General Assembly Moderators' Blog

 So say the adverts, the magazines and the media. Well, so have we: 

 Go tell the world about the perfect Christmas and know that God is with you whatever your situation.

………. whilst I was at Westminster College for the Lay Preachers Conference in September 2010, one of the members of the church was also attending that conference. Members at Garstang were joined by members from Forton United Reformed Church (the other church in the Pastorate). The church and I had waited for over twelve months for this day. It somehow seemed appropriate to remind ourselves of this on the second Sunday in Advent a time of waiting of a different kind though it is only through our various experiences of waiting for sometimes quite ordinary things in our daily lives that we can begin to understand the waiting time of Advent. We thought about how the three readings for the day offered signs pointing to the glory of the Lord, the way of the Lord and the Day of the Lord but how we are now the people with the responsibility not just to point to the light of the hope of God but to be the light in the world and in the lives of those we meet.

Every church I visit has something unique to show me. Here it was – inside the church – two memorial windows designed by one of the members and outside the church a Bible. garden which includes plants which are mentioned in the Bible.

Also in that space is The Peace Plough, designed and made by a church member.

They shall beat their swords into plough shares is a very appropriate message for Advent as we wait for the coming of the Prince of Peace.

Preparing for worship

I had initially been invited to lead worship at St Andrew’s United Reformed Church, Hoylake with Meols and I spent a morning with the folk at this church leading worship and sharing lunch. This is a congregation which says “Our mission is to welcome everyone and to try to show that we all really matter to God” – their welcome certainly confirmed their commitment to the first part of this mission. They are also a congregation which take seriously their responsibility in the world and they show their commitment to the second part of that mission by working towards ‘eco-congregation’ status, collecting food for a local food bank, contributing to Commitment for Life and currently, piling up filled shoe boxes for the annual shoe box appeal. This outward looking ethos was tangible in the buzz of conversation before and after the service.

The invitation to St Andrew’s enabled me to do something further in the Synod later in the day and Howard Sharp – the Synod Moderator – picked up on my interest in Lay Ministry and discussed with the Synod Ministries Committee possible ways of holding an event which would celebrate this aspect of our lives. The result was a tea time meeting bringing together about 40 lay people who told wonderful stories of their ministry both within the church and in their working lives. Witnessing through voluntary work, using skills obtained for paid employment or developed because of leisure interests.

There were puppets amongst other things

We heard about the use of puppets in worship, the delight of seeing young people develop skills and confidence, the way in which dogs can be used in therapy and we heard the world premier of an Advent song composed by an ‘amateur’ musician. There was much more and everyone who was there was impressed, inspired and challenged by what they heard. If we needed confirmation of the range of ways in which lay people are ministering in their day-to-day lives here it was in (as they say) bucketloads. Most of these were ‘hidden’ stories and I wonder how many more such events we could hold around the country which would uncover even more – please listen to each other, talk to each other and share your stories – you would be amazed!

On Monday morning there was another opportunity for me to see something of an area of work which is also a particular interest of mine. I spent a couple of hours with two of the chaplains from Mission in the Economy (MitE) in the centre of Liverpool – though this organization also works in St Helen’s, Warrington and John Lennon Airport. I visited two of the contrasting retail centres – the old and the new – and heard something of the pressures under which people are working.

Chaplains in Liverpool

I heard too of the way in which this work is supported by the Local Authorities and Chambers of Commerce. Of how important it is to employers who recognize the value-added of having a chaplain regularly visiting their premises. Chaplains are sometimes in the position of being trusted challengers of the status quo and are often at the centre of networks in an area. This is truly working on the margins but after all, that was where Jesus was much of his time.

After the service

……… at which my colleague Moderator Rev Dr Kirsty Thorpe is the minister. Kirsty was representing the denomination at the Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. We had agreed some time ago that we would lead worship in each other’s churches at some stage in our two years and Kirsty had been to Doncaster earlier in the year. It was lovely to meet this congregation of whom I have of course learned a lot over the last three and a half years.

When we got to the approach to 11.00am I was able to link what we did with a little bit of my experience at the Cenotaph last year and hopefully to give the two minutes silence a context which was wider than that of this individual congregation.

A Remembrance Day service is never an easy one to lead – there are such different ways in which people view the day and the act of remembrance itself but as people left the service I was reminded of the considerable numbers of people who have personally been touched by the wars of the last century as well as current conflicts.

