I would like to continue to draw your attention to our most recent series of online interviews – Me, Jesus, and the Church. This provides a means by which we can hear from people about their background and their coming to faith, but also how they have found it invaluable to be part of the church. I sense that this link, especially when we are living in socially distanced times, is hugely important. There are always those who will explain that they are Christians, but they do not feel the need to go to church, or to be connected to church. The stories surfacing through Me, Jesus, and the Church are deeply moving, and we are now at episode four in what will be an eight-episode series.
This week we hear from Susan Halford who began her working life grading eggs and has since worked with figures throughout her working life. In terms of Susan’s faith, the first part of the interview focuses on how conversations with the owners of a local fruit and veg shop, initial involvement in Crowland Methodist Church, and her reading the gospel came together to the point where she gave her life to Jesus. In the second half, Susan shares how she has always found that being part of a small group vital in helping her remain faithful as a Christian. The advantage of these videos of course is that if a church has projection facilities, they are easily accessible. As for who the future contributors might be, I am always open to volunteers (some folk have already offered) but you may find that I approach you to share…. Everyone has a story to tell.
Visit https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfd1gKrJ4irDkDKdctPFxaw9JEjZn695s to view the full series.
Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: The Three Wise Men” (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: “Mary and Child, surrounded by angels”, mosaic of a Ravennate italian-byzantine workshop, completed within 526 AD by the so-called “Master of Sant’Apollinare”. Photographer, Nina-no, Source. Wikipedia. Patterned leggings were clearly all the rage in first century Palestine.
Happy New Year to folks. And may this be a better year than last year. On this day of Epiphany, many of us say farewell to Christmas and hold on to the fact that the realisation of who Jesus is makes all the difference. I use ‘realise’ deliberately. Realising (from a state of confusion to knowing true meaning), is not the same as understanding (mere comprehension of facts).
Epiphany is not so much about the visit of the Three Wise Men (for a start the scriptures do not tell us how many wise men there were. We simply know that they came from the East). Epiphany is of course about ‘the big reveal’ – but a kind of reveal that is deeper than Jesus simply showing Himself to us like a jack-in-the-box. (For those of you who question whether a baby could, if they wanted, jump out of a box, it is worth reminding ourselves that the infant Jesus had more likely grown into a toddler by the time that the wise men arrived, so I am consider it quite possible that they encountered a playful Jesus). If we were to allow ourselves to question what the toddler Jesus might have been like, we would not doubt find a wealth of rich material, both salutary and comedic. Unfortunately however, because so much would be hypothetical it would be difficult to come away with any certainties that could encourage us. Apart from one thing. If Jesus, as the creeds state, is both truly God and truly human, he would have experienced all the frustrations that we did as we developed. I continue to recoil at the line of ‘Away in a Manger’ that says, ‘The little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes’. I think it needs more clarity, ‘no crying he makes for a brief period, and then He reverts to screaming His head off because he is hungry or needs changing’. And why should that encourage us? Because God is there, in the messiness of life. Because every child needs to scream, otherwise they do not grow powerful lungs. Because we need to scream at times, for our own sanity. Because God is there, supporting Mary and Joseph throughout it all.
Anyway, that is not the point of Epiphany. The point is that the wise men found Jesus and realised who Jesus was and the difference that He would make. It was their ‘Epiphany’. It was a moment in time where they finally began to see how the promises of God would coalesce to a point where hope for the future was viable. So, what might we take from this? Well there are times in our Christian journey where we may well suddenly reach a deeper understanding about the presence and purpose of God in our lives – which enables us to follow and find the ‘Life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10) that Jesus promises. Others may struggle to see this, but you will. Do not forget that there would have been those in Jesus day who visited, who just saw another child – but the wise men saw more. There is a natural link here as we remember how, anointed by the Spirit, we see the world differently to others. We see purpose, potential, hope where others see nothing. Our role is to communicate that hope. To share our faith, to ask people if we can support them though prayer, to help in practical terms, and to invite them to become part of a new community.
There is a link back to Advent of course, even though we are now rooted in Epiphany. The common thread, for me is the wilderness. John the Baptist preaches in it. The wise men journeyed through it to reach Jesus. However, just because something is a wilderness does not mean that it is lifeless – and just because something is challenging does not mean that it is ‘bad’. Sure, the coronavirus is by every definition of the phrase ‘bad news’. However, despite the hostility of the disease, good things – the absolute best of our human nature – has come to the surface. So, as we journey through this barren landscape, and this second lockdown, may we be encouraged that the Kingdom is coming, and that the virus is being beaten, despite the sting in its tail. My prayer is that we can be uplifted, as were the wise men (and women) with the realisation of the presence of God and find hope for the future. And may this pandemic continue to deepen our relationship with God through Christ, and our resolve. Remember, we are supposed to be those people who survey the same scene as everyone else but see differently. May God give us the grace to encourage others.
This paper stems from the first meeting of the Circuit Livestream Team (involving Matt Forsyth, Dale Sherriff, and myself –this initial meeting could have included more people but we also felt the need to meet quickly). In this meeting we recognised four priorities.
We need to look at how we support Dale and Grace in delivering their livestream worship, so that the process is less intensive and that we can release Grace to focus more on enabling youth.
We need to encourage more people to create content in the form of readings, sermons, prayers etc. Sue Moore has been extremely helpful in this and coordinates who will assist week to week.
We need to outline how we see the place of online worship as part of how we operate as a circuit, complementing what is offered in local churches. The case for this has been stated and restated. However, there is always a need to reassure people that we are aware of the strengths and challenges of online worship, and that no one feels disenfranchised.
In terms of developing online worship, we have come a long way and have asked people to assist in particular ways as our needs have surfaced. We are now at the point where we can step back, look at who does what, and to formalise these roles. This will help us affirm people, give us increased confidence to work together in raising the profile of what we are offering as a circuit, focus on how we enable discipleship (and where possible local church attendance) through our online presence.
