.  Although it would be true to say that some of the growth in a number of the larger churches I visited was transfer growth virtually all of them also saw people coming into a relationship with Jesus which meant that there really was new growth.  It seems to me that this confidence in the gospel is very important and although it is not confined to larger churches it is not something that I have seen real evidence of in many smaller church congregations.  Such a confidence does not appear to be a general flavour for many churches in my own denomination within the Methodist Church.  Perhaps it is easy to believe and speak the language of death and decline and maybe we need to learn a new language.  There was also a passion for the gospel and for Jesus in these larger churches which was readily and easily expressed.  Perhaps in some churches there is a fear of passion just as “enthusiasm” was warned against in John Wesley’s time.

2.   Church Planting was a major theme of what I saw and what I read.  There have been previous attempts at Church Planting, often organised by denominations.  The sense I had though was that this was more organic.  Growing churches that I visited seemed to be those who committed to church planting.  Church Planting should not be seen as setting up large congregations and big buildings but should be viewed much more flexibly ranging from small groups and cells meeting in homes through to mega-churches setting up new churches with a couple of hundred people as the core start up group with a fixed budget.  Because this has been a constant theme across many different churches I discern that there is a movement of the Holy Spirit here.  Of particular interest was the challenge to look at Church growth as multiplication rather than addition (Exponential, Ferguson & Ferguson, p11) as part of a new missional paradigm.  The same authors suggest that we need to teach people to “Go and not just Bring” and that in developing people for mission they need to be both Incarnational and Apostolic (Exponential, Ferguson & Ferguson, p112/3).  In all of this it is important that we do not get into a numbers game (although the alternative does not look too healthy and appears to be the way that Methodism in the UK is going at the moment).  I was challenged by the book “not a fan” by Kyle Idleman who uses the book to argue that some who are connected with Jesus are fans rather than followers.  He develops this argument throughout the book and challenges people to become true followers with all the sacrifice that entails.  At one point he says “it wasn’t the size of the crowd Jesus cared about; it was their level of commitment” (p13).

It was encouraging to have these words appear by email on 28th August from Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church, in his Pastoral Letter to Ministers and in response to the decline of numbers within the Methodist Church:
“One response - and one that the Conference endorsed - is a renewed emphasis on apt and appropriate evangelism as “the main thing.” To be sure we don’t engage in evangelism because of falling numbers of Methodists, less still to replenish pew fillers, rather we do so because God’s love, the Gospel and Christ’s command and continuing presence in our lives urge us to do so. Yet there is a connection between our health and our passion to share Good News, and flourish or perish we should refocus on and reimagine evangelism for our time: as one person put it recently, put the ‘E’ back in mission!”

Now to see whether we can rise to that challenge or whether it becomes a debate about what is meant by mission and evangelism and how we must be careful not to offend people!

3.   Mission in the context of Worship was one theme I pursued through questions I asked of leaders of churches I visited.  A number felt they tried to ensure that the worship they offered was accessible and provided information about how to connect with the church in a deeper way.  Most provided ways of investigating the Christian faith in a fuller way (eg ALPHA) outside Sunday services.  I did find that there was still a lack of information in many churches about what was happening during services of worship, why it was happening, and what it meant.

4.   Partly as a result of reading Idleman’s book I feel strongly that an important emphasis in ministry in these coming weeks is to encourage people to become followers of Jesus, not just fans.  This is a challenge that may come hard where we have developed a comfortable Christianity.  Idleman talks about “a culture of consumers in our churches” (p148) and encourages his readers to “Define the Relationship” (p22) much like those in human romantic relationships at some stage have to define their relationship, what it really means and where it is going.  Having a little bit of religion is not enough.  In fact it can be positively dangerous.  A friend of mine used to say that a little bit of religion is like a vaccination – it stops you getting the real thing.  This emphasis on a committed relationship with Jesus grounded in self-giving, sacrificial love, where we do not treat our Christian faith like another hobby fitted in around our personal diary commitments will be one that I intend to visit frequently.  I have already suggested that members of the churches I serve buy and read Idleman’s book.

One of the questions I have put to church leaders from different churches is whether they have a way of gauging or tracking the spiritual growth of their members.  This seems difficult and indeed no leader I spoke to had any formalised way of doing this.  This underlined to me the importance of doing some work on developing a kind of Spiritual MOT or Health Check.  I have started putting together some plans for this.  It would have to be something that people opted into on a voluntary basis, but could be interesting to try.

