Category Archives: mission

reflecting on last week

Posted on by
2

Last week is over and in some ways I am glad. I actually started to write this post on saturday morning but found I was tol drained to think and so it has sat half written for the best part of three days.

As far as the week goes in some ways I wish I had achieved more. It’s been a fairly normal week with disappointments and joys, misreading of situations, expectations not materialising, and missed opportunities.

There have been some surreal moments too. On one occasion last week I was sat in a cafe only to find everyone in the cafe apart from me talking about God. There was a great in-depth conversation going on around me with talk of respect for each other, respect for beliefs, the ‘obviousness of God’… it was fascinating to listen to.

The prison continues to be emotionally draining. There is so much need in that place and I feel so inadequate to help … even more inadequate that I usually do and sometimes I wonder if I am helping at all.

In the High Street people have started to notice this ‘priest figure’ around and started to engage. I was asked to bless a baby and was taken aback as this couple shared their story on the High Street with all to hear.

I believe I have seen positive signs of the Kingdom of God present in the community of Gillingham. It is easy to knock the place, and it is very different to Rochester, but in my observing I have noticed …
in a cafe a young man rushing out of his seat in a cafe to open the door for an old lady who was struggling to open it herself
a young woman waiting patiently with a smile by the car door as her 3 year old daughter screamed at her for a full 10 minutes (if you frequent Gillingham you will understand why I draw attention to this as being ‘out of the norm’)
a person running down the High Street with a wallet in their hand to give to someone who had dropped it on the floor of a shop
these are encouraging signs of a community that does have compassiona and care for each other.

Real positives of the week were baptising three people yesterday. I baptised 2 children and one adult, who was the parent of one of the children baptised … so that qualifies as my first adult baptism. It was a delight to work with both sets of guests, one at 12 and the others at 2pm who were both very different ‘parties’ but both very spiritual in their outlook. I pray that I may come across some of these people again.

the gathering also met and went well and Nick got us thinking, and challenged us, about our role in caring for the world or making the world a better place … which was one of our original passions or desires as the gathering.

A mixed but interesting week and one in which I can start to sense some form of way forward … even if it’s only a little step!

from Coffee to Perichoresis

Posted on by
Reply

It was great to get back into London yesterday … met up with Richard in Bar Italia (amazingly good coffee and vibe and well worth a visit!) and had a little wander around before making my way over to Ian’s book launch.

I enjoyed the evening on a number of fronts. It was good to meet up with Moot friends that I have not seen for far too long! It was good, as always, to hear from Ian who spoke well and both challenged and encouraged. It was good to meet up with others who are simply trying and asking similar questions about church, life and the universe!

Ian spoke about the Trinity, perichoresis and dancing with God. He shared his view on how Christians in the west have lost sight of relationship with a Trintarian, communal God. I agree with much of what Ian said …. if we can experience more of the Trinity, which by the very nature is community, then this can only aid us better as we attempt, as church, to reach out to and engage with a very individualistic society that simply craves the experience of community, but has no idea to achieve it. If God is community, and we engage in that community, people find God meeting their need.

Experiencing, rather than just learning about, the Trinitarian God … Trinitarian theologyis, says Ian, key to recovering a depth of relationship (in church and society) that has been missing for so long.

Anyway … God Unknown, by Ian Mobsby … go buy!

Returning to first principles

Posted on by
Reply

I am really looking forward to being at the launch of Ian Mobsby’s new book on Thursday evening at the London Centre of Spirituality  – it looks like it will be a great couple of hours so why not come along too?

I am in the incredibly lucky situation to have Ian as a mentor. Since being placed with Ian many years ago at Moot while training on SEITE I have been meeting with Ian regularly to chat about what I do. Ian has been a great support and a great challenger … as every good mentor should be.

