Snoring and having to spend occasional nights in the study to allow Ro some undisturbed sleep.
Cycling is going OK getting fitter but ‘comfort’ issues remain. Methodist Standing orders to not outline any regulation for appropriate dress in the case that ministers cycle. Have avoided luminous shrink-wrapped chicken look to date.
Visited NHS dentist after 2½ year wait, but encouraged that I only need one filling.
The circuit meeting took place last night. I had a round of applause for finishing the main business in under an hour and a half – whilst covering some really significant points about our views on working ecumenically. The response to our report on supporting the Baptist Church in their efforts to plant a Church opposite Tesco’s in Hampton surprised me. We countered head-on two problems – that we rarely admit to – when members of local congregations are invited to work in partnership with local churches. First, why should we invest time when we are struggling ourselves. Second, what happens if the other church pinches all of the new people we bring along. Our response has been to say that whilst such insular thinking appeals in the short-term, in the long-term it denies the gospel, and works against us. God calls us to focus on doing the work of the Kingdom, and our growing experience is that the more we do together, the more we will benefit individually as well. I was taken aback by how this seemed to more from being received as an important statement, to being received as a prophetic statement that we need to fulfil.
When I announced that we were at the end of our main business and that we would move on to news from around the circuit, there was a round of applause! I was not sure what that meant, although I think that it is good when we have meetings that are focused, and when we feel that we are talking about matters that are crucial. The news from across the circuit was, yet again, encouraging, exciting, humbling (when I think about how much people are doing), and above all a testimony to the fact that when our churches take a step of faith and do something different – despite any nervous concerns – it pays off. Yaxley’s Queen’s Birthday Celebrations, Crowland’s two Messy Churches where over fifty people attended, Dogthorpe’s eleven young people who want to attend 3Generate, Whittlesey’s Anniversary Celebrations, Ewan’s news that he intends to abseil off the top of Peterborough Cathedral for their building fund (sponsorship would be welcomed), and Nigel and Grahams planning of Paul Wilson’s visit to the circuit in January 2017 (Paul is the leader of Methodist Evangelicals Together) – with people already offering to support with funding. And these are only the few that I can remember whilst I write.