Category Archives: church

various ways

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centre-of-the-universeI inhabit a variety of spaces on the peninsula.
In the summer there are lots of benches to sit on. Well … they are there in the winter too but it is not as comfortable sitting on them then.
During the colder months I have taken to sitting in Cafe Pura and Craft. Both are spaces with coffee but both are very different spaces. Cafe Pura tends to serve the residents from GMV while Craft tends to serve more the workers of the peninsula plus those passing through.

Even before I moved here and started the role a question was, and still is, who am I to serve here as the team vicar?
Am I to try and connect with the residents and birth church with those that are interested, or should I link with those that are here in the day and work in the buildings around.
And what about the 280 or so students that live on the peninsula … is there a role to play in supporting them while they stay here?
Then there is the building workforce … I can count 17 new buildings between me and The Thames that have been built in just the 16 months that I have lived here. There is a large workforce that makes that happen. oh … and the thousands of visitors we have each day … what about them?

Of course the answer is ‘Yes’.
In an ideal world we should be looking to engage and serve every single one of those communities. But I am not in an ideal world. I am part time team vicar for 4 days and then school chaplain for 2. I also only have a 3 year contract which we are nearly half way through.

Those ‘limitations’ means we have had to focus whilst keeping an open mind and willingness to hear what God might be saying. This has meant I have been ‘inhabiting’ all these spaces and waiting to see where I come across the people of peace that want to work together to serve the various fledgling communities on the peninsula. While being in these spaces and listening and watching I believe it has been important to intentionally have a blank sheet … so that whatever we grow here grows around the people that are involved rather than the other way round. So … in other words I am looking for interested people to develop something with … not looking for people to get involved in something I have already thought up.

There is a possibility that I have now moved from seeing no ways forward to now being in a position where there are a variety of avenues to walk along to support and bless the people of the peninsula. 2017 is looking bright … er!

Over the next few weeks I will be using the blog to reflect on these and push ideas around … and I invite you to join me in that conversation as you have done in the past.

This will probably be the last post this side of Christmas …. apart from the customary photoshopped design Christmas Card that will appear here tomorrow.

See you on the other side …..

another exciting day

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bowwebIt’s been a great week so far …after lots of prayer across the diocese we finally got an answer ….

On Tuesday we got to meet the next Bishop of Woolwich. It was great to be introduced to him with lots of other people from the diocese. We had a little chat as he wondered around the people who gathered and my first impressions were of a very personable and caring person who seems to be totally motivated by the gospel. I think that is pretty exciting and I look forward to chatting with him in time about stuff on the peninsula. The staff team have been passing around this article which has some good stuff in it to read, particularly his passion for reaching out to people with God’s love.

Karowei will come to the diocese after serving in a London parish for the last 18 years. I can relate to feelings of bereavement that he will inevitably have for a little while as he moves from that community to be with us and so we need to be praying for him and Mosun as they prepare to leave there and join here.

Anyway …. WELCOME …. #excitingtimes

Christingle

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band_1-275x356Todays we are holding a Christingle at HTGP.

We have done a lot of advertising via social media and given card invitations to the parents at the school I am chaplain at … it’s another part of our hypothesis testing of seeing if people here want to come together to mark certain times.

I hope people come today.
We have a shed load of oranges, we have candles, ribbon, currants, sweets … yes … everything you need for a Christingle.
We also have little collection boxes for The Children’s Society. It’s shocking to see so many vulnerable and homeless children and this is one way to support a great organisation that is making a difference in young peoples lives.

This will be a great event this afternoon with Christingles, carols, mulled wine and mice pies ….. all welcome!

Guest lists and Pilgrims

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At 18:01 this evening we thought about what hospitality is and how we practice that in a  21st century London setting (podcast here11111). I kind of felt that Jesus was suggesting that the guest list is far more important than any menu. During our discussion we wondered if the reading for tonight (Luke 14:7-14) was wider than hospitality and encompassed more of ensuring that people felt accepted and valued in a way that showed that we saw and acknowledged their value. The discussion was a good one and I think we went away inspired to make a bot of a difference in our immediate spheres of influence.

