VP - Christmas greetings

I've had plenty of correspondence in December concerning decisions taken at conference in July, but it has been a quiet month re official VP appointments, hardly surprising in the busyness that takes over for Christmas preparations. It has meant that I have been to a number of local carol services, carol singings and later today, crib services in various villages. After going around one village singing carols we all ended up outside a barn and some outbuildings, then treated to a short 'pageant' with shepherds round a brazier with their sheep, angels appearing (dazzling when the floodlight was turned on), Mary and Joseph arriving on a pony (donkey temporarily unavailable!) and wise men singing 'We three kings' as they approached the infant. It was special. But then the real Christmas story is special, and always will be. "Our God contracted to a span; incomprehensibly made man." The light shines in the darkness, even in Syria or Mali or Newtown Connecticut or with people affected by flooding, because God has chosen to be with us. We're human, so we don't always get it right, we too often make mistakes that lead to unhappiness, distress and grief - but God (Emmanuel) thankfully, happily is alongside us all to redeem, restore and forgive. Which is why my wish for anyone reading this, but also my prayer, is summed up in these two words - Happy Christmas.

VP - Freshness in Advent

Last night I gave a short presentation to the Banbury Circuit meeting about some of the things that I've been engaged in this Autumn as VP, and therefore why I have been absent from them so often. I found myself talking about Fresh Expressions of church, not so that they can replicate the ideas of others, but so that seeds can be sown. Some of what came to mind was experienced in District visits, other ideas came from an inspiring few hours at the 'Fresh Ways Practitioners' Forum' held in London on Monday. Did you know that 25% of all Methodist churches have started a fresh expression? That in an 'average' new expression, for every five people there is one person who is a churchgoer, two de-churched, and two unchurched? That sacraments are important to these expressions of church, even if it is not church as many would recognise it. There are some great things happening in big churches, ethnic and language-based fellowships, rural and urban settings, across all geographical, social, ethnic, demographic and, dare I say it, theological differences. Praise God for what is happening both inside and outside the churches. Interestingly, the awareness of God moving outside the Church was the subject of a number of conversations I had following a service in Berkhamsted on Sunday morning. And it was also an important theme running through a conversation with a wise old friend in Birmingham earlier today. I need Advent again to give me a little more time to reflect on what I see around me, to hear what people are actually saying, and to discern where my energies are needing to be focused. Just possibly, and if I pause long enough to 'be' rather than 'do', I might experience Emmanuel in a new, even fresh way. Hope so!

President on the death of his cousin Jeremy Sorrel

This isn’t easy – far too mixed up and complicated, but it’s part of being me and being a President.  I’m not a President with a very confident Presidential manner I fear and this blog will confirm it.  I don’t have even a small number of the right questions, and even fewer answers.  I’ve also found that as I get older I find it harder and harder to have opinions about lots of things that I used to find necessary.

But my cousin Jeremy has died and I’m sad and troubled.  He was a few years younger than his brother Jonathan, who in turn was a couple of years younger than me.  As a child I remember them both very well.  Jonathan was and is one of the brightest people I know.  He is a brilliant musician and composer and he now lives in Malta with his family.  Jeremy had Down’s syndrome and wasn’t brilliant or a composer.  We have not kept up with our Cousins very well and now I regret it.  Malta seems far away and Jeremy was well, Jeremy.  He lived an independent life and we wrote letters at Christmas.  He was a regular Church goer with strong views about what kind of Church he would go to.  My Uncle Graham, his father, was a professional singer before he retired and for many years was a baritone with the brilliant St. Paul’s Cathedral choir.  Jeremy used to visit his father at work and on one occasion, after Matins, processed out with the choir and clergy, taking the place of the Bishop behind the Dean.  It was frowned on.  But it was Jeremy.  He used to write to Prime ministers and the Queen, to famous people and his local Mayor. Their replies were put up in the Church.

But I didn’t give Jeremy time and as I saw a full Anglican Church for his funeral who all loved him, the local Mencap group and his daily helper so moved by his death, I felt I had cheated myself.  He was a good cook and I hadn’t known it or tasted his food.  I feel sorry and ashamed that because he was Jeremy I hadn’t gone out of my way to visit him.  We sang ‘Be bold, be strong, for the Lord you God is with you’.  I’m quite sure my Uncle would have found that hard – hardly Purcell, Bach or even Rutter.  But it was Jeremy and he was a precious individual in the sight of God who he learnt to love and follow.  He was man of humour and emotional intelligence, integrity and loyalty.  He was my cousin and I’m proud of him and sad he has died.

