Finally done it!

It was recommended years ago by friends, and suggested by the Ministry Development Officer in Glasgow before I moved last summer, and i have finally done it!

Retreat with the Northumbria Community was fantastic, and left me wondering why i had delayed so long.  4 days at Acton Home Farm (the new “Nether Springs” mother house for the community) made the 600 mile round trip worthwhile, to say the least.

Being immersed in  celtic prayer & “new” monasticism was a wonderful experience: being surrounded by God in the daily pattern of worship, work, solitude, community & study; the day punctuated by bell peals marking the beginning of prayer and for communal meals; periods of splendid isolation on Alnmouth beach, and the presence and wisdom of a retreat leader who looked into me and affirmed what he found, pushed me in interesting directions and guided my reading and meditation. (Thanks P!)

I went with my own agenda, with lots of questions to answer – the ones i’ve been struggling with regarding the transition from Scotland to England and the meaning of being “priest” in this context.  God had other ideas however, and my own agenda fell into insignificance as we talked and prayed around the journey of the last couple of years – into the wilderness and back again.  We explored those crossroads moments and the directions taken, seeing God’s hand in them, using the bad and affirming the good.  And we looked to the future – to where God may be leading.  Twas good stuff.  and I am thankful.

Father, bless the work that is done,
and the work that is to be.

Father, bless the servant that I am,
and the servant that I will be.

(from the Felgild Compline, Celtic Daily Prayer)

busy…

over the last couple of weeks, more and more opportunities for community ministry have come my way – chance encounters with local authority figures and local agencies, more formalised “community networking events” opening up huge possibilities for the church, and also affirming what the church is already doing in this place.

Some of this has been fantastic- opportunities to be innovative and think beyond individual remits, to look at how we can collaborate in care & service with those who live in this community. Some of it unfortunately has been the more bland “this is what we do and nothing is going to change that”. unfortunately for the conservative thinkers and the organisational dinosaurs – their budgets will change it, whether they like it or not.

The truth is, stuff needs to change. local government agencies need to work across boundaries and remits in order to develop a more realistic, financially viable and whole-person centred service. And the church needs to be involved in that, to value what is, and to help form what can be, rather than providing “Christian” versions of stuff that works. to surround the good with thankfull and hopeful prayer, and to aid in the changes to the stuff that doesn’t.

I despise the “Big Society” agenda pushers and hobby-horsers, finding much of the political language of it distatestful and occasionally downright dishonest. But language of co-operation, collaboration, of seeking to work with and talk with people (rather than “at” or “for”) seems a good thing, regardless of financial climate and budget cuts. One of the biggest hurdles will be getting past the institutional barriers of information sharing, whilst still maintaining privacy and dignity of the individual – but that is starting and it is good!

rest well, brave man of God

Bishop Derek Rawcliffe passed away early in February.  He’s a retired bishop of my old Diocese (Glasgow) who had been most recently living in Yorkshire.

He was a bit of a controversial bod by all accounts while he was Bishop  (I wasnt in the diocese during his episcopacy) – he made for challenging and uncomfortable times.  After his retirement and settling in England, he came out on national TV.  Brave man.

I havent been able to find anything on the SEC or Glasgow and Galloway website which would acknowledge the news.  but i was today directed (Via Lesley’s blog) to an article in the Times – well worth a read!

Rest peacefully +Derek

Published!

not me, but the beardy one, albeit in a small way:

see here for a bit of cartoon madness

For the beardy yin

ok – do he’s younger than me – but those few months in between birthdays he makes the most of it! this is my wee revenge

Happy birthday Beardy (dont burn the beard on all those candles!)

wordy collusion…

There are times when we say the wrong thing. I’ve been extremely angry and dismayed this week at one person for using language I have great objection to  (the event and the culprit will not be divulged, so don’t ask!)

We all do it, and we all live with the consequences of our words.  Even I have been known to, on occasion, open my mouth and put my foot in it as they say.  Not just a foot – but swallow both feet whole and chew the legs off somewhere below the knee.  Usually the comedy of the event is enough to limit damage.

The last time I did this spectacular feat of verbal cannibalism was at a party long ago (yes wine was involved), a housewarming for 2 young chaps who had made the commitment to live together (and are now in a civil partnership).

The evening was swimming along nicely as was my liver, thanks to one young chap in particular (not the host).  He and I had been talking for much of the evening, and thanks to his neverending bottle of white, my glass was never more than half empty.  Under such circumstances my sense of humour can be sharp and fast, responsive one-liners,  but I have never intentionally been offensive or hurtful.

We’d gone to sit out in the garden for a smoke (it was a warm night) and I lifted the crumpled packet of ciggies from my pocket.  I offered my smoking companion the contents of the box – he lifted a scruched-up sorry excuse for a cigarette,  looked at it, and commented “Ali darling, that is SOOO bent!”  we both laughed, and quick as a flash, before my brain could engage “aye, so are you hen! Gonna look at it or light it?” Realisation dawned that these words were coming from my mouth, and mortified, I looked at him intending to apologise for such a crass comment. He was too busy curled on the floor in the pains of extreme laughter.  I too crumpled, and we hugged each other, giggling like kids.  As we laughed and hugged some more the stunned faces around us, and the “I cant believe she said….” resounded round the garden.  No smirks, no collusion, but plenty of shock, and relief when the realisation hit that my comment had been received with the humour it had been made.

