A bed of roses

On Saturday, I stood for two hours in a biting wind in St Luke's (aka 'The Bombed Out Church in Liverpool' - look it up!).  It was hit by a bomb during a Sunday service during the blitz of 1941 and has stood without roof and windows as a war memorial ever since.  It is also the titular church of my parish - St Luke-in-the-City - so formed a focus for some events during the recent Bishops' Mission.  This is when all the Bishops from across the north of England visit each others' Diocese - this year it was Liverpool's turn.  The Bishop who was supposed to visit our event (Bishop Toby from Bradford) didn't turn up.

Anyway, we were there to listen to the Formby Brass Band and to promote two new congregations - 'That Music Thing' and my own 'A Taste of God'.  We did give a few leaflets away but most of the people who came in were tourists who were only there for the weekend.  Anyway, we got to speak to people and be 'Christians in public', so that was something.

Then, 'A Taste of God' had its first meeting/service/whatever on Tuesday! *excited Rosa*  After nearly a year in the planning, it finally happened.  It's a 'simple half-hour service' - a bit of liturgy, a reading, time for discussion followed by open intercessions, with some liturgy to finish - but I can't tell you how much planning went into it.  And I wasn't even 'preaching'!  I kept thinking of stuff - like a cross for the table, and how to dress the table to fit with the theme (Baptism of Christ), and how to arrange the furniture (which was a moot point because the tables were all joined together), and... and... and...

But it all went off beautifully.  I prayed for one person to come that I didn't know and the Rector brought someone from her book group!  I don't often pray for something so specific and I don't think I've ever had such a direct answer to prayer before.  I told her she was an answer to prayer!

We had talked about using water for the intercessions - inviting people to dip their hands in a bowl or something.  Then I was worried about how to dispose of the water afterwards (although there were both an outside balcony and some toilets just outside the room, as it turned out), so I cut out some drops from shiny blue paper.  The idea was for people to take a drop and lay it on the cloth we were using to represent the River Jordan and to say a prayer - or to pray silently.  Even the newbie (who has no experience of church at all) had a go.

Things we still need - a facebook page and, probably, a twitter account; a banner for the ground floor of the library as well as for outside the room.  But these are the things you find out as you go along!

It was a day of firsts.  It was also the first time I've led a service and really not felt much from it.  Other people have described this to me and I've never really understood it.  But I think I was so anxious about the whole thing, and about getting everything set up, and not knowing where to get the key for the room...  Yeah, I had a lot of unholy, but very necessary!, things to manage, whereas in church everything is there or within easy reach.

Anyway, now I can relax for a couple of weeks because other people are managing those, apart from having to be there to get the key because I'm the person who booked the room.  Although I do need someone to put up their hand for 26 March...

Yesterday, I took a day off work to join in with a meeting for the Bishop's Reviewers.  Every year, clergy have a Ministerial Direction Review - aka annual appraisal - to look at their personal growth and their work in their parish.  Of course, this presents an immediate problem because not all clergy work in parishes - some work as chaplains, for example.  Anyway, there is a feeling that the system mostly works but can be improved.

I did my training - four days on a coaching course called 'Better Conversations' - more than two years ago but still haven't done a review.  I raised this after the meeting and spoke to the right people and I think something might happen!  One of the people I was introduced to is a retired prison chaplain who is passionate about the uniqueness of chaplaincy.  Chaplains tend to be part of a more work-like structure with formal line-management, so the professional side is taken care of.  However, they can also find themselves in environments where the faith side of their work is barely understood, so having a review with someone who speaks the language would e helpful.  I think I could be a good fit there - I'm in a working environment but have the faith side to accompany it.  We shall see...

So, it's been a bit of a holy week and March has more holy stuff in store!