Tonight was even ore special, though, as we prayed for Barbara who temporarily leaves us for three months as she fulfils a lifelong ambition and does a bit of a world travel, visiting 10 countries and only staying in one place for around three days.

You can keep up to date with Barbara’s experiences by visiting her blog here. I’m really looking forward to reading something of her experiences.

As part of our service tonight we gathered around Barbara and prayed a blessing. we used and adapted ‘For the Traveller’ by John O’Donohue which I found in A Book of Blessings – well worth purchasing!

To send Barbara off we used these word tonight:

For the Traveler

Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.

New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice,
Opening in conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.

When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.

 

Go well Barbara, we look forward to welcoming you back in December!

Released!?

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antigua sun_edited-1On Sunday at 18:01 I spoke about the woman was released from being crippled from Luke 13 … twice! Once in the morning at Christ Church East Greenwich and then again in the evening at 18:01 at HTGP. Due to holidays and time off I had written my homily/talk/sermon before going away as I was returning to the parish the day before speaking.

I always challenge myself when speaking to find something new, some new approach to what I have read in the Gospel text. I was approaching the story this time from a viewpoint of staring at feet as symbolic of being self obsessed. A problem with writing so far in advance is that inevitably stuff happens in the world which can’t be ignored. While I stuck to plan with the CC congregation in the morning with the HTGP ‘crowd’, the people I have got to know better, I could not ignore the worlds news.

I had prepared a talk on the crippled woman. How being so bent over she had become in her own world, bemused by what was happening around her. I had planned to speak about how she never even noticed Jesus but was released by him. I had wanted to ask what we are being bent double by, I was wanting to ask what is it that causes us to stare at our feet  and be so self absorbed in our own world that we don’t notice or take it what is going on around us.

I was planning to ask those questions until my various screens were filled with the image of Omran Dagneesh. The image of innocence and bewilderment caused me to cry. The image of a child silent amid screaming mayhem erupting all around him filled me with such sadness, but with a sadness that cried out ‘we must stop this!’

Syria has been in the news a long time and I am shamed to say that I had become desensitised to the news. While people are being bombed each day and the image of Omran is a daily occurrence for people there … we cannot allow ourselves the luxury of switching channels and forgetting.

On Sunday I had to speak about Omran Dagneesh. I had to ask the question of what we, as HTGP, could do. We all agreed that we cannot just stand by and do nothing any longer.

On Sunday evening I guess I went back to a more ‘trad’ interpretation of the gospel story. The woman, like Omran, was totally bemused. The woman, like Omran, was crippled and in pain from a reaction to her environment. The woman, like Omran, was broken, trapped and needing lifting out of that situation.

But … the woman, unlike Omran, was released by Christ.

I don’t know what we as HTGP can do. Loads of charities want money. WE can easily write a cheque but that does not seem enough. I don’t want to write a cheque (though I have) because I want to do something that costs me. It is quite easy to send money and feel our job is done.

We have contacted a few charities working in the area to see how we can support. We are waiting to see how that might pan out. If anyone has suggestions or links please let us know. What we do know, though, is that as Christ’s hands and feet … an interpretation of the gospel story for us is that we need to attempt to be like Jesus and help to release those who need releasing.

it’s been a year!

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IMG_2293I have now been here a year …. here being  …. Holy Trinity Greenwich Peninsula
I am a third of the way through my contract …. I have no idea if funding will be available at the end of the 3 years  …. the area is a total nightmare to link with people …. sometimes I think people don’t even want us here ….particularly those that have a bad image of (maybe poor) models of church … (horrible unchristian stuff like this masquerading as genuine Christianity does not help!)  but ….. BUT …. it seems that God does want us here .. at least for he moment!

