Technically, the Accredited Women in Ministry day of BUGB, which took place at the BMS International Missions Centre in Birmingham.  It is tricky to explain to people in professions where equal opportunities legislation is in place why such a thing might be justified, let alone necessary.  Why might thirty female ministers choose to spend a day together, and what on earth do they do?

Being where I am, where there happen to be lots of other women ministers, and every time a church becomes vacant God sends another one along, it can be easy to forget how isolated some women ministers are.  And, having worked as a woman in a so-called male environment before I was a minister, it really wasn't the same, not least because I was protected by law from discrimination.  The reality is that there are churches and ministers who will not speak to me - or my colleagues - because we are chromosomally challenged.  So, alas, it is necessary to have such a gathering.

It was a good day.  There was some good input both on 'Godly Play' for use with children, adults and mixed age groups, and on women's experiences as Regional Ministers - and it was interesting to note that there are proportionally more women Regional Ministers than local church ministers.

It was good to be at IMC, even if the directions I got from a certain website named after a very large number were not adequately helpful and I drove along the A38 about four times before I found the place (and yes, I can read maps thanks all the same!!).  Next time I'll revert to the motoring organisation ones which always seem to work - even if they are sometimes rather longer in miles.  Still, at least I did locate such diverse colleges as Woodbrook Study centre and the Queen's Foundation along the way..!

It was nice to meet a few more people who are kind enough to read this stuff, and a special 'hello' to Jim (not part of the women's day!) who was very gracious when I teased him over geography (though I doubt he'd spent so much time on a scenic tour of Edgbaston, Selly Oak and even Northfield in an attempt to locate the place).  I enjoyed catching up with a few friends I hadn't seen for a while and felt that it was a day well spent - even if I then arrived at my school governors' meeting exhausted.

Many thanks to Viv, Jo and others who worked hard to make it such a great day.

Saw this, and thought of one my congregation's views on my knees...

Check out the original in all its glory (and writing big enough to read!) here

ENJOY!

Doesn't have the same ring as '8 out of 10 cats' but there you go!

According to the Times 75% of Christians asked think that God is male.  This being so, it is small wonder the church is also seen - and often experienced - as male dominated.  These thoughts are prompted by, but not a response to, the article.

For anyone who has ever thought about it or studied theology at all it is a tired argument - God is not male, God is not female, God is not an 'it'.  Both maleness and femaleness echo something of the divine nature but neither can fully express it.  Having just had Trinity Sunday and an opportunity to ponder afresh that God's nature is indeed a 'holy and profound mystery' it is a little sad to be back to arguments of the "God's a 'he', the Bible says so" variety.  It is a shame that attempts to address gender inclusivity in liturgical language are perceived as political correctness - especially when such comments come from women who work under UK employment law that allows them equal rights, unlike female ministers who can be, and are, rejected by congregations merely on the grounds of their chromosomes.

I suspect that the reality is that at least 7.5 out of 10 Christians never even think about their images of God.  I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when one of my people saw the Rublev icon as female and was not phased by the idea of feminine in God.  I was also amused when one of my newer folk felt safe to tell me the joke that "when God made men she was only joking."  For all that, it is sad that that the kick-backto "God's a 'he'" can be "no, he's a she."

And then there is one of the more wonderful mysteries of good liturgical and homiletic language: it can be gender inclusive and, in its divine references, gender neutral, without being wishy washy waffle.  There are many excellent practitioners out there, but two Baptists who seem to have reached a stage where their speech is naturally inclusive and Godly are Keith Jones and Myra Blythe.  An opportunity to listen to either of these people would surely transform some of the sceptics who deride inclusive language as dodgey.  It does take practice, and I certainly don't have it cracked, but it is perfectly possible to speak of our wonderful God in ways that do not depend on gendered pronouns.

Roll on the day when 7.5 out of 10 Christians think such debates are old hat.

There has been a thread running through today - and it's variations on the dance metaphor in relation to God, church and mission!

The Rublev icon (not a dance in case you think I've lost it!) prompted some good responses from my folk: the openness of the grouping, the equally sized characters, their looking at each other and also the lure to the central chalice; one person was even convinced all the characters were female. 

Reactions to the Matisse were varied, with a few people very pointedly looking at the floor and pursing their lips.  When I invited comments on it, I was struck both by who commented and by what they said.  The comments were GREAT!  One person instantly noticed that there is a gap in the ring of dancers, a place for more to join in.  Another noted that whilst the dancers were together, in one dance, they were not all doing identical movements.  A third said that it looked to be joyful. 

-Although I had to demonstrate the 'reel of three' with a couple of pressed dancers, most people grasped the grand chain idea.  I've no idea what they made of relational model of Trinity, but I was adequately pleased with it.

Tonight I was preaching for the Penties (using my woman caught in adultery narrative sermon, which they loved) and at the start if the service one of them was sharing a vision he'd had about the church... expressed as a choice of two dances.  He said he'd realised that a church could be like a conga line, long thin and one person leading with everyone else following along doing exactly the same thing.  Or it could be more like a hokey cokey, broad, round and inclusive with people moving in and out (and shaking it all about).

I was struck by this metaphor so shared my 'missional grand chain' with them - I think they quite liked it too.

So there you go - Or I go anyway.  Dance as a metaphor arising in two congregations on the same day... cue spooky music!

This morning our monthly Saturday prayer group met.  It is a small group - 4 or 5 of us - who enjoy warm croissants and coffee/tea before we pray.  Today after we'd prayed we continued to chat a bit and all sorts of good questions began to emerge.... will there be Muslims or Mormons in heaven?  Is God Universalist?  Why do bad things happen to good people?  What do we mean when we pray for healing?  Do souls sleep from death until the resurrection?  Is heaven a bejewelled city - or is there a heaven at all rather than a new/renewed earth?  Why doesn't being a Christian guarantee a wonderful, trouble free life - and in any case what might that look like?  We didn't answer any of the questions, and the relationships in that group aren't yet ready to push things too much, but it did feel like a giant leap forward. 

Fairly often, in a one to one, people will talk to me about more complex topics, but they nearly always fear sharing their views with the church for fear of being seen as 'unsound.'  If I can, I will point them at resources to help their thinking, or offer them a variety of ideas I've encountered, but always resist telling them pat answers.  I also say that I will continue to support them whatever they conclude.  Maybe it is because of this that periodically people feel the need to pray quite pointedly that I give more attention to my spiritual life! 

There was a Christian song, I think sung by Martyn Joseph, in the 1980's that said something like "I will keep on asking the questions, but answers will never come to me, for such is the mystery" - and I think it is true.  For every question listed above there is a simple answer - and it's probably wrong, or at best partial.  It is good to ask questions, it is good to seek understanding - but above it's a relief to know that ultimately where answers are concerned it's God's problem, not mine!