It would have been easier(!) to simply look at our needs in terms of overseeing online worship. However, from the outset it was clear that we needed to look at online worship from a much broader perspective. As a circuit we need to understand how online worship links with local church attendance, how we celebrate our successes, we need to identify where the tensions and areas of concern are, and then look at how these might be addressed by people who are appointed to different roles.
These roles are: Circuit Social Media Administrators Circuit Livestream Worship Leaders Circuit Worship Content Creator Circuit Online Pastoral Leaders
Online worship refers to worship that is either presented live, or pre-recorded worship that contains live elements (such as the ability for people to comment and offer prayers real time). It includes platforms such as Facebook Live, YouTube Events, and Zoom.
Increased engagement through online worship
In resorting to online worship as an additional means of engaging with people during the covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown, the circuit discovered that we were able to reach parts of the Church that have previously been difficult to reach people:
• who are housebound through illness or infirmity. • who cannot attend church easily because they care for family members. • who work shift patterns that include or make Sunday mornings difficult. • who have simply found it difficult to engage with church because they have had challenging experiences in the past. • who have recently experienced a challenging life experience that has disrupted their church attendance such as a bereavement or moving from one location to another.
The evidence for this is measurable and irrefutable. Most poignantly, there are people who now engage in online worship regularly where previously, year on year, we may have questioned in pastoral meetings why they were a member of a Methodist Church and yet ‘we never see them’. Acknowledging those who cannot connect online
It is obvious that the Church must accommodate people who are not able to engage online. This can happen for various reasons:
• Access to the internet can be poor in some areas (although this is increasingly rare). • Some people lack the equipment to engage online. • Some people lack the skills/confidence to engage online. • For some people, online worship does not appeal because of its style or format. • Some simply lack the inclination to learn something new.
This said, our experience would suggest, albeit anecdotally, that as the pandemic unfolded and the impact of shielding and social distancing increased, we witnessed an increase in late adopters who had begun to engage with online platforms such as Zoom, driven by the desire for their own families to retain contact. This has then increased people’s confidence to engage and even contribute to worship online. Meanwhile, as a circuit we continue to champion paper resources, such as The Vine, and all those church leaders to ensure its distribution. Is online worship a threat to the ‘tradition’ of the Church?
The short answer to this is, ‘No’. There is or has been, without question, an underlying unease among some people about the level of profile we give to online worship, whether we are undervaluing gathering physically. The natural fear is that this will undermine people’s willingness to attend local church services. However, the evidence to date is that despite the provision of online worship, people are even more keen to see each other in person.
In respect of a threat to ‘tradition’ (a word which can be helpful because what makes something ‘traditional’ is often subjective), livestream worship can admittedly feel less traditional because of the lack of high-quality resources that include hymns, organ, choir singing etc. However, this is changing.
An additional observation is that online worship frequently transcends the geographical boundaries which often, in part, defined local church attendance. Thus, we might define Circuit Worship as worship for those who live within the circuit. However, online worship often incorporates people from across the circuit and beyond. A range of factors might be in play here; the time of the worship, a sense of connection with Peterborough, an affinity towards any given leader (which also happens in local churches), lead people to engage in livestream worship. Equally, there will be members of the circuit who engage with a former minister who is engaged with online worship elsewhere.
Our focus is to ensure that online worship complements what is happening in local churches, encourages local church attendance, gives us a platform to emphasise the best of our Methodist Tradition, and develops a relationship with local churches that is mutually beneficial.
A Theology of Online Worship
Commenting on an emerging theology of online worship may feel a little abstract here, but people often find it helpful to relate their experience to the scriptures, events, and parables that we read in the Bible. Ultimately it helps us understand and make sense of what God is doing. A deeper reflection on this is well beyond the scope of this paper (which began by asking what needs to be in place to support online worship – and then took a step back to ask honest questions about where the benefits and challenges of this might lie). However, the following areas might be helpful.
• The feeding of the 5,000 (All of the gospels). The reason for Jesus’ presence here was to heal the sick. God did a miracle in meeting the need for nourishment, yes, but someone offered the little they could (the five loaves and the two fish), and it made all the difference. Everyone in their own way, has offered what they can to contribute to online worship. • Paul Preaching to the Philosophers on Mars Hill (Acts 17). Paul occupies the public space of the day, engages with Greek philosophers, and relates the story about Jesus (starting with his pointing to a statue of ‘The Unknown God’. Although online worship can become insular (Facebook groups for example can become like an echo-chamber of chatter from like-minded people), our approach has been to try and be as open as possible. Online gives us huge potential to reach out to new people. Linked to this, we are very much following the footsteps of Jesus into Gentile territory. Online worship provides a less threatening way of inviting people to think about faith. • Valley of Dry Bones – ‘Can these bones live?’ in Ezekiel 37. ‘I will open your graves and bring you up from them.’ Arguably this is one of the most powerful illustrations, in that we know of people whose faith has been rekindled because of online worship. • Early Christians worship in their homes (Acts 2) – as well as worshipping in the temple. They then gravitate to gather in larger homes or buildings – in this sense worship was always in ‘third’ or ‘borrowed’ spaces. Without question, both online and paper resources have recentred Christian spirituality around the home. • The Good Shepherd. Pastorally we are capitalising on the greater reach that online worship affords and can provide additional support to those who are unwell, or housebound by increasing their sense of community. Can online worship be ‘church’?
One of the early concerns about online worship was the extent to which we could call this ‘church’ or ‘church online’, since the word church (‘ekklesia’ in the Greek) means ‘assembly’, and broadly speaking, Christian tradition understands that ‘church’ takes place whenever people gather together physically. In one sense, there are aspects of church that cannot be offered online.
