this week has been a little busier than normal... I've actually been 'working' and not just studying! In this first year I undertake a social context placement, which for me was to spend a week at the local hospice with the chapliancy team.
Well as some of you know, I'm not good at walking into a room and introducing myself, so having to do this all week has been a huge challenge. Then I've had to hold a conversation with that person - ahhh! Why does ministry have to include pastoral visiting? Can't I just write them a letter?
Aside from this hugh challenge set me, it has a been a fantastic week and given me a real insight into people. Though you might expect the hospice to be a place of sadness and distress, it is not. It is a place of love, joy and even hope. Though there is a realisation that life may be near its end, and there is much grief surrounding that, people know that what ever happens it will be ok. Now I'm not saying that everyone I have met has it sorted, there are those who are in denial both patients and families. But they wouldn't be human if denial didn't feature at some point whilst coming to terms with what is happening and what's to come. I think all of us are to some extent in denial that eventually are life will come to an end. Personally, things that surround death scare me even with knowing God's amazing love for me.
So after this week, I may still be rubbish at walking into a room and holding a pastoral conversation (really need more practice at this), but I have learnt that whether you are seriously ill or even dying, you are no less human and you still want to know what the weather is like.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Seven!
Compared to last week, this week has been fairly uneventful apart from the College Revue last night. Each year at Westminster, the students and the staff turn their hands to something that is a little less theologically-minded to something that displays other talents which may or may not help with ministry within the URC (or another denomination as we do have students who are not URC).
Now Senatus as the Strictly Come Liturgical Dancing Judges was a triumph - I don't think I will every be able to look at the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York or the General Secretary of the URC again without picturing them liturgically dancing! And as for the rest of the acts, well there is nothing more that can be said than what a talented bunch we are!
(Please note we didn't have footage of esteemed members of clergy performing liturgical dance, so there is no point searching YouTube. Senatus were just very good at describe what it maybe like if any of them took it up as a past time!)
We spend so much of our time reading, reflecting and attempting to be theologians, that it can be easy to forget who we are. Last night I think we all showed another side of ourselves to the community and we that we haven't forgotten who we are. (Well not yet anyway!)
Now Senatus as the Strictly Come Liturgical Dancing Judges was a triumph - I don't think I will every be able to look at the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York or the General Secretary of the URC again without picturing them liturgically dancing! And as for the rest of the acts, well there is nothing more that can be said than what a talented bunch we are!
(Please note we didn't have footage of esteemed members of clergy performing liturgical dance, so there is no point searching YouTube. Senatus were just very good at describe what it maybe like if any of them took it up as a past time!)
We spend so much of our time reading, reflecting and attempting to be theologians, that it can be easy to forget who we are. Last night I think we all showed another side of ourselves to the community and we that we haven't forgotten who we are. (Well not yet anyway!)
Friday, February 10, 2012
shaking hands with the Archbishop of Canterbury
It has been a busy week and Friday seems to have arrived without me realising it! There has not been much time to sit back and watch the world go by or in my case this week, build a snowman! (Yes... have re-embraced student-dom and did used one of my short reading breaks to play in the snow and build a small, but very happy snowman!)
Anyway, down to some more serious stuff. This week I got out of Cambridge for a few hours and headed to London and to Westminster Abbey. This was not for a sight-seeing visit (though we did pop our heads into the National Gallery), but to attend a service which I think should have been of great significance for the church within England.
For those of you who may not know much about church history - in 1662 Parliament revised the Act of Uniformity, which led to a great ejectment of clergy (2000 ministers) from the church of England. These became the non-conformists from whom my denomination has its roots.
Therefore, to commemorate this 350 years on, members of the URC and Church of England gathered together for an act of worship. But this was a commemoration service that was about woe and how badly are founding fathers were treated; it was about looking forward and starting to build a relationship between the two denominations. We may have different outlooks on theology, doctrine and churchmenship, but we do all believe in one God and our purpose should be to honour Him.
This is also the 40th year since the URC came into existance from the coming together of the Congregational churches of England and Wales and Presbyterian churches of England. The vision in 1972 was that this would be start of the end of division within the church. It might have not quite worked out like that, but for 800 of us to turn up at the Abbey must show that as a denomination we believe in the denominations coming together in some way, even if it is just to recognise that we are different.
And whether you are a URC ordinand who still has much to learn about her own denomination's traditions or the Archbishop of Canterbury who is leading a denomination steeped in tradition... we can shake hands and say that was good!
Anyway, down to some more serious stuff. This week I got out of Cambridge for a few hours and headed to London and to Westminster Abbey. This was not for a sight-seeing visit (though we did pop our heads into the National Gallery), but to attend a service which I think should have been of great significance for the church within England.
For those of you who may not know much about church history - in 1662 Parliament revised the Act of Uniformity, which led to a great ejectment of clergy (2000 ministers) from the church of England. These became the non-conformists from whom my denomination has its roots.