Linked with this is the concept of “whole life discipleship” which is explored in “Imagine Church” by Hudson. This book is devoted to encouraging the resources of disciples so they can find their front line and be resourced to be witnesses to the Gospel and to mission there.

I intend to spend more time finding spiritual resources which might be offered to resource people for daily life. One area that I have been reflecting on is the potential value of joining religious communities that might give a devotional framework for everyday life helping to resource us as we go through each day.  Iona and the Northumbria Community are just two ways of finding such resources.  Within the Methodist Church in our Worship Book we have a Morning and Evening Office and following a structure such as this might provide such resourcing.  To place this alongside the spiritual MOT or health check above might be an appropriate method to offer people ways of intentionally responding in terms of identifying opportunities for growth and deeper discipleship.  One might term this “moving up a level”.  So, starting daily devotions, going to an additional service, giving more financially or in time, joining a community of faith, attending mid-week Bible or Fellowship meetings, for instance, could all be ways of both growing as a follower and being better equipped in the world to represent Christ at the front line.

5.   One phrase which I picked up from a book (I think) was that in some places the Church is “over governed and under led”.  How I agree!  It appears to me that we seem to trust people less and less and control them more and more.   Often I hear that church “rules” are very flexible, but in reality the flexibility has to be agreed at the centre with those who by position have power and control otherwise woe betide anyone that steps out of line.  We need Godly leaders, with passion for and confidence in the good news of Jesus (see above), who are willing to take risks.  “Everything rises and falls on leadership” is an interesting quote to reflect on (Exponential, Ferguson & Ferguson, p60).

6.   Within the Methodist Church, and within other churches I believe there has been a tendency to narrow down what we look for within ordained Christian ministry.  We too often focus on the Pastor and Teaching gifts and those testing the call of others, having been trained and appointed on the basis of focussing on pastor/teaching gifts then help to perpetuate this as the main characteristics of ministry.  “Training systems are designed to help people become better pastors and teachers. Has any theological or Bible college developed training to help people become better apostles, prophets and evangelists?” (Invading Secular Space, Robinson & Smith, p85) There needs to be a widening so that Apostle, Evangelist and Prophet are placed alongside these as equally important.  This is a picture of missional leadership as in Ephesians Chapter 4.  It is my view that where these gifts are acknowledged then they are usually side-lined into specialist ministries (within the Methodist Church this would be in areas such as Venture FX and Pioneer Ministry).  However, we now live in a mission context where simply nurturing the faithful will mean in not too many years there may not be many of the faithful left to nurture.  I believe it would be right and courageous for churches to completely redefine who they look for in terms of ordained ministry, who actually discerns those with a call, and acknowledges that what we need today in ministers is completely different to what we may have needed fifty years ago.  Side-lining evangelism is not the answer.  Another area which might do with some reflection and action is to acknowledge the riches that evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic churches can bring to ministry and mission.  Martin Robinson touches on this in his book “Invading Secular Space”, but quotes others as well.  Smith enlarged on this during a Methodist Superintendents’ Retreat in the Southampton District of the Methodist Church earlier in 2014.

Relevant to this was “We are in need of a missiological agenda for theology rather than just a theological agenda for mission; for theology, rightly understood, has no reason to exist other than critically to accompany the missio Dei” ( Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, David J Bosch, p494 quoted in Total Church, Chester & Timmis, p152.

7.   Consistent, Visible Leadership seemed to be a constant in virtually all the churches I visited that seemed to be growing.  The Leadership Team in most of these consisted of a number of people per church.  There was very little concept of the kind of preacher merry-go-round that is visible in most Methodist Circuits.  Given the way that a number of Methodist Presbyters often have several churches it may be one way to consider consistency of approach and visibility of leadership each week is to go back to the idea of a “Pastor in every church”.  Theoretically there is consistent lay leadership each week in Methodist Churches through the Stewards.  I think the difficulty here is that it is not perceived as such by congregations and not understood by anyone new without a Methodist background.

