remember, reflect, respond … but no sorry!

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I was disappointed with the content of the service at Westminster Abbey today.

It was a privilege to be there, it was great to see the Abbey being used to bring together people to mark the end of the worst atrocity this country, and indeed our church, has been involved in. But still, it was disappointing for a number of minor and one very major reason.

The minors –
1. style of music: very white, very classical with little bits of African input
2. processions: very white, very pomp and circumstance with little bits of African input
3. theatrical ceremony: standing for certain people and not for others; notably sitting as Archbishop John Sentamu, a man who has experienced oppression due to his belief and colour, while we needed to stand for the queen whose ancestors need to take responsibility for what we were remembering
4. singing of the national anthem at the end (which I did not take part in as I never have, nor ever intend to, sing the national anthem)- I think this could be seen insensitive at the end.

The service today had 3 parts: remember, reflect, respond.
The only response was to pray.
The response I was hoping for, a chance that we could apologise to our African brothers and sisters for the slave trade was missing.
A powerful opportunity to show the Christian ability of admitting mistakes was missed.
This is why Toyin Agbetu made his protest, and it was very understandable of him to do so.

I do not know if I am correct, but Toyin Agbetu seemed to start his protest at the start of the confession where the Dean said ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Let us therefore confess our sins….’

What the Dean said was correct, but I have to ask if anyone read through this service to see how it would be heard. I heard, and I am sure others did, by implication of these words that all of us have a part to play in this atrocity. I’m sure that is not what was meant, but it could be heard that way. I wonder if it was this that outraged Toyin Agbetu in particular this afternoon.

Archbishop Rowan, however, spoke excellently as we would expect. He said that there was still hope, and that the hope of Jesus was the only thing that could bring transformation to our country. There were a few ‘amens’ around the Abbey when those words were heard. You can see his sermon text here.

I feel the service was not complete wit such a major gap and believe strongly that Blair needs to make this stand and formally and fully apologise for the part we played in this.

I don’t understand the difficulty.
Why is it so hard to say sorry?

mixed day

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I’ve met up with some special people today, all of whom are important to me in their various roles, but more importantly as friends.
Lunch in the noodle bar with Malcolm to hear dreams for Gillingham YFC. It does not seem like we started this over 10 years ago, and its exciting to see Mal taking this off in a fresh direction. I have the pleasure of speaking at their 10 year AGM later this week.
Drinking tea with Jean Kerr while talking about where I am and dream some more about my pioneering future. It’s always good to touch base with Jean as she always has a knack of bringing me back to earth!
Drinking more tea with John Saunders and talking about funerals and baptisms to fulfill the final bits of requirement to tick certain boxes …. or do I mean for my ministerial formation?! Time hearing and learning from John’s wisdom is always valuable.

The low of the day was finding out I need to spend £150+ to stop the weird noise the car is making, but at least it is nothing too serious. I was hoping to get a major service this month and replace some tyres before the MOT at the start of April … guess the service will have to wait! I hate cars – but annoyingly I can’t do this job without mine.

Tomorrow, however, I can use the train as I am honoured to be invited to the service to commemorate the bicentennary of the abolition of the slave trade act in Westminster Abbey. I’m representing YFC and not been inside the Abbey before so quite looking forward to it. Apparantly it’s broadcast live on the BBC, so if you look closely…

Fair trade video

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This U Tube video over at Pinklady is excellent.
Well done Clare’s youth group!

Celebrations

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This morning was a really special time as we joined with Joe and Sam in the dedication of Marnie.
Such a cute child and such great parents.
Congratulations guys – we pray God will continue to bless you.

It was also special as today Sarah and I have been married for 18 years … amazing!

whose mountain?

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cartoon from www.weblogcartoons.com

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

First this cartoon made me laugh and then I stopped and thought.
Something hit me.
A question came to mind.
Am I climbiing the mountain I need to climb, or a I climbing the mountain others say I should be?

Easter Eggs Unwrapped

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This Easter, the chocolate industry cannot guarantee our chocolate is Traffik Free.

Nearly half the world’s chocolate is made from cocoa grown in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.

The 2000 US State Department Human Rights report said “It is estimated that some 15,000 Malian children work on Ivorian cocoa and coffee plantations. Many are under 12 years-of-age, sold into indentured servitude for $140, and work 12-hour days for $135 to $189 per year.”

