Barnado’s do a lot of great work.
This is a horrific advert but an advert which hopefully will push people to action. This year many people I have spoken to are talking of donating money to worthy causes rather than but big presents or lots of cards. This year Barnado’s would be a great charity to support.
Watch the advert – you may want to cry after!
It was great to have a day in London today to be able to meet up with Jeremy and Ian and then later with Richard.
It became clear that I still miss the buzz of London. The rush, the diversity and just the action of the place. I do love what I am called to do, but the Rochester buzz is at a very speed different speed to the London one. Apart from anything else there are numerous places to get great coffee and today I met Richard at The Sacred Cafe one of my favourite coffee houses! If you have not been there go for a visit – the espresso machine is set into a pulpit taken out of a church upstairs and downstairs you can sit amongst Buddha’s! It just has a great feel to it.
It was also fairly easy to grab a few gifts while I was in London today … and still be back in time to go to Joe’s carol concert and hear him sing his solo … a massive proud dad moment!
As time is progressing I am developing a kind of timetable in the ‘pioneering’ part of my ministry.
God has challenged me significantly that I need to be praying more which I am trying to do. Part of this is regularly prayer walking around Rochester High Street and the area around – and the pattern that has developed over the last few weeks is that I walk and pray around Rochester High Street on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 830am after matins at 8am in the cathedral. It takes me about 30 mins.
I’m sharing it here not to look good – but to put an invitation ‘out there’. Maybe there are others that feel they would like to join me maybe on the odd occasion or maybe as a regular thing. We could always do a Wetherspoons breakfast afterwards!
If you would like to join me on this exciting thing regularly or just on a one off why not drop me a mail – it would be cool to share this with someone. (You’d be very welcome at Matins beforehand as well which I find helps to anchor me in our 2000 year old tradition before I then go out.)
Coldplay were amazing last night.
My first time at the O2 arena for a gig and it was simply outstanding. Being part of 20 000 people united in our love for the music of one particular group of artists was just a great experience.
A highlight of the evening was when Coldplay decided to sing a couple of numbers at the back of the arena on a makeshift mini-stage, amongst the people who just happened to but their tickets there. As well as having the surprise of the band playing right next to or in front or behind them they also had the added of bonus of a surprise appearance by Simon Pegg who played the harmonica – it was great. This was all started by a cry of ‘how are you all at the back’ from Chris Martin. It was a real ‘moment’ of joy and the people sitting there had a wonderful surprise – a real gift!
Another great moment was the descending of giant yellow ballons during the singing of Yellow – shown in the middle picture – very cool!
I could make reflections on this based on my current reading of Caputo…. but I’m just going to enjoy the Coldplay moment for the while!
Cheers Darrel – this was a fantastic time!
Dear friends,
We’ve just launched our new edition of the “Dirty List”. It’s the biggest list we’ve ever produced, containing 170 companies that directly or indirectly fund Burma’s brutal regime.
Thanks to your emails over the past year many companies have pulled out of Burma, depriving the regime of hundreds of thousands of pounds. Remember XL insurance? Cotton Traders? Arig insurance? They’ve all pulled out in the past year. So have others like Trailblazer Guides, Jet Gold Corp, CHC and Aquatic.
TAKE ACTION
Please write to a few of these companies right now and tell them to stop bankrolling Burma’s generals: http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/dirty_list/dirty_list_details.html
Every single day foreign companies give millions of dollars to the regime; allowing them to buy the bullets, guns and supplies for the army that keeps them in power. These companies are financing a regime that rapes five-year-old girls, shoots peaceful protestors and leaves storm victims to die.
This is your chance to speak directly to the companies that fund the regime. Tell them why what they’re doing is wrong. Tell them why they must respect the wishes of Burma’s democracy movement and pull out of Burma now: http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/dirty_list/dirty_list_details.html
Do let us know if you receive any replies. You can send them to info@burmacampaign.org.uk
Thank you for your continued support.
Johnny Chatterton
P.S. We also just published our monthly newsletter “Last month in Burma” which gives you the latest news from Burma over the last month. You can read them for free here: http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/lastmonth.html
It has been another interesting week in the ‘life of a pioneer curate’.
This week has, again, been a mixture of what some may call ‘traditional’ curacy / vicar type work whilst other has not.
I have already spoken about Monday’s ‘traditional’ experience.
On Tuesday I had the pleasure of ‘leading’ the carol service for Rochester Grammar for Girls. It was a great event and the talent of these young ladies who so obviously loved singing and playing their instruments was great to see. It was a shame the press were not there – the press who so love to ‘bash’ teenagers through their pages, giving the impression that all are violent and have no respect, when actually we know that the overwhelming majority of young people just wish to love life and developing their gifts without hurting others. If present the press would have seen real young people. Anyway … I will climb off the hobby horse now!
This weekend I will attend the 10.30 Eucharist and I will be preaching at the 3.15 Choral Evensong looking at Philippians 4:4-7. Again this is all quite traditional stuff which I am still enjoying as is an important part of my role and training.