Sharing memories

During the service and using the day’s Lectionary readings I reflected on the importance of remembrance to help us have confidence in the love of God who has proved himself to be faithful to his promises over thousands of years. But also how God’s love for us requires us to respond in love to those around us in a way which is faithful to Christ’s call to ‘do this in remembrance of me’.

The wood pellet guage

 ……. to admire the new wood-pellet boiler recently installed in Park United Reformed Church, Reading. I was at the church to lead worship and share lunch with many of the members and friends but this is an Eco-congregation so you don’t spend long in the building before you are shown the various things which have helped to ensure the congregation has that status. There are the photovoltaic solar panels on the roof and gauges in the entrance and beside one of the doors to the hall which tell how much power is being generated and sold back to the national grid. Yes, this is a church which has taken all the opportunities there are to enable them to be environmentally friendly and reduce the carbon footprint. It is also a church which takes the opportunities to maximize their financial position both by accessing grants available to help with the initial costs but also by having an eye for the future possibilities of selling ‘spare’ energy.       

Ongoing commitment

On their website they say “We believe in a creator God, it is important that we play our part in being good stewards of God’s creation. The churches should be leading the way in protecting the planet for the sake of all God’s people. Christ calls us to take action and to be salt and light in our communities, this is part of our response to the challenge of good stewardship.”     

Churches which gain Eco-congregation status do so because of major initiatives such as these but they also have to demonstrate that they are taking other aspects of the environment seriously. From the relatively small things like the photocopying paper they use to the bigger issues of working with or through the local community on environmental issues. Park is also a church which embraces change and maintaining the Eco-congregation Award requires ongoing activity – this is not a church which will stand still in this, as in the many activities which it has for people of all ages.     

A congregation with a wide age range

As we talked we wondered whether there were any other United Reformed Churches which had taken the step of installing a wood-pellet boiler. As I came away I could not help thinking that this was church which had much to teach us even as they continue to learn about their own part in preserving God’s wonderful creation.     

St Martin’s United Reformed Church were holding their annual Commitment for Life service and they had invited me to lead that service. But they also asked me to join them on Saturday afternoon to tell them something of my experiences as Moderator.

Meet the Moderator!

I am always pleased to do this – after all, the denomination elected me at General Assembly and everyone has a right to know how I have been spending my time. Talking a bit about the role of Moderator, a bit about how the new arrangements of biennial assemblies and two Moderators is working and a bit about the actual tasks and visits I have undertaken is one way of sharing all of that. In this case my reward was a wonderful selection of cakes to be consumed over a cup of tea and conversation!

Commitment for Life

On Sunday morning I led a Commitment for Life service – St Martin’s partner being Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh. Here I shared with the congregation the thought that we are in debt to the people in Bangladesh , a debt of action and attitude and that those debts could only be repaid as we found ways to share all that we have through open hearts and open hands.

In the afternoon Christians Together in Bude Stratton and District shared in a One World Week service led by the Minister of St Martin’s – Rev Bob Jones (who had previously been minister of our own church in Doncaster). Again I preached as this service, the subject of which was Living for One World with the emphasis on the environment, giving me an opportunity to reflect on how we all have a responsibility to contribute to the preservation of the glorious and varied world which God created for us.

Preparing for worship

It has been good to share in this special weekend and particularly to join with a church so obviously committed to issues of peace and justice as this one.

FJKM Madagascar and the National Synod of Wales

 As the days progressed the questions from the Synod of Wales/UWI representatives were – how can we strengthen this relationship as a partnership where we all learn from each other and also how can we ensure that we do not do things which will make life more dangerous in the current political climate for members of the church in Madagascar.

On Thursday we had two meetings which helped to answer those questions.

First with the Ecumenical Church Leaders – a group formed specifically to oppose the injustices and human rights abuses which have increased in the last three years.

Sitting opposite four people all of whom had personal stories to tell of injustice and human rights abuse was a powerful reminder of how difficult it is to be a Christian in some places and of how easy it is for us. The stories included:

• Organising a Peace Rally soon after the coup. The rally was broken up by the police force and the military. Pastors were required to disrobe and flee, one Pastor died.
• Of a taxi driver so frustrated by the situation that he threw stones at the car of the President and was shot dead in the street.
• Of the burglary of the house of one of the Pastors which resulted in him losing the use of a finger and damage to his hand as the intruders took a machete to his hand as he tried to close the door
• Of how the wife of that same Pastor is frequently terrified in her own home as they are hassled in various ways on a regular basis.

