Team Away Day

The Watling Valley Ministry Team had a half day away as a team today at the Well to talk about our purpose. It was a good discussion and we produced four draft purposes:

1. To provide spiritual leadership - which is all about theological reflection, guidance and accompaniment rather than control - recognising that leadership is shared by the whole community.
2. To nurture discipleship - which includes members of the team itself - since we all need to grow as people of God.
3. To maintain the authenticity of worship - which is a key role for ordained and incumbent clergy who have responsibility for the conduct of worship on behalf of their denominations.
4. To provide mutual support for one another.

We also began to talk about values and how an understanding of our purpose may affect the way we meet.

Ministers West - Imagining Church

The West flank ministers had a bit of a day together. I was able to be there in the afternoon when Paul Desborough and I shared our experiences on the Masterclass in Sustainable Development. We made some "rich pictures". Here is the Church in wesk MK as it is now:
...and here is the way we dream it could be:

Watling Valley Calendar

Sunday

My Sunday started with a trip to All Saints' Loughton for the 8 O'clock Communion. I passed the church warden, David Thom, in his home made car. He and Mark Featherstone were off on a car rally finishing with a picnic at Silverstone. It was a great day for it, so I hope they had a good time...

After the BCP Communion Service (which the Prayer Book Society think we don't do) I headed over to St Mary's Shenley for Holy Communion with Baptism.

As you can see from the pictures, the choir are sitting in the congregation at the moment because the organ is broken. The repair bill is around £4K but people are working hard to raise the cash. In the meantime it's quite good to hear them leading the singing from the nave...

The baptism went well although I found their current order of service a bit wordy with lots of additional text. I had to depart from the script a couple of times to concentrate on the family. I'm wondering if it would be a good idea for the worship leaders to look at producing their own order of service for a baptism service...

It was a great celebration although there are clearly issues about baptisms on a Sunday morning: a large proportion of regulars stay away but we still do a full service to meet the needs of those who do come; we have many guests but give them a very churchy service that makes some of them uncomfortable.... There are some serious missiological issues to raise here... I really wonder if Sunday morning is the best time for baptisms... The problem is exacerbated at 11:00 but there are real resource issues if we do anything different - on the other hand the cost of not changing our ways may also be high...

After Shenley I headed over to St George's Wolverton for their St George's Day service. As I arrived the beavers, cubs and scouts were busy researching St George. This was Jeremy's lasts service before his sabbatical so I wish him well for the next three months - particularly for his plan to do some serious guided reading. He tells me that if he follows the reading list he will need to read a book a day. All I can say is good luck with that... and remember to enjoy some rest!

I was there to give Mark Hurley his licence as an NSM assistant curate. It was good to be able tto do this on a Sunday morning and for the congregation to show their support. Many blessings and good wishes to Mark - particularly during Jeremy's sabbatical...

After St George's I headed off for the scouting jamboree for the Great Ouse district over at Willen Lake. On the way I popped in to Woolstones and said hello to the people there. It was good to see them again and to see Cathi settled in.

When I got to Willen Lake I turned my phone on and discovered that Isla had dropped the kids off and gone home... oops! Back in the car and home for a late lunch before a quick trip to Dobbies for a cup of tea. Buy some plants. Pick kids up. Back home. Early tea. Back out for the Watling Valley AGM at which my only duty was to play a video...

This was the last Watling Valley AGM for Alison as Lay Chair. She was given a plant and a round of applause. Alison has been a very organised Lay Chair, which is what we needed after several years of rapid change...

Unfortunately, after an away day that called out "Steady as she goes!" we may well be into a period of rapid and chaotic change again (not that the last three years have beed dull!)

Watling Valley is facing serious challenges on the money front - particularly in relation to the deficit at Servant King and the need to support three full-time ministers. There are also long term challenges about pastoral care, worship, communication and more... Nick Adlem described these as the icebergs which may sink the SS Watling Valley if we keep ploughing on as we are...