President says, "No Christmas Presents Please"
This is only relevant to a very small number of people.  Most people were thinking - but we weren't going to buy him one anyway so ignore this blog.  A few really organised people may have bought one all ready - in which case thanks and I'm really grateful but don't read this blog!  But to the very few who were thinking they might, including family and friends, please don't.  I've got enough stuff.  I'm full. I'm overweight with kit.  Instead - please would you either give some money to a charity of your choice or send me some money so I can twin my lavatory http://www.toilettwinning.org/.  If I get more than enough for one, I'll twin two, and so on....  Or twin your own lavatory and tell me because it will make me happy.  Or if you can't abide not giving something because it just feels wrong not to, please please let it be something you've made.  Lots of love Mark

VP - A launch and a celebration

Action for Children invited me to the official launch of the Junior ISA.This scheme has been jointly promoted by AfC, Barnardo's and Sharefound, together persuading government to give £16.7m to close a loophole created when the Child Trust Funds ceased to receive state funding in 2010. This left young people, leaving the safety of the care system at 18, very vulnerable. e.g. how to find a deposit for a rented flat? Govt is providing £200 for each young person in care to set up individual ISAs; and the charities are now asking all of us to add what we can to these individual pots in order to give youngsters, such as the two who spoke so movingly on Wednesday at the launch, a chance to succeed. This is surely something that churches might like to focus on when charitable donations are discussed in church councils. Straight from there, across the Thames to Lambeth Palace to take part in Evensong and a special reception for leaders of Churches in England and other ecumenical partners to mark Archbishop Rowan's ten years as Primate. The Archbishop's short address centred on hearing God in the quiet places, and the importance of listening carefully to each other in ecumenical circles; loud noise is not usually God's way of communicating. Somewhat ironically, Evensong was followed by a rather noisy reception, which included a gift, in the form of an icon, from Churches Together in England. The varied conversations that I was involved in included bishops and women, the ecumenical dimension to future Methodist training, how to offer appropriate spiritual support to Christian financiers involved in the City of London, and the costs involved in running institutional Churches of all denominations. It's always good to hear and share different perspectives amongst friends.

28^th November 2012 President at Swanwick

I’m on my way back from the City Centre group of the Methodist Church where I’ve spent the last 24 hours.  It’s a gathering of those, rather obviously, who have a ministry within the centre of our great cities – from Edinburgh to Plymouth and wide on either side.  It was really encouraging.  I started my ministry in what was then called a ‘pre-collegiate’ year living in the Birmingham Central Hall with my very new wife, Judith. I was a youth worker and it was an adventure!  I learnt so much from the likes of Alan Francom, Michael Wildgust and the Superintendent Alan Broadbent who recently sadly died.  As I lived on the premises and was about to be trained as a Methodist Minister, I would get all the drunken, lost, bewildered, sad and simply odd members of the City Centre community of Birmingham.  I truly loved the job.  Meeting ministers and lay people who work full time in such areas is simply inspiring.  They do a great job.  I was most inspired by a Fresh Expression in Swansea, Sean and the ‘Zach’s Place’ project will rekindle all your longing for ministry as it should be.  Google it and pray!

I had the privilege – and believe me it was, to share some thoughts with the 50 or so people in the Conference.  Obviously I felt a right old fraud with such front line ministers!  However I asked a question that has been bugging me.  ‘What if the church was more than simply for the poor, confused, sad etc., and instead did the ‘Jesus thing’ and was ‘OF’ the poor and odd etc.  I really don’t have a clever answer – but I’m pretty sure it is a good question.

28^th November 2012 Pioneer  Connexion

Here is something dear to my heart.  I may be hopelessly wrong about it but I sense a real God moment,  a real KAIROS moment whenever I meet the immensely charming Billy Kennedy who is the leader of the Pioneer Network.  They have a real ‘servant heart’ as Eunice (X VP) put it – she’s right.  They work with Churches in Southampton and elsewhere to continue and not replace the Methodist mission of years back.  They grew out of the Charismatic renewal of the 70’s and 80’s, a network of churches for whom God had made a real impact under the leadership of Gerald Coates.  They are now, in the words of Billy – ‘approaching middle age’.  Things have changed.  They have recognised that there was a deal of difficulty in their birth –  but things have moved on.  I have been overwhelmed in recent years with the sense that the Methodist Church needs simply to repent of the troubled way we coped with a new movement of the Spirit in those days, and I was very much part of that.  Not in a spirit of abject guilt and wretchedness – but simply in a spirit of hope and confidence in a God who lets you move on.  Pioneer and groups of similar holiness and groundedness have held for the Christian Church something of Wesley’s vision for the Nation.  My own belief is that we should, where ever possible, seek ways of encouraging them, praying for them, partnering them and expressing a true humility and love.  Martyn Atkins (General Secretary and my x Boss) has played a key role in the relationship and now I’m out of the scene I’m encouraged that this is something that won’t be lost in the majorly slimmed down leadership group of the Church.