Category Archives: mission

regrets ….

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I got back from the south west last night after 3 days, 700 miles, quite a few meetings and good training sessions with YFC trustees.

I have been challenged by the levels of mission I have seen. I have enjoyed meeting with people who I am going to miss when I leave YFC. I have had the privilege of hearing dreams, sharing tears, enjoying meals, laughing with friends and visiting some pretty nice parts of the world. My one regret on such a trip, as ever, is that I can never spend enough time in one place to really enjoy it. One unusual exception was having a spare 90 minutes yesterday in Teignmouth which enabled me to eat a sandwich, drink good coffee and gaze out to sea. As I look across the vast expanse of the sea I always seem to connect meaningfully with God.

Traveling between centres can often be pretty full on but I enjoy the thinking on my feet side of the job that is often needed on trips like this. My other regreat is that all the driving takes it toll on my aging back. The result of this is that I can’t be involved in the MBS fair tomorrow as I have for the last couple of years. I can’t really move or stand long enough to be of any use to Dekhomai.

I shall miss the authentic interaction with people, the privilege of praying for people, the sights of healing, the searching conversations, the mystery and challenge, and the wonder of realising that God is not only present but incredibly active in such a place.

I’m really gutted by this as a particular highlight of my year – but I guess while I am sat or lying at home I can pray for the team! Please pray for the Dekhomai team for the rest of this weekend.

Urban Expression and the Incarnate Network Conference

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I saw this on the YFC Blog and it looks excellent although it looks like I won’t be able to be there as it clashes with Rochester Diocese’s residential for Continuing Ministerial Education. Oh the joys that lie ahead for me ….

Urban Expression and the Incarnate Network Conference
Michael Frost – 9th October 2008 – CMS Centre Oxford

Invite you to join us for a day conference with Michael Frost to explore the implications of incarnational mission.

The day conference will run from 10.00 until 4.30. We will ask Michael to speak twice and give the rest of the time over to interaction and discussion around thetwo main themes. There will also be an opportunity for an open question/answer session to explore other issues

Michael will be talking on these two main issues:

• What are the implications of an incarnational approach to mission?
• How can indigenous leaders be empowered and released?

The cost for the day will be £20 (including lunch) or £15 (unwaged). To book a place, complete the booking form which can be obtained from this link and send it with a cheque payable to ‘Urban Expression’ to Urban Expression, 24 Effingham Road, Bristol BS6 5BJ.

Any queries, please contact Stuart Murray Williams: stuart@murraywilliams.co.uk

MBS time again …

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I had a long day in London yesterday which ended with me meeting up with a few people including Jonny and Ian to talk about the stall we are running at the Mind Body Spirit fair this year.

As Dekhomai we have been involved in this for the last 3 years now and we were sharing ideas and stories last night I found myself again getting excited by what we are able to do at these events. I love engaging with these people as many are genuinely searching for a real experience.

It’s also, for me, quite a nervy experience but one I wish to stay involved in. I’m always totally out of my comfort zone, totally out of my experience base, and totally reliant on God. Last night we did some low key training with the Jesus Deck and using this does really take me right out of comfortableness as this is the riskiest thing we do in terms of not being in control and needing to trust God.

The MBS fair is still a few weeks away yet I can feel myself getting exited again …

cofE excitement

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It’s an exciting day in the Church of England today as BMO’s become church law. Jonny has blogged superbley here so there is no need to repeat stuff.

This excites me though as in just a few years the Church of England has made a massive change all in the name of mission – the people behind the scenes that have been doing the hard work need our thanks and ongoing prayers.

The people in the spotlight, such as Archbishop Rowan, need our prayers as well as a lot of this could not have happened without his encouragement and enablement. It seems to me in a few years he has enabled structures to change with will allow us to reach people with not just a relevant gospel, but allow us to develop relevant way to live it out as well.

ASsI said – an exciting day – and who would have guessed an ‘old dinosaue’ like the Church of England would be the group taking the lead here!

God’s full of surprises!

waking up

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Monday is usually an admin day for me, but today I was looking forward to catching up with Ian – but that plan failed as all 3 of my children have had some stomach bug over the weekend which has meant no school today for any of them and so needing to stay home as Sarah had a presentation she needed to do throughout the day.

This has meant as well as working I have been able to sue the time for some long needed reflection. I always plan to have quiet in the day and week but, to be honest, I love my job so much that when I get my teeth into something hours seem to fly past and the empty quiet house is packed full and noisy again.

Today the children have been quiet and so I have been able to re-connect with God in quiet which I have failed to do fopr some time. This afternoon I particularly found the words of Gregory of Nazianzus that are said over the Easter Season in Common Worships Prayer during the day (what a very good Anglican I am becoming!):

Yesterday I was crucified with Christ;
today I am glorified with him.
Yesterday I was dead with Christ;
today I am sharing in his resurrection.
Yesterrday I was buried with him;
today I am waking with him from the sleep of death.

As I said the last line of that liturgy I felt the words to be describing my feelings. I reflected on how I have become embroiled in stuff, particularly in study stuff, or post ordination stuff, as its quite prominent at the moment. Today i felt God remind me what it is all about.

It’s all about a risen kingdom life with Jesus: all equal no matter what they achieve, all accepted no matter what their brand of Christian theology, all valued no matter where they stand in society, all created by the one true God.

It’s all about life with Jesus!

Blah Tour

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There is a long awaited Blah Tour on the horizon and, as expected, promises to be good.
You can find more details over at Jonny’s blog.
I hope to get to the Oxford day so may see some of you there!

always mission?