Watling Valley is now on at least three parallel plans. We have a pattern of vision days which are supposed to clarify what we want to do, we have an application in process for a URC minister, and we have a new process in place to make a decision about Anglican deployment. They're all interelated but not in a particularly linear way... Going to be fun!

(I have often suggested that we need to look at our ministry needs, look at our available resoures and then decide what staff we need to fulfil our mission/vision. Hopefully this is what we will now do.)

And finally home... couldn't sleep so ended up playing Guitar Hero - I rock!

Local Worship Rules!

A few years ago (as the Watling Valley was coming together in a more integrated way) we had couple of years during which we held some really incredible Holy Week journeys. Each year we followed a different Gospel account and we had a series of events during the week which followed the story. They were great events - although some groups didn't get the idea and gave us Good Friday on the Monday and the Resurrection on the Thursday - but there you go! By and large, these were big weeks and we put a lot of energy into promoting and coordinating them... We tried various tricks to make it work, including setting up cross-partnership teams to work in other people's churches, and insisting that there be only one event on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday... These weeks were hard work but they did help build our partnership unity and created some meaningful worship journeys.

A few years ago, the trend began to move the other way as churches began to push for "their" local events. The week began to break up into a series of connected or unconnected services. Attendance began to drop and a new pattern began to emerge. As I go around the churches I know that leaders tend to promote the events that are due to take place in their building or that they are personally involved in - and this does make sense - but it also means that a Partnership wide approach to Holy Week is problematic...

I was asked to organise an Easter Labyrinth this year. I should say that I wasn't present when I was volunteered and I probably wouldn't have agreed to it had I been there. Labyrinths are incredibly hard work and take a lot of preparation. They're probably not worth doing for a one off event and should probably be set up for a few days, but I was happy to organise one since it had been requested.

I think I spent around fifteen hours pulling things together and setting it up. It'll take another two or three hours to tidy up the mess in my study, car and garage. These are not low maintenance events!

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It was a good event and those who turned up did get something out of it - but here's my point - it was a clear demonstration of the tendency for Easter services to become "local"...

Of the group who helped organise it, all four were Christ the Sower governors.

Of the ten people who actually turned up to walk the Labyrinth, seven were my own family and friends, one was a CtS governor, one was from St Mary's and one from All Saints'. As Isla and I observed afterwards, we'd have got a better turn out if we had just targeted our own friends and family with personal invites.

As I said, I'm not complaining, but I am observing that these events are not working as Partnership services. People want to celebrate Easter with those they know in places where they feel at home. In the early post-SHIFT era, we tended to organise Partnership wide events because that was the fairest way of spreading the clergy out more thinly that we could with one full-timer per church. We don't have to do that now. Each church community could organise its own event, when and where it felt most appropriate - for its own mission and spirituality needs.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do think there is value in some joint events. It is great to meet together at dawn on Easter Day and light our paschal candles together. I think that is deeply symbolic of all that unites us. I also agree that it is better (from the point of view of resources) to organise big children's activities together - but - let's get real - local churches know best how to meet the needs of their members and their target audience. Mission is not served by unity for unity's sake! Next year, I really hope that we will try a different approach to Holy Week that will let churches pull their shackles off and show us what they can do!

