The months fly by and here we are again at Care Home Chaplaincy day!  Just gathering the bit together that I need (though most live in my handbag most of the time).  It's always a bit weird, wondering who I will see, and how they will be today. Never sure I'm very (any) good at this, but it is valued, valuable and 100% privilege.

This coming Sunday I am doing a 'guest preach' at a church in Fife, and it's Pentecost. Three years ago I did a guest preach on Pentecost in Watford, and felt that the sermon I used then, with a bit of editting and updating, would do just fine.  Then I discovered I no longer seem to have my very old, tatty and well-travelled visual aid (I created it at least 16 years ago, because I was a student at the time). An hour spent searching hgh and low was quite enough!!

Fortunately for me, a friend had taken a photo of me with the scroll, and was able to retrieve and send it to me today. So now I can make a new scroll, with a few tweaks, for use on Sunday and hopefully, beyond.

A word to the wise - rejigging a sermon for a new context takes almost as long as writing a new one, so never opt for it as an easy solution.

Recently I decided to give audio books a try - I had a long journey and as I get nauseous if I try to read in a car,  I downloaded the audio version of a book I was reading.  Apart from falling asleep and having to re-listen to some of it, I enjoyed it, and now it seems I'm hooked! I have been downloading free collections of short stories which seem to work petty well in sending me off to the Land of Nod night by night.

Once the subscription kicks in properly, I'm going to look for a prayer or meditation type book that I can use on days when I am tired or travelling (or both).

I might even try some theology as well a novels!! Open to recommendations!

Churches are possibly the oldest volunaray organisations.  Nowadays, most are registered as charities, usually with a staff of one.  Without volunteers, churches could not function at all.

So today here is a quick shout out to those who...

• Serve as Charity Trustees
• Serve on committees
• Lead/facilitate children's and youth work
• Visit, phone, and generally keep an eye on, others
• Organise rotas
• Arrange flowers
• Prepare Communion
• Set up or clear up the worship space
• Steward
• Read the Bible
• Lead intercessory prayer
• Participate in Bible Study
• Sing in the choir
• Play musical instruments
• Produce, print and fold service sheets
• Edit the church magazine
• Update the website
• Count and bank the offering, week by week
• Look after the finances
• Look after the administration
• Contribute to the church magazine
• Do all the things I've missed, forgotten or don't know about

That's quite some list - and for each person who gives their time, talent and commitment, I am very grateful

It's the beginning of summer.  A lot of people were away from church today.  So many that our congregation was scattered with big gaps, and after the Sunday School, Bible Class and creche had left we really were very depleted.  We were also a Communion server down.  So, during the offering (immediately before Communion) I did a quick head count and made a decision...

Instead of going out to serve the twenty or so folk scattered among sixty chairs (around a dozen folk had gone out), I decided to invite everyone to gather around the table in a "circle".  We passed bread in four directions, we passed wine in two.  We giggled when I had no 'holy words' at the end for 'you can now go back to your seats.'  And it was really special.  Unplanned - unplannable even - it was 'in and of the moment.' 

The old hymn says, 'sometimes a light surprises the Christian when he (sic) sings'... it was a bit like that this morning, a surprise that brightened the day.