Catterick Garrison

Yesterday I visited Catterick Garrison and the chaplains who work alongside the soldiers and families there. I spent the day with Methodist Chaplain Padre Richard Smith who told me about his role as an army chaplain as well as showing me around the base.

Richard is part of the ecumenical chaplaincy team at St Aidan’s Garrison Church. Soldiers, their families and members of the local community all use the church and hall and there are a large range of activities taking place there every week.

However most of Richard’s time is spent directly with soldiers in training at the garrison. Basic training takes 6 months and during that time teenagers and young men will experience a rollercoaster of emotion. They are introduced to the chaplain right at the outset of training and very quickly an important bond is developed. The chaplain is always on hand to offer help and advice, someone who will listen to worries and concerns and who can act as bridge between ordinary soldiers and officers. There can be few places were young men are so willing to talk to a Christian minister and where the Churches presence is so valued.

We spent some time in a battlefield. Fortunately it was only an exercise and we were able to talk to those defending the semi-derelict buildings (after we’d climbed through the window!) as well as to the “enemy” attacking them. This was part of a 4 day exercise which had included digging trenches most of the night and long marches with heavy packs and equipment which I struggled to even lift off the ground. The soldiers were tired but despite that pleased to talk to the two of us. Many of them already knew that in a few weeks they would be making preparations to go to Afghanistan.

Richard has already done two tours of duty in Afghanistan and one in Basra. Chaplains gain so much respect from the soldiers they work with because they know that they are prepared to live alongside them, even in the most inhospitable and dangerous of situations.

The chaplaincy team are also involved in the soldiers education programme. They lead a series of lectures on values and morals, respecting others even in the most challenging of settings, morality in conflict and spiritual survival skills. I sat in the final lecture given to one group of soldiers in training given by Padre David Adams.

Catterick Garrison is in reality a small town, with a population of around 30,000 and with all the services that you would expect, including 5 schools. The Swaledale Methodist Circuit is exploring possibilities of a pioneer minister to further develop work with service families and those who work within the garrison. It was therefore good to share lunch in the grand surrounds of the officers’ mess with 2 of the circuit ministers together with the chaplaincy team.

Lay Employees and Children and Youth Workers Conference

Today I returned to High Leigh for the 3rd time in as many months, this time to spend the day at the Lay Employees and Children and Youth Workers Conference. The Conference brings together over 100 lay people from across the Connexion to learn and share together. Mark Wakelin described it well in his introduction when he said that, “Methodism has a habit of chasing behind what God is doing and trying to understand it in that one of the phenomena of our Church in recent years has been the growing number of lay employees and children and youth workers. They are changing the landscape of the Church with new insights, new was of working, renewed passion and energy and a willingness to approach issues without the burden of “we’ve always done it this way””.

This is something I spoke about in my Conference address and both David and I have seen repeatedly over the last few months. It was therefore good to meet again some of people I’d already met during my travels this year and a group from the Darlington District which we’ll be visiting over the next few days.

I’d been invited to lead evening worship and a workshop on the situation in Israel/Palestine and how we should be listening to the voices of Palestinian Christians. It was quite topical with today’s news about US Vice-President Joe Bidden condemning plans to build 1600 new homes for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem. It led to an interesting discussion about the challenges the situation there raises for all of us.

More from the Liverpool District

My visit to the Liverpool District started on Tuesday March 2nd, at Nutgrove Primary School (in St Helens), a Methodist school. Though I have visited most of our secondary schools over the years, I'd never visited one of our primary schools before, and was delighted by what I saw.

Year 5 had prepared an excellent presentation on John Wesley, which was both informative and very funny. It was also very appropriate, as John Wesley died on March 2nd. The John Wesley at Nutgrove was very much alive, however, and I had my photo taken with him.

Nutgrove School is a very good example of why the Methodist Church has placed great emphasis on the importance of education - both in Britain and around the world.

From Nutgrove Primary I went with District Chair, Jim Booth, to meet Col Lerczak at the Circuit Resource Centre in Warrington to discuss her work with survivors of abuse, through the CASAI (Church Action on Sexual Abuse Issues) project. The cross (right) was painted within the project.