8.   I was interested to see the importance of apprenticeships in enabling people to grow in their gifts. Often in churches people are appointed.  We decide they are able to do the job or that they have the gifts to do the job.  What we need to place alongside this is enabling people to learn and grow in a role and with responsibilities.  Therefore I feel that the idea of apprentices enabling people to develop before branching out on their own is a key idea.  This may be particularly relevant and helpful in the context of Church Planting (see above).   This is not the same as mentoring although there may be elements of mentoring within apprenticeships.  To make a connection with Church Planting above then it could be of very great value to spend time resourcing and building leaders so that they become reproducing leaders in the life of the Church and repeat the process with those around them.

9.   There is no retirement from being a Christian.  I was challenged by hearing this on several occasions from different sources.  Of course most of us would say that we realise there is no retirement from being a Christian.  However sometimes we act as if there is.  People step back from active duty because of age, or because they have done their share, or for a whole host of good reasons.  Yet we are always called to serve.  It is just that the nature of that service sometimes changes.  Retirement is in heaven.

10.                One particular challenge for larger churches is how to welcome and engage with newcomers.  There were good welcome packs around in churches, people on the doors, good hospitality in terms of refreshments in many of the churches, and regular gatherings for new people.  However, I found that once sitting in a congregation both before and after worship it was highly unusual for anyone to talk to me.  Being a welcoming church is a real challenge for churches of all sizes.  I think the larger congregation perhaps has a greater challenge as in a large group of people it is genuinely difficult to spot the stranger.  If we were to have a school report in this area it might well be that many churches would get “Could do better”.

11.                More than Gold 2014 sought to resource the Church for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.  I was deeply privileged to work with More than Gold.  In particular my thanks to Ish Lennox who was my main contact and who worked so hard to make sure I could engage with More than Gold and with the Church in Scotland. I am extremely grateful.  I met Ish when she was the National Olympics Co-ordinator for the Methodist Church.

Having been involved in responding to the opportunities that London 2012 brought to Weymouth and Portland as host for the Sailing Events I was curious to analyse the response of the Church and churches to the opportunities presented by having these major events.  In a nutshell it was much as one would imagine.  Even with a major event served up on a platter such as the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games, it appears to be very hard work indeed to motivate churches to seize the opportunities.  To me this underlines the fact that there is not really a mission mind-set in most churches.  Personally I feel the Methodist Church demonstrated this lack of mission mind-set admirably when it chose not to extend the role of our Olympics Co-ordinator to use gathered expertise and a developed network for the Commonwealth Games or the Island Games (to be based in the Channel Islands).  It apparently was too difficult to respond to such a mission opportunity.  Budgets and short term projects rule.  I am afraid I beg to differ with those at the centre of Methodism.  We need to develop more of a “Can do” attitude and make mission central to much of our thinking.  We missed an opportunity and that opportunity will never ever present itself again.

12.                It was a joy to share in the Keswick Convention once again as a family in the third week of the Convention.  Prior to that though I joined the Stewards’ Team for the first week of the Convention.  This enabled me to get under the skin of the Convention in a different way.  Apart from the hard work of the Stewards that I witnessed I saw at first hand the high degree of discipline and generosity that goes into making these kinds of events possible.  Generosity and Hospitality were key themes during my Sabbatical and ones which I want to examine more closely in the areas of ministry that I am engaged in.  They link with the theme of welcome above.

13.                During my Sabbatical I encountered feelings and emotions of many types – frustration, anger, excitement, elation, determination, defeat, turmoil, disappointment, confidence, but always the sense that God was weaving in and out of all this and I thank him and the Church for this gift, just as I also specifically thank my family, my churches and circuit, and all those who showed hospitality.


Glory to God!

Thursday 28 August 2014

Dancing to a Different Beat

Blackpool Tower Ballroom
During these months away on Sabbatical and holiday I have been so privileged to spend time with many different people in many different places.

One of those places that I recently visited was Blackpool Tower where we spent time in the Ballroom.  There we sat and listened to music, watched people dance, and had High Tea!  The Ballroom has featured on “Strictly Come Dancing” on television, but even without that attention I am sure it would draw many people to just sit and soak up the atmosphere.

At Blackpool Tower Ballroom there are “regulars” who go there to dance each day and in their small, but appreciated way, entertain the visitors with their dancing.  I love watching the dancing as they move gracefully and (depending on the music) with excited passion.  If the truth be known I enjoy watching that more that the hyped up “Strictly” on television, and, just to show how sad I can be years ago I enjoyed watching “Come Dancing” which was much more about ordinary people dancing rather than so called celebrities, most of whom are known to a minority of people.