• Holy Communion (even if the Methodist Church permitted communion to be shared ‘online’) would be a pale imitation of what people would experience in church. • The lack of corporate responses and singing is a challenge (even though zoom provides opportunities for choirs to sing, this is not the same as everyone in church singing). • Fellowship cannot take place in quite the same way. People who worship online cannot shake hands or embrace as they might do face-to-face (although increasingly one suspects that physical contact will still be limited in the future).
This said, it is too easy to ignore aspects of our Christian history where people have retained their Christian faith whilst longing for but unable to gather in worship. The clearest examples of this are Paul, imprisoned whilst He wrote Philippians, Philemon, and Colossians (two years in Caesarea, three years in Rome, before his execution). Meanwhile, an elderly John the Evangelist was banished to the Island of Patmos for two years because his preaching Christ was undermining the way of life in Ephesus. This said, both Paul (and one suspects that John) communicate with other church leaders by letter – and, more than this, their writings gave encouragement and direction.
Whilst we should, without question, encourage people to attend their local churches, we would be unwise to dismiss the different forms of fellowship that can exist online – when in effect, the coronavirus has led us to live a form of exile and, we suspect, will continue to shape how we are able to interact in the future. Curiously, a group of people meeting online can develop a sense of community and even sharing, especially in story and prayers, that we may struggle to achieve in church. People can interact at any time during an online service whereas unless this is called for by a leader of worship, this is unlikely to happen in local congregations. Online worship allows people to leave and re-join acts of worship less conspicuously. The cost of online worship financially
To date the circuit has relied on the equipment that people own themselves, rather than purchasing large pieces of IT equipment. Presently, the superintendent is supported through the provision of additional equipment (so far, a limited amount of additional lighting, a microphone, a green screen, and a breadth of extension leads). Those who lead livestream services (rather than those who contribute to aspects of the service – sermons, readings etc), have been supplied with minimal lighting.
In addition to this, most people use their own computer equipment, and we are grateful for this. However, in some circumstances, especially if a service is compiled, recorded, and then broadcast later, more powerful equipment is required. It is important that we acknowledge this generosity of giving all round as people press into use old resources and/or invest in their own personal equipment.
The cost of online worship, spiritually
There are some dynamics around livestream worship that are not present, or are present to a much lesser degree, compared to worship that is face to face.
Livestream worship: • Whilst being as simple as pressing the ‘Go Live’ button on Facebook, becomes much more complex when we are wanting to include different contributors, images, and music. Closed Zoom worship requires a good grasp of the screen sharing facility (and provides mixed results). Meanwhile, Circuit Worship is managed using (free) production software such as OBS, streamed to a single hub (Castr) and then relayed back to Facebook Live and YouTube. This gives the best mix of quality and accessibility but relies on the person leading worship having to learn new skills. • This then means that the person leading worship is also taking responsibility for managing the stream. Whilst there are people able to phone and feedback on any problems, ‘We can’t hear you/you sound like a Dalek!’, livestream worship in its current format lacks the equivalent of a steward or assistant in the room. Elements of this can feel high pressured, especially in the event of technical problems, but we are learning also how gracious and faithful the congregation is in terms of being willing to wait until any difficulties are resolved. • Whilst the Holy Spirit is most certainly at work there is a sense in which livestream worship leaves the person leading worship having to generate their own energy from an environment which can at first feel sterile and lacks face-to-face interactions. A good analogy is that of it feeling like one is playing in a sport’s competition but lacking the interaction of the crowd (in for example singing and smiles) which feeds back into the mix. • In addition, we should also acknowledge that it is not only those who lead livestream worship, but also anyone who creates video content (prayers, readings, reflections) have pushed against their own self-conscious feelings (no one likes hearing themselves or seeing themselves on camera), and no doubt multiple attempts at recording to try and communicate as effectively as they can.
In short, this means that Livestream Worship may well demand more of its leaders than face-to-face worship with local congregations, where church happens ‘around us’.
Some brief observations: Recorded Worship and Live Worship
It is worth exploring this issue. One suggestion as we look to the future (in which livestream worship will feature on the plan alongside local church worship), is that we alleviate pressure by having people record worship beforehand and broadcast it later. There are some challenges with this.
• First, compiling and recording a service for worship (as is the case with Dale and Grace), is more resource intensive and time consuming than livestream. Combining several video scenes into one requires a powerful pc (an hour of video can take for example four hours to encode). In addition, it can take four hours for say YouTube to upload and convert it ready for broadcast.
• Second, our successes so far rest in how people are able to interact live with the person leading worship, or in the case of a video that is premiering having been uploaded, the leader(s) who remain in the background to encourage prayers. It is possible for one person to be leading whilst another assists those who respond with prayer requests, but pre-recorded worship has its limitations in that the leader(s) cannot adjust how much time they spend on one aspect of worship over another, should this be needed. A good analogy is the difference between taking to a Powerpoint presentation, where one can spend more time on one slide than another if the congregation needs it, or even jump slides to focus on what is important, or turn off the presentation all-together – compared to speaking to a video of a Powerpoint presentation and being limited by time.
Thinking about four roles
Bearing all this in mind(!), apart from underlining that online worship will always complement local church services, and more than that the two can be of mutual benefit to each other, it is clear that we need to formalise some roles to safeguard what is already happening. In some senses these roles are not new, but they lead us to question what more we can do to improve our online outreach as a circuit. These roles are:
Circuit Livestream Worship Producer (as previously identified and appointed by the circuit) Then… Circuit Social Media Administrators Circuit Livestream Worship Leaders Circuit Worship Content Creator Circuit Online Pastoral Leaders
These roles are outlined in greater detail below:
Circuit Social Media Administrators
From the outset we had asked people to assist on Facebook as ‘administrators’ and YouTube as ‘managers’. A Social Media Administrator has ‘access all areas’ across all circuit sites and platforms. In effect, Simon Stewart has taken the lead in this, with other livestream presenters being able to assist when they are not presenting. Admins work in partnership with Circuit Livestream Worship Leaders, the Circuit Livestream Worship Producer (previously defined), the Circuit Social Media Enabler (previously defined) and the Superintendent. This forms a core group that has oversight of all online circuit material.
