Captains Log June 2014

The Big Thing for June is the South of England Show. Once more we had an intrepid team of 150+ volunteers over the three days. Despite the very gloomy forecast the weather was okay as we entertained hundreds of guest over the three days. We also run the Lost People Station, which is the reason the Show Committee gift us a massive amount of infrastructure. We did have a few incidents to deal with and on the Saturday 17 lost souls who needed to be found! Joking apart this is a great ministry as you can easily imagine the distress of a parent who has lost their child, or a child who has lost their carers. We are a safe pair of hands’ until everything is properly sorted and duly recorded.  I was aware this year of just how much sheer physical hard work the Show is, perhaps my being at County Shows for the past twenty years is beginning to catch up with me! For example the Saturday started at 7.30am and didn't finish until Jane and I had unloaded the van at 11.30pm. But for all that I get such a great buzz from being there.

Not much time for recovery as Monday I was of the Missioners Summer Gathering in Blackpool. Because I knew I would be tired I took the train up the day before. Our Gathering under the excellent care of Rachel Jordan was as brilliant as ever. One aspect that came out for all of us was the importance of keeping the name and the person of Jesus in focus. We can hear all sorts of exciting things, make many kinds of plans, devise dozens of schemes, and in the doing of many things forget that it is all about making Jesus known!  

  

In making plans the Chichester Diocese is currently undergoing a ‘Discerning the Vision’ exercise. A series of meetings are being held across the diocese to try and get a flavour of people’s ideas, dreams and visions.  Picking up from the Missioners Gathering we need to be a very different kind of church if we are to have any meaningful engagement with our society. Reflecting on the report ‘Anecdote to Evidence’ we can see very clearly the need for Pioneer Ministers, Fresh Expressions of Church and engagement with children and teenagers.

My own driver at the moment is to ask some fundamental questions apropos the Church. Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Six Serving Men’ are of great help here. For example:

What is God calling you to be as the church?

Why do we do what we do as a church?

When does the church meet?
How could we be the church in a better way?  

Where is the church?

Who is the church for?

Soul by the Sea www.soulbythesea.org.uk

Can hardly believe how much time has slipped by since we mounted the Passion Play on a very wet Easter Day. Because of it being wet and late we simply dumped all the stage props and party tents and loads of other stuff into storage. On 21st June we managed to get a small team to go to the storage, move it all out to free storage, with a plan to dry it out in the Park between the moves. Unfortunately we had an attack of the Gideon’s, and the tent walls, etc, became wetter by lying on the ground despite the sunshine! It was a very hot, dirty, dusty and tiring day, yet very rewarding and fantastic to work alongside such a great group of guys putting in their all to get the job done.

Also this month 28 years as an Officer in the Church Army. Admitted to the Office of Evangelist by Archbishop Robert Runcie on the 24th June 1986. (It is also the birthday of our youngest son, Joe Banks. And apparently John the Baptist!)

Another delightful occasion was to attend the Ordination as Deacon of several people I know. Especially Kate Lawson whom I have been walking alongside as a Mentor and Spiritual Director for the last three years. Such a privilege to have played at least small part in getting Kate to this point.








And to round off the month a trip to Farnborough for the 40th Birthday Bash of Emma (Jane's niece) - we had a great time catching up with family and friends that spilled over into the next day when a bunch of us gathered at a Carvery to enjoy Sunday lunch together,