The Long Clear-up

The snow is slowly being cleared from Milton Keynes and the rubbish is being collected - eventually. It is taking a long time to clear up the mess left by ice and snow...
A similar thing is happening with clergy deployment and two strands of this came together in a meeting this afternoon...
The first strand is the need to have legal, transparent and accountable structures for appointments and decision-making. This strand has been particularly prominent in the discussions about the Mission Partnership and its review. We need to make sure that everything in done properly so that decisions and appointments are valid and everything can run smoothly - in tough times as well as when everyone is happy.
In the Watling Valley (as in Stantonbury and Willen) this is being worked out (at least in part) through the lifting of suspensions, the appointment of Team Rectors and the re-drafting of team ministry schemes. It may feel like a load of legal nonsense, but it is important that everything is set up so that appointments are made according to the rules and that parishes/partnerships can function properly.
The tricky bit in this instance is that the LEPs were established in woolier times when a great deal of flexibility was encouraged in order to bring people closer together. Rules may not have been broken - but they were certainly stretched. This raised unrealistic expectations and may have led to unneccesary conflicts. As one colleague told me a while ago, "It's like being married for thirty years and finding out that the other person understood the relationship in a very different way to you!" Unfortunatley, that may have been a very accurate observation...
In Watling Valley we have to appoint a Team Rector who will have responsibility for certain Anglican legal business, including the signing of sharing agreements and other documents. There is no reason, however, why this person needs to be the Team Leader - or even fulfil a leadership function at all... It's just a question of being legal.
The scheme will also be ammended to include a representative of the Mission Partnership in all appointents - and Team Vicars/Rectors will also be able to interview prospective colleagues. These are changes that are now possible and it's well worth writing them in...
It is not however, possible at this time, to include all ministers on the interview panel - or use the appointment procedures of another denomination. This may be disapointing for some but there are limits to what we can legally do. The important thing is that decisions are made in a legal and transparent way - and that everyone is included in an appropriate way... which is quite possible.
The second strand is the discussion about deanery posts. In the past these were simply dropped into Milton Keynes with no overall plan - and the expectation that the denominations would just pay for them. In recent years it has become obvious that this is not a sensible approach and that some strategic thinking would be needed.
In 2007 we began a discussion about these posts and started to think about how we would use them, how they would be set up, and how many we could justify. A working group came up with the proposal that we have three half-time posts which would be rooted in half-time parish/local ministry:

1. Strategy/Coordination - planning, organisation, communication, etc... The work traditionnally done by area deans in their "spare" time in addition to their parochial repsonsibilites. We've been fortunate that previous ADs have worked in small churches or large teams so they have had capacity, but the workload is increasing and the workforce is dimminishing...
2. Mission/Empowerment - The work previously done by Tim Clapton and others, making links and discovering possibilities, helping churches to engage with the local community and wider world...
3. Traning/Nurture - The work traditionally done by the Training Officer through the training commission, etc... Peter Ballantine has been looking at ways of making this more responsive to local needs and this movement could continue...

We put this idea forward and attempted to discuss it at Pastoral Committee level with help from outside. This was perhaps a too radical proposal for Spring 2008... In the end it was decided that the easiest way to move forward would be to set aside a "mothballed post" to release the Area Dean 3/4 time to work do the AD work - and move things forward so that an acceptable strategy could be negotiated...
For various reasons this discussion has dragged on and dragged on until we have lost our focus on why this discussion started in the first place! It seemed like a sensible (and non-controvertial) thing to start with the Area Dean - because no-one else would be particulalry affected... One year later and this whole thing has been through so many different phases that I'm beginning to loose track myself... It's time to finish this off and move on... and we need to do so for the sake of Watling Valley.
Looking back, I think I might have suggested leaving the Area Dean post until last - perhaps after I've gone...
Lesson to learn: sometimes it's easier to work harder rather than smarter...

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...

A Tale of Two Away Days

You wait for months for an away day and two turn up at the same time! Today I attended a vision day at Christ the Sower School and an away day with St Fridewswide Water Eaton at Queensway Methodist Church. I achieved this miracle of bi-location by spending the first couple of hours with Watling Valley, the middle of the day with Water Eaton and the final couple of hours back in Watling Valley again. This proved to be a fairly good strategy since I got the general gist of the day in both places...

Both days followed a similar basic structure, although the details varied. St Frideswide started the day with a look at what they are doing at the moment and the way their activity could be mapped to the five marks of mission. Watling Valley briefly reviewed the SHIFT and B&DC years before Nick lead us through some Building Healthy Churches material on 'the Angel of the Church'.