The role of an administrator is as follows: • To manage ‘static’ content on the platforms that they help administer. This includes being able to change the look and content of the sites, and to post material on behalf of the circuit. They are free to take the initiative in sharing reminders and promoting resources that are in-line with the aims of the circuit, as they see fit. • To encourage more people from within the circuit to contribute to creating content for livestream worship, or lead livestream worship per se. • Admins monitor the feed of multiple sites (currently three) at the same time, bearing in mind the Safeguarding and best practice requirements of the Methodist Church. • Admins work in direct partnership with Livestream Worship Leaders to determine the nuances of where the risks lie in livestream worship, in terms of understanding the capacity for people to disrupt (which is different on different platforms). Admins then put in place measures to mitigate against any disruption. • Admins assist in the management of copyright. Whilst we have copyright covered, in some instances we still need to report what music we use, and when. Background music is an area of concern where we need to apply for individual licenses each time we use a track (or we need to establish a clearer pattern of what tracks we use and when). • Admins have the ability (and are trusted to) block comments on YouTube and Facebook as and when necessary, to restrict access, and even to shut-down a broadcast as a last resort. • To assist the person leading worship by posting readings etc, and collating prayers as they surface, allowing the person leading to sum up. • To feedback any problems to the presenter during worship, often via phone or text, in the event of a problem that they cannot see themselves. • To ‘hold’ folks together if a livestream must be restarted, by remaining as presence – assuring people until things are resolved or redirecting people for example from Facebook to YouTube. • Given the responsibilities that this covers, an admin needs to be both IT literate, recruited (as usual) through Safer Recruiting with the Circuit as the Responsible Body, trained in Safeguarding, and DBS cleared. • Ideally, we are looking for a team of Admins and develop a plan for who is on duty during morning prayers and Sunday Services. • Admins assist the Circuit Livestream Worship Producer and the Circuit Social Media Enabler in feeding back on the level of engagement in online worship.
Circuit Livestream Worship Leader
• Is qualified (or under supervision and training) as a Worship Leader or a Local Preacher. • Takes responsibility for leading an act of worship that is Livestreamed. • Both manages the livestream – and leads the worship. • Receives submission in the form of prayers, reflections, sermons and collates these. • May present live using OBS, but similarly may convert an act of worship to video, and upload this, or schedule and upload. • Engages ‘live’ with people during online worship. Circuit Livestream Pastoral Leader • Is present when a Livestream is broadcast, monitoring comments. • Actively acknowledges participants prayers, and thoughts. • Signposts people to other means of support. • Looks to help people grow in their discipleship. • Encourages people to make a link with a local church. • Identifies, and passes on pastoral concerns to ministers.
Circuit Worship Content Creator • Need not be qualified as a worship leader • Uses their creative or production skills (writing, photography, interviewing, video editing) to create content for online worship. • Identifies content elsewhere which may be useful to the circuit – eg material produced by other charities, highlighting specific Methodist foci during the year, thereby helping the Livestream Worship Leaders plan ahead. • May help manage the online storage of resource material (songs etc.) • There could be scope for such a person to assist in copyright administration.
Greetings all. As Christine Hardman, editor of the Brookside Magazine recently commented, we have now reached the time when we are about to light three candles on our advent ring, and remember (alongside the life of John the Baptist), the fact that Christmas is nearly upon us. Of course, there is more to it than this – yes, Christmas is upon us, and no, we are nowhere near having done all those things that we would have preferred to do. As ever though, it is more helpful to focus on what is both important and urgent, in the hope that the two have not collided too much in the same space, and at the same time. This week I need to tell you about/would want to encourage you in:
1/ Welcoming people who are on the fringes of the Church to attend your church services. This is likely to be difficult as the arrangements that many of our churches are making require people (often most known by our congregation) to book ahead. Of course, we want to welcome others, and so let us pray that this would be the case as well. Special prayers please for the folks at Westgate New Church who have planned their first service since lockdown for the 20th at 2pm. Here it is a case of us looking at the premises and finding a way in which we can create a covid-safe environment. WNC is significant of course because it is in the heart of the city. Please also pray for the staff at CROPS, and for the Bookshop as they continue to strive to support people during this challenging period.
2/ Online worship and resources. I have recently put out a video asking folks to feedback on what support that they would value over the Christmas period, especially Christmas Eve, where we would usually hold crib services for children and families, and for Christmas Day. Whilst I am aware that churches are looking to accommodate people, I continue to be concerned about those who are self-isolating. In terms of how we support our young people, I am painfully aware that this group has been the hardest to support through lockdown, as children in particular cannot engage easily in the kind of cutting and sticking exercises(!) that enliven a retelling of the nativity story. I await to see how people respond. It would be great to hear examples of where families are able to attend church across this period, but I am realistic about the prospect that many will feel the more formal setting of church, and the restrictions that will be in place, will be less than ideal. It is more than likely that we will offer a 4pm nativity on Christmas eve, and a 10am short Christmas service/reflection on Christmas Day.
