... no, not the old chant at Greenbelt (or so I'm told) when they had insufficient numbers of portaloos, but the title of our Association Day, from which I have just returned.

It was a good day, much munching of demonic sandwiches in our packed lunches (an in joke, sorry) offset by a few fully sound jelly babies!

Seriously, though...

We began by saying 'farewell' to Peter Grange, our retiring Regional Minister a man with the incredibly rare gift of zany humour and deep, deep wisdom. loved by pretty much everyone and a real blessing to those ministers and churches he supported and encouraged.  With characteristic humour and wisdom, he set the assocation free to move on to a new phase, and rightly, received a standing ovation.  Many other Regional Ministers and the like had travelled specially for this day - a long way to a school in Dibley plus 6 north (as distinct from D+6 which is west-ish!).  God speed Peter, we'll miss you loads.

A good keynote speech from BUGB racial justice man Wale Hudson-Roberts on 'do justice, seek mercy, walk humbly with your God'.  Black theology at its best - offering the holism of ubuntu within profound Christian faith.

Confession time - I skipped all the seminars!  As I was helping out with a bit of organising, and kept getting asked for directions to this or that talk, I got some space to chat to other people involved in organising -and to share minister jokes about demomic foods.

I had the immense privilege of leading the closing worship - and I had a fun time, I have to confess.  There was a superb atmosphere that seemed to move through dfferent moods almost seamlessly.  From the Revelation crowd of people from all races and nations we moved into singing 'Jubilate' and then 'Uyai Mose' (Come all you people) - the latter sounding wonderful as people found the harmonies.  A lovely Iona prayer, a reading from Galatians 3 & 4 (one in Christ) and we moved on again to sing 'I give you all the honour.'  The children came on stage bound in paper chains to share how they had learned about Joseph and his "multi coloured jumper" and how he was sold as a slave; the young people shared some thoughts: a sketch on people trafficking (think of that video clip of the unacceptable cargo - broken and damaged - that is actually people) a fantastic graffiti banner and then sang Amazing Grace - which people joined in with spontaneously.  We made a chain of 'paper people' - wee mees of ourselves, to symbolise our unity in Christ and our commitment to be 'one people united in mission.'  Our prayers of intercession picked up themes from the day, interspersed with the Taize 'O Lord, hear my prayer.'  We ended with all seven verses of 'Cry Freedom' - the Baptist Assembly hymn of 2007, which started life in Leicestershire in the 1990s, and a prayer from the Latin Amercian Council of Churches:

God of mercy and hope,

In the struggle for freedom grant us strength;

In decisions about freedom grant us wisdom;

In the practice of freedom grant us guidance;

In the dangers of freedom grant us protection;

In the life of freedom grant us joy

And in the use of freedom grant us vision

For your name’s sake

Amen.

Listing all this out probably looks like showing off - I hope it isn't.  It was just a great privilege to be part of the day and to share with so many people in praise, prayer, rededication and - to all intents and purposes- commissioning.

Check this out!  If only...!

In one of those cringeworthy emails that circulate (I get at least two most days) came this which at least made me smile...

The strongman at a circus squeezed the juice from a lemon between his hands. He then said to the audience, "I will offer $200 to anyone in the audience who can squeeze another drop from this lemon.

A thin scholarly looking woman came forward, picked up the lemon, strained hard and managed to get a drop. The strongman was amazed. He paid the woman and asked, "What is the secret of your strength?"

"Practice," the woman answered. "I was the treasurer of a Church for thirty-two years!

 

And then this one I heard last week, which is a little more profound...

As of swimming pools, so of churches, all the noise and splashing comes from the shallow end.

Harvest thanksgiving a week on Sunday.  We are using the BMS Higher Ground pack as the basis for the service but have also someone coming to share with us her experience of working as a counsellor in Indonesia post tsunami.  I found talking to her entertaining as she's an ex-Pentecostal who speaks the language of Pentecostalism despite now being a Anglican most of the time!  (See, Philip Richter was right in what he said about denominational cultures!).  Now I am choosing songs - and not over inspired by the BMS suggestions or hymnbooks.

Ploughing fields and scattering good seed (not suggested) - well my people would love it but it doesn't really relate to our experience even in a semi-rural location.

So how's about this one for a change - well known in some circles already - which is a hymny type thing, utterly biblical and up to date: -

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

 

Laura Storey and Jesses Reeves (c) sixsteps music/gleaning publications/EMI CMG

 

Not sure we'll manage to learn it (I know it already) but is a good starter for a service.

(My next challenge is to find a book it's published in as a legal download for single use costs about £2.50 - which I paid but gets pricey over time and several items)

I know I'm not the only person to post under this heading recently but I thought I might as well join in.

At our lunch club today I was handing out leaflets about our church to those who are not part of it,  One man asked me who these Baptists were, afterall, he asserted, I was Church of England (does Rowan Williams know this?!), and were they Christians?  I assured him we were! 

Apparently Christians have some nice hymns and songs, which he likes, and he thought our 'thing in the pub' sounded a good idea.  He is a curious fellow, one of those you find yourself feeling protective of, with mental health issues and no short term memory.  In recent months I've discovered that he was for a while part of a bowls team, has dabbled with landscape painting and has children who live not too far away.  I wonder whether 'thing in a pub' might be 'right' for him, and how he'd be received by others who come along - but it would be quite exciting if he did come along, even once.  Whether he might think we were Christians then, who knows?!