Therefore, to commemorate this 350 years on, members of the URC and Church of England gathered together for an act of worship. But this was a commemoration service that was about woe and how badly are founding fathers were treated; it was about looking forward and starting to build a relationship between the two denominations. We may have different outlooks on theology, doctrine and churchmenship, but we do all believe in one God and our purpose should be to honour Him.
This is also the 40th year since the URC came into existance from the coming together of the Congregational churches of England and Wales and Presbyterian churches of England. The vision in 1972 was that this would be start of the end of division within the church. It might have not quite worked out like that, but for 800 of us to turn up at the Abbey must show that as a denomination we believe in the denominations coming together in some way, even if it is just to recognise that we are different.
And whether you are a URC ordinand who still has much to learn about her own denomination's traditions or the Archbishop of Canterbury who is leading a denomination steeped in tradition... we can shake hands and say that was good!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
the gift...
Well I should be working on an essay on Eschatology, but work avoidance is far more fun and actually I can count blogging as work this!
Last week in our Life and Service session we were looking at the confession we make at our ordination. Now, you may think that this is a bit premature, since I still have three years, 1 term and 6 weeks to go, but if you're going to look at what it means to be a minister in the URC I guess it a good a place to start as any. This week we were asked to consider a particular phrase within the statement and how we might explain it to someone who has absolutely no concept of what this is all about. So I thought I might attempt this as my blog this week!
The phrase is "the gift of God's very self to the world".
Over Christmas did you see the John Lewis advert? This little boy is really impatient for Christmas to arrive, but not because of presents he'll receive, but because of the one he has to give. It is big and not very well wrapped, and the smile on his face as he bursts into his Mum and Dad's room is magical. It is a present that he has put himself into and is his way of showing how much he loves his Mum and Dad. And this is how I see this phrase in our confession of faith, God has this massive gift for the world and it's himself! And he's really impatient about giving us this gift. He doesn't really care about the things he get's back, the presents the little boy runs past at the end of his bed, what is important is his present to us. Maybe its not as neatly wrapped as we'd expect, but it is big, bigger than we can really image and it is for everyone! And its not easy giving yourself to people!
Fairly awesome! Even mind blowing when you really think about it. Well I think so any!
(P.S. You can watch the John Lewis advert at http://www.johnlewis.com/Magazine/Feature.aspx?Id=993&intcmp=HP_minipromo_featuresvideo_993_111111)
Last week in our Life and Service session we were looking at the confession we make at our ordination. Now, you may think that this is a bit premature, since I still have three years, 1 term and 6 weeks to go, but if you're going to look at what it means to be a minister in the URC I guess it a good a place to start as any. This week we were asked to consider a particular phrase within the statement and how we might explain it to someone who has absolutely no concept of what this is all about. So I thought I might attempt this as my blog this week!
The phrase is "the gift of God's very self to the world".
Over Christmas did you see the John Lewis advert? This little boy is really impatient for Christmas to arrive, but not because of presents he'll receive, but because of the one he has to give. It is big and not very well wrapped, and the smile on his face as he bursts into his Mum and Dad's room is magical. It is a present that he has put himself into and is his way of showing how much he loves his Mum and Dad. And this is how I see this phrase in our confession of faith, God has this massive gift for the world and it's himself! And he's really impatient about giving us this gift. He doesn't really care about the things he get's back, the presents the little boy runs past at the end of his bed, what is important is his present to us. Maybe its not as neatly wrapped as we'd expect, but it is big, bigger than we can really image and it is for everyone! And its not easy giving yourself to people!
Fairly awesome! Even mind blowing when you really think about it. Well I think so any!
(P.S. You can watch the John Lewis advert at http://www.johnlewis.com/Magazine/Feature.aspx?Id=993&intcmp=HP_minipromo_featuresvideo_993_111111)
Friday, January 27, 2012
A trip to the cinema
Now, just to prove that I don't spend my entire life in the library under a pile of Theology books or on my knees in Chapel praying for deliverance from said pile of books - me and a couple of friends went to see War Horse this week.
I am a huge Michael Morpurgo fan, have been since school when one of my teachers read "Why the Whales Came" to my class. And these days, sometimes it is nice to pick up a book I can read! (The frustrations of someone with dyslexia who would like nothing more than to just be able to sit down with a novel and not move till it was finished - but 8 months is a long time to be sat in one place!) Anyway, along with a number of other Morpurgo books, War Horse features in my top 20 books, so I was a little unsure about going to see the film. But it is a fantastic film. There may have been a couple of creative additions and a couple of admissions, but it was a really good adaptation and some of the cinematography was amazing. Not to mention the soundtrack! But apart from being a breath-taking film, my lasting memory of the night was how me and my friends walked out of the cinema in complete silence.
Was it the subject material of the film? Was it the imagery? Was it the determination of Joey? Or that even in the midst of war there is also love?