3/ Linked to online worship again; Matt’s involvement as our Circuit Livestream Worship Producer, and Dale’s ongoing support has released me to focus on other things. As ever, we are grateful for those who produce content for our worship (and there are some beautifully creative things that are out there). However, one advantage of this shift has been that I have been able to record relaxed interviews with Rev Geoffrey Clarke (Moderator of the East Midlands United Reformed Church Synod). Stephen Pettigan (CEO of the Light Project Peterborough and known to many of us of course for his leadership of the Winter Night Shelter), and next Tuesday I will be speaking with Rev Helen Cameron, our Chair of District. Whilst I realise that not everyone is able to access online material, this option is one of the better ways of being able to help our senior leaders share across the churches. The first interview, with Rev Geoffrey, will premiere via YouTube (we will advertise the link of course) tomorrow morning. The conversations last around 20 minutes in total, and are split into two. In the first part we hear something of ‘the person behind the collar’ as they prepare for Christmas (Rev Geoffrey puts me to shame with his commitment of writing Christmas cards), and in the second part we get to hear a much deeper message about how a Christmas message is forming in his heart as he surveys life during this challenging period. Obviously, our primary format is digital – with video coming first. If there is a demand for us to release audio versions of the interviews, we will respond as this is simple to create.
4/ There have been many good news stories across the circuit, with new births of our own ahead of Christmas, but most recently we have seen an increase in people who are struggling with health conditions – and sadly, bereavements, so prayers all round please as we continue to support folk.
Greetings to all of you. Happy Advent, and Happy Christmas when it arrives. It was great to meet some of you face to face for a communion service recently (by the time this is printed, it will be beyond recent), and disappointing of course that the second lockdown prevented more of this. Still, we can rejoice (although sadly not sing) about the fact that the lockdown restrictions have been eased for Christmas. This said, we must still take great care lest the good that may well be done by the vaccines as they work their way through the populous, might be undone by our easing off too quickly.
Advent is not Christmas. Advent is about the promise that Jesus will come. Christmas is about the arrival of the infant Jesus. Personally, I value the balance as we move from Advent, to Christmas, to Epiphany; from remembering that Jesus will return in the clouds (a little difficult to picture I grant you, but the point is that he brings healing, release for those who are oppressed, and justice); to remembering the infant Jesus born into our world – into poverty and homelessness no less; to us hearing of the increasing acknowledgement that Jesus is the Messiah (the visit from the wise men, and a teenage excursion during a Jerusalem pilgrimage where Jesus was found not around the Fruit Machines or playing Space Invaders but teaching the rabbis in the Temple. If I have lost you now, just allow yourself to be amused by engineering a early first century Fruit Machine in your head – but I digress. My point is that this was no ordinary child.
As Advent and Christmas approaches I am mindful that in a couple of weeks our focus will begin to shift on Christ coming to us – as a vulnerable child in a manger. Curiously, despite His being the Son of God, that child is as needy as any other for our care. There is a beautiful circle in this; first. we take Him into our arms – think of how we cradle a baby and support its head.
By Antonio de Pereda – http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Antonio-De-Pereda/St-Anthony-Of-Padua-With-Christ-Child.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8290666By Georges de La Tour – http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/joconde_fr?ACTION=CHERCHER&FIELD_1=REF&VALUE_1=000PE001637, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1170244By Grant Romney Clawson – https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/image/boy-jesus-in-the-temple-656ad75?lang=eng&collectionId=3cbf78e787498a07417814a31656063f9227b4c6, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94450501
Later, He takes children into his arms, ‘Suffer the little children’, he says – even the ones that chomp crisps in front of the tele and make it impossible to hear, ‘That they might come unto me.’ Note here that it is the adults that are inhibiting intimacy, not the other way round. Jesus then says ‘Come follow me!’ when we are older, and embraces us as adults just as He did the sisters of Lazarus who were grieving, or Peter, when after denying Jesus he resserted his commitment to Him (you don’t have to read it, it just jumps from the page).
By Jacopo Tintoretto – xAF_lamrt79A7A at Google Cultural Institute, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13360886
…All of which brings me back to a point of sorrow, and a point of promise that is underpinned by the theology of Advent and Christmas. First, whilst we might not be able to embrace each other, God embraces still embraces us. Second, there will come a time again where we will be able to embrace (and even if you are not a particularly huggy person you will know what I mean). Whist the unfolding impact of the coronavirus has wrought havoc on our lives, and notwithstanding the questions that surface about the presence and purpose of God in a world that has been ravaged by the virus (these can be addressed, but not here), the one thing that we can be thankful for is the increased sense of family and community that has grown in the face of such hardship.
Thanks to Dale and Grace for covering the Livestream Worship whilst I was on leave. For me, the break was successful – as a staycation, with some time away visiting relatives, celebrating birthdays, and attending to those routine things that can become easily overlooked. Although things ended up taking a lot of unexpected planning; two cars off the road at the same time, a hire car, keeping a family commitment to visit Woburn Safari Park (yes, in the hire car.) I am not sure how righteous I am, but the sun kept shining, and most importantly the combination of the hire care and the Safari Park was uneventful (I did not really think that through). Whilst the family were excited at the prospect of entering the monkey enclosure (and had shared with me horrific videos of how capable baboons are of destroying car trim), the most exciting thing we saw was a grey squirrel. The park were carrying out maintenance at the time, and we think that this scared them away. Other aspects of the safari were amazing though. The brown bears were cute. The lions and tigers were out. The rhino, which came within five feet of the car, munching the grass whilst a keeper tried to direct them off the road, was so graceful. The aim of the holiday was of course to try and come back rested for September. I think we made some progress, although as is the case for a great deal of people, life is still hectic, and a holiday is not so much a rest as it is a change of routine and focus.
It is Synod this Saturday, and this will be held via zoom. If you are a synod rep, Sue will be doubling up on the District’s efforts (you should have been approached independently anyway), and passed on the zoom link.
EDI Toolkit image
There is continued focus on how we all emerge from the lockdown, on how as a Church we continue with our EDI (Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity) work, not least in the wake of Black Lives Matter.
The focus on MHA (Methodist Homes) continues, with insights from the United Methodist Church in America. I have put myself forward to represent the synod at Conference 2021 (I have also offered in previous years), but the ‘competition; for this is considerable. It is good to have so many people who want to be a part of sharing in the future direction of the church, not least because this year we will be returning back to the God in Love Unites Us report, and discussions that promote ‘good relating’ and healthy relationships irrespective of whatever view we hold.