What I have really appreciated about our relationship, apart from Ian’s friendship and honesty, has been the way Ian has explored this whole role of the Trinity in mission. Sometimes he has blown my mind, or confused me, or challenged me. It has all been good stuff as part of the write up says here:

‘In this presentation, Ian Mobsby explores a central theme of his new book ‘God Unknown: The Trinity in contemporary Spirituality and Mission’.  The Holy Trinity is the central reality and concept that makes Christianity a distinct faith and not a jewish cult. As such God is a missionary God that challenges the Church and all Christians to participate in this mission and ministry of reconciliation, as God seeks to restore all things into renewed relationship with the divine.  In our increasingly post-secular context where people are more interested in spirituality than religion, it is the reality of the Trinity that gives us hope and opens up the spiritual landscape of the faith to those who are un-or-dechurched’. 

So … as I said above … come along …. you won’t regret it!

a licence to ….

Posted on by
Reply

Last week I was licenced as Priest Missioner in the Gillingham Deanery. For me this was a special night as I was commissioned by Bishop James. The role I have been licenced for has taken a lot of work and discussion to get off the ground. Bishop James himself mentioned how complicated a licence it was to encompass all the different areas I am working in.  I’m really thankful for the people that have been working behind the scenes to get this off the ground.

It was very important to me personally to receive the bishop’s permission and backing for this work and incredibly encouraging to see so many friends and family members there to support me. I was genuinely so surprised to see so many people turn up.

Bishop James spoke from Isaiah 52 and spoke particularly about the role of the ‘watchman’ or ‘sentinel’ in verse 8. He spoke about how my role, and the role of the pioneer, was similar to the that of the watchman in Isaiah.

The watchman had a variety of roles. There was the role of guardian, watching over the walls and alerting those inside to what was happening outside. There was the role of looking out, to notice what was ‘out there’ and thinking through what an appropriate response would be to what had been observed. Bishop James implied the role could also be one of bridging, of being a person that linked quite well between the two … between those ‘inside the walls’ and those ‘outside’.

I have been playing round with these words and images in my mind over the last few days and have noticed some other words that further illustrate the watchman role. We could use, bouncer, chaperone, lookout, custodian, defender, shepherd. Although I can see how they are all valid; of them all the combination of guardian and look out probably resonate with me the most as I seek to notice, respond and then develop something that fits within the ‘walls’ of our orthodox faith.

Often it is not a comfortable place, but it is a place I am happy to be in for the time being…

change overload?

Posted on by
Reply

there has been a lot of change this month …

the change of leaving the city of Rochester to work in Gillingham
the change to working predominantly alone again rather than being based in a team
the change of moving from a place where I know lots of people to a place where I don’t
the change from being on a staff team of a cathedral to a role of supporting parish clergy
the change of no longer having Tom around who we dropped at Uni last week
the change of Sarah having a new job, and missing the classroom
the change of seeing Gillingham at the top of the division

change has a massive effect
there is not just the actual change itself
but the emotional stuff connected with the change
the normal everyday acclimatised stuff you do not normally notice
but become painfully aware of when it is ripped away
and is no longer an everyday occurrence
causes change, I think, to be quite draining
emotionally exhausting
mind numbing

I am not sure if you can have too much change … well, that’s not true …  I am sure … because 3 weeks in to this new role  I feel drained because, I think, I have been overloaded with change. Change has been their everywhere I turn. At the moment nothing seems constant.

As a pioneer I think I am supposed to say that change is my friend, and that I crave encounters with her spirit. I really do believe that she is my friend and do crave that change in my community. I am also being reminded, however, what a demanding friend she can be. She seems to be ever demanding, constantly there, always calling, challenging, cajoling.

Over these last few weeks sometimes I have felt that I am just clinging on … and on occasions I have found the Psalms to be a great source of strength. Particularly, amongst many, Psalm 121:

I will lift up my eyes to the hills – 
From whence comes my help? 
My help comes from the LORD, 
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved; 
He who keeps you will not slumber. 
Behold, He who keeps Israel 
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper; 
The LORD is your shade f at your right hand. 
The sun shall not strike you by day, 
Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; 
He shall preserve your soul.  
The LORD shall  preserve your going out and your coming in 
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

That Psalm has been a great provider of strength when I have felt myself becoming over-awed by, or fearful of, the size of the task before me. There have been other times, however, when I have found myself having the conversation with myself that says something like … ‘just stay in today, it won’t make a difference, it won’t really matter ….’

