Next week 2000 or so of us will arrive in Plymouth for the English Baptist Assembly (known hereabouts as the BUGB Assembly).  I am looking forward to it; in a perverse way I'm even looking forward to being irritated by certain parts of it, because that's what makes it the thing it is.  I will state up front that I am rather disappointed that the In Memoriam has been relegated to the Monday morning when we know a lot of people will have already left (but am glad it isn't Friday night when I won't have arrived).  I hope that people will make the effort to get involved in the Public Resolutions session - the issues being discussed are important - but again they are on Monday morning so many may opt out.

Good bits will include meeting friends and feeling connected to this crazy family.  Hoping for coffee with, among others, Ruth, Julie, Lucy and Diane; to cheer (or not) Andy, Simon, Kez, Vanessa and Theo; to say 'hi' to bloggers; to reunite with NB(L)C and EMBA/NWBA friends and a whole raft of RMs; to eat icecream on the Ho, Ho, Ho (as a former work colleague called it); and obviously to be inspired and refreshed for ministry in a northern outpost of this kind of Baptistness.

Lurkers, commenters, fellow-bloggers do say 'hi' if you see me there and I look forward to seeing you all.

On Monday I was at college as a student, learning about mentoring.

Last night I had a leadership team meeting where we talked, among other things, about ongoing ministerial support and development.

Today I am at college being a facilitator, teaching about leadership.

So that all fits togther quite nicely.

Tomorrow I am spending a lot of time on a train going to a university to talk about their teaching and my learning/researching... or the mutual lack thereof.

In between times I have a service on Church memebrship to complete, preparations for which are proving fun (in a good way not an ironic one).  A few people last Sunday said they'd learned a lot from my Baptism sermonettes, so I hope this week lives up to expectations.

So a busy week one way and another, but enjoyable.