Incidentally, I was telephoned by a lady this week who was enquiring about whether the Methodist Church, or in fact any church in Peterborough, could marry her and her female partner. I was able to share where we were as a church, and to offer to meet them both, not least to encourage them pastorally. It is an interesting position to be in, but even though we continue to journey with this as individuals, and as a church, the least we can do is to show that we care about how people feel, and the struggles they face as they seek to find ways of being affirmed in themselves, and voice their commitment to a significant other in their lives.
I would continue to ask everyone to pray for the Garden House, the Night Shelter Project, and Peterborough Foodbank, as each of these projects try to discern the best way of operating and supporting ‘the poor’ in the future. Pray for all who grieve the loss of loved ones. I am also deeply concerned about the potential for an increase in poverty within individuals and families as the furlough scheme comes to and end. Mental health is also a serious concern given the shortage of resources within the NHS, the impact of Covid, and now the added facet of children and young people returning to schools having had such an extensive break from what existed before. Please pray for staff, support workers, pupils, and the families and networks of support that surround them. Our youngest started at Secondary school this week….
Please pray for your CLT who in the background have been doing a sterling job, meeting monthly on zoom and being involved in all kinds of planning that most of us won’t see. As we approach our next circuit meeting, please pray for our Property Team, and our Finance Team. Give thanks for all the successes we have seen in our local churches as leaders have made such great efforts to reach out to their membership, and their local communities, in all kinds of creative ways. Pray for our local church leaders as we discern how, and in what capacity, we emerge from the lockdown. Pray that we are attentive to what people need and are willing to start afresh as we plan worship services.
Many thanks for people’s kind words and encouragement over the Plan. Deciding that it was wiser not to publish it in its entirely, and allow space for flexibility as churches decide when they want to hold their services, and what resource they might need from us, was not easy. However, it is allowing us to incorporate requests as they surface. We are beginning to emerge from the lockdown in a socially distanced and sensible way; I have had one face to face church council at Crowland. A face to face trustees meeting in planned for Whittlesey. I visited a café worship service at Brookside before I went on leave. I have a socially distanced midweek service at Oundle today, and on Sunday I am leading communion for the first time. If you are thinking about how you may incorporate communion in your own church, it may be worth chatting to the stewards at Brookside and Crowland who have found different ways of offering this.
Livestream. We continue to broadcast prayers Monday to Thursday at 830, which keeps me honest (but demands a completely different change in routine). Sunday livestream continues at 1030. Livestream worship is functioning as a new ‘church’ on the plan as we ask readers to record themselves, and preachers to deliver their message, and we have a community that listens in and shares with each other. Although I sense that a lot of churches are loyal to the livestream, and do not want to undermine it with 1030 services, I would urge you to go ahead and arrange worship at times that work best for your congregations, and we will see how we can manage this across the plan.
Whist Dale and Grace have been able to release me to visit churches in the morning (and offer a different style and content) – we need to look at involving more people who would feel confident to host an entire act of worship. Matt Forsyth, who does a great job with All We Can, has offered to assist us. If you are interested in doing this – in hosting weekday prayers, or Sunday worship – assistance will be given – do let us know. We would not necessarily start with all the bells and whistles – prayers for example can simply come via your mobile phone stood against a set of books in a well-lit room. What people want to see is not so much our polished professionalism, but our honesty and integrity. If you feel a calling to help us make Livestream Worship happen (and by implication, help me and others be free to travel elsewhere in a morning across the circuit), please let us know. I should also give a word of thanks to Simon who during my worship monitors how people are responding across the three sites; YouTube, the Circuit Facebook Page, and my own profile. Numbers attending worship or viewing later have remained healthy. Weekly prayers are developing a significant following of anything from 18 to approaching 30 people viewing live.
When Dale and Grace lead morning worship they prerecord the service and listen in, having allowed space for prayers. They also welcome and encourage people in the comments section. When I lead worship it is live – prerecording might be possible, but at the moment I am resistant to doing this because it could well take longer (you should see the number of takes required to record a five minute promo!), plus it adds to the workload – record a service, then lead the same service live the next day. Technically it is possible to post a video to be broadcast at a specific time, but things can quickly become complex, and more costly. So prayers please as we discern a way forward. The aim is to allow livestream worship to continue. It is a lifeline in shepherding some people who, for good reason, cannot make morning services, or any services for that matter. Meanwhile we do of course want to encourage those who can to return to chapel. The beauty of livestream and social media is that it can be watched back.
I could continue, but I think this is a good summary of where we are at present, and where my ‘headspace’ has been. Thank your for your continued support and prayers. It has been a joy and a delight to support churches across the circuit, particularly over the conversations as we emerge from lockdown. Please do not forget that Rev Dale continues to be available to encourage people 1:1 (that may be you), especially if you are discerning where God is leading you, or you are in a group within the church who is looking to start something new, or expand that they are doing.). Remember to question what ‘hubs’ (i.e. support groups) and ‘habits’ you are offering people in your church. Also, we give thanks for Rev David, who continues to support me at Elton, and is often called upon as a source of encouragement in other churches as we seek to respond in a timely fashion to churches as they plan ahead.
To close – So Will I (100 Billion X) Hillsong – extract.
This hymn has been popular in morning prayers.
God of creation. There at the start. Before the beginning of time. With no point of reference. You spoke to the dark. And fleshed out the wonder of light. And as You speak. A hundred billion galaxies are born. In the vapour of Your breath the planets form. If the stars were made to worship, so will I. I can see Your heart in everything You’ve made. Every burning star a signal fire of grace. If creation sings Your praises, so will I
God of Your promise. You don’t speak in vain. No syllable empty or void. For once You have spoken, all nature and science follow the sound of Your voice. And as You speak a hundred billion creatures catch Your breath, evolving in pursuit of what You said. If it all reveals Your nature so will I. I can see Your heart in everything You say; every painted sky a canvas of Your grace If creation still obeys You, so will I.
