CtS Web Site

The girls have been away today at Alton Towers - they had free tickets. I couldn't go with them because I had a wedding. I was able, however, to complete the work on the Christ the Sower web site. This has been a massive project and is now drawing to a climax. We are ready to launch...

Deborah and Rupert

Great wedding this afternoon. Deborah and Rupert.

Deborah is going to be "Mrs Clarke" at Christ the Sower in Spetember. She is the granddaughter of Ron Cramp who I've known since coming to Shenley.

Tuesday

Long day... Got up early to work on the new CtS web site. Hoped for a break between 9 and 10 but Liz turned up - she'd got the venue for team space wrong so we had our monthly supervision session early... I was therefore a little late for the communion at Holy Trinity Wolverton - or rather I was two minutes early...

The afternoon involved some more work on fresh expressions publicity and a coffee with Andrew Gale the new chaplain of Oakhill STC...

The evening involved a Mission Partnership Exec meeting and I finished the day with a major redesign of the FXMK Web Site - finishing the day as it begun - ish...

Christ the Sower Fete

Christ the Sower Fete today - western style. They raised £1600 for funds! Well done all!

Feeling apathetic?

Went to "Nibbles and Niggles" at CtS this evening. Apparently there were eight governors and only two parents, so they decided to cancel it. I'm not sure whether I was counted as a governor or a parent this evening....

This is probably a worse turnout that the European elections. At least that was 35% - this was more like 1%. Is it because people don't care, or are they happy with things the way they are?

Wednesday

This morning I led the funeral for Audrey Dwan from William Sutton House - who I've been visiting for the past nine years. A sad occasion, but I was glad to be able to do it for her.

In the afternoon I led Worship on Wednesday at Kilkenny with a small group. I brought communion but the lady who most wanted it was ill in hospital...

I then visited my own nan in her nursing home and joined her for "Tea at the Ritz"... She wore a feather in her hat and we tried to talk while the staff paraded around in 20's outfits...

Christ the Sower Governors in the evening - more jobs added to the list...

Tueaday

Team Meeting
Supervisions Session with Liz
School Performance: Hagbane's Doom

Thursday

Morning - Dads in school day at CtS part 1
Late Morning - Coffee Plus Lent Group in Loughton
Afternoon - Dads in school day at CtS part 2
Early Evening - lots of ferrying - cubs and ballet
Evening - Wolverton joint PCC - presentation on share allocation
Late Evening - A couple of Lost podcasts and the latest BSG episode on iPod - I like "Head Dad" and am more convinced than ever that Starbuck is Daniel with reconfigured DNA - Boomer is Evil! How will it end?

Wednesday

Today's events included:
Time with Tim Clapton
The first "Worship on Wednesday" at Kilkenny House
Time with Peter Ballantine
Time with Karen Reeves
Christ the Sower Governors Meeting

No Magic on a Sunday

I was chatting to some people at school today and one of them told me a story about booking a children's party at a church (Anglican). Apparently all was fine until she mentioned that there would be a magician at the party. At this point the booking secretary paused and said that she would have to check this with the church council. In the end, it was decided that the party could take place on the condition that it wasn't on a Sunday - no magic allowed on a Sunday!

This raises all sorts of questions about magic, illussions and what we think goes on in Church. When is is "Magic!" (wow) ? - when is it magic? (spooky) - and when is it just an illussion? - or piece of helpful drama?

Had a good day today - the first Friday for a while without kids or work. We went to Wolverton Mill for lunch and had a relaxing afternoon - until it was time to pick them up from school... OFSTED have just reported on CtS - sounds like there is work to do...

Christ the Sower Interviews

Spent most of today in Christ the Sower interviewing prospective deputy heads...
Glad I don't have to go out to Winslow tonight and do a session on fresh expressions...

A day of three services...

This was the second day of the Watling Valley's 'vision weekend' with the annual covenant service at Christ the Sower School. Nick and Sheila led the service which had a fairly reformed feel. The seats were arranged in a cross formation with 'stations' in each aisle for the distribution of communion. This meant that people could look at each other... It was good to gather and re-affirm our commitment even though the attendance was fairly low - only ninety people out of a possible three hundred turned up...
We cycled there and back which gave me very brief slot for a bowl of soup before I headed back out for the baptism service at All Saints'. There were four children lined up for baptism in some lovely warm water. They all smiled when we brought them to the font and enjoyed the attention of the crowds...

While I was out the girls had got going on a game of Catan. I changed places with Isla who seemed to be doing quite nicely. The girls proceeded to attack me mercilessly with development cards and steel my sheep. I managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by building four roads in my final round, thereby claiming the 'longest road' and the asociated two points. A close thing... When did my children get good enough to beat me at games? How long will it be before they need to let me win for a change?

We had a quick early dinner before I had to head out again, this time for evensong at Willen church where I had the privilage of inducting Paul Smith as Team Rector. Quorum were singing and a good number of people turned up - inspite of the snow. I struggled to preach a satisfactory sermon in the five minute slot I had left at the end but I did my best. Five minuters are quite hard when you don't know the people... or am I too self-critical... All in all a good evening - but a long day...