The pioneering work, which is still good old fashioned hard graft, is starting to show some little signs of progress after 14 weeks of going to the same places on nearly a daily basis and just being there. A lot of those 14 weeks have seen me sitting alone, sometimes mentally arguing with God over what I am doing, staring out the window, reading the odd chapter of various books and generally waiting to see what God may choose to do, or what God may not choose to do.
The last 2 weeks in particular some of the men have started to chat generally with me. That may not seem great, but these men are in these places every day and for some it has taken me being there every day for 12/13 weeks for them to even acknowledge me. The fact that we are having short conversations now is pretty amazing. I am learning names and they know mine.
There is one day when I talk to a particular couple and on another day I chat with 3 older gentlemen who have been drinking together on the same day at the same time for a couple of pints for years.
What is my role here is an interesting question. I think some are wondering if I am going to be like an evangelist and look for conversions in front of the bar. Others may think I’m just getting out of the cathedral because I like a pint! My role, as I believe it, it just simply to be there, with no agenda and no fixed dream of an outcome.
That may seem like I am aiming for nothing and so will hit nothing. There would be a danger of that if I were aiming for nothing. I have the aim of discovering what God is doing in these places and then looking how I can join in with that. My prayer goes something like this
If you, God, are simply loving people then I hope I have the patience to join you,
If you, God, are challenging then I hope I have the courage to step up to that,
If you, God, are crying with people then I hope I can be comfortable in that intimacy,
If you, God, are convicting then I hope I can be ready to encourage,
If you, God, are being persecuted then I hope I have the strength stand firm.
For you, God, are here and I just need eyes to see you.
For me it is interesting to recognise that it was around 12 weeks of daily presence before I was trusted to chat with. I am aware the collar does not always help and will be a ‘put off’ but all too often we look for quick remedies and quick fixes. As I am learning in a special way through this advent – anything really worth having has to be waited for – Mary waited 9 months for Jesus, and so far we’ve waited 2000 years. Nothing of any real value comes quickly.
BTW – if you are interested I produce a weekly email to those people that wish to know what I am up to so they can pray specifically – if you’d like to receive it drop me an email – the link is in the right hand bar of the blog.
I just love this poster.
Jesus born in a bus stop – an urban shelter.
I can’t quite work out why, but the image ‘resonates’ in a way that provokes and excites me because it challenges the traditional image that seems to have become warm and respectable. The King of the Universe, born in a freezing bus shelter with some not even bothering to notice – now that’s shocking!
I think it is the best that the CAN have come up with for a while.
The Pilgrimage in Coventry was awesome – there is no other way to describe it and big thanks need to go to all the organisers.
It was good catching up with friends as ever but being part of what was happening itself was sheer privilege. The workhops and stuff were secondary for me at this event – the worship was far more central to the day than anything I have ever before experienced at a conference. Again, I have to use the word awesome, and I can’t think when I have ever used that term to describe worship.
It was awesome because it was powerful, using the ancient and reframing it in a way that seemed to make it more accessible for all present. There is a good run down of the day at Mr Gnome’s Blog which is great.
Some highlights (and repeats from Mr Gnome) for me:
– starting the day in front of the font prostrate on the floor led by the Archbishop – over 400 people lying prostrate on the floor of Coventry Cathedral – I don’t know what it looked like but it felt an incredibly powerful way to remind myself of who I am and recognise where I am in relation to God.
– seeing the Archbishop in a Britney/Madonna style head mic presiding at the Eucharist with great visuals on screens and ambient tracks
– observing a group of old nuns who had come to learn, contribute and worship God. Their willingness and openness was beautiful
– The Archbishops address which can be read in full here but I was particularly encouraged by this closing comment:
we need, not just better communication strategies, more lively language or more up to the minute activities, important as these are, but a practice that anchors us in the fleshliness of the Word who became human, in the story of the time he took and takes to bring us home to his Father, in the awareness of our need for each other – and so anchors us in Baptism and Eucharist, where Scripture truly becomes contemporary happening.
– the closing liturgy was amazingly powerful and you could not help but leave the cathedral excited and energised about the possibilities and potential ahead of us. This was a totally new experience for me in more ways than one …
I did have one regret – I decided to go to the day in jeans and t-shirt, leaving the clerical shirt and collar at home. This would have been ok, but two deacons were wanted for the closing liturgy and I was roped in. The vergers were great at finding me an alb … but I can’t help but remember the look of concern on Rowans face as I robed next to him, me in my blue jeans and howies t-shirt! He was, as ever, very gracious and encouraging. A funny story for the grand children! Story aside, being part of something so powerful was a very special time. I still can’t help but see the irony of all this – I’m a pioneer who started training saying I won’t robe, I won’t do this and that – and here I am processing in with the Archbishop and Bishop Steven – God does seem to have an amazing sense of humour!
this produced an audible laugh while I was sat in the office!
ASBO Jesus does it again!
I’m looking forward to going to the National Pilgrimage in Coventry later today.
The timetable is here and looks to have the right mix of space for reflection and work.
After a busy weekend it will be cool to sit on the train and use the time to reflect on what I have seen over the last 48 hours … may even catch up on some sleep too!
The Shiny Headed Prophet 