On days like this I have returned to one of my favourite poems which I believe to be truly God inspired through Miroslav Holub which I have blogged about here before if you want to read the poem fully. For this point in time however, it is the following final words through which I have found not strength as with the Psalm, but motivation to get up …

Go and open the door.
    Even if there’s only
    the darkness ticking,
    even if there’s only
    the hollow wind,
    even if
              nothing
                          is there,
go and open the door.

At least
there’ll be
a draught. 

That inspires me. It inspires me because it reminds me of something pretty cool when involved with mission with God. It reminds me that I merely need to turn up, open and genuine and simply be willing and available for whatever God had for that day.

Not a lot has happend over the last few weeks. But I believe two things: my help is from God, and whatever happens, at least I am causing a draught!

what next … update

Posted on by
Reply

As an update to my ‘what next’ post I am really encouraged with the kind messages I have received.

I am also really encouraged to find out that Stewardship are happy to support me. Stewardship are a charity through which people can make donations to me who can also reclaim the tax on my behalf.

So … if you are one of those people who was thinking you would like to support me financially, then you can now download the relevant form here – thanks!

so … Rob … what are you doing next?

Posted on by
12

This post has taken a while to write … the blog has been quiet as I have thought hard and done stuff ‘behind the scenes’ about the immediate way forward and even more so on how to communicate that to friends who regularly read this blog.

It probably will not come as a surprise to many of you that read here that I am still convinced of my calling as a pioneer;  to work with but outside the church and beyond in a way that enables me to meet with people outside the walls of the church. I believe in th church, but also believe the church needs to be working differently to reach and support different groups of people. I think that’s called ‘one size does not fit all’.

A few years ago, after Mission Shaped Church report was published I responded to what I believe was a call from God to consider ordination with a view to being a pioneer minister rather than the more traditional route of parish priest. Being creative, working with people in fresh ways to investigate more about faith and to look for opportunities of how to work together and journey together rather than avoid each other … these are things that I have realise energise and excite me.

As a pioneer, my desire has not been so much to share my faith, although that has happened, or to try and convince people of my faith, although that seems to have happened as well, but more to try and be a positive influence, to give opportunities for questions, and to be a blessing to those that I have come across. I have a great desire to be good news in my community, to encourage and to support when its been possible. In short, I have tried to be a friend to people.

I now seems like ages ago that I started doing this ‘pioneering stuff’ with some trepidation as I knew no one. Four years down the line I find that I have made some good friends in the Rochester High Street area. I have learned lots from these people and have grown to love and respect them as the good bunch of people they are – but now is not the time to talk about that stuff …. that will come later in September when I move on from Rochester.

In September it will be with some sadness that I leave Rochester and the cathedral as my curacy comes to an end. Curacies in the Church of England are always a maximum of 4 years … and I have let this run its full course. My last Sunday at the cathedral will be on 2nd September, while my last day as pioneer curate in Rochester will be on Wednesday 5th September. That still sounds a little way off but I guess this will come quickly as between now and then I have a 3 week Olympic chaplaincy and a 10 day holiday in the diary.

My role as a pioneer in Rochester was to develop a new way of being church for people that don’t currently go to church. the gathering is a group of people who are traveling together and exploring faith together. I believe we are some form of new monastic community and we consider how we live our lives. We are at an early stage in our life together as we move towards becoming a ‘church’. Over the last 3 or so years we have met in various places and learned lots together about journeying and faith and inclusivity. This group is slowly growing as we pick up others on the way who are asking the same sorts of questions that we are …. those being more about how we live out faith rather than what each individual believes in detail. This means the community holds together people that don’t agree on some issues … and that is a good thing.