 Asked the question – what can we do which won’t further endanger you, we got the reply – tell people our stories, you won’t endanger us further.

 Later in the day in a meeting with the President of FJKM - Pastor Lala Rasendrahasina – the same question evinced the same reply. Tell them – write to the powerful people in your nation and internationally – tell them.

 And so we will – the overriding message from Madagascar is one of hope. We saw it in the smiles of people even when they had awful stories to tell or lacked the resources we think are essential, we saw it in the care and love offered by dedicate people in a variety of projects, we saw it in the confident and purposeful lives of former volunteers at Penrhys now contributing hugely to their own country.

 We owe it to people in places like this to share our good fortune and in doing so we will learn far more than we will teach.

 For more information about how the partnership with the National Synod of Wales develops keep an eye on www.urc-wales.org.uk

(This is much longer than a Blog should be – of course I hope you will read it in its entirety but it is divided into sections so you can dip into the stories which interest you)   

Walking down to lunch

The Sisters of Mamre

  On our first morning we visited the Sisters of Mamre – an amazing group of about 10 members of this (probably) unique order with the reformed church. They commit to rules of Prayer, Chastity and Community. Ringing the bell beside an almost hidden metal door set into a wall, I did not know what to expect. Through the door the first sight we saw was a garden of roses – truly an oasis of colour and beauty in a poverty stricken and apparently crumbling environment. We heard something of the work the sisters do, feeding 100 children with lunch each day – children who otherwise would not get a meal. We heard too about the difficulty of finding the resources to continue the work – ‘we have to have faith’ said the sister we were speaking to. We joined the sisters for prayers – simple mid-day prayers with beautiful singing preparing them to walk down the road and feed the children.   

Lunchtime

 As we walked (it was lunch time at the school) some children joined us but many more took delight in  greeting us with ‘Bonjour’, smiling faces and sometimes hand shakes. This is a welcoming and hopeful place to be, despite everything. I was struck by the room laid out for the children, brightly painted tables and chairs and by the meal – a good quantity of rice and beans and by the orderly way in which these 100 children of varying ages from 4 to 10 years old conducted themselves. �  

 Another visit was to the Akani Avako Children’s Home with the strap line Changing Children’s Lives. Here 120 children ranging in age from 3 weeks to 18 years are cared for, educated and trained. Some of these children have no family, some come from a background of abuse, some have families too poor to care for them.  

 Making lunch at Akani

 The government insists that no child can stay for more than two years so social workers employed by the project spend considerable time and effort to find family members, to work with the family to ensure that there is a safe environment for them to return to. They then continue to work with the family to try to give the child the best start in life. This is recognized as being a centre of excellence and there is work going on to train other similar centres to improve the provision for all children in the country but resources are limited and progress is slow. You can learn more about Akany by visiting their website www.akaniavoko.org.  

Meeting old friends

Making new friends

It is from here that some of the volunteers who spend a year at Llanfair Uniting Church Penrhys come. Improving their own skills, but perhaps more importantly adding immeasurably to to the lives of the community at Penrhys www.penrhys.com  

In the nursery

Another Children’s Home – Topaz gave us a different experience. The older children were not on the site but we saw about 2 dozen small children aged 2 to 5 years – we were told they had been picked up from the streets of the city and I couldn’t help feeling that some of them were very disturbed as a result of their life experience. There was the little boy (2 or 3 years old) who needed to be picked up by any adult near him and who clung tight, arms round shoulders and face tight up against face – this was not a normal childhood hug. Or the little boy who on seeing his photograph on a digital camera had no reaction but continued to stare ahead even when other children, delighted at seeing the pictures pointed out to him who it was.  

The Headmistresses office

Our fourth visit was to a school for 3 to 11 year olds at Anganomasina. The headmistress had a new office – a shed smaller than most of our garden sheds. There was no running water on the site and the large water containers in each classroom had had to be filled earlier in the day by someone. The younger children wrote on slates and there were almost no text books. But these children were the lucky ones – they were learning to write (beautifully and neatly) to do maths (which seemed to be more advanced than the similar stage in Britain).  