They are trafficked into forced labour so we can eat chocolate.

“I will tell you how I lost my arm. I tried to escape, but I could not. They caught me and tied me to a papaya tree and they beat me and broke my arm. From here my life was ruined.”
Anonymous. Personal Interview, Côte d’Ivoire. Dec. 2005. ILRF (International Labour Rights Fund)

A young boy called Victor trafficked from Mali said:
“Tell your children that they have bought something that I suffered to make. When they are eating chocolate they are eating my flesh.”

We have the power to help Victor and the thousands of children like him.

Change your buying habits. By eating Fairtrade chocolate we can guarantee that no trafficked labour has been used in its production. Use the STOP THE TRAFFIK Good Chocolate Guide to find out which chocolate is Traffik Free.

What do we want the chocolate companies to do? Give us a Traffik Free Guarantee on all their chocolate.

STOP THE TRAFFIK, is a global coalition of organisations working together to fight against people trafficking.

Eucharist of the Ordinary?

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The other day while driving back from Head Office with Sharron we started to talk about the Eucharist and particularly about the bread and the wine. In particular I was asking if the bread and the wine are in themselves symbolic? By that, I mean did Jesus deliberately choose bread and wine for the significance we have assigned to them over the centuries (the bread and wine signifying Christ’s body and blood), or did Jesus choose bread and wine because they were the ordinary everyday foods that were around in 1st century Palestine and easily accessible to all?

As ever, I am thinking aloud, but in that thinking I am wondering and asking if we have missed the point over the centuries.

Was Jesus saying that particularly in the bread and the wine are my body and blood; or was Jesus saying in the normal everyday things you have around you are my body and blood?

We have traditionally gone with the former which has resulted in Christians paying particular reference to bread and wine as we celebrate and remember what Jesus has done. In this was the celebration becomes one of remembrance but seems to me to be restricted to just two things. At this point I think of Christians in the middle of the desert, or in parts of Africa, or indeed in many parts of the world where bread and wine are just not available or are not part of the everyday diet of people. How can Christians in those places partake of God if they do not have any bread and wine for the Eucharist?

It strikes me that if bread and wine are essential that is not very good news for those that have no access, and maybe never will have access, to bread and wine.

On the other hand, maybe Jesus was saying that in the normal everyday stuff you have around you you can find me. Could he have been suggesting that in our staple food, the food that normally sustains us on a daily basis, that we could enter in daily communion with him. If this is the case then the Eucharist could consist of fish and rice, maize, sauerkraut, sushi, or whatever the normal everyday easily accessible diet happens to be.

I wonder if, in the Eucharist, Jesus is saying ‘I am accessible to you, I am here in the everyday – you don’t need to look to hard, you don’t need to struggle to find me, you don’t need anything special, I am here in your normal everyday!’

That sounds more like good news!

Do it, then fix it as you go.

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Another Arden quote I like:

Too many people spend too much tme trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you’ve got and fix it as you go.

Stop the Traffik newsletter

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Welcome to the latest STOP THE TRAFFIK newsletter, featuring many of our members’ events. We hope they give you ideas of how to get involved. It’s been exciting to receive so many reports of events being planned for Freedom Day on 25th March & beyond.

Freedom day

We are aiming for 10,000 awareness & fund raising events on 25th March 2007 —‘Freedom Day.’ The date is significant in the UK as it marks the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, but we are encouraging everyone around the world to use this day as a focus for awareness on people trafficking, whether or not the date has any historic significance for you. So, please join us on March 25th and hold an event yourself or with friends for ‘Freedom Day.’

Check out the CALENDAR Of STOP THE TRAFFIK MEMBER ACTIVITIES 2007 at www.stopthetraffik.org/events

STOP THE TRAFFIK events page

As well as the huge numbers of grass roots events, we also have larger events being organised by member organisations, which you are all warmly invited to attend—as far afield as the UK, Holland, Belgium, Ibiza, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand & Cambodia. We have music concerts, exhibitions, TV shows, protests & expeditions & the variety is fantastic & just what we hoped for.

FREEDOM DAY!—JOIN IN!

We want everyone to feel included and we particularly want to encourage the smaller groups like company staff, youth groups, churches, communities and clubs to celebrate Freedom Day.

