My last preaching Sunday at the Railway Town Baptist Church for this academic year, and the Lectionary invited us to ponder the healing of Naaman and the sending by Jesus of the 70/72.  As I pondered the readings, I was conscious of how often the word 'go' and its derivatives arose, and so this formed the basis for my reflection 'Off You Go'.  It didn't feel to me like the greatest thing I've ever prepared, but by the mysterion that is the movement of God's Spirit it seemed to land, and land with a variety of folk who sought me out to thank me for the service. 

When I arrived almost two years ago, the average attendance was around thirty people, now we are regularly passing forty.

When we chose to close our Sunday School and try something else, we were down to one or two children; now most weeks we have around half a dozen.

When I arrived we were operating on a deficit budget, now our deficit is even bigger, as some generous givers have 'been promoted to glory' and our finances are increasingly precarious.  Yet we keep on keeping on. 

Soon, I'll begin my summer leave, and then we'll move into our final year of travelling together (this was a three year appointment)  and must seek to discern what the next 'off you go' will look like.

According to the gospel attributed to Matthew, just before he left them to get on with it, Jesus said something like to his 'Newly Accredited Sent-ones'... "Off you go, to places close at hand, and far away; share my story, do my work, dunk those who want to join our movement; and remember, whatever happens, in good times and tough times, even though you can't see me, and probably won't be aware of me, I'm with you every step of the way, until, together, we reach journey's end."

And it's from the old we travel to the new - keep us travelling along with you!

Yesterday was our College Community Day and Valedictory Service, a day characterised by all that makes us who we are, who we have been, and who we will be in a slightly different guise going forward.  We worked hard to prepare for the day, and all that hard work surely paid off as Spirit-ordered Godly-chaos gave rise to laughter and tears, songs and stories, serious and silly, in a hopeful, hope-filled, hospitable and happy day.

From a story-box retelling of the Vashti story, to the Magnificat in BSL with interpretation to English; from Lego models to rainbow fridge magnets, party bags to bubble blessings; from tiny tots to life-long connections, liturgical responses to hands raised in praises... and a whole lot more... this Northern Baptist College, a crazy, creative, Christ-loving community that is simultaneously around 60 years old and more than 200 years old! 

As we honoured the past, and embraced the future now unfolding, it was a day to treasure. 

I first entered the portals of this place in 1998, as a lay student, exploring my call to ordained ministry.  A year later I began formal training and, a quarter of a century later, I now enjoy the privilege of working with others to help form minsters for a new generation.

For all that has been, thank you; for what is yet to come, yes!   

The photo is from yesterday evening, when I'd spent an hour or so tidying up in the garden and paused to admire the glorious colours of the buddleia, hydrangeas and roses.  Somehow it reflects the richness and fullness of my life as bi-vocational minister at a time of year when lots is happening!

Last Saturday was the grand opening of our Community Garden, a lovely day that saw around 60 people gathering to celebrate hard work and hopeful dreams

This Saturday (tomorrow) I will be teaching Baptist History for the first time to a group of ministers in training.  The amount of preparation I've put in is, I am sure, out of all  proportion, and my Impostor Syndrome is through the roof, not least as the content is a fraction of what others would include, but overall, I am pleased with my preparation and looking forward to it. 

Next Saturday is our Vicar School Community Day and Valedictory Service, which is really exciting and important as it marks an important moment in our life together.

Somehow, all of this diversity integrates into a thing of beauty, hope, and a bit of God-ness... and some slightly random, stream of consciousness, thoughts:

• When I was a teenager, my Mum, not given to much positivity, in an unguarded moment said, 'I think you might be famous one day'.  Well, no, not famous, and not infamous, but yes, I have my place in the Baptist story and it is somehow quite significant... who'd have thought it? Not me for sure!      
  