Back home before the snow started again. All three girls in bed - but not asleep. Back to the computer to tackle a few jobs that needed to get done this weekend. These included the All Saints' contribution to the Loughton Residents Magazine - which needed to be done yesterday and some work for SU that was due on Friday... still, I can always work tomorrow night too...

Conscious of various little jobs that I could do with takling but I'll get there when I get there...

Carols for CtS

Today was a day of singing for the kids at CtS. There were two carols concerts at St Mary's Church. One in the morning (year 3 and 4) and one in the afternoon (year 5 and 6). The year 5/6 choir sang in both and had their lunch in the church.

These were great community events and a good number of parents turned up - many of them popping in during re-arranged lunch breaks. The children sang well and with real enthusiasm. The bells did indeed ring out this Christmas...

Celebrating with Christ the Sower

The Christmas party season has begun!

We joined the staff at Christ the Sower for their Christmas party tonight at the Grange. It was amazing to see how many staff this school now employs - compared to the small group who launched the school in the Green Building four years ago. How fast things can change!

This was officially my day off, but I've got so behind over the past few weeks with extra jobs and ill people that I needed to work. Not sure I made any progress, but I did clear my emails and choose some hymns for Sunday...

Christ the Sower Day

I spent the morning with Christ the Sower year 2 giving them a tour of St Mary's Shenley Church End.
I popped into New Life North for a ministers lunch (briefly) and then went back to Christ the Sower to be interviewed by Sycamore Class - and stayed around till the end of the day to pick up my own children....
This evening I go back to Christ the Sower for the Governors meeting...
One of the teachers complained that they don't see as much of me these days...

Taste and See

Christ the Sower School want some more Taste and See events this term. For those who can't remember, Taste and See is a non-linear worship event with simultaneous refreshments - or to put it more graphically, there are lots of activities going on at the same time and we call it worship.

Taste and See was a valuable fresh expression project last year which drew in a really interesting collection of people. The big issue was making it happen and we were largely dependent on people from within the school. I was also perhaps a little fx-fundamentalist and hoped to quickly develop a team from the non-church community, which was probably too ambitious. If T&S is to fly again it may need a group of church member supporters who will take the lead, particularly in setting up...

Anyway, there will be a Taste and See on November 5th, so we need to get planning... [or not. Apparently Nick's not free so they may be looking for another date...]

Tuesday

School - Jean wants a Taste and See on November 5th
Team Space - Nick helped us reflect on the parable of the Vineyard
Oakhill - Meeting to discuss chaplain's post
Home - paperwork - yawn...
Shopping - Morrisons - where prices are falling...

Nick Adlem's Induction

After a break of two whole years, Christ the Sower School has a chaplain again!

This afternoon there was a service of welcome and induction for Nick. It was a very URC service - which meant there were some fairly long prayers - but it also included that wonderful URC tradition of "telling the story". Alison told us (very briefly) the story of the appointment process from the Watling Valley perspective and Nick then responded by telling us about his own decisions.

When she spoke, Alison looked very relieved that this journey had reached its conclusion. She did very well to compress all the things we had to do into a very brief account.

Nick then told us about his dreams in Egypt last year where he felt the need to change horses. He also spoke about the "sign" that God gave him when he wanted to know if this was the right job for him. Apparently he and Heather-Anne saw a group of workmen raking some ground near Furzton Lake and then sowing seeds. It spoke to him of the sower imagery so central to the vision of the school. Isla found this particularly moving since she passes this field every day on her way to work.

At the end of the service they were presented with a (Sheila Wilson) cake to cut, which Nick compared to the sacrificial bulls used to make covenants in ancient times - and so with the stab of a knife, the deal was made...

...we're now in this together!
Many congratulations to Nick and Heather Anne and best wishes for the next few years!

Welcome

Isla and I popped in to see Nick and Heather-Anne Adlem this afternoon who have now arrived in the Watling Valley and are living in Pauline's former house in Emerson Valley. It was good to see them again and they seem reasonably pleased to be here. Nick will be welcomed as SCM minister and Chaplain of CtS on the 30th August.

Also - had a phone call from Nigel, Archdeacon of Newark, to follow up a conversation from 18 months ago. It was good to hear from him again and very interesting to note that the Diocese of Southall is restructuring. They're going from 14 to 9 deaneries (I think) and appointing half-time area deans in each - which mirrors our thoughts here and what I know is also happening in Canterbury. All very interesting...

Beginnings and Ends

It has been a busy day. I popped into Bletchley this morning to buy my own Birthday present, then attended a meeting with the Methodist Superintendent(s). It was then time for the leavers assembly at Christ the Sower at which I presented Bibles to the year sixes and sunflowers to the departing staff.

Since this was end of term I took the three girls out for tea at the harvester.