If the stars were made to worship, so will I. If the mountains bow in reverence, so will I. If the oceans roar Your greatness, so will I. For if everything exists to lift You high, so will I. If the wind goes where You send it, so will I. If the rocks cry out in silence, so will I. If the sum of all our praises still falls shy. Then we’ll sing again a hundred billion times.
God of salvation, you chased down my heart, through all of my failure and pride On a hill You created the Light of the world, abandoned in darkness to die And as You speak, a hundred billion failures disappear where You lost Your life so I could find it here If You left the grave behind You, so will I. I can see Your heart in everything You’ve done Every part designed in a work of art called love. If You gladly chose surrender, so will I. I can see Your heart, a billion different ways. Every precious one, a child You died to save. And if You gave Your life to love them so will I
Like You would again a hundred billion times. But what measure could amount to Your desire? You’re the One who never leaves the one behind.
One of my abiding memories from our recent family holiday is of a boat trip to the Farne Islands during an evening. The operators offered a ‘sunset cruise’. Unfortunately, the sunset did not appear apart from one small part of the sky, and the trip as we bounced up and down in the North Sea, was less than luxury-cruise like. This said, the clouds were dramatic, and I found that every time I changed position the view was different as the light changed.
Shine?Mackrell-Hey 2020
The most powerful thing that struck me was an eery effect when the suns rays penetrated through, reflected off what seemed like an oily black sea, and illuminated the underside of the heavy cloud in the sky to the point that you could see their texture. It reminded me, in a strange way, of how as Christians we can be living in less than ideal settings, buffeted by the waves (spot the link with this week’s gospel reading), we nonetheless have within us the light of Christ that can illuminate and beautify the storm clouds that are above us, and in doing so point to our creator. I will stop there before the poetry continues but do be encouraged.
Shine/Mackrell-Hey 2020
Another moving moment was how the story of Grace Darling (from which we have the term ‘you are such a darling’, hit home as we surveyed the rocks which tore the Forfarshire steamer apart in 1838. It was Grace who spotted the wreck from her bedroom in the early hours of the morning and alerted her Father. The storm was so bad that they deemed it unsafe for any lifeboat but nonetheless ventured out in their 6-metre rowing boat. In the first wave, Grace and her father saved three people, with Grace steadying the boat. In the second wave, they saved another four. One lifeboat, launched from the ship independently, was found later the next day.
By Thomas Musgrave Joy – [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28870049
Be in no doubt, there was a tragic loss of life, and only a fraction survived. I am not sure what moved me the most; the loss of life; the fact that you could see the Grace Darling’s bedroom in the lighthouse from our boat – and the knowledge that her attentiveness saved lives; or the scale of Grace Darling’s legacy; her actions inspired our nation in the values of bravery and simple virtue – and this was compounded by the fact that it sat so uneasily on her humble shoulders. Ultimately, I feel that it was the scenery which brought the scene to life, and served as a reminder that whilst we may feel powerless in the face of a calamity, our attentiveness, and our willingness to be brave and do our part, will save lives. As I reflect today, it serves as a reminder to everyone involved in our local churches to be attentive the needs of those who surround us.
Today, our storm is the pandemic, and we will make a difference.
This week has been busy but productive. The Pioneer Hub met on Sunday afternoon online – this remains open to everyone and continues to serve almost as a ‘think-tank’ for some of our leaders as we question how we support our churches. The Circuit Leadership Team then met via Zoom on Monday night. Among other key themes, both meetings highlighted a sense in which we are all feeling a lament, and a degree of fear despite the lockdown being eased in certain contexts. This has also surfaced in my conversations with pastoral leaders. We all thought it would be helpful for me to share openly about this. As I write, I don’t know whether I am praying or writing.
The Old Testament Scholar Walter Brueggemann has written extensively about the place of lament in the Psalms, and of a natural cycle from orientation, disorientation, to new orientation. Painful though this might be, it is a place of tremendous growth and learning. See ‘Praying the Psalms’. Image from Brueggemann’s bio.
I want to say, ‘Lord, we Lament’. I feel the sorrow myself. I feel tearful as I put words to paper. We all feel it. Whist we can celebrate the good things that have come out of this pandemic, we lament the fact that we still cannot properly ‘embrace’ each other. When I use the word ‘embrace’, I am not referring to my missing the opportunity to hug another human who may as well be as close to me as a member of my own family (we have all amassed plenty of those). Rather, I am lamenting the fact that, until we don’t have to worry about keeping two (or even one) metres distance from each other, our relationships lack something. What we all miss is the ability to talk to each other and to share in group conversations that feel more natural.
It has even reached the point that I am missing the tea and biscuits after services. It is always easy to overlook the significance of this, believing that biscuits, and chat, are an unholy distraction, an irreverent aside to what should be our principal occupation, namely worship. Yet, whilst worship is important because it keeps us centred on God, I lament equally the loss of fellowship. I lament it because, even though I am still able to keep abreast of how people are doing over e-mail and after morning prayers, it always opens up a ‘space’ where I am able to touch the soul of another and they, in return, can touch me. I have long since realised that I spend more time talking with people in churches than leading worship. Indeed, this is the reason why I am so often among the last who leave our buildings. I feel that it is important for you to know that I lament this loss and long for its return, just as much as you do. Yet my role as a leader is also to help people to stay positive, to highlight the good things that are happening in difficult times, and to encourage us to discern a way forward for the future. But, yes, there are times when it is important that I acknowledge, ‘Yes, this is tough’.