Our evening meal was at Hood Manor Methodist Church, at a project called Spindles. Once a fortnight an evening meal is provided for a number of families from the neighbourhood. Our meal was a very tasty lasagne. As well as chatting with others at my table, I got a chance to talk with a young couple both of whom had been members of the same rugby team! They had with them their two children, the youngest only weeks old.

On my travels I seem to be coming across a number of places where churches provide opportunities for people to meet and share conversation at meals. Not a particularly new idea - I seem to remember a few such instances in the gospels!

On Wednesday 3rd March we drove to St Deiniol's Library (a place I've been wanting to visit for some time) to spend the day with staff and stewards of the Wirral Circuit, looking at how they will work together in their new, much larger, circuit. I was able to meet the whole team and share in some of the small group discussions.

Thursday 4th March started with me going to Court Hey, a local Methodist church, to be filmed for a DVD on 'Creating Safer Space', to be used as an introduction to Safeguarding training. I was a bit nervous to start with but actually it turned out to be quite enjoyable, with an excellent production team - 'Bubbles'. It may not win an Oscar, but I'm sure the DVD will be showing in a church near you in the not too distant future. Do try to see it. It's about a very important aspect of our life together in the church.

From there we went to 'Somewhere Else' in Bold Street, Liverpool. This was my third visit to what has become quite a well known expression of Methodist life and worship in the city centre. We made bread together (and having now tasted my two loaves, I'm amazed at just how good bread you have made yourself can taste).

We also reflected and prayed together for 45 minutes, using the Parable of the Good Samaritan as a starting point. I've heard so many sermons on the parable encouraging us not to be like the priest or levite but to be like the good Samaritan. At Somewhere Else the discussion was rather different - 'I was mugged once....' The discussion and the prayers had a reality about them that is hard to describe but wonderful to experience.

As I sat in reflection throughout this session, from time to time I studied the cross on the wall facing me (see below).

From Somewhere Else we travelled to Ellesmere Port and walked the town centre with two Street Pastors. The work of Street Pastors in town and city centres at night is become well known. To see the different way in which Street Pastors use the daytime to engage with individuals, shops and organisations in the centre of town was quite an eye-opener.

Street Pastors have been one of the most exciting ways of expressing faith today that I have seen on my travels. It's also a great example of Christians from a wide range of traditions working closely together and gaining hugely from doing so. This was very apparent when we had afternoon tea with a larger group of the Street Pastors.

While here, I was given a copy of Les Isaac's recent book (written with Rosalind Davies) on Street Pastors.

Friday was spent at Penketh Methodist Church. The morning session (with presbyters, deacons and lay employees) was on the theme 'Church Without Walls'). A slightly different group met in the afternoon, including a number of supernumeraries, on 'Living with Difference'. 'Church Without Walls' turned out to have been an inspired choice of topic when we arrived at Penketh church (see picture), which currently is literally 'without walls' as it is part way through a redevelopment scheme.

Richard's blog has already described our Saturday at Southport - though I thought it worth including a picture of Richard in action at 'Dr Luke's Surgery', introducing the theme of medical ethics. This led to a very powerful set of conversations.

On Sunday, after our trip to Radio Merseyside, I preached at Court Hey Methodist Church at a communion service led by the Revds Caroline Ainger and Sally Binymin. This was a very positive end to a much enjoyed District visit.

Liverpool District

David had already spent a few stimulating days in the Liverpool District and it was good to join him on Saturday morning at Leyland Road Methodist Church in Southport for a District event focusing on safeguarding and medical ethics. We were welcomed by local minister Revd Peter Knight and District Chair Revd James Booth. We had a lively day talking about challenging issues with many of those attending being prepared to share their own experiences in a very deep and moving way.

Leyland Road church has been extensively refurbished and they now have a very versatile building which is extremely well used by the local community and significantly helps support the churches mission. I was particularly pleased to see that it is even used as a venue for the local flu vaccination clinic.

We spent a pleasant evening with Jim and Carol Booth at the District manse together with Cleo and Bella.