With that wonderful dancing it is so important to keep in with the rhythm and beat of the music and the organist.  How like that it is with God.  We can choose to dance our own way, but if we opt into keeping to the rhythm and beat of the Holy Spirit, if we keep in step with the Spirit, then the patterns and flow of our lives become things of beauty.

Is anyone pulling your strings?
Will you dance to God's beat?
I was reminded again just the other day of the importance of music and rhythm and beat when I saw a street entertainer (see photograph).  Beautiful violin music was being played from a CD player and a puppeteer was controlling a puppet violinist who played along in time with the music.  In some ways that makes the same point as above – that keeping in with God’s (the puppeteer’s) rhythm so that everything was in time with the music meant it looked beautiful.  Actually though there is an important difference.  God does not pull our strings.  He does not control us in that way.  Oh yes there are plenty of people who do try to pull our strings and it might be worth us all reflecting on who or what might pull our strings in life and seek to control us.

The important difference with God is that there are no strings attached.  Instead he invites us graciously to join in his dance, his music, his rhythm, his beat.


Will you dance to a different beat?  Will you dance to God’s beat?

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Walk by Faith

I mentioned two blogs ago that I would try to enlarge on one or two things from our holiday period within my Sabbatical.

We spent a few days in Blackpool, where my son Lisle and I enjoyed the Pepsi Max (The Big One) in Pleasure Beach.  If you are unsure as to what the Pepsi Max is, it is not the drink but one of the tallest, fastest roller coasters in Europe.  The obvious parallel there is that life is sometimes a roller coaster.  No-one saw that coming did they!!!!! True nonetheless.  Life has its ups and downs, is sometimes exhilarating and sometimes very scary.  I reckon Jesus is wiling to ride with us though and so he is always around to share the good times and the hard times.  If you haven’t let him in on your roller coaster ride then I suggest you do so now.  He is so great to have around.  He makes life’s ride so worthwhile.

Looking down to the ground from Blackpool Tower
We also went to Blackpool Tower where we enjoyed the circus and the Ballroom (more about that in the next post) and travelled to the top of the Tower where, even on a gloomy day, the views are fantastic.  Before the Tower was revamped at the top there used to be something called the Walk of Faith.  They have slightly updated that now and although the experience is the same I am not sure they call it by the same name anymore.  Maybe faith is out nowadays in these politically correct days.

What is this experience?  Quite simply one is able to walk across glass and look straight down to the street.  See the photo.  It is perfectly safe and yet it can be difficult to make oneself walk across the glass.  There can be a real sense of nervousness.  Will the glass hold?

Well yes it will, but it serves as a good illustration of the nature of faith.  The only way to test it is to step out.

That my friends is how it is with Jesus.  I can’t argue you into knowing Jesus.  I can’t make you believe.  What I can do is invite you to step out and to put
your faith in Jesus.

You will find that he will not let you fall.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Thank you for using the fast lane

I’m not talking about motorway driving.  In any event the third lane is just that, and not the fast lane!  No I am talking about the supposed fast lane in Supermarkets where as customers we now have the privilege of scanning our purchases ourselves rather than someone at a till doing this for us.  This is what is often called the “fast lane” and indeed in at least one major supermarket as you finish your packing and pick up your bag there is even a recorded message that says “Thank you for using the fast lane”.  Fast lane indeed!  This is one of the best supermarket cons around.  It is very rarely a faster experience than someone at a till scanning your purchases because of the number of times that a supervisor has to be called to bypass the machine which has invariably told you that you have an unauthorised something in the bagging area, or the bar code will not read, or because you had to pack your bag and you moved an item it thinks you have taken it away or……..   What this really does is save the supermarket staff costs rather than creating a faster more efficient experience for the customer.  Why O Why then do I persist in trying the self-scan machines?  The other day an assistant had to save me twice (about 25% of my items) and the day before that is was four times for several items in a basket.  In the words of Victor Meldrew “I don’t believe it!

What is it that drives me to keep trying these “fast lanes” when I know much of the time it will not go well?  I wonder whether it is something to do with us liking to take short cuts?  Now short cuts can be very useful, but they are not always possible.   I believe for instance there are no short cuts for growing our faith and being a disciple of Jesus.  It is easy to think we can skimp or easy to think we can get an occasional spiritual top up from a big event or Christian convention and not worry about the day to day discipline of being a follower of Jesus.