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I am a third of the way into using up unused leave from last year. I have 3 days which I have needed to use by the end of March and so I am taking them now. As Sarah and the children are at school I am using the time to write assignments that need to be handed in during the middle of April.

I have just finished writing my report of my placement at Harvest. My placement there finished a few weeks ago and having the break before writing properly has enabled me to reflect and change the opinions that I originally had. I have found the placement challenging as I have struggled with some things but on gaining a greater understanding of why things happen as they do has helped me to grasp the complexity of the issues surrounding the practice.

My placement here has caused me to ask some serious questions of myself, how I prefer to ‘operate’, what inclusivity actually means and looks like in reality and the cost associated with developing along that whole journey.

One thing in particular that I am continuing to reflect upon is whether there is anything you can do to encourage the growth of authentic community that maintains a missional edge?

It seems to be in my observations that something can start and have quite a missional focus, but as it develops people like what they have, grow accustomed to the feelings of being comfortable and then, if they are not careful, start to get all protective over their inclusive community so that it becomes exclusive. As these protection barriers are built, people retreat behind them, mission then grounds to a halt and before you know it a new exclusive community has developed – and there are already a number of them around! Is there any way that a community can become aware of this gradual shift happening before it becomes irreversible, or is this just inevitable due to our human nature and desire to be safe?

I guess I am asking does a time ever come when mission becomes secondary to other things? Personally I don’t even like that question and my head is already shouting ‘NO!’ in great massive bold letters.

(not) passion (less)

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If you are in the UK it has been an interesting weekend in sport – particularly in the FA Cup competition. People are surprised, but happy, that none of the top 6 teams in the country have progressed to the semi-finals. It’s been a long time even since one of the top 4 did not win the final.

There will be many views on what has happened but I wonder if it is due to passion?

The teams that won over the weekend, played with a passion. They wanted to win, they were desperate to progress and keen to get on. The ‘big stars’ were passion-less. My personal view is that they have lost sight of the ‘true beauty of the game’ by having what was once a passion of theirs relegated to a mere job by the amount of money they are paid and the self-important lifestyles they are encouraged to lead.

This weekend showed that the passion and desire to win can outmaneuver even the best in the world.

It can be the same in our Christian lives. It is easy to lose passion, to allow stuff we once held dear to be relegated to mere activities, or jobs.

How do we keep and maintain that passion we first had?
How can we ensure we don’t become passionless?
How can we stop ourselves from falling into seeing mission as just another job?

I guess it is something about reminding ourselves what we are about. For me, that’s being a person who loves mission and wants to see lives transformed. For me, its about continuing to see this happen through my work and not being distracted by things that give me apparent security.

colonising our identity

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A little while ago I blogged about the lack of a Christian identity. I was thinking on how we can develop a Christian identity and wondering what this may look like.

As I was driving back from chatting with Paul from Wycombe YFC Bjork’s voice whispered out of my ipod as she sang Declare Independence. A particular few lines made me think:

Damn colonists
Ignore their patronizing
Tear off their blindfolds
Open their eyes

Is our lack of identity a symptom of a type of reverse colonisation? By that I mean, have we colonised ourselves in that we have followed so much a missional line of thought that goes something like ‘we want people to see that, as Christians, we are pretty normal and enjoy normal stuff like everyone else‘. I question whether this desire to be seen as normal has resulted in allowing ourselves to be colonised by ourselves, to be like everyone else, which has resulted in a lack of an authentic Christian identity?

If this is so, what can we do?
As I listened to the track again as I sped down to the M40 towards the slow meandering M25, I wondered if God was saying ‘stop fighting and open their eyes, remove the blindfolds.’

Some Christians, in my view, have taken the ‘campaign for our rights route quite forcefully’. I have no problem with that, and I feel there is a place for it, but I do have a confusion in trying to understand that way of working, especially when we look to the Bible, or to the person of Jesus.

Jesus never seemed to stand up for God, or for himself. When criticised he took it and got on with what he felt was important (talking about God, feeding the hungry, healing the sick ….) Jesus did speak out, but instead of speaking for self protection, he spoke out for the poor, the oppressed and the marginalised. He never seemed to try and protect his position.

Jesus sought to remove the blindfolds, to open the eyes of those around to God’s liberating truth – the truth that God loves everyone and everything that he created. It’s the work that he continues in the communities over the world today.

I wonder if we reclaim our identity as we join with God in this ongoing work? Missio Dei colliding with imageo Dei fusing to create a Christian identity that inspires us. An identity which sees Christianity transforming society through actions of love, involvement, compassion and justice for others rather than voice seeking justice for ourselves.

What could this look like ?….. I’m not sure, I need to dream some more!

mission speak

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Yesterday I spent the day chatting Berni from Camberley YFC and then moved onto Portsmouth to meet with Simon and Joe who are trustees of Solent YFC.

Listening to Berni’s stories of innovative work was exciting. Hearing of things like ‘Giggles’ which is a comedy club held as an outreach to young people in the 18-30 age group just amazes me at the creativity of some of our workers. Berni has also developed a great pack to make an impact on the funding of his centre which I shall be sharing with others.

IN the evening I met up with Simon and Joe. People like them are the hidden part of YFC, but the important backbone upon which much of the local scene of YFC is based. They have full time jobs but volunteer as trustees to run the centre and be responsible for how it runs. Currently they are looking to be innovative in increasing their funding as they have a new director starting in January. If you are in the area and wish to be involved in supporting Solent YFC as it relaunches please get in touch.

Whether I’m chatting to the front line workers, or the people behind the scenes the story is the same – sacrifice for God, listening to God, stepping out with God, and I think in that order.