Monday

Have a cold, so didn't run today.
Spent a productive morning sending emails - yawn...
Had lunch with Ernesto.
Bought a new watch.
Took a funeral.
Went to High Wycombe...

I needed to buy a new watch because my latest (cheap) market watch beeps every hour and drives Isla mad! It must die! It's also rubbish.

I used some birthday money to buy a watch from an actual shop. I was torn between one that records multiple lap times (ideal for running) and one that receives an acurate time signal from a transmitter in Rugby (ideal for services and meetings - work in other words). The sports watch was too fiddly and wouldn't have been practical on the move, so I opted for the work model - so at least I will now know if services really start on time - or meetings go on too long!

I had one of these watches before and got quite addicted to knowing the exact time down to the closest millisecond. In a funny kind of way it makes you feel in control, although, of course, you're simply going along with what the Rugby transmitter claims the correct time to be...

If I was the kind of person who likes to make create sermons out of cans of peaches(!) this would be an opportunity to create a Gospel message about God as your spiritual Rugby. You need to keep tuning in on a regular basis and keep yourself on step with him... but since I don't go in for that sort of thing, you've nicely avoided a sermon...

Back to Work

Back to work today...
I dragged myself up for 8:00am - which felt challenging having sat up till 1:00am planning the day... Preached on the Samariton Woman at the Well.
Went to Holy Cross for the 9:00am Communion - Samairiton Woman again... (shortened version - the sermon not the woman)
Popped back to the house for my guitar to play "Be still" for the 9:45am service at which Liz was preaching - she also needed to borrow some sandles and a baby blanket - something about Moses...
Then back to All Saints for the 10:30am service on the theme of Spiritual Gifts. All in a days work...

Home for bowl of soup.

Visited Tim and Julie. Julie is looking better, but still feeling awful after her car crash.
Then popped in to see Paul and Molly at the Hospice. Delivered copy of Voices.

Service Planning Meeting at 3:00pm: We worked through the plan up to Septmber/October with some thought about Christmas and the Silver Jubillee celebrations in October 2009.

Went home to cook tea - Chiken Tikka Masala with coliflour.
Gils had cooked cake - yum.

Watched Wife Swap in the evening. Pastor's wife swaps with smoking, gambling, boozing fellow Christian. Great to see that we have all sorts in the Church(!) The highlight was when the slightly up-tight pastor blew £63 on the dogs... and then his wife found out... oops...

Bed and sleep. ZZZZZZZ

Extended Schools

Went to an extended schools conference today, and spent some time thinking about what churches can contribute to the community. Here are some thoughts...

I believe that churches can offer ""gifts"" in four significant areas:

1. Gift of Infrastructure
Churches can offer community space, e.g. halls and churches. They can also offer formal and informal networks and structures of communication.

2. Gift of Services
Churches can offer groups and activities for particular groups, e.g. children and older people. They also offer explicitely "spiritual" activities within the community.

3. Gift of People
Churches are often significant providers of the people who make things hapen in the community. Church members can also be people who support and encourage community initiatives. Churches need to recognise that they need to support their people in these roles.

4. Gift of Meaning
Churches offer a space or a process for "interpretation" and reflection. They also embody a set of values that gives significance to individuals, families and to the community itself - in a way that the "market" can't.

These are four gifts that the church can give to the wider community. The interesting thing to do, would be to look at the life and work of our communities in the light of these criteria.