The last few weeks!

It’s been a busy few weeks as usual! After receiving the news of where I was going next year I went to Cambridge ready to drive to Cornwall, for Jez and Lois’ wedding! So I then had a 3 day adventure- I drove down to Cornwall on the Friday, spent Friday night in Falmouth and catching up with friends, Saturday was the wedding and then drove back to Cambridge on the Sunday! It was crazy, but great fun! Some of us from Uni and other friends of Lois’ stayed at a Christian retreat centre, just outside Falmouth. It was really cheap and great to stay with friends who I haven’t seen for a while! What was slightly fun was finding the place! Lois’ Dad went and lined the route with balloons! I arrived to collect people staying at the centre and Lois kindly offered for us to drive in convoy! So off we went, the centre was on a farm, so we kept following and following, going down a single track! When we got to the last bit some people had to get out of the cars in order that the cars didn’t scrape on the bottom! It was all good fun! When friends arrived at midnight me and Jon (one of my friends from College) went out to meet them to bring them back! It was easier than trying to work out where they were once lost!
So the Saturday was the wedding itself, it was wonderful and really special to be able to share in such times with friends! It was good to see friends again and catch up! The reception was lovely, after the meal and speeches we all went down onto the beach for a bit- which was fun! Then back to the Hotel for the evening reception which was a Ceilidh! Great fun and a day to remember!
On the Sunday I drove back to Cambridge via Stansted to drop Ali off! (Another uni friend!) It was good to have some company on the long journey back after only about 8 hours sleep over 2 nights- and it wasn’t for not trying to sleep!!!

I love being with my friends! It was good last week to be able to offer hospitality to Adam and Kristi in London. They spent Thursday in London and stayed with me over night before heading to Paris for the weekend. Then today Adam and Kristi came for lunch- we had rolls and cakes from Harrods!

One of the things I really miss about Lancaster is the craziness and fellowship I had there! Friends if you are reading this know that I miss you all!

So its been busy, I have only 20 days before leaving WLM and MCH. We had our MCH leavers BBQ last weekend. Leavers all received Mugs that say “I lived at Methodist Chaplaincy House”! I shall treasure mine. I am visiting Queens next week, which I am looking forward to! Apparently Queens is in the posh part of Birmingham- will suit me very well!

Any way, best go and try and rest. Its extremely hot in my room, so am currently sat on the roof top garden trying to cool down! An early start in the morning!

finishing in London

Scarily I finish in London 6 weeks on Sunday- am supposed to be writing reports at present, ready for my end of year review. I cannot concentrate! Possibly tonight because today has been a busy day at the hospital, or possibly because I am easily distracted!

Next week the final decision should be made about where I will be next year- am looking forward to knowing for certain, at present I am not as certain as I was about where I will be. So am a bit anxious at present.

Lots has been happening over recent weeks, it was good to be in Lancaster for Lois' hen weekend and catch up with people. On the Saturday we went to Ambleside and did a walk, then onto Grassmere in the afternoon, for afternoon tea and went rowing on the lake. We then went out for dinner in Kendal at night. I managed to stay longer than originally planned which meant I got to go back to Lancaster Methodist Church. It was great to be back and catch up with people and worship there again. Lancaster Methodist Church has become my spiritual home and thats where I needed to be after a challenging week.
It was a good weekend and now I am looking forward to Jez and Lois' wedding next weekend. The wedding is down in Cornwall so more travelling! It will be the first time I have seen some of my friends since last August! SO am really looking forward to seeing more friends!
Any way ought to go get some sleep- I have a full day tommorow and then a Guy Chester Centre retreat this weekend!

Spring Harvest!

Life has been hectic and I failed to blog about Spring Harvest!
Sarah Evans (not from Fireman Sam, but my friend Sarah!) has been bugging me to post! SO here goes!

Spring harvest was fantastic. It was great to be able to spend time with friends: Sarah, Kieron, Emma and Tedward (that's Sarah's bear, although apparently his real name is George!). We are all rather crazy when we are together! We began a quote book which is rather entertaining, but probably best not broadcast on here!

The theme for this year was One Hope, with lots of use of the word eschatology! At some point I will get round to writing some of the theology up! It was great- one of the things that frustrates me, is Spring Harvest gets labelled with the type of theology it uses, often misrepresented from my experience.