Watling Valley then looked at the things they have been doing well and the things they feel called to do next. In the meantime, St Frideswide were thinking of things they could do in the coming year - if time and money were no object. I particularly enjoyed the idea of demolishing the church and replacing it with a large multi-story building encorporating car parks and a swimming pool encased in an Eden Project style dome...

Both groups finished with a list of posible actions to which stickers, or sliced post-its were attached to indicate priority.

I do enjoy these kind of days, partly because of the relationships which are built up when people spend time together. I'm also convinced that there is huge value in stopping for a bit of stratgeic thought and setting a few priorities.

And the conclussions?

St Frideswide's have a new list of actions to take on, but I would be really interested in following up some conversations about discipleship both within the church and in the local community. It's good to have a lot of people who do things, but it's also important to be intentional disciples who are continually learning and growing - even if the jobs don't get done. This could be a really valuable area to explore further.

Watling Valley seemed to finish their day with a general sense that they are heading in the right dirrection - with many possible areas for development, growth and improvement. Having been part of a number of such events in the Watling Valley over the years it's really good to hear that tone of firm but self-aware confidence. My only additional comment would be that each church or community may need different input or resourcing from the Partnership as a whole if it is to bed-in significant change, grow further or tackle tricky issues. There is an important cycle to be encouraged of local becoming partnership, which supporting the local, which resources the partnership, and so on...

I leave you with a wonderful piece of art produced by Mike Geaney. I don't know what it means:

Networks need to Twitter

I've been thinking a lot this week about networks and networking and how we make them work. While thinking about real flesh and blood people I've also been trying out Twitter which I've enjoyed as an added tool for social networking - although I still don't think there's much radically new about it...

As I think about the real world networks around me I note that their biggest failure is rarely in the communication of big news - it's the little nuggets that tend to get missed or forgotten - resulting in missed opportunities and petty rivalry: one church has an issue with discipleship and plans to run a course while another church has a course to offer but no-one turns up; one minister wants to make his church the local centre for healing or youth work - while his neighbour has a similar vision half a mile up the road...

I've come to the concussion that clergy need to have Twitter installed in their brains at ordination so that their dreams, plans and visions will be instantaneously shared with their colleagues. This would produce some wonderful synergy as resources were shared, dreams combined and support given.

It's the gossipy, inconsequential nature of Twitter or Facebook which gives them their power. As people share the little things that they happen to be thinking about, or interested in, all kinds of conversations and exchanges begin to take place. We had an away day in the Watling Valley today and I suspect it was the little conversations that will have the deepest consequences - rather than the big decisions - not that there were any. People came together and chatted. The results of this may never be known but they will be real...

The network intelligence of the church is not found in her brilliant strategists or brightest thinkers, it is found in her ability to dream as one body.

Those who seek to serve the church need to learn how to strengthen links which they will not control, join conversations in which they will not participate and create space which they will not fill. The devil may often be in the detail, but God is always found when human beings give him room to manoeuvre.

Gearing up for a Recession

This evening was one of those classic first-day-back-at-work days with activity throughout the day and multiple meetings in the evening... what fun...

This evening's meetings were both worth while. Mary Cotes skipped the Mission Partnership Exec and gave a presentation to the Watling Valley about the Mission Partnership review - which seemed to focus on vision and was well received.

Although I did pop into the second half of this meeting I decided to go to the Exec - largely because my name was on the agenda a few times... mostly for reports from project groups...

This meeting did give me the opportunity to raise an issue that I've been thinking about for a few weeks...

I've been pondering the credit crunch and the oncoming recession and wondering what we should do about it. It seems to me that it would be easy for churches in MK to drift through it as bystanders. On the other hand there are some real issues beginning to emerge and there may be some useful things that we could do to prepare or respond as the economic downturn begins to affect people around us.

What we're going to do next is arrange a day at the end of January when four or five of our specialists do a bit of information gathering and speak to some of the key experts and authorities in the city. This day will hopefully give us a chance to take a snapshot of the situation in the city and give us some indication of the potential needs. My hope is that we would then be able to advise the churches about what appropriate action they could take locally or collectively.