As we started to talk about what happens next after my curacy it soon became clear that the diocese only really has the resources to offer me parish ministry next. (I think a number of dioceses are in the same position). The diocese looked at parishes which would suit a pioneer and we considered some, and the opportunities were quite exciting. After much prayer and discussion, though, we felt we could only move to a parish if we could move the gathering there as well. This has not been possible due to distances involved away from Medway.

So … as we feel God is calling us to carry on what we have started and continue travelling with the gathering we (me/my family/the bishop)  have made the decision that I will become an SSM (self supporting minister) pioneer minister / priest missioner in Gillingham from September and accountable to local people. Obviously it is a risk to give up a whole salary, but I guess this is what ‘living by faith’ and ‘following your convictions’ is all about.

I won’t pretend all things are hunk dory … I’m excited by a new start (as any pioneer would be), but I will be sad at missing some great people and I don’t mind admitting that I’m pretty scared as well about starting again and trusting God with our finances. Even as I write it I sound like some religious fanatic … but yes I really do believe God will provide …. and if I’m honest I hope I will still be able to say the same in December!

If you are the praying type, maybe you could pray for us. As you pray maybe you could consider as well if you could support us. I am currently looking for people to support us both in money and prayer. If you wish to consider supporting in that way and want to know more detail please read the letter here and we can go from there.

So … that’s my update …. its a time for me to look ahead and start to dream what might be … hopefully I will keep bumping into some of you … so, that’s my update … see you around!

wait … look … learn

Posted on by
Reply

Mark Berry has started to blog again over at CMS community and mission.

I partcularly have liked his recent post, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic as I think many will find this helpful. As for me, personally, I had not thought of this defining part of our liturgy in terms of relationship. I am particularly struck by Mark’s definition of ‘apostolic’ as being ‘about our relationship with context, with the world and with God’s KIngdom in it’.

I think that hits it on the head for me. Relationships take time and a relationship with our context, the communities we find ourselves in, possibly take longer to develop, than a relationship with another human being. Getting to know one person, to understand what makes them tick, to earn trust and to trust can take an age. How much longer with a whole community of lots of persons responding and relating to each other?

It takes a lot of patience and time to really listen and to learn from the place we find ourselves in. I think it takes a commitment and a vulnerability of great cost which you are not really aware of until it hits you. That costs is a cost of time, a cost of reputation,  a cost of misunderstanding and sometimes, as I speak from personal experience, a cost of (losing) friendships. But it is worth it.

I shudder at quick fix solutions. Over the last four years I have had many conversations and people have seemingly been looking for quick fix ‘secrets’. But there are none. If we are really going to ‘reach’ people with the gospel we cannot expect a quick fix one size ‘something’ to be right for every person in every community. One size does not fit all, we do not all need or want exactly the same thing, despite what many advertisers try to tell us! But … it is easier to take something ‘off the shelf’ or use something you have seen working down the road and get instant results than it is to simply wait, look and learn.

But …. as apostles … as those looking to build relationships with our context … waiting, looking and learning is all we really have.

 

totally present

Posted on by
8

Today was a good day. Today I joined people at CMS and was the speaker at today’s Pioneer Witness.  The website explains this as ‘‘Pioneer Witness’ is a unique learning opportunity where Pioneers will share their stories face-to-face and give us the chance to question, listen and learn.’

I enjoyed the experience of sharing my story and answering peoples questions … but the session has also resulted in myself having a chance to question to listen and to learn and not only from the other people there!