  
• As a child I absolutely loved history, and often questioned why we kept on repeating the same mistakes, then some appalling teaching meant a grade E at 'O' level and a sense I was rubbish at this after all... But studying industrial history in my engineering degree and church history in my theology reassured me that I was right, history is awesome and it does matter
  
  
• It's hard to explain the 'Hotel California' nature of the Vicar School, and why it matters so much to me, but it does.  Next Saturday we reach a significant moment in our ongoing story.  With only a slight stretch of the imagination, given their shared origins, I can claim to have studied engineering and theology at the same college, founded in London's East End at a time when protestant non-conformists weren't allowed to go to university.  With less of stretch of the imagination, I can see how my own childhood connections to Methodist, and URC churches, and eventual homecoming in the Baptist tradition are part of a journey to this place

So, yes, I am knackered, good knackered, knackered-but-energised... in all things God works with those whom God loves for good, and somehow, as I looked up from weeding the garden to admire the flowers, I was reminded of just how true this is.

This afternoon, around 50-60 people gathered in our newly completed Community Garden, ready for the grand opening by the Town Mayor, who arrived complete with pink hair and gold chain!  She really is a rather wonderful person with a passion for community-building, well-being, and gardening.

Despite several short, sharp showers, we were able to get outside for long enough to do short speeches, and for the Mayor to cut the ribbon.  Afterwards everyone enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea, with lots of home-baking by the ladies of the church.  Several Community Groups and near neighbours were present, and a great time was had by everyone.

The challenge is now to build on this great beginning, enabling groups to use the garden, and to make the most of this wonderful asset.   

A political-ish post, so look away now if that's problematic for you!

Today a bill passed through the House of Commons on a vote of 313 'for' and 291 'against'; 39 people did not vote. So it seems that, once again, a hugely significant piece of legislation has passed on a 52:48 vote.  Irrespective of what anyone felt about the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014 (lost by 'Yes' 45:55) or the EU Referendum in 2016 (won by 'leave' 52:48), surely by now we have worked out that proceeding with massive change of the basis of small majority just leads to unrest, dissatisfaction and a lot of anxiety and fear.

Recently, the Roman Catholic Church elected a new Pope, an appointment which required the person elected to achieve 66.7% of those present and voting.  Not necessarily unanimity (and, rightly we'll never be told what the level achieved was) but a decent majority, granting a level of confidence that this was a good decision.

In Baptist churches, we are big on 'communal discernment' and, at our best, will aim to find consensus (something we can all live with) rather than voting on every little thing.  But some things we do vote on, and usually, when it's important by secret ballot.

For Trustees, I have known churches elect on as little as 67% and as high as 75% - expressing a measure of confidence in those appointed, and reducing the 'I didn't vote for them anyway' grumble possibility.  In most churches, and rightly, figures are never disclosed, but I can say from more than 35 years experience of Baptist churches, something close to unanimity is usually achieved for those elected; I have never known any to fail to be elected as a 'near miss'.

For ministers, the bar is often set as high as 90% and rarely lower than 75%, quite reasonably expecting a great degree of consensus/agreement/discernment/confidence.  I have experienced four 'call' votes myself.  One was a very clear 'no' with the vote being almost exactly 50/50; one a 'near miss' being 72% on a 75% call; one just in, being 78% on a 75% call; and one almost unanimous at 98% on a 90% call.  Often, and this was certainly the case for church number four albeit not needed, a contingency is put in place for a 'close call' to ask people to support the decision. (For the record, my current role is 'Appointed' not 'Called' so no such figure exist)

The point of these high figures is that these decisions are really important.  The point of confirmatory votes (and I have used these on occasion in church meetings were a vote was only just carried) is to ensure that those who 'lose' are willing to go along with those who have 'won' - or to be more holy about it, that we all agree that God's will (or Christ's mind) has been discerned. 

What we had on 'Indie' and 'Brexit' was a decision that left no-one really satisfied and that leaves a lot of hurt, mess and muddle - there may have been those things anyway, but a higher threshold vote might have made a difference.  I fear the same may yet be true of the Assisted Dying Bill... roughly as many MPs voted against the decision as for it; on a different day the vote might have gone the other way, and I really don't feel confident that there is a clear mandate for this legal change, yet the ramifications will continue to be felt long into the future... meanwhile people with disabilities, people on low incomes, and people whose life's work is in the hospice movement feel frustrated, angry and afraid.