I'm mentioning this on the blog, partly to let people know what we're up to, but also to invite responses - and start the process of information gathering - so if you have any factual or anecdotal information about the effects of the downturn on Milton Keynes please drop me line.

Another Bad Day...

Izzy at home...

Cancelled my plans...

As soon as Isla and Iona came home I went round to Ron and family to discuss Joy's funeral.

WVEC in the evening. We discussed money...

Tuesday

Today was one of those days with multiple appointments and seconds to spare as I moved from one event to the next - but they were all good!

I started the day with a bit of a rush as I rushed around photocopying things while Izzy practised her cello at home for the first time! I was then delayed at school where a new teacher was trying to work out which door to open...

After a final stop at home to finish the photocopying I finally got the Well by 9:15 - fifteen minutes late. I wasn't the last to arrive however, since Colin had helpfully guided Steven Mosedale off to a completely different room. This was eventually discovered and the WVEP team come together for some very interesting discussions. Fresh expressions were on the agenda and some story telling and reflection took place...

After team space, I had a supervision session with Liz, who is doing really well as curate in the Watling Valley. Her next challange is to make a more definite link with St Mary's as a home church. I look forward to seeing how she tackles this.

At 12 I had to woosh off to Fishermead to join the Woughton Team for their weekly team lunch. They're a great bunch of people and it was good to see them getting on well and working together. We discussed weddings and the interviews for the new team vicar on Wednesday.

Unfortunatley I only had an hour for this aswell and had to rush home to pick up Paul and head off to Aylesbury for the Archdeaconry Pastoral Committee. This committee is one of those neccessary mechanisms through which significant decisions need to be passed, but there were some exciting plans in the pipeline so it felt worthwhile. It also provided me with an opportunity to ask some questions of my own after the meeting - giving me two very interesting answers concerning two very different MK issues... I was also asked to kick off the discussions about a Team Rector in Watling Valley - since the suspension is due to be lifted in February.

Finally back home with jobs to do. I finally collapsed into the bath - only to get up again for a late night readings and themes session - January to March 2010 would you bnelieve!

Liz Baker at the Altar

This evening Liz Baker, from the Well and Watling Valley, presided at communion for the first time. She took a five O'clock service at the Church of the Servant King in Furzton, ans preached about food and faith...

Her sermon prop was an oven glove that she won at a harvest raffle the night before. It was covered with pictures of food and the appropriate biblical references.

At the end of the service, Mike, Team Leader of the Watling Valley, presented her with a pretend red stole - to stand in for the real one when it arrives.

It was a great service (although numbers were not high) and we all enjoyed seeing Liz begin this new ministry.

From her point of view this is time for relief. She's done it now! Next time won't be quite so frightening...

New Priests for Milton Keynes

On the evening of Sunday 5th October David Bell and Liz Baker were ordained priest at All Saints' High Wycombe. Bishop Alan led the service and his chaplain, Rosie Harper, preached, comparing ordination to the experience of opening a big pot of Marmite, only to be drenched in beetroot juice - a true story apparently.

Dave Bell: I originate from Liverpool but spent most of my earlier years in Cardiff. After a few years in Weston-Super-Mare I went to Bishop Otter College in Chichester where I trained as a PE teacher. I taught in various schools in the South East as Head of PE and Games and teacher of Geography. After selection I trained on the Oxford Ministry Course and enjoyed placements at Woodhill Prison and St Mary and St Giles in Stony Stratford.

I am now an NSM curate at St James Church, New Bradwell in Milton Keynes. I am married to Kath and have three children, Saskia (18), Lydia (16) and Tim (13). My full time job is that of a teacher at Chesham Prep School, who have been very supportive over my ministry during my three years of training and beyond.

I love sport and my son and I have season tickets for the MK Dons but I also like rugby, hockey and many other team games. I enjoy going to the gym and cycling.