Despite the excellent conversations following that moment, with this chap and others, about relationships, God and faith  I have looked back on that night and my comment with a mix of guilt and humour  - words can cause pain and my words had the potential to be harmful. It was only the grace of their “target” which made it otherwise.  It would have been so easy for the others there to collude in, ignore or avoid what had been said – but the shock and the challenge was a tangible entity.  And I’m glad.

I’m glad I live in a world where I have friends and colleagues willing to make a challenge even to  humour if it steps over the line into prejudice, or appears to do so.  I’m extremely relieved that the attitude of “we’re all friends here so it doesn’t matter” is becoming less and less of a reality and prejudiced language is increasingly unacceptable.  Increasingly so, but still present.  and I long for the day when we not only no longer “say the wrong thing” but carry the internal wranglings of our prejudices.  All are equal, all are loved, and no words, no thought process, no prejudice held will ever change that reality.  May the reality and realisation of that change our prejudices.

facebooked

been spending a lot of time on facebook of late, much to the neglect of random wafflings.

its such an easy way to stay in touch with friends and family I no longer see as much as I used to (moving 400 miles does that to a person!), but i am conscious of the limits of FB – I only add people I know* , so the conversations are largely pally, catchup or wanders into the downright bonkers.  I miss waffling and ranting on here – expressing my thoughts, insights, ups and downs; i miss the depth of conversation which can appear here even with those i speak to regularly through other means; and i miss the buddies who commented here but aren’t on FB  (you know who you are!).

so i’ll be back from time to time – whether courting controversy, being utterly & completely waffly and random, thinking aloud or having a good old fashioned whinge.  do join in

*apart from the 2 (yes, only 2) fb friends i havent yet met, but have conversed with on lots of occasions and who are trusted friends of those i know.   I’m looking forward to chatting with them  over a glass of vino or 2 at some point in the future.

Church and Community

the campaign for the Iceni project moves on apace – an article from todays evening star:

Myself, Canon Paul Daltry (Minister for community engagement), Councillor Jane Chambers (Mayor of Ipswich) Brian Tobin (Director and co-founder of Iceni), Councillor Inga Lockington (former Mayor, and Iceni Trustee) and Revd Angela Oakey-Jones, (curate @ Rushmere)  having a round table meeting, stragtegy planning and organising ourselves as emergency fundraisers.  The push is on to save this most vital organisation, and to have it flourish in new and challenging areas of support for the service users.

Some things are worth breaking blog lethargy for

Over the last few months, as part of my getting to know this town and its people, its issues and its aspirations, I’ve been chatting to some thoroughly cool and exceptionally caring folk at the Iceni Project.  Brian (one of the founders) and Sarah (one of the service users) came a couple of months ago to Deanery Synod, and shared some of their story.

Iceni was started by Brian and a pal, who saw a need for drug support and rehab in the town and decided to do something about it.  From humble beginnings (tearing a urinal out of a loo so they could fit in a desk) they have grown into one of the best programmes in the country – helping drug users in this town, supporting police and doing what they could to keep young women safe during the Ipswich Murders in 2006.  They won the Guardian Charity Award in 2008, and have advised councils up and down the country, in addition to being involved in the Olympic planning.

I’ve spent a little time at the Iceni Project’s centre in town, chatted to staff, volunteers and service users and seen the brilliant work which happens.  But now it is under threat.   Suffolk Drug and Alcohol Team turned down their funding bid last week, a situation which is currently under review thanks to the hard work of Ben Gummer MP.

This morning I was on local radio – BBC Radio Suffolk, talking about the campaign to keep The Iceni Project open.  Their one-stop-shop phased approach is innovative and effective – it works, and they have a proven record over the last 10 years.  You can hear me on Iplayer at 1hr 18 minutes, and Ben Gummer MP at 2hrs 25mins.

Please also read the Iceni Website, and consider signing the petition to save Iceni, whoever and wherever you are.  what else can you do?  please contact your MP and ask them to support Ben Gummer MP in all that he is doing for Iceni and to challenge the funding process.  And please pray lots.

Thanks

apologies…

to all of you who have been worrying that the lack of a blog may be a return to the difficulties of 2 years ago, I’m fine and having a blast in Englandshire. The lack of updates is merely a break to get my wee brain around the new stuff.  I’ve not got it all in a coherent enough place to blog it yet.

But life is good, the job is great (and busy!), and praise be -  yesterday  i got the whole of the way through the maze that is common worship without losing the place, getting bits back to front or sidelining the deacon.  It’s slowly starting to make sense, and soon i shall be playing around with it like a true pro  – scary prospect!