Love it or loathe it, cafe church, like Marmite, is a thing, and a thing I try to do during the school summer holidays so that all the hard working volunteers can get a few weeks 'off duty'.

This year I'm taking a theme of 'Sunday School Favourites' and trying to encourage people to add to knowledge of the stories of these characters, and to make links to contemporary issues.

Today we looked at David, so, after a quiz, we began with the story of the young boy picked out by Samuel, and the defeat of Goliath, before racing through the rest of his life to name some of the key relationships and elements of the plot(s).  With a choice of craft (decorating 'kindness rocks'), colouring linked to the psalms,  reading or writing psalms, or reflecting on some questions relating the story to contemporary issues, it's perhaps not such a surprise that most people happily opted for colouring and crafting.  We also shared a very informal communion and sang a few songs.

I think the questions I came up with were worth pondering - and maybe could feed into a sermon some other time - so here they are... 

Questions to Consider

You don’t need to work through these in order, or to cover them all, just pick out a few that interest you.  Try not to settle for simplistic ‘Sunday School answers! – we are grown-ups and need to wrestle with complexity and contradiction.

• What comes to mind when you think of David:
  • What roles did he have?
  • What were his gifts and skills?
  • What was his character like?
  • What about his relationship with God?
  • In what ways was David a flawed, or sinful, person?
    
    
• Thinking about the recent General Election, the US Presidential Campaign, and people in public office more generally
  • In what ways are politicians and those in public office like David?
  • What are reasonable expectations of those in public office, especially in relation to character and behaviour?
  • Should someone with a significantly tarnished past be allowed to hold public office?
    
    
• Thinking about churches
  • How do we choose those we entrust to lead us?
  • What accountability structures could we or should we put in place?
  • How should we respond if/when leaders fail or ‘fall’? Does it matter what kind of crime/sin it is?
    
    
• Personally (mainly for private pondering)
  • Where do I fit in my own family and how does that make me feel?
  • What gifts or skills to I have that no-one knows about?
  • Do I try to be like other people (putting on Goliath’s armour) or like David (a few stones in a sling)
  • Do I have skeletons in my past that I am glad no-one knows about?
    
    
• What do you like or dislike about the stories of David, and why?

That was a very full day, and a good one.

Much food was consumed at the barbecue (and the rain held off)

Much fun was had decorating candles for those who we were valedicting

Much formation was celebrated as we said farewell (-ish) to another cohort of MiTs

Much faith was expressed, in God, in each other, and in the churches/communities we serve

I am tired now (as I am sure are my colleagues) - good tired, and the kind of tired that knows it was well worthwhile.

This week we've been getting ready for the vicar school valedictory service, which takes place tomorrow afternoon.  'In my day' as the saying goes, it was on a Tuesday evening, because most of us were either based in Manchester or would be staying over.  The book I chose to buy (an inclusive language NIV at a time when such a thing was fairly new and exciting) is decidedly tatty 21 years on, and although it rarely gets used nowadays, sits on my desk at home.

This week, as I've been taking time to recall those with whom I trained, and who were in the years above/below me, and to wonder where they are now.  It was sobering to discover, with a bit of online searching, that, of my cohort, I am the last person still in active Baptist ministry... there were six of us valedicted that year, three have now retired, two are no longer in accredited Baptist ministry, and me.  I think that of the two no longer in ministry, one made it to 20 years , and the other to around 15, so between us it's the greater part of 120 years service, which is no small thing... certainly several thousand sermons, as well as hundred of Deacons and Church meetings.

Tomorrow we will celebrate another cohort, women and men who have responded to God's call, have tested that time and again, and who are still committed to serving among these crazy people called Baptists.  I give thanks for A, D, G, N and S with whom I was valedicted, and pray for B, C, C, J, J, K, P, P and S who we will valedict tomorrow.         

On Sunday evening, we hosted a General Election hustings on behalf of Churches Together in Railway Town.  It was good event with some level of representation for seven of the eight candidates, and a written statement from the eighth who was unable to attend or find a deputy.  It was was all pretty good natured, and we even explored some of the complex and divisive topics without major tensions.

I was proud of our little church for the hosting, proud of the wider churches for participating, grateful to the candidates/representatives for engaging, pleased that members of the local community came to listen.

Next stop election day when we are a polling station and have been given the green light to hold our weekly coffee morning provided the two are kept separate.

Much prayer needed between this and then as the whole political landscape is, in my opinion, decidedly worrying. 

Today, via the wonder that is Zoom, I was able to attend the 'release of covenant' service for a minister friend of mine.  It was a beautiful service, with a thoughtful sermon, some honest prayers, kind words and a lot of grace.  My cats chose to sit nearby through the whole service, and Sophie agreed to appear on screen briefly at the end.

What struck me most was the pastoral imperatives that we, as ministers, exercise in such moments, setting aside our own preferences in order to better serve those we are among.

Today's service began with a hymn that is very precious to me - used at my Baptism, my ordination, two of my induction services and one of my leaving services.  I didn't use it at my last leaving service because there were those who actively hated it; instead I chose hymns that had been meaningful to that pastorate, including one I don't really like (hate is too strong a word, I avoid it as much as possible).  So today it was both joy to sing the hymn I love, and reminder that pastoral imperatives must always outweigh my personal preferences in public worship.

The second hymn sung was one that I always find difficult to sing, because it expresses a level of confidence that I, in all honestly, can't promise to express - that on the day I die, in the final moments of life, I will be praising God.  I'd like to hope (theologically, determinedly) that I might, but I cannot be sure, so I cannot, do not, will not sing those lines.  I think God understands.  Pastoral imperatives to self-care, to know that it is okay, at least with God, to sing or not, say or not, claim or not...

The liturgy for release of covenant, words I created for use in the parting of ways with a church that had run out of money to pay me;  words that have been published and used in many different contexts (with or without tweaks, that's totally fine); words I used last year; words that today I heard/experienced as a guest at another ending.  I reckon they are okay, that I 'done good enough' in what I wrote fifteen years ago, that these words are inspired by a pastoral imperative and not just by my own own pain, hurt, regret, wondering and worrying.

It was a privilege to attend the service, to hear words of thanks and words of regret, words of pain and words of hope... pastoral imperatives are complicated to negotiate, and there are rarely 'right' answers, just responses that are 'good enough' and that, I believe, is okay with God.