As well as all the worship and teaching there is plenty of entertainment (provided by numerous people as well as Emma, Sarah and Kieron!) We also were good and even went swimming! I returned from Spring Harvest feeling refreshed and energised but had acquired a cough! Fantastic time and it was great to be able to be honest and open with friends! Sometimes its easy to put on a front! It was rather fun at times to play silly games involving acting! Usually when we were supposed to be going to bed, with me and Emma as children and Sarah and Kieron as the parents! What a way to wind Sarah and Kieron up! hehe

Great week! Thanks Emma, Sarah and Kieron!

New Year!

It's been a while since updating my blog- So HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Part of the reason that I was away for a week and then in at the deep end with work!
Last time I posted I had just arrived home for Christmas. Christmas was good- Church in the morning and then 15 people at my parents house for dnner! Was good fun and great to all be together! Even if I had only had 4 hours sleep! I still get excited at my age!

Any way just after Christmas I headed up to Lancaster for 6 days, for new year. It was great to see people and catch up with people. New Years Eve itself I spent with some university friends- we gathered, ate, played games, shared favourite moments of 2007 and hopes for 2008. I miss my university friends! New Years day morning (as in 5:30am!) some of my friends decided it would be good to climb a hill in the Lake District- so after 3 hours sleep we all got up, sorted and headed for the Lakes! It was dark and rainy. The hill that my friends Jez and Adam had thought we would climb turned out to be impossible because of poor visibility. So we chatted for a bit and then instead we drove down to Lake Windermere and walked around part of that- still crazy o'clock in the morning! We also prayed for one another and for 2008. Although it was extremely early, grey and drizzly it was good to start the year this way. The picture here was taken on our walk! Then it was back to where Lois and Ali's (friends who I stayed with for 4 nights). There we played DUTCH BLITZ! A favourite card game of mine! I hadn't played it for a while, so it was good to play again.
I spent an evening with some other friends! How crazy they are! We were all very hyperactive on sugar and am looking forward to seeing them all again at Spring Harvest! Five days of complete craziness!
I finished off my time in Lancaster by visiting the Charman family- Steve was my mentor last year, Jennie was a colleague in Junior Church and Hannah and Peter were both in my Junior Church class.
Was great to be able to catch up with people again, I miss Lancaster very much.

Another great thing whilst I was in Lancaster was the air! Over the past few months I have had a cough- a result of my asthma- whilst in Lancaster my asthma seemed to be really good. Back in London- it seems to not be so good again!

So it was back to Cambridge on the Saturday, out for a meal with a friend then back to London early on Sunday morning!

Ready for work!

Preparing for London

A long time without blogging again!

Much has gone on over the summer, family things, visiting friends, weddings and trying to sort everything out for London.
I have seen alot of some of my Lancaster friends- Jenny and Matt (Jenny was my house-mate for 2 years) got married 10 days ago in Loughborough! It was a lovely couple of days, with dutch blitz and time with friends. The wedding service was one of the best I have been to, it reflected very much who Jenny and Matt are and had tears and laughter!

Last week I then went to visit London, to visit University College Hospital. If all works out then part of my placement will be being a Hospital Chaplain for a day a week. This looks to be good, part of an ecumenical team. I had the opportunity 15 months ago to be part of a Pastoral Care team in a hospital for 4 weeks. This was an interesting experience, some of the time I felt a bit isolated. The meeting I had, was positive and very much pointing to me being supervised, giving me people to reflect with as well as be responsible too. Part of the conversation involved some discussion of wearing a clerical collar. In the Methodist Church, Student Ministers are able to wear collars when on pastoral placement. It was agreed that for parts of the placement I should wear a collar. I haven't yet worn a collar (other than to try my shirts on!) so I think perhaps I ought to try wearing it. People assure me you get a different response in the collar! So I look forward to begining my trial period of placement in October.

After visiting London I went to Lancaster for 2 days! This was primarily for Adam's (a friend from uni) bon voyage party. It was good to be down by the river for a BBQ at Kirby Lonsdale. I was able to catch up with 1 or 2 friends in Lancaster, sadly I didn't have time to see everyone. It was good to share a meal with The Charman family (Steve was my chaplain, Jennie the Junior Church superintendent and their Children were in the Junior Church class where I taught). It was good to have a chat about some of next year and some pointers for things to think about linked with ministry. It was then back to Cambridge ready for London again on Sunday!

