August is busy!

The sun has come out ,the temperatures are rising,the school holidays have begun and church life moves into a different phase.
Different but it is just as busy, for even though various ministries have stopped and those that run them are having a well earned break,we still have various projects on the go.

August in particular is a very busy month .In our Central building we have various things going on that relate to the big Flower Show that is such a popular annual event in August, these include an afternoon tea (complete with speaker ) for Senior Citizens,  various children's activities and an art exhibition ,we are hopeful hundreds of local people will come and see these as they go past our building on the way to The Flower Show See here. This is a great opportunity to meet and bless people.

Roy and Mary Ellis are running Senior Moments at Crowmoor  for the second time from 14th -16th August  and I am, hearing bookings are going very well indeed, and many of those booking in are not regular members of our congregation which is great!

Then last but not least there is The Holiday Club. This has been run annually for many years and is hugely enjoyed by those primary school  who come along.
August is therefore not a quiet month but certainly a very exciting one giving us loads of opportunities to engage with local people
I am looking forward to a good month!

A good time and great community at The Calvert Trust

We are just back from a wonderful break at the Calvert Trust website here

We tried abseiling, canoeing,sailing,biking, and a whole host of other activities.

As usual though it wasnt the activities that made it a great holiday but the people we met

I had prayed before I went that we would be a blessing to others, and I hope we were, but certainly others we met were a blessing to us!

Obviously there were a lot of people on the holiday with special needs and with various disabiliites ranging from autism, through cerebral palsy and epilepsy  to stroke and  various other brain injuries.

There were young and old ,from different ethnic backgrounds, with different abilitites (and disabilities )


Speaking to a number of the people we met it was obvious that many of these people and their carers find life a real struggle apart from the ordinary stuff of daily life there is the constant struggle to get the education or the health care they need.
 
However these people were so welcoming ,so easy to get to know ,so willing to share and bear one anothers burdens, and so encouraging that in the short time we were together real community was built.

A community where it felt safe to try new things (I even tried karaoke -no the recording  contract has not arrived yet !) but the truth is that in an atmosphere where all are encouraged amazing things can be achieved

Are there lessons for churches to learn from this?

How about ?

• The importance of good teaching -we had excellent instructors
• the value of everyone whatever their abilities
• That by God's grace we can achieve more than we think we can
• The imporatance of encouragement which can be a neglected gift in churches
• That a diverse group can build  authentic community
• That real joy in life doesnt come from possessions but from relationships with God and other people

Summer Days

When I was a young minister I used to bemoan the fact that everything seemed to slow down in August.There were less meetings .I wanted to get on with the work!

As I  have got older and (at least in this regard!) wiser,I have come to appreciate the slower rhythm of church life in the summer holidays.
It gives many people, not least the many volunteers who do so much great work, the chance to catch their breath and hopefully relax, with family and friends, and be renewed both physically and spiritually

This past year has been enjoyable ,exciting and at times exhausting! Partly ,that is the natural consequence of adding a  building project to an already busy church life,partly it is that I am feeling my age!

Of course there are church things happening in the summer including Holiday clubs for both children and older people but we have very gifted people organising and running them without my involvement ,so I am looking forward to reading,to thinking ,to praying and to planning for a busy autumn.

2nd, 3rd & 4th August 2011 in the Church

In case however any of you older readers are in the area and want to come along above  is the publicity for Senior Moments! More details will appear  here Shrewsbury Baptist website