The basics here are often the key to ensuring that we stay close to God.  Those basics are the obvious stuff, like reading our Bible regularly, studying it with other Christians, praying on a regular basis on our own and with others, worshipping with other Christians on a regular basis and making sure our life is worship as we go through the week, allowing God to developing his gifts and fruit in our lives.  It may well be that some of life’s events enable us to have the occasional growth spurt, but there is no short cut to becoming more like Jesus.  The likeness of Christ is hammered out in us on the anvil of everyday discipleship as we move through life.



Saturday 23 August 2014

It’s a Jolly Holiday….

Tigh Mor in The Trossachs -
one of the places we stayed and
where Nicola and I
honeymooned in 1997
Of course to complete that line you would have to add “with Mary”.  It is a song from the film Mary Poppins where Julie Andrews plays Mary and Dick Van Dyke plays Bert who amazes everyone with his Cockney accent, not least when he sings that song.

Well I have just returned from over three weeks of holiday during my Sabbatical Leave.  It wasn’t with Mary, but it was with my beautiful wife Nicola and my handsome son Lisle.  We managed to cover a lot of ground during that time.  Mapping it geographically wetravelled from Portland in Dorset and then stayed (for various lengths of time) at Walsall, Keswick, Dumfries, East Kilbride, The Trossachs, Blackpool, Luton and home again.
Beautiful Nicola near Tigh Mor, The Trossachs


We went to the Keswick Convention, stayed in the same place where we had our honeymoon in The Trosssachs, went to Blackpool Tower and Pleasure Beach and then used Luton as a base to visit London.   It was indeed a jolly holiday.

I am so grateful that my own parents always made a point of ensuring that our family had an annual holiday when we were young.  I have many happy memories of those times.  Within our own family we have always tried to make it a priority to have holiday time together and I hope and pray that these will have made many important memories for us.

There is something special about being out of one’s normal situation and routine.  Different sights and a different rhythm can seem so helpful in seeing things more clearly.  I suppose it is that standing back to get a different perspective.

Loch Ness Monster seen
in a sweet shop
Son Lisle as we cruise Loch Lomond


Being away for so long has meant that I haven’t been able to post in my blog so regularly.  I will try to break this holiday period down into one or two specific areas but for the moment I leave us with this thought – “How might we stand back from the usual routine to see what God is saying and doing or to hear the voice of God calling us afresh?”



Saturday 19 July 2014

Searching for Reality in a Confusing World

Me in fashionable Steward Tabard
"Searching for Reality in a Confusing World" is the strapline of this years Keswick Convention. The main title is "Really?".  I have just returned from Week 1 of 3 and had a fantastic time having volunteered to be a Steward.  Having been to the Keswick Convention over 25 years or so I have benefitted greatly from the ministry at Keswick.  This year's Bible teaching was once again of a terrifically high standard.  Thank you to Vaughan Roberts who led morning Bible Studies on Romans and a whole variety of speakers who preached on the Gospel of Mark in the evening worship.  In addition there were seminars on a range of subjects and a whole programme for children and young people. At a time when Bible illiteracy is arguably high even within many churches, let alone in British Society generally it is refreshing to be able to listen to scholarly, engaging and relevant exposition of God's Word.  http://keswickministries.org/ will enable you to find out more about the Keswick Convention and the wider ministry of Keswick Ministries.  

As I mentioned I shared in the work of Stewarding during this first week of the 2014 Convention and was deeply touched by the commitment and servant hearts of my fellow Stewards. Over the years I have been very grateful for the ministry of Keswick Stewards but I have to be honest and say that I had no idea that they had such a work-load which took them from 6.45am each morning until late at night.  I want to pay tribute to my fellow Stewards and their humility as they seek to serve Christ and those who go to the Convention.  They are but one team ensuring that the Convention can happen.  Joining them are musicians, technical staff, those dealing with money, the Convention Office, First Aiders, Prayer Team, Kitchen Staff and so many more.  Much of the ministry and work is unseen; all is essential.  Thank you God for so many wonderful people offering something of themselves.  These vital support teams ensure that speakers and preachers can share God's Word.