Working in a place like this is hard. People hide behind intercoms and security gates …70% of people are on 6 to 12 month rental contracts so turnover is high …. this may mean some don’t wish to start to put roots or add to community as they see their presence as transitory ….  but all need to know that God is with them. We are not there yet in how we show this, maybe not even close, but there will be a way! I believe there is a real need to crack this! And by crack this … I mean to show that ‘church’ is something that can be helpful, that can help people and community grow, that can bless people in their everyday lives …. I’m not talking about trying to convert or coerce people …. but rather develop a church that can and does make a difference and is seen as a real positive, wanted  and wholesome part of local community.  

I have no idea what is going to happen this year …. but I have returned with some new ideas of ways forward. We will try them and see what happens. I will continue to be a presence, but we will continue, also, to seek ways that we can make a difference both in our local community and maybe further afield.

When I moved here a year ago I said I was looking for people to birth and grow a new way of being church with me. Some of those people have appeared .. but I believe there are others I have not met yet … so if you are reading this and think ‘maybe’ or if you know anyone in the Greenwich area … put us in touch!

 

at-one-ment

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IMG_0648On Sunday night we had what I thought was a really good 18:01. It was also the largest attended one so far (13 people!) … and although numbers are not what it is about, it is true that a greater number of people really helps when we get to our discussion time.

The theme on Sunday night was unity taken from John 17 where Jesus talks about being at one with God …. I termed it ‘at-one-ment’ and suggested that this unity consist of us being at one with God, at one with the wider church and at one with the rest of creation.

To try and illustrate this I got people to roll together 3 different colours of play doh. We started with 3 separate colours that became one uniform colour after being rolled together for just a little while. The picture shows the three stages.

I suggested this is what ‘at-one-ment’ looked like.

The discussion time brought out lots of points and developed our thinking further. Someone pointed out that the play doh with the marble effect of three different colours was prettier than the one uniformed colour.

Someone else then suggested that the pretty marbled effect might be prettier but was a safe option as far as unified lives were concerned. The one uniform colour maybe illustrating a scarier reality …. for to allow ourselves to integrate in true ‘at-one’ment’ with God, church and world was quite a step of risk and challenge. 

I felt something special occurred with us as a group on Sunday evening …. maybe something else new is being birthed here too!

If the idea of stuff like this grabs you …. come join us as we attempt to develop church here in a  new way.

agapai

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IMG_0008Agapai is the name we have chosen for our Wednesday evening get together. It is a word that is used to describe the meals and get togethers of the early church and so it seemed a fitting name.
I spoke of the changes we had made to how we worship here a few months ago. Last week we reviewed those changes and asked how we felt things were going. We also asked what we thought was good, what was frustrating and what was lacking.

Out of that process came the thought that Agapai had started to lack in its purpose. We started to meet to talk about the kind of church we wanted to be but with just a few people this became quite a draining experience and described as ‘just like work’. We made a decision that instead of talking about various formats that, instead we would be it. This resulted in last night’s Agapai having more of a purpose.

As always we met to eat. As we ate we answered two questions:
‘What has God been doing this week?’ and
‘What do you need prayer for?’
We then prayed together before simply sharing bread and wine.
On occasions we might add some kind of brief ‘thought’ into this mix.

As the evening drew to a close I reflected and had a great sense of us now starting something different on the peninsula. We have started a place to share our stories, to eat, to pray and break bread together …. that in itself is a pretty good start I think.

So …. if you live on or near the Peninsula and you are looking to join a small fledgling Christian community that is seeking to grow and be a positive influence …. then why not pay us a visit …. all are welcome!
(more details on the HT website)

Ideas and food = agapai

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FullSizeRenderOne of the new things we have started as a church community is meeting to eat together on a Wednesday night. This has started as a way to discuss what kind of church we want to be. I’ve guided us in this exploration by using an ‘ideas tree’ as seen in the photo by asking people to write what we want more of and what we want less of …. e.g. more hospitality or less formality.