Use the following resources to help plan your event:
Event Organiser’s Pack
STOP THE TRAFFIK Resources

Here are a few of the many plans we’ve heard of so far, be inspired by them and let us know what you’re doing by emailing info@stopthetraffik.org.

1An 11 year old pupil organised and led an assembly about STOP THE TRAFFIK &, as a result, her whole year took part in a sponsored fun run.

2A youth worker & his team are working in 5 secondary schools, raising awareness about STOP THE TRAFFIK through leading assemblies, classes and youth groups, selling Freedom Keys and gaining signatures of over 3,000 students. Plans are being laid for a Freedom Day march and drumming up interest in the local media.

3A University has set up a STOP THE TRAFFIK Society to raise awareness about trafficking. They are running a series of events including hosting a STOP THE TRAFFIK University Tour & there are many other universities actively campaigning for STOP THE TRAFFIK.

4A band are putting on a concert at their local church to raise money for STOP THE TRAFFIK, entertaining with an eclectic mix of classic songs and modern anthems, videos and presentations from STOP THE TRAFFIK, UNICEF, and Compassion.

5The great, great, great granddaughter of William Wilberforce, is being sponsored to give up smoking and donating all proceeds to STOP THE TRAFFIK. Also, Lansons Communications, who she works for has signed up as a member, profiles Stop The Traffik on their website, is selling the Freedom Keys, each member of staff has the declaration form link and statement on their e-mail signature. Also, there will be a sponsored run on 25th March the bicentenary, where over 30 of Lansons employees, friends and family will run the square mile to help raise awareness and funds for STOP THE TRAFFIK.

6A youth group held an auction of jobs such as car washing, shopping, dog walking, gardening & baby sitting.

7Members of a Lions Club, joined an annual outdoor winter swim to raise sponsorship for STOP THE TRAFFIK.

8A church leader had his ear pierced and is wearing a STOP THE TRAFFIK Freedom Key in his ear until ‘Freedom Day,’ 25th March.

9A ‘Fata Morgana’ event was organised by youth groups from Belgium & the Netherlands, with the challenge of organising in limited time a benefit concert for STOP THE TRAFFIK, distributing ‘slave-free’ hot chocolate, building a Freedom Wall in the market square and collecting signatures for the STOP THE TRAFFIK global declaration, all wrapped up in chains.

And Continuing On Past Freedom Day …

Many of the events are scheduled for March, around ‘Freedom Day,’ but STOP THE TRAFFIK does not stop on 25th March. Far from it! With such a great publicity opportunity in March, we believe that the remainder of the year will give us all fantastic opportunities as more and more people hear about people trafficking and STOP THE TRAFFIK. So, please really engage with us around ‘Freedom Day,’ but also see your partnership with us as running right throughout the year.

STOP THE TRAFFIK Coordinating Team
Enquiries: info@stopthetraffik.org
1A Kennington Road, London SE1 7QP
+44 (0)20 7261 4650

An Ordinary God?

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I had a good few meetings in London today.

The youth co-ordinating group of CTE met which is, I think, the only forum that brings all Christian youth organisations together from England, Scotland and Wales. It’s great to be a part of this and share what we are doing and hear what others are doing.

Grabbing a coffee with Dave Wiles from FYT afterwards and then catching up with Lorne from Church Resources of YFC was also a great time.

Today I saw God in the ordinary everyday conversations of people I met with. It’s easy in this calling/ministry/vocation to become task orientated and compartmentalise activities into worship, or work or some other sub-section. I’ve always struggled with that. It’s easy to forget that God is part of all my life and activities – but if you remember to look and be aware, God is pretty obvious! God is in the ordinary, and that is incredibly exciting because a God that is present in the ordinary is good news because that sort of God can be found by all.

As an aside, but linked, my annual appraisal will happen soon. The YFC form always has a question that I struggle with: ‘how is your spiritual life?’ I struggle with this every time I am asked as I can’t extract my ‘spiritual life’ from the rest of my life – my life’s aim is to have a life of worship which means that all I do, whether that’s fill in a tax form, meet friend for coffee, have a business meeting I come to see as being part of my worship to God. I think this is what the first few verses of Romans 12 is all about.

The Message:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you