As I planned for this session I was plunged back into remembering what is was like in the early days. It seems such a while ago and it is really difficult to believe the extent of loneliness I experienced and the real hardship of stuff in the early days when I used to sit i places and feel uncomfortable or ill at ease due to the reactions of others. I quoted the following from my training journal from the first few months which made up the content of my first year assignment which outlined a series of ‘exchanges’ between myself and God:

Dear God, Thank you for calling me to this role. Today, however, I have an issue. I got home and Sarah asked me ‘What have you done today?’ This may seem a perfectly innocent question, and indeed it was, but it has plunged me into quite a cloud of uncertainty. When I  attempt to answer Sarah’s question I have nothing to offer. The answer is quite plainly ‘nothing’. I have sat in Wetherspoons in Rochester with my dog collar on and waited to see what will happen. Today, nothing happened. Much of the time ‘nothing’ happens. I arrive, I order my coffee, I sit in a comfy sofa and I wait.  God, I have been doing this for months and I am starting to wonder what it is that I am waiting for! I feel disorientated, confused and have no purpose. I feel lonely, anonymous and have been rebuffed and ridiculed. I feel as if I am in a new country as everything around me has changed. 

The pain of those few months is fairly evident in that short statement. I have thought for a while that no one really talkes about the pain and struggle of starting up … the nothingness of ministry and the vacuum that can be created by simply waiting. People like to share the good stuff, the exciting stuff and the stuff that makes ‘pioneer ministry’ seem exciting and sexy …. and yet a lot of what we do is the simple hard graft of work and ministry that everyone else does. A difference might be that pioneers are misunderstood that bit more! Maybe I should write a book about all this stuff!

I also shared today that in those early days while struggling with waiting that I came across Vanstone’s ‘The Stature of Waiting‘ which had a lot of good stuff in it, notably for me at the time these words about waiting:
‘Waiting can be the most poignant of all human experiences – the experience which, above all others, strips you of affection and self deception and reveals to you the reality of your needs your values and yourself.’
The waiting was very necessary to my ministry with the people I came across.  During the waiting I do believe I learned more about myself and my values. I realised in great pain how I need to work with others and not just because it is a good idea but because I NEED to work with others. The waiting also revealed to me the masks of titles that I had allowed myself to hide behind … titles of jobs, titles within YFC and titles within the church. Waiting helped me discover more about the Rob that God had created …. as well as learn more about this new community I was placed within.

After talking for a little while we had around 40 minutes of questions, all of which helped me to think more, i concluded with a quote from John Taylor’s Primal Vision. Seriously if you have not read this book, which I believe is a classic book that should be read by everyone interested in mission, then you need to do so. Taylor writes from the perspective of believing that we should listen and learn from the indigenous culture while seeing ourselves as guests. I read this quote regulalrly to challenge and question myself and can even tell you this quote is on page 136. I leave this with you in the hope it may challenge and be a support to you in the way it has to me, and may we be delivered from that air of professionalism that renders us ‘not all there’:

‘The Christian has nothing to offer unless he offers to be present, really and totally present, really and totally in the present. The failure of so many professional Christians has been that they are not all there.’

 

prodding in the direction of God

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday I attended the diocesan gathering, Beyond the Big Society, which was an incredibly valuable day – not least for the input and challenge of Archbishop Rowan in the afternoon.

After hearing about some initiatives around the diocese which seek to transform community we heard from speakers of national, and international organisations (Stop the Traffik, Mothers Union, Housing Justice). I found much of what they presented to be a challenge and a reminder to what we are called to eb as church. All the organisations offer suport ans advice to groups of people who wish to make a difference in their community.

In the afternoon Archbishop Rowan got us thinking and asking ourselves what is different about the approach of the church. He started with a scene setting text from Revelation 3:8, ‘I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut‘.

He suggested we talk about the church being different to other groups involved in social action, and followed that with presenting a need to know what it actually is that is different, or distinctive, about us as we move towards the open door. He suggested that as church, what is distinctive about us, is that we take responsibility for each other. The church has a strong outlook of mutual nourishment where we give to each other because we have freely received.

In thinking about Big Society he suggested that a healthy and functional society enables small communities of mutual service to both be born and grow to sustainability. I was encouraged by the thought that, as church, we should be moving, luring and prodding society in this direction of mutual service … a fairly trinitarian concept … so prodding in the direction of God then!