The gathering are starting our first pub theology on Monday night in Rochester – if you are interested why not come along. More details may be found on the facebook page. The beauty of Facebook is that you can see who is coming already.
Pub theology is an opportunity to get together, have a beer or two, maybe eat some food and talk about theology – that being talking about anything we want really in relation to faith and spirituality.
Get in touch if you wish to know any more.
Wednesdays for me is a study day. In our working agreements, all curates are supposed to take a day a week for study. I’m fortunate in that Adrian sees the value of this and has encouraged me to make the space for this work. This is part of our training and formation. Personally I think it is a good discipline to protect this time, like protecting time with families and days off. If we are going to lead churches in appropriate and relevant ways it is important that we regularly keep abreast of old and new ideas so we can contemplate, study and avoid getting into a rut. If we can form good habits in our curacies then they are likely to stay in the future. But … I digress.
My major assignment this year has been different to my fellow curates. I am to present a portfolio of my first two years work as a pioneer working out of a cathedral as an 8000 word equivalent. I have information, study notes, reflections and so on in a variety of places … podcasts that I have experimented with, journals for things and thoughts i do not wish to be public, notes from book I have red and applied to by context, and of course this blog. In fact the major part of the raw material for my portfolio will come from this blog over the last two years. There is so much reflection and information and ongoing questions that I need to make a judgement and the most sensible, to me, seems to be to take those that have come across as being the most major.
I have an opec spec on what particular facet(s) I choose to concentrate on … and this is where you, the wonderful regular readers of SHP come in. I very much consider that you have been traveling this journey with me. Many of you have been kind enough to make comments, or to email me or even meet up for coffee, beer or food to chat about some of the stuff that has been raised. I’ve valued that input and all of it has challenged me and most of it has influenced my practice.
So … I have a request. If you consider yourself to be part of this in some way (and I think you all are) I would be grateful if you could take a moment or two to consider what you think have come through as the major issues or questions that I have been experiencing or asking over the last 2 years. I would like my portfolio to reflect what others are hearing as well as what I believe I have experienced.
I hope you don’t think that is a cheeky question … but rather one that will massively help me to learn as much as I can from the last couple of years.
Cheers
R
Saw Eclipse last night – a good film if you have been following the Twilight books and films … and I have!
I did not think the film was as face paced as the previous two, but this is kind of a ‘middle of the story’ film with happenings and information that needs to be set out as preparation for the last book and climax of the story.
Towards the end of the movie Bella is questioned over stuff by Edward and her response is interesting;
‘This isn’t a choice between you and me …. this is a choice between what I am supposed to be and who I am.’
Bella’s words make me think again of those people I have been listening to recently. People I have already mentioned in previous posts that have been prevented from exploring their spirituality because of expectations placed on them by others. These expectations are various but usually amount to how a person looks, behaves or thinks. There seem to be many who are happy to tell others what to think and how to behave – even if that means the person has to reject and deny who they happen to be.
I’m not sure that God needs people who are doing what others think they are supposed to be doing.
If that is God’s plan, we may as well all be clones, doing what each other thinks we should be doing, i.e. all copying each other!
I think God needs people whom God has created, in God’s image, to be themselves. Surely by being ourselves we are being the people God created us to be …. no?
but … back to the film …. worth going to see, if you like vampires and stuff!
the gathering gathered again yesterday afternoon in the Crypt. It was an encouraging time as three new people were there and seem to be interested and wanting to become involved in creating something.
The blog has been very quiet this week … and that probably reflects that there is not a lot of questioning going on in my mind. I am continuing to be a presence in the places I hang out in and I am having great conversation with people. I think there is still some (quite justifiable) scepticism amongst many … as we talk I get a distinct sense from some that they expect me to get the Bible out and start to bash them over the hed with it. I’m not … and I guess the longer I am around and this does not happen then the more relaxed people will become.
The blog has not been quiet due to inaction. I guess it has really been quiet as I have been too tired to think and ask the all important reflective questions that seem to fuel this blog. I am tired now but this week I have lost the discipline of reflection and I fear that if I go into a into a second week without proper reflection then could go some way to dismantling an exercise which I believe is vital to my ministry.
One observation I make as i look back over the last few weeks is that I am becoming very busy … and yet I am not. I am busy in terms of places to be present in. I now have 3 places where I attempt to invest quality time of just being around with no agenda other than I like to be there and hope and pray that God will lead me to those God wishes to lead me too. There is a 4th place on the horizon and I really cannot visit all to the same intensity that I have been. So … choices will need to made and it seems that my timetable and way of working will have to change as well.
One important reflection that I need to write here us that I have been more conscious over the last 6 weeks than ever before of the loneliness of pioneer ministry, and of my loneliness in what I do in particular. This is going to sound rather sad …. but I need a friend! I need a partner in crime or a Barnabus type figure who shares my passion for this kind of stuff … for hanging out with people and creating a new style of church with people. I am not sure what I mean by that … but I think it means someone who will seriously invest time and effort in the gathering with me, and maybe even spend some time with me in Deaf Cat, Rochester Coffee Co and Wetherspoons. I am not sure who this person could be, or even if I would recognise the person when I came across them … but I do believe that there is such a person and I hope that either our paths will cross sooner or later or that I re-meet someone I already know. I am not sure if that will make sense to anyone outside of my head …. but then if not tht can be a comment to make me think when I re-red this later.
This was going to be a one-liner blog post just to say that I am still here really (hanging on like in the pic!); but taking the time out to think and reflect has brought up some stuff that I did not realise was sitting there and waiting to crawl out! I think that alone shows the value of reflection and I’m glad I have forced myself here this evening.
This weeks photo from me is here … although I think Sarah should take more credit than me.
everyone at the cathedral is warming up for the display of the textus roffensis.
This 900 year old volume is the first written law of this country as well as being the first written record of the English language – so pretty amazing really!
It will be on display later this month as the picture of the flyer says so why not come and have a look – when you are here why not catch up over a beer or coffee too …. 2 good reasons to come to Rochester! (although the Textus is the far better one!)
Jonny has blogged about the CMS Pioneer Ministry Training.
This looks really excellent and as I was reading it I found myself wishing this has been around a few years ago when I started training or OPM.
I particularly welcome the return to what it always should have been, as outlined in the Mission Shaped Church report:
‘the idea (as strongly recommended by the c of e in mission shaped church but seemingly ignored by lots of bishops and training officers up and down the country) is that training should be on the job for pioneers and not residential. and that the training will be alongside what they are pioneering.’
It is also going to be assessed by portfolio – something I have marginally achieved in my IME training for this year (but it is still to be written, in my case as an academic essay).
As I say above, this is excellent and if you are an ordinand about to start you should really be having big discussions with your bishop about this … now where is that tardis so I can go back in time?!
The Shiny Headed Prophet 