An even more fashionable Hoodie available
for Keswick Youth
As I reflected on this week's Convention I realised that the organisation behind it truly is remarkable.  An element of that organisation relies on discipline.  Discipline is not a particularly popular word nowadays in my humble opinion.  we live in a Society which is increasingly hedonistic and where "Me" can come first.  So doing what others want or say is not always welcome.  And yet discipline is an essential part of the Christian life.  So is self discipline.  The ability to sit under authority and the ability to train ourselves to to be consistent and committed are vital attributes of the Christian life.  I have been blessed by being shown those characteristics of discipline and self discipline in the lives of those around me in the Keswick Convention this past week.

I am privileged to be returning to the Convention with my wife and son for Week 3,  Can't wait!

Tuesday 8 July 2014

Carpe Diem Scotland

John McIntosh-Brown,
Director of Message Scotland
at the National Prayer Breakfast, a
Godly man with a Godly vision.
And so the Scotland visit continued.  It was a very great privilege to be present at the National Prayer Breakfast for Scotland at the Glasgow City Chambers.  I am deeply grateful to John McIntosh-Brown, Director of Message Scotland, who enabled me to be on his table for the event.  John is a marvellous Christian Man with a great vision for Scotland. 

In addition to praying for Scotland we were treated to interviews with Olympic Rower Debbie Flood and Commonwealth Swimmer for Scotland Kirsty Kettles (nee Balfour) who spoke with sincerity about their Christian faith in response to questions from Graham Daniels, General Director of Christians in Sport. This felt like an important gathering at the heart of a great city focusing on Scotland as a whole.
The amazing
Glasgow City Chambers


I must mention the wonderful folk of Falkirk who gathered together on the evening of 24th June to pray and give thanks as the Queen’s Baton Relay arrived in the area.  Christians from various churches gathered in celebration and to give testimony to God at Falkirk Baptist Church.  I am convinced from my own experience of the Olympic Torch coming to Portland in 2012 that the opportunities to engage with communities around us on the back of these events is considerable indeed.  I am sad that some churches and ministers do not get that.  This might sound judgemental, but actually I think it is pretty obvious.  Just look at how many churches do actively engage with these events in any area and how many do not.  At Falkirk Baptist Church I sought to represent More than Gold 2014 and shared in the leading of the Thanksgiving Service.  I pay tribute to Christians, sometimes in small fellowships and churches, who faithfully witness and worship week by week.  They never hit the headlines, but God sees their faithfulness.
Falkirk Baptist Church

Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist
Church where the Regeneration and City
of Culture Bid was launched
We were very pleased at the launch to eat
some Paisley patterned Cakes!
I also spent some time in Paisley.  Some of Paisley is a little ragged around the edges, but it is not alone in that many places have lost their former glory.  The difference in Paisley is that Council and Community leaders seem to be joining together in a bid to find a new direction building on the exciting heritage of the past, not least in the areas of science and engineering.  The present vision is to try to win UK City of Culture status in 2021.  I attended the launch of the Regeneration and City of Culture Bid.  Called “Paisley – The Untold Story” this was an inspiring mix of speeches and performance.  Paisley is about more than the pattern that comes out of it, wonderful as that is!  I was pleased to be able to have a chat with Mark Macmillan, Leader of Renfrewshire Council, explaining that in my local area the community had benefitted greatly from partnership work between the Church and the local Council.  I hoped that in Paisley the Church would be fully engaged in such a way.  It was good of Mark to chat with me.  See their Facebook page in Paisley https://www.facebook.com/paisleyscotland

Ish Lennox - a brilliant Christian woman!
The following morning I was back in Paisley with the wonderful Ish Lennox from More than Gold 2014 to meet with Paisley Church Leaders at a Paisley Pastors’ Breakfast as we sought to encourage them to make the most of the opportunities presented by the Commonwealth Games and other associated events.  It was good to see around 18 church leaders meeting together for prayer and conversation.  It reminded me of the Church Leaders’ Breakfasts that we share in here in Weymouth and Portland and of the way that these have provided a backbone relationally to our mission and ministry together.  I am thrilled that the Methodist Central Hall in Paisley will be open when the Baton goes past.  What a wonderful time that will be as Christians reach out in hospitality, welcome and ministry to the crowds.

My visit to Scotland reminded me again of the rich heritage spiritually that exists there.  My hope is that through the Commonwealth Games and with the support of More than Gold there will be many opportunities for the Church to demonstrate how much it has to offer.  The time has come to seize the day.

Carpe Diem Church in Scotland.  Seize the Day - to the glory of God