Not the BUGB leaflets of this name per se, but they have drifted into my attention as I prepare various things at the moment.
This morning I visted the headquarters/head office of the BUS to have coffee the Ministry Adviser and, so it turned out, the entire staff - new General Director, head of mission, etc etc. Now that would not, and could not, happen in BUGB, far too big an organisation and me far too small a minnow. It was a good morning and it felt good to talk to these folk who clearly love their union (even if all the Revds amongst them trained in England (discuss)). The coffee was hot, the biscuits crisp and the welcome warm... exactly what you'd hope for.
Next Wednesday I am in Paisley contributing as a 'teacher' of sorts to the Baptist College's module on Leadership. This is where the BUGB leaflets may come in as they have some useful starting points for thinking about this, and other, topics. I am meant to share something of my experience as a leader in (my careful choice of word there) a local church so that will be entertaining, not least selecting suitable images to accompany what I say.
In between times I am preaching this Sunday on Baptism and the next on Membership. These won't be either theological treatises on the topics or veiled altar calls (though requests for Baptism or Membership would be brilliant news) but will hopefully help each of us to reflect a fresh on what it means for us to be part of a Baptist expression of Christianity. For example, the Baptism service will, as one of four reflections, draw us to Galatians 3 and the radical community that is the 'Body of Christ', keeping as ever a kind of missional edge to my waffling.
So, basically a very Baptisty time - to be followed very quickly by the supreme immersion in all things BUGB-BMS as I join a couple of thousand others in Plymouth where those being hand-shaked this time include my friends Kez, Andy, Simon and Vanessa and a newly discovered colleague in BUS, Theo, who gets his BUGB handshake after he transferred to BUS (only in Baptist land...). All good fun.
Comments
And in the midst of all this - and it sounds terrific - are you winging me some material so we can talk at Assembly...? : )
Hi Ruth, er, grovel grovel, no. On my to do list is 'send Ruth an email apologising for still doing no work' and now the whole world knows which *might* be motivation enough to make me start to do some. My excuse is house moving and Easter and having too much fun at church... but in the last week you're the third person to remind me, so if that's not a Wesleyan sign I don't know what is!! Assuming of course Baptists do Wesleyan signs... (the only fleeces I do are the sort one wears when walking)
Hi Catriona, lots of Baptist stuff is always good - glad to hear you're going to make it to the assembly that's quite a journey for you. I'm going to be there too, my first one, be really good to meet up with you if there's an opportunity - I know you'll probably be trying to see lots of people. Let me know if you think there might be a chance for a skinny latte!
Hi Lucy,
It'd be great to see you in real life at Plymouth - maybe we can link up with Julie (who you have met) too? In fact, I think I probably ought to be putting up a post to see just who of the Bappy Bloggers is around and wants to meet up (I don't do Facebook as I waste too much time already!)
I don't arrive until late on Friday but am anticipating 'bunking off' at least one session when there are no seminars I fancy, so we should be able to fix something. I will look forward to it.