I also want to share personally (but know that I also speak for others), and say that, despite the lockdown easing, I am fearful. I am fearful of catching the Coronavirus myself if I have not had it. I am fearful of passing it on to others, and the effect that this might have. And if I am fearful, how much more fearful will others be who are in that vulnerable category. There is not much to say apart from that it is not a nice feeling to have inside. All we can do is stay alert and save lives as we do the best we can in observing social distancing and isolation.
We will meet again I think, at the same time, I should offer a word of hope. Rev Sarah Gower shared this as part of our CLT meeting, and I feel that it is important to share it with us all. We will meet again. We will gather as a whole people of God, and worship together, as we did before. Sarah pointed out that this is not the first time that the Church has been unable to gather because of a pandemic. However, even through it has taken time, God’s people have been able to reach the point where they have been able to gather again. The same will be true for us. The overriding question, however, is when and how.
Rest assured – we are living through a cycle
Whilst we may well feel uncomfortable living through the pandemic, Bruggemann’s writings remind us that living through a cycle of orientation (where everything makes sense and in which we feel most secure), to disorientation (where, as now, we feel uncomfortable as we live with a degree of uncertainty and even chaos, through to a place of new orientation, where God’s work of healing and wholeness in us comes to fruition. Life is different. We have adjusted, but we discovered what is truly important and what will not change – and within this we give our thanks to God and are more attuned to his presence and purpose in our lives.
Prayer and Small Groups The suggestion that churches should follow what the easing of the lockdown permits, with a focus on investing in prayer and small groups has been well received. I think we can all see that this is not only because it may well be the kinds of activities that are possible in some churches, but also because it is at the heart of our own tradition. Yet, I suspect that, whilst some will relish the opportunity to focus their energies on something new, others will struggle. This is partly because we are in a state of lament and fear; celebrating the latest ‘great idea’ is harder. Also, the prospect of embracing something new becomes harder when we have already had to adapt. When I think of where we were, and how so many of us have had to turn more to IT, suddenly start using Zoom, and all kinds of other applications, I am amazed. At the same time, I am aware constantly of those who do not have internet access.
Returning to our tradition as we look to the future What has been your immediate feeling when you have heard this call to prayer and thinking about how we might gather in small groups? I would encourage you not to see this as something new – or worse still, something that replaces how we used to worship – but as something that will be a healthy addition to what we were doing before. Of course, a good number of folks already experience the benefit of prayer partners or small groups. I would, therefore, encourage our church leaders (and we are all ‘leaders’ by example), to look at how we can develop this. To expand on my message of last week, I do not think it is for anyone to dictate to a church what they should do. That is not Methodist. I doubt it is even Christian. And I am sure it is poor leadership. Rather, it is for the leaders in our local churches to discern the best way forward. By way of assistance through, I know of at least three groups who are already finding the Bible Society’s Lyfe material helpful. If you would appreciate any more information on this, contact Rev Dale at: dale.sherriff@methodist.org.uk
A brief word on Churches opening for individual prayer Some churches have begun to reflect on how they might open for individual prayer but, on looking at the requirements, they have struggled to see how this can be managed. We are not alone in this by far. We will see how things might become easier – for small groups and individuals as the lockdown eases.
A final invitation to prayer And, an invitation for you: You are invited by the Pioneer Hub to pray with us via Zoom at 4pm on Sunday, 28th June, at 4pm. If you would like to join us online, please let me know; I will email you the link. Otherwise, Neat has produced a simple prayer sheet and if you are able to join us for half and hour around this time, that would be great. Alternatively, this serves as a resource for people to pray through at any time of the day or week. This prayer guide will be sent out next week.
Finally, every blessing be with you. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
There has been one recent development in the circuit that has excited me. I share it with you even though it is very much in its infancy. Last Sunday at our Pioneer Hub, Rev Dale Sherriff, one of our supernumerary ministers who was previously involved with Inspire (the Methodist movement intent on encouraging people to grow in their discipleship and engagement with mission), shared some of his thinking about how we might encourage people across our circuit. What he had to say seemed to link well with the ‘Tending to our Roots’ aspects of our ‘Reimagine Strategy’ as we continue to look to the future. (Remember the Tree, and the questions about how we develop prayer and small groups?)
Dale’s reflection began as he questioned the different way in which, historically, we have physically gathered as a church. Whilst we cannot do this now, it seemed to me that some of what Dale had to say might be helpful for local church leaders to think about as we come out of isolation. How will we regroup? How will we gather?
As a Methodist Church, we have gathered in four distinct ways in the past. Whilst I use the historic language here, the principles remain true to our heritage.
As a Circuit (for larger gatherings – something which we reintroduced before the pandemic hit.
As local churches (as Sunday or weekday congregations)
As a Class (the class-meeting language is not often used, but in essence a class is a study and fellowship groups which has been as eqally important (if not more important) than gathering for worship services.
As a Band (again the language has fallen out of widespread use, but a band is a group of say three people who pray for each other – we might refer to this as a prayer triplet).
As for the link with the dragonfly? Well the dragonfly has four wings. Every one of them is required, but they can work together and independently. In the same way we could envisage that these are rather like the four different ways in which people can gather. I should mention of course that the pastoral system of the Methodist Church runs alongside this, but at one time all pastoral groups met as classes. Some still do of course. However, as a way of helping understand the balance we are looking for as we look to the future, this way of thinking may be helpful for many.
The words Class and Band may need revisiting. It may be that using the term Life Group might be more appropriate. Many churches offer fellowship groups, but in time, as we return from lockdown, we may want to question how we can expand and encourage the work in our existing groups. How might they be enhanced to balance spiritual nurture and fellowship? Likewise, could this be a time where we look at encouraging more prayer triplets in our churches? I love the idea of remembering, not least in light of the Coronavirus Pandemic, that Jesus promises Life in all its Fullness (John 10:10). Could these ideas help us as seek to capitalise on the increased depth and scope of engagement in our churches? I merely share this as an idea that is stirring within me….