St James is a great church to work in and I have been made very welcome there by the congregation and the local community. Chris Collinge is my incumbent and she has been a great source of energy and humour over this last year. I look forward to continuing my Curacy there and furthering my experience.

(Dave Bell was previously a member of St Mary's Shenley in the Watling Valley)

Liz Baker: I am serving my title in the Ecumenical Parish of Watling Valley where I work as a part time Assistant Curate. This is a parish with five churches with very different characters, expectations and congregations, and during the past year I have been working with all five, getting to know the people and the area. It has been a challenging and exciting year and I am looking forward to new responsibilities and challenges ahead.

I live at the Well Community where I work ad Director of the Well Project. 'The Well' (a work of the Society of the Sacred Mission (SSM) ) is and Ecumenical and Interfaith Community. Our name is taken from the story of Christ and the woman of Samaria and informs community life along with our five core values of Spirituality, Hospitality, Inclusivity, Peace and Justice and Sustainability. We offer retreats, an annual programme, a healing ministry, and we welcome guests and volunteers. We have a substantial Theological and Spiritual Library. Our focus 'creating community... making for encounter' emphasises bringing people together for hospitality, worship, support and to work for social justice. Life within the community, both stimulating and challenging, has enabled me to fulfil my calling to ministry.

I am married to Robin (who works part time as a Quaker Prison Chaplain at Woodhill) and we have 4 children, James 28, Iain 26, Catriona (Catie) 18 and Taran 17. We have lived in Milton Keynes since 1986 and have both been part of the Ecumenical movement and members of Milton Keynes Quaker Meeting for most of that time. We are both Associates of SSM.

My other interests include drama and movement, history and archaeology, writing and time permitting, long distance walking.

Please pray for Dave, Liz and all those ordained for ministry in our deanery, archdeaconry and diocese.

Busy Day

Team Meeting - briefly
Ecumenical Oversight Group
Voices Editorial Meeting
Meet the Teacher
Deanery Synod

Team Meeting

We had a Watling Valley Ministry Team meeting tonight. We spent a lot of time discussing pastoral care and the meeting planned for the 18th. We also had a very brief 5 minute update on LSM and discussed Jeff's placements. This was Nick's first meeting.

Brenda and Stephen

Today we welcomed Brenda and Stephen Mosedale, who are taking up a shared position as superintendent ministers for the Milton Keynes Methodist Circuit.

Brenda is a doctor and wants to find part-time work in her specialist area - which includes drug abuse and issues of exclusion. Stephen is busy finishing off a PhD.

As part of this appointment process, the circuit has noted that Watling Valley and Cornerstone have not had a historic input of Methodist ministry. The Mosedales will therefore be providing a proportion of their time to these two communities - which will need to be paid for in the 2009 budget...

While this is a good idea, it has implications for the organisational life of local partnerships. The methodist circuit (and probably increasingly the URC in MK) think in terms of the city/borough/area as a whole. The Anglican deanery has also begun to contemplate half/quarter posts as a way of providing small pockets of mission investment. I suspect that this appointment (from a Watling Valley point of view at least) represents part of a shift from entirely local teams to ministry teams made up of a range of partial/non-stipendiary posts. This will have implications for planning, strategy and team-building - although it may take a while for consequences to become clear - and many of them will be positive - just different - prepare for change... (For those who have read "Joining the Rainbow" could I refer you to my chapter on non-local ministry - "The Big Picture")

Anyway, putting such thoughts to one side for a moment, I wish Brenda and Stephen well for the next period of their Christian ministry and look forward to working with them.

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!

The Joy of Teams

Today included two sessions with teams. I joined the Watling Valley Ministry Team for coffee at Asda this morning (Nick's first Team Space) and then had lunch with the Deanery Leadership Team. It was good to see people and I'm slowly discovering what I missed while on sabbatical.

Team Meeting

Another break in the sabbatical - this time for the Ministry Team, to discuss All Saints.
Back home in time for "You've been Fired" - not suprised it was Lucinda, but thought she was a good project manager. She blew it when she needed to follow...