After filling the tree with post it note ideas we then looked for patterns in our thoughts and, thankfully, found some. The next couple of weeks have been focussed on taking a ‘more of’ idea such as community engagement or hospitality and then chatting through ideas of what that means and how we can do it in the context and restrictions of our lives.

This week we had a good strong direct conversation about the reality of our situation as a church and the reality  of our ability to develop things in the midst of a busy city life.

The task is not an easy one!

A result of that honest discussion is that the Wednesday evening meal will be ‘tweeked’ a little. Rather than talking about what sort of church we want to be every week we are going to see what alternating a discussion with a check in, eat and pray for each other would look like. I other words we will alternate between talking church and being church …. although I know we are being church when we talk church as well …. but i think you get my drift!

Although the conversation was tough, even awkward at times, it was good and needed. I firmly believe that if a group of people are seeking to birth something new then honesty needs paramount in discussions. The fact we jumped to honesty rather than stay in politeness so soon is a real encouragement to me. It’s an encouragement because it means people care.

So … this Wednesday we will eat, talk, hear each others stories and pray together ….. so if you are on The Peninsula and fancy eating with a group of people that want to birth a church and bless this community ….. then join us. I just ask that you let us know you are coming so we can cater correctly.

We call this event agapai – a word used by the early Christians derived from agape (meaning God’s love) to describe ‘love feasts’ when they got together to eat and pray together as well as share bread and wine as part of the meal. The name seemed to fit a little with what we are trying to do here.

 

 

 

moving along in harmony

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DSC_1165aAnother two weeks has passed since my last blog … it’s gone in a flash, but as I look back I can see that quite a few things have happened and so the mist of uncertainty has lifted for brief moments so I can imagine possible lights of ideas ahead of me.

I have nearly spoken with every person that regularly attend Holy Trinity here on the Peninsula. At my licensing the bishop was incredibly permission giving, and was very open about the fact that I am here to aid change. he said I was here to do things differently. Without exception it seems the people of HT are up for change. No one wants to stay the same, everyone knows we need to do something different. Change will happen!

I love being part of this community of Holy Trinity that are sold out on being something that makes a real positive difference in our community life.

As I have listened to people, people that I am here to serve, some common threads have come out. It would not be right to share them publicly until after we have chatted as HT. One thing, though, that I can share that has been very clear is this …. everyone agrees that 11am on a Sunday morning is not the correct time for us to meet. This will change. It has to change because it is obviously not the right time for the people of the peninsula. It’s refreshing to be part of a group that can see that and ‘get’ that we are here to serve this community.

I have some ideas of what we may look like over the next few months. In some ways I could speed the process up by suggesting certain changes … but I really do not believe that is the way to work. If we are going to move forward together in a way that means something for the wider community here then we need to move slowly, listening intently to each other and those we seek to serve. We need to discover more of what God is doing and then join with God rather than develop our own little ideas. I really do not know of any better way to start something new.

The next step, as I see it, after I have listened to everyone who is currently part of HT is to eat together as we seek a way forward. I’m feeling quite excited by this thought and can’t help but think what a great privilege and how exciting the way forward is. Maybe I should feel more daunted or scared at the scale of the task (and sometimes that is very evident in my heard!) but at the moment I feel quite simply that we are on track and need to keep listening and moving together.

Interestingly I think harmony says something about what we are trying to do at this point in time. I say interestingly because the schools theme for collective worship this term has been ‘harmony’. Harmony talks of cooperation and friendship.  It declares unity and conveys empathy. It breathes peace and understanding. It emits order and integrity. It sings of richness and melody. It serenades of blend and harmony.

As we move forward together in this harmonious way, I believe we will become more aware of the whisper of our community … and when we hear and join with that … well … then we may have more of an idea of the sone we are called to sing.