Blogs

• learning the art of going fishing - Mon 31st December 2018 - … or, reflections on creating spaces for missional conversations A short time after I arrived in Cullompton I received a telephone call from the secretary of a church nearby.  They had recently refurbished their building and wanted me to go and give them some pointers on how best to use it to ‘get new people …

• the end of an era… or on the threshold of something new…? - Wed 19th December 2018 - … a concluding reflection on my ‘Hug Cullompton’ years.  At the weekend I said my goodbyes to those I have walked this journey with. This week my family and I will move on to pastures new. Endings are often sad, and for me this ending is made all the more poignant by the fact I …

• What to do about angels… - Wed 12th December 2018 - … or, a reflection on what we understand by the term ‘angel’ Last week I took my final pub carol service at my current local, the Pony and Trap.  It was a fabulous occasion, with readings taken straight from the Bible and carol singing led by the community choir. The theme of this year’s service …

• Walking where Christians fear to tread - Tue 4th December 2018 - …or, exploring faith with people who practise ‘alternative spiritualities’ I have already written about the first time the group which became Hug Cullompton met. What I haven’t written about is what happened the evening before. I had been at the town’s intercessory prayer group.  It was an ‘invitation only’ group, and as I was quite …

• The thorny issue of pastoral visiting - Wed 28th November 2018 - … or, understanding why pastoral visiting is an issue of such contention. In the letters section of the past two issues of Reform (the United Reformed Church’s national magazine), pastoral visiting by ministers (or lack thereof) has once again become the subject of attention.  Ever since I was at ‘Minister School’ it was an issue: …

• a vision and a challenge for the future - Sat 17th November 2018 - .. or, the call to break open the jars containing our Christian treasures and share them with others. When I was exploring a possible move to Cullompton I visited a number of local groups and individuals to test whether it was the right decision.  One meeting I had was with two female clergy members who …

• Is God a man? No, of course HE’s not! - Tue 30th October 2018 - … or, the art of choosing words carefully when we speak of God. One of the most fascinating conversations I have had in recent years was about what to call God. We were writing our prayer, which is a response to the Lord’s Prayer. Although it is the term Jesus himself used, we really didn’t …

• learning the art of not fitting in - Tue 16th October 2018 - …or, when being beyond the fringe of the church becomes a bit uncomfortable Shortly after writing our Hug Prayer in 2015 we decided to renew our window display. The prayer, smartly framed, took pride of place alongside a number of other eye-catching items, including some beautifully coloured and shaped crystals. A week or two later …

• making our mission and ministry Jesus-shaped - Thu 11th October 2018 - … or, learning, through reading the Bible, how to serve others as Jesus did. Since handing in my notice last week (I am about to move to pastures new), I have been reflecting, not only on what has been achieved through my ministry, but why and how.  To do so I have returned to a …

• The reality of growing up English - Tue 2nd October 2018 - or, reflections on how we construct our understanding of the world (and our churches) The Secret Scripture, a novel by Sebastian Barry (made into a 2015 film), tells the story of Roseanne McNulty, an old woman who has been in an Irish psychiatric institution for more than sixty years. Through her diary entries, existent scraps …

• When theory becomes experience in the breaking of bread - Wed 26th September 2018 - … or, the joy of sharing Holy Communion round a table A Bishop recently asked me if I thought the Church could exist without Sacraments.  The conversation we were having revolved around the Eucharist – also known as the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. It is the bit of the service, usually at the end, …

• ‘Mission With’ – more than just a theoretical concept - Tue 18th September 2018 - …or, ‘coincidence’ as a mark of God’s presence in community It is nearly six years since a leaflet advertising a United Reformed Church initiative called ‘ArtTalk’ happened to float across my desk at a committee meeting. I shall call it ‘Coincidence’ Number 1.  It was the first of number of ‘coincidences’ which help shaped my …

• The trouble with Baptism: Part Two - Tue 11th September 2018 - …or, what to consider when bringing a new church into being through the sacrament of Baptism Shortly after our little community Hug Cullompton began to meet, I had my first request for Baptism.  The candidate was a woman I met when leading a carol service at the local pub. I explained that Baptism is a …

• The trouble with Baptism: Part One - Tue 21st August 2018 - …or, the dilemma of how to welcome non-practising Christians into church to have their Baby ‘Christened’. In the year or so after giving birth to my daughter, it felt as though I had cornered the ‘Naming Ceremony’ market in my local area.  I got to know quite a few of the parents of babies born …

• Faith inspiring action through the power of touch - Tue 14th August 2018 - … or, why the ministry of touch is about more than just hugging Unsurprisingly, one of Hug Cullompton‘s main spiritual activities is hugging, a practice not without controversy.  When our delegation went to the Town Council to ask for sponsorship, it was suggested that we might be a safeguarding risk! The community police officer simply …

• living creatively with difference - Tue 7th August 2018 - or, getting to the heart of what really matters When I started training for ministry in 1999 I was introduced to a whole new range of terms – well, not introduced, actually.  I was expected to know them. They included the words conservative, liberal, fundamentalist, evangelical and open. I knew the first two – although …

• learning to search for common ground - Tue 31st July 2018 - …or, delving beneath the surface of linguistic difference One Easter the local Baptist Church hall was transformed from preschool into Art Exhibition. On Good Friday, I agreed to steward, on the proviso I could nip out when the joint churches ‘Walk of Witness’ arrived so I could do a reading. That morning the other volunteer steward …

• Church ‘in the thick of it’ - Mon 23rd July 2018 - ..or, refocusing the core identity of the church I recently attended a session entitled ‘Ministry on the Edge’, although I wasn’t sure what ‘on the edge’ meant. Was it working in ‘edgy’ roles, ministering to people ‘on the edge’ of the church or engaging with those on the margins of society? I was reminded of …

• Church and the ‘Missing Generation’… - Tue 17th July 2018 - What is it that attracts and keeps young people in church through their teens and into adult life? As a child I remember finding church incredibly boring.  The main service was incurably dull, and Sunday School lessons always involved listening to a story then colouring in a picture to do with it. The wooden chairs …

• forming community through (a) prayer - Wed 11th July 2018 - The story of the ‘Hug Prayer’ A friend recently asked me, “Why do they keep changing what they put in the Bible?” I was confused. As far as I was concerned the contents of the Bible were more or less fixed in the second century, give or take the odd section, and a bit of …