On Sunday morning we were up bright and early as guests on the Daybreak Sunday morning programme on BBC Radio Merseyside. We received a number of favourable comments for our contributions throughout the rest of the day.

I then travelled to Emmanuel Methodist and United Reformed Church in Ormskirk where I shared in worship with the church minister Revd Melvyn Kelly. It was a parade service and it was heartening to see so many children and young people in the congregation.

The church has good ecumenical partnerships with others in Ormskirk with evidence of this being seen in a joint initiative in a local school where a Messy Church-style service takes place after school every Friday afternoon to which an increasing number of children and their parents are coming.

There are also exciting developments happening in the Warrington Circuit which I learnt about when I visited Lymm Methodist Church. Lymm is part of the East Partnership, a coming together of 4 churches in the circuit, and one of 4 Partnerships that make up the circuit. Each Partnership group has an overarching council which means the need for fewer church councils and other committees as well as being a vehicle to encourage joint working. The circuit has also used resources freed up from the sale of 3 buildings to employ 10 lay support workers who work alongside the ordained ministers. Support workers have specific roles including a family worker, and older citizens worker and a grants and outreach worker.

One of the results of this pattern of working is over a dozen Fresh Expressions of Church across the circuit. For instance “Loving Hands” has been bringing people together for the last year using knitting as its focus. They started with 18 women and now they have 40 meeting regularly. In addition they’ve reached out to local care homes establishing groups there. Items are made for people who are sick, bereaved or in need of comfort and fellowship is shared whilst they knit together. For many Loving Hands has become a rewarding and fulfilling use of what used to be empty and lonely hours. It provides an opportunity to hold those they are knitting for in prayer and is involving many who did not previously have contact with the Methodist Church.

Local minister Revd Sally Ratcliffe together with a team of worship leaders and others from across the circuit lead evening worship and I was invited to preach. I was told that Lymm Methodist Church was famous for its cakes, and after the service I found out that they were absolutely right! It was a good way to end an enjoyable weekend in the Liverpool District.

Wesley Guild

Yesterday evening I was invited to speak to the Wesley Guild meeting at Christ Church, Halton, in Leeds, one of over 300 Wesley Guild groups that meet regularly around the country. I was welcomed by Co-Presidents of this Guild meeting, Peter Grubb and Sheila Staveley. Peter has also been the Chair and co-ordinator of the Nigeria Health Care Project for the last 18 years and has just come back from the latest successful visit to Nigeria to review the many projects now supported by this charity.

I spoke about my visit to Israel/Palestine and Bulgaria, contrasting how the barriers being created in one part of the world that currently feel so permanent have been removed elsewhere, giving those that suffered for many years behind the Iron Curtain a degree of freedom that they once could only have dreamt about.

Earthquake in Chile

Reports are becoming clearer about the devastation caused by the massive earthquake that struck Chile at the weekend. The epicentre is close to Temuco and the area we visited in September last year. At the time we were taken to Puerto Saavendra, a fishing village that had been destroyed by the major earthquake of 1960, then one of the biggest recorded. Chile is a country that has had to learn to cope with such disasters.

Rev Pedro Grandon, (standing on my left in the picture), a former presiding bishop in the Methodist Church in Chile, and the leader of Obra Rural Metodista (see my earlier posting from 18.9.09) was working with a Volunteers in Mission team near the epicentre of the earthquake and as of yesterday the local church have not yet been able to make contact with him or the team.

Please pray for them and their families at this difficult time, and for all those affected by the earthquake.

Westminster Central Hall

Yesterday I preached at the morning service at Westminster Central Hall. With 'scheduled works' on five different underground lines, the journey was more complicated than many of the much longer ones I've been doing this year. I shared in the leadership of the worship with Martyn Turner, Tony Miles (with his 'friend' Darren - a somewhat irreverent puppet) and Jane Middleton. Music was led, beautifully, by Director of Music, Gerard Brooks, the choir and a small ensemble of instrumentalists (picture shows them in rehearsal) - the magnificent organ has currently been removed for major work.

Talking with people after the service made me aware of how many different networks have some kind of link into the Central Hall and its work, including - of course - the other churches in Westminster and the Palace of Westminster with all that takes place there.