This afternoon I am off to school to face a Q & A session with sixty Year 4 children (aged 8-9) who have thought up a whole load of questions to which they are seeking the answers of sa series of world faiths (albeit independently of each other, which is a shame because those of us invited in have been chosen as those who are tolerant and respectful of difference).  This is part of an attempt by their (Muslim as it happens) class teacher promote philosophy within the curriculum.  When he ranfg yesterday he said the chidlrne had come up wioth lots of questions - on green issues and ethics, but he hoped they'd go further to existential questions such as 'why are we here?' Help!  Don't think I ever studied the answer to that one and I couldn't honestly say its ever really troubled me.  So do I say "the chief end of man (sic) is to glory God and enjoy Him forever"? Or do I make something up!!  Hmm.  Will report back later.

Today has seen yet more demolition going on next door - the skyline is changing rapidly and I have been distracted several times by satisfying thuds as chunks of masonry have bitten the dust.  One of the things that always fascinates me is the seemingly gentleness of the heavy machinery as it nudges or tugs huge structures.  Apparently the developed hopes to start putting in footings within a forthight - a long way to go before then though.

From this...

Going...

Going...

Gone!

I think listeth is a great word - especially when applied to the breeze that kept blowing throughout our open air service yesterday afternoon.

It was suitably amusing that just as I announced the song 'Spirit of God, unseen as the wind' the breeze whipped through the place in which we were gathered and caused papers to fly everywhere.

It was a fun afternoon, well attended, and with participants from all three traditions.  All told, 53 people took part - or at least 53 people took a cake (as there were 7 left over at the end!) - and they seemed to enter into the spirit of what was being expressed.  Most stayed on for a cuppa and a chat and we even had to threaten to put a couple of Anglicans away with their chairs in order to get cleared away on time!

Almost everyone opted to join in with the interactive intercessions, drawing or symbolising their prayers on flames which where then added to the collage of 'fire'.  It transpired that a few people don't know which up a flame burns as they used their flames upside down (tip downwards) but the overall impression is pretty good.

The balloons seemed to be well received - though a few of us spent a fair bit of time using balloon pumps to inflate those of older folk without enough puff to do it themselves.  Some of the faces drawn on balloons were quite funny - and several took their balloons home to show their grandchildren...

At the end of the service, after the final prayer and blessing we let off our party poppers as the 'Amen' - causing a fair amount of holy hilarity and a few comments about disturbing the neighbours.

One of my folk commenting to me at the end of the service said that when I arrived five and half years ago she wasn't too sure about all this 'new school' stuff that I introduced but that now she thought a return to the old ways would be very boring.  I accepted this as a compliment but also pondered whether what we do is really so 'new' - I have retained, and strengthened, the service structure as a movement of gathering - praising - hearing - reflecting- responding which I see as very traditional but have allowed us to try new ways of experiencing and expressing those elements.  Overall I reckon that things must be about right since our newest attender - a chap with early stage Alzheimer's who's just moved into a flat over the road - seems happy to join in with the activities and has opted to throw in his lot with us.  So wherever God's Pneuma, Ruach listeth, she seems to be touching folk here and enthusing them (theologically and popularly) in some measure.

It must be Pentecost in Dibley!  And indeed it is.

Yesterday's community fun day attracted far less people than usual - only about a hundred I'd guess - but those who came enjoyed themselves playing in the sunshine, munching scones and chatting to friends.  It transpired their was a councilled event in the town centre - a kind of talent fest though dubbed by one person who'd been there before coming to ours 'Carbonberg's Got No Talent'.  The some meagre sporting event also took place occupying afternoon television and managing to keep a lot of people safely in stuffy houses rather than enjoying he wonderdful weather.  It was hard work - a much smaller number of folk involved this year but it was fun.  As I staggered to the chip shop at 8 p.m. to get some tea, I did wonder momentarily what the Holy Spirit did about tea on the day of the first Pentecost - she must have been exhausted after prompting so many people to respond to the apostles! ;-)

Today its our open air service, which I always enjoy.

This year we begin with party poppers (and I going to pinch part of  Jim's haiku as opening liturgy!) and individual birthday cakes (amazing what can be done with cheepy creepy supermarket cakes and a tube of icing).  We will allow various Biblical texts to guide us into some reflections on what it means for us to live as people who are indwelled by God's Holy Spirit - including how we make our election choices this coming Thursday. We will draw faces on balloons (to represent ourselves!) and then blow them up, symbolising our own filling with God's breath of life and will write our prayers on 'flames' to add to a collage of fire.

It should be fun, and I hope it will be authentic too.

Yesterday evening I sat down to start the process of creating a record of the demise of our erstwhile church building.  Demolition continues - and will do for a few weeks yet - but already I have lots of photos, so it seemed good to start putting together the narrative with the images.  All was going well, the document was looking good, complete with images of the building as it was, the various plans for redevelopment, photos of the process to date and accompanying text.  I was making some history for my congregation, recognising the need to combine facts with commentary, aware of my aims, aware of my target audience - it was good.  Then the computer decided not only to refuse to save the latest update to the document, it lost the whole thing.  I know I can type it all up again - and I will revert to my method of alternately saving to hard drive and data stick so that I don't lose the whole thing next time - but my computer very nearly joined the pile of roofing felt, broken glass and timber in the skip next door.

Anyway, here's a recent photo of the back of the premises, now so open you can see the stained glass at the front (inside the large black square hole).  One particularly amusing aspect (for me) is that despite all the stripping and demolishing the pulpit (which I never used) still stands proud!

Whilst chatting to the demolition crew yesterday, I discovered that the stained glass and front doors (massive oak "church" doors) are to be salvaged and sold on, probably into the American market.  The slates have already been salvaged and the roof tiles from the sanctuary will also be kept. Ironically the new bat-house will be built of reclaimed materials so that the three young bats feel at home when/should they return!