On the second day...

Second day back. I went for an early morning run to start the long process of working off the large ammount of cheese, wine, meat and pasta I've eaten on holiday. France is great, but a real killer when it comes to my eating habits... Bumped into Geoff Colmer, (our Baptist Regional Minister and Team Leader) who was out on his bike. He's been to the Lambeth Conference as an ecumenical observer and seems to have had a valuable time. (Do have a look at his blog, Wonder and Wondering, to see more...)

I had coffee with Mike Morris in the morning and we had a good chat about Watling Valley and its future. The theme of space was at top of our agenda - how do we create space for people to be? Particualraly in a world where so many people are so frazzled with over-work both in and out of church... Finding a way to do this will be crucial if we're to become a more mutaully supportive partnership with time and space for some of our long term dreams - like midweek worship and small groups. If growing disciples really is our top priorty then some things will have to change...

I've spent the rest of the day at my desk. Most of this time has been used to finish off a few projects. My desk is slowly clearing for what is ahead... Fortunatley August is a good time to ease in gently...

First Sunday of Lent

8:00am Holy Communion at All Saints
10:30am Holy Communion at All Saints - with introduction to Viewpoints / "Position"
2:00pm Baptism at All Saints
3:00pm Wedding Interview
6:30pm Growing Disciples

King Kong: What is his Viewpoint?

Growing Disciples

The serious work of the Growing Disciples retreat began in earnest in the morning and we motored through a very full agenda... We use the CPAS materials for Growing Leaders, and this session was all about Vision: What is it? How do we find it? How do we make it happen?
We've done this retreat before with a different group, but it didn't feel repetitive. This group had their own reflections and experiences. I think everyone found it valuable.
One of the hightlights was the peanut task. The challenge is to move a large pot of peanuts from one side of the room to the other, using the limited range of materials available. It's a competition and the winning group gets a chocolate bar.
Last year the groups got very competitive. They not only created splendid functional designs, they also decorated them - and tried to win points for sucking up to the judges!
This year's winning group decided to invite all the other groups to join them and share the prize. They then lined themselves up as a human chain and passed the peanuts along in a couple of small pots. It was creative, visionary and inspired! What can you say...
A long and full day, but a good one. Since the day focussed on vision, I found myself thinking about vision and the deanery... so I found the retreat useful myself...

Growing Disciples

The Growing Disciples Retreat took place over night at Begbroke. It's a valuable opportunity for those on the course to spend time in more focussed reflection, and it's usually a very productive time.
The evening started with a meal together in the pub. There were serious conversations, and less serious conversations. I've recorded a video of Ken twitching his ears - which may be shown at this years AGM if I can display it...