Maybe it wasn't any of those, but I now have some ideas for using the film and the book in future sermons :-)
I am a huge Michael Morpurgo fan, have been since school when one of my teachers read "Why the Whales Came" to my class. And these days, sometimes it is nice to pick up a book I can read! (The frustrations of someone with dyslexia who would like nothing more than to just be able to sit down with a novel and not move till it was finished - but 8 months is a long time to be sat in one place!) Anyway, along with a number of other Morpurgo books, War Horse features in my top 20 books, so I was a little unsure about going to see the film. But it is a fantastic film. There may have been a couple of creative additions and a couple of admissions, but it was a really good adaptation and some of the cinematography was amazing. Not to mention the soundtrack! But apart from being a breath-taking film, my lasting memory of the night was how me and my friends walked out of the cinema in complete silence.
Was it the subject material of the film? Was it the imagery? Was it the determination of Joey? Or that even in the midst of war there is also love?
Maybe it wasn't any of those, but I now have some ideas for using the film and the book in future sermons :-)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Thank you for being you!
Well after last week, I knew that this week wouldn't be a walk in the park... but I wasn't quite expecting what I was faced with in the first three days of this week! Like every profession, we have to have an awareness of 'Equality and Diversity' and so I thought that I'd get it over and done with in my first year - get that box ticked. But it was far from a box ticking exercise!
One of the first statements from the course leader was "every church is multicultural" - well for starters that took me two days to get my head round! You try and work that out when you've come from a congregation of European-dissent? It all comes down to the use of language and what we actually mean by terms we so freely use, sometimes without giving them a second thought.
And human nature is scary! Have you ever heard of the 'blue eye, brown eye' study? Look it up, because it is very interesting, though some may find it unethical and possibly disturbing. However, it is a great illustration of how easily we can be convinced of something and how having a sense of power over another person can lead to some of the things we see in the news daily. We really don't learn from history!
Now being Christian doesn't mean that I'm immune from this, I can easily fall into the trap of saying something that might seem reasonable in my head, but which is really unhelpful for someone else. That doesn't mean I should keep quiet, but does mean that I need to be mindful of those that are around me. This isn't 'political correctness gone mad', it is just treating others as you would want to be treated - Jesus' second commandment!
We need to be celebrating the differences between us, because if were not all different then the world would be a really boring place!
One of the first statements from the course leader was "every church is multicultural" - well for starters that took me two days to get my head round! You try and work that out when you've come from a congregation of European-dissent? It all comes down to the use of language and what we actually mean by terms we so freely use, sometimes without giving them a second thought.
And human nature is scary! Have you ever heard of the 'blue eye, brown eye' study? Look it up, because it is very interesting, though some may find it unethical and possibly disturbing. However, it is a great illustration of how easily we can be convinced of something and how having a sense of power over another person can lead to some of the things we see in the news daily. We really don't learn from history!
Now being Christian doesn't mean that I'm immune from this, I can easily fall into the trap of saying something that might seem reasonable in my head, but which is really unhelpful for someone else. That doesn't mean I should keep quiet, but does mean that I need to be mindful of those that are around me. This isn't 'political correctness gone mad', it is just treating others as you would want to be treated - Jesus' second commandment!
We need to be celebrating the differences between us, because if were not all different then the world would be a really boring place!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Once upon a time...
Well as this is my first blog of 2012, let me start by wishing you a Happy New Year - though it seems a long time since the 1st January now!
After spending a couple of weeks away, it has been nice to be back in Cambridge and getting back into college life - though I may be feeling differently this time next week when lectures start again! Now, before those of you reading this who don't know about Westminster life think I've been sat around with my feet, I haven't, we have two short courses to do. However I've had a really nice one to start with, Storytelling. But it has not just been two and a half days of Jackanory, we have actually had to get involved and tell our own stories! And the thing about storytelling is that it is based on the oral tradition, which means no books allowed!
Now, for those of you who have ever seen me preach or give a presentation, you know I have to have a script. Too scared that I'll forget something, not say the right words or tell people something that really isn't true. So being told that I had to prepare and tell a story to the whole group filled me with dreed - no notes, this is going to go horribly wrong and be disasterous!! However, it wasn't, and if I have learnt anything over the past two and a half days is that I can do it!
I don't think that I'll be throwing my scripts away just yet, but I might be able to tell a story or to without one!
After spending a couple of weeks away, it has been nice to be back in Cambridge and getting back into college life - though I may be feeling differently this time next week when lectures start again! Now, before those of you reading this who don't know about Westminster life think I've been sat around with my feet, I haven't, we have two short courses to do. However I've had a really nice one to start with, Storytelling. But it has not just been two and a half days of Jackanory, we have actually had to get involved and tell our own stories! And the thing about storytelling is that it is based on the oral tradition, which means no books allowed!
Now, for those of you who have ever seen me preach or give a presentation, you know I have to have a script. Too scared that I'll forget something, not say the right words or tell people something that really isn't true. So being told that I had to prepare and tell a story to the whole group filled me with dreed - no notes, this is going to go horribly wrong and be disasterous!! However, it wasn't, and if I have learnt anything over the past two and a half days is that I can do it!
I don't think that I'll be throwing my scripts away just yet, but I might be able to tell a story or to without one!
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