Yesterday (Sunday) was exciting, challenging and probably many other things too! In the morning I worshipped at Kings Cross Methodist Church, it is a small English Speaking congregation with an average attendance of 7, I very much appreciated the service. Whilst the English speaking service is going on, in the next room is a Chinese service in Mandarin. This is a much bigger congregation. In the afternoon there is a further service in Cantonese. Yesterday I attended this as it is thought that I maydo some work with the British Born Chinese Teenagers. I was in the first part of worship and then joined the children and young people in the basement. It was interesting and I don't think I will ever receive Holy Communion in the same way again. We all went into the service to receive Communion at the end, this apart from a few Hallelujah's and Amens, was the part of the service that I could connect with directly. The symbols of bread and wine going across the barriers of language. As I received it, I was led to think about the boundaries that celebrating communion crosses. One's of time, race, language, culture and so on. An interesting experience, which I am sure is sparking off new thoughts and questions!

Any way, enough for tonight and I will blogg again soon, It's only 11 days till I move to London, at the minute I feel excited. I have felt a little apprehensive but I know that London is where I am being sent! Whilst I was in London yesterday I felt a deep sense of peace, of contentment with God that London is the right place at the minute! Which is no doubt why the Methodist Church are sending me! I think the transition could be a bit hard, but already I have been welcomed in London by the People. I remember preparing to go to Lancaster, fearing I wouldn't be able to cope. When I get the same feeling now, I look back and see God's faithfulness and strength to me there, and am certain that God will continue to do the same as I move to London.

Prayers would be appreciated though!

The end of an era in Lancaster

I left Lancaster for the final time a fortnight ago! There were so many goodbyes, when I was at Junior School I remember a child writing a song about saying Goodbye. The line I remember in particular is "Saying goodbye is never easy, saying goodbye can make you cry". He had written this on the experience of both of his parents being killed in a road accident. The line was going round in my head recently- preparing and having so many goodbyes.

MY first Goodbye was acknowledged in April at one of my placement churches Annual Church Meeting,(at this point I didn't even know what I would be doing next year!). From this point on I seemed to have endless numbers of goodbyes, from every meeting that I have belonged to in Lancaster, worship consultation, leadership teams, circuit meetings etc, I began to be able to predict what was about to be said! The main final goodbyes were the hardest, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the people of Lancaster Methodist Circuit and Lancaster Methodist Church. On the final Sunday morning that I was in Lancaster, I was presented in worship with numerous gifts which I will treasure. I still have some of the book vouchers to spend. I was then given a send off downstairs with a party to wish me all the best from the younger members of the church. What a privilege it has been to share with so many people from young to old in the church over the year. Lancaster Methodist Church has been a very special place and is the church in which I was accredited in as a local preacher in March.

It was in the week following that I graduated officially. It was a very long ceremony and an early morning start! Although in a sense this was the end of my ST Martin's phase, it wasn't goodbye! I have seen many of my friends since at Jon and Amy's wedding, Jenny's hen weekend and will of course see many again at Jenny's wedding. In a sense Goodbye's from St Martin's friends haven't happened! It was good to graduate with so many friends. The photo's of the day are quite amusing! Some of which thank goodness are not on the Internet!

I was then back home for a few days after emptying my house in Lancaster! Already previously 3 car loads of stuff had come home and we packed 2 cars full to bring the remainder! I have an awful lot of stuff!

I was then back in the North West for the weekend for Jenny's hen weekend in Kendal, and then the final farewell- at Hedley's retirement and farewell service. Hedley has been my placement supervisor this year. At the end of worship there were numerous presentations made, I was very humbled to receive a framed picture of the Sunset across Morecambe Bay with Ashton Memorial in. I was speechless! What a change there, but I found goodbyes very hard here, although not as bad as I thought. The picture now hangs in the living room for now! It will remain there until I eventually have my own manse!

So lots of Goodbyes, but lots of memories to be thankful for. I hope that I will return to Lancaster in the not too distant future! However I must also get used to moving on and begin to look to London for the next phase of my journey!

I loved Lancaster and have made many friends there! I shall miss Lancaster muchly!