Inside a well ordered classroom

The work they did prepared them for entry to secondary school and whatever the school lacked in resources was made up in the caring, happy and ordered life of this community.  

We also heard about the HIV/AIDS project run by FJKM. There are relatively few cases of the disease in the country though sexually transmitted diseases are not rare and this project concentrates on training pastors to deal with  Taboo subject as well as offering some advice and support to victims.   

Members of the HIV/Aids team with us

But how could a partnership between the National Synod of Wales and FJKM really work – there were many questions  ……….

I have just returned from 6 days in Madagascar. Traveling with three people from the National Synod of Wales, Rev Peter Noble, Mrs Bethan Trott and Rev Linda Elliott as well as Miss Sharon Rees, an Education Worker at the Llanfair Uniting Church, Penrhys and representative of the Union of Welsh Independents (UWI). The purpose of our visit, organized by Rev Jane Rowell (Secretary for World Church Relations) was to: 

• Show solidarity and concern for our brothers and sisters in FJKM – The Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar.
• Help the National Synod of Wales and FJKM restart their partnership
• Learn about the life of FJKM, its work and mission.

                                          We stayed in the capital Antananarivo – a sprawling, noisy and seemingly chaotic city. The terrain is hilly and much of it appears to be built on the vertical with buildings tight packed and clinging to hillsides. 

Clinging to the hillsides

The days were full and we saw indications of the extreme poverty and examples of the hope which pervades so much of the outlook of the church in Madagascar. 

The political situation in the country is not a happy one – the President who was working to improve the infrastructure and economic possibilities was deposed in a coup three years ago. Following that event the international community ceased trading with Madagascar resulting in increasing unemployment and poverty. Those of our group who had visited previously, detected increased fear in the eyes of those with whom we spoke and we were constantly warned to keep valuables out of sight – muggings, robbery and violence have also increased. 

We spent all week in and around Antananarivo but driving short distances out of town we saw fertile paddy fields where crops looked to be growing well. In conversations we discovered that Madagascar is also rich in national resources. 

We visited four projects and I will write about them tomorrow. 

Noise and bustle

I spent this weekend in the West Midlands. I had been invited to the Synod meeting and then to lead worship at St Columba’s United Reformed Church in Coventry. 

West Midlands was holding the second of an experimental way of running its Synod, a residential 24 hour meeting held at an hotel in the centre of Birmingham with the aim of inspiring and energising the church for mission. People (not just Synod members) met from Friday evening to Saturday tea time, sharing meals, conversation, worship and workshops. There was a ‘buzz’ as people arrived and that positive and lively atmosphere was maintained throughout the meeting. Both on Friday evening and on Saturday there were choices to be made. A prayer walk round the city centre or an informal discussion about the radical welcome campaign being the choices for Friday evening and on Saturday, a choice of workshops on11 different  topics as varied as Messy Church, Living with difference  and More than Gold. There was also limited time for necessary business and as many of us have found, we are able to cover everything in a more focussed way when time is limited. 

I ran two workshops on the topic of small churches and lay ministry 

Workshop discussion

and was interested to follow one of these by sitting in on a session of synod where there was quite a large proportion of time given to welcoming, noting and celebrating the movement of ministers including recognising the new ways of working, grouping churches differently, making teams which include elders and lay preachers. I would not want us to stop recognising this work but I did wonder how we could possibly expect lay people to feel valued when we only ever recognise the work of ministers in this very public way. I want to say that this is not a West Midlands problem but one for the denomination – Ministers are called to serve the whole church, but so are Elders and Nationally Accredited Lay Preachers –it’s an issue we need to think about if are serious about the ministry of the whole people of God. 

Having said that – I left feeling that this had been a good 24 hours, that many people had gone away Ignited for Mission which was the title and aim for the meeting and that here was a Synod taking a risk, being flexible and responding to the new structures we have in a creative a positive way. 

The front of St Columba's - a picture of Iona

On Sunday morning I led worship at St Columba’s in Coventry where the congregation was joined by members of the two other churches in the North East Coventry Pastorate  – Stoke and Wyken United Reformed Churches. This was a service to mark 80 years since this building was opened. It was a church founded to provide for newly immigrant Scots and Irish who had come to the area for work in the car industry and the mines. The context is now of course different and I spoke about the church being being places of hope in what is often a dark world, but also about the challenge God lays before all of us to find new ways of being church