The Boss and the importance of influencing others

Jill my wife has sometimes said who has influnced you? Often I struggle to answer that but this past week I know afresh one person who has.

Wednesday saw me travelling to Lincolnshire and Alford crematorium. 

When as a youngster I moved from Sunday School to Sunday worship something most of my contemporaries never did. Phylda invited me to be a Junior Church steward. I was to do the role properly. It was not paying lip serviceto involving   young people. So I had to do the job correctly and attend church councils etc. 

What the 'Boss' did as I affectionately called her was to nurture me through my teenage years in the life of the church. Without realisng it she was one of the biggest influnces on my faith. So when she died age 93 I had to rearrange my diary to be there. It was both a sad time but joyful. As her story was told I discovered she went to the same secondary school as I did in Skegness ( obviously well before my time!). I was really touched when one individual talking about her life mentioned me. To meet up with people I havent seen for years was amazing not least her daughter Janet. Janet made me smile as she said mum loved getting my letters but kept saying ' he's doing too much' . Well to listen to her life you might say she did a lot as well not least how she touched my life and nurtured my faith. It's been a reminder about how important it is that we nurture each other on our journey of faith. Right to the end she would recite Psalm 121 I lift up mine eyes to the hills ........My help comes from the Lord. Yes indeed it did and does.

Boy's Brigade - what a great night we had

Monday night and 70 young people and parents gathered for a  time of fun and worship.

With a couple of songs we prepared ourselves for Holy Week. After a warm up song we reminded ourselves of Palm Sunday and the journey to the cross. Time to reflect on what we need to put right or let go of.  The physical action of hammering nails to the cross an expression of our hopes.

Then time to make an Easter card that reminds us we go from sadness to joy.

Then it was time for a competition to make a mummy which was declared a draw.

Great laughter before we touched on the reality of Jesus dying on a cross and our belief in the resurrection. A plug to join us on the Good Friday procession of witness 10.15 from Firth Park old library. All ending with a song, prayer and a gift of an Easter egg.

I don't know who enjoyed it more the parents, young people or me. I just had a wonderful time. It's  good news for our church life at Firth Park Methodist - The church on the roundabout. 

Baptism

Every so often you get the chance not just to lead a service but to really enjoy it from a personal perspective. Today at our High Green Methodist church we welcomed into the church community the son of friends. With people gathered from neighbouring churches we Baptised and celebrated that Christ calls us into a community that enables is to journey through life. To carry each other when life gets tough. Yes we need each orther. And the child was just so relaxed so time for a selfie.

Waiting for Godot

What a wonderful performance of Waiting for Godot at the Crucible this afternoon. 

With such a basic set large boulder, tree and lighting we were drawn into this amazing and challenging play. 

What it is really about you cannot be sure. The dialogue is wonderful and todays actors just so good.

 

It's the kind of play that you can interpret in so many ways with so many illusions to faith, religion, politics, philosophy etc. It leaves you with a head full of thoughts going in so many directions. The humour is real, a persons fraility be it of memory or just a sense of life going round in circles leaves you wondering did yesteday really happen? 

Live theatre is just so powerful. Who needs lots of high tech when people can by words, silence and actions create a world and draw you in . I count my self fortunate to live in a city with so many places to experience story telling like this.

Odds and ends

It's only taken seven years but at last we have new chairs at our St Peter's church. What a difference they make. Good for those sitting on them, and an expression of the fact we are investing for the  future lettng the local people know they are worth investing in. So now we just need a new carpet!

And at last we finally signed the new constitution for the church as an Local Ecumenical Partnership so we had a laugh and photo with the church officer. 

Wales

Walks in beautiful countryside and always we come across churches.

The history of our country echos in these buildings . This one in Newland was also linked with a school.

Ross on Wye and the river is flowing over its banks. A very  wet pancake day! These small children were getting lined up for the race.

Tintern Abbey is always an impressve sight but no visit this time to the local vineyard.

A trip to Abergavenny and then onto Blaenavon to where they made Iron.

This is what it used to look like

A very impressive working display gave a real feel of Iron making.

And the amazing interior of the workers cottages

 

Attribute to the pit ponies.

And of course a chapel on every street, this one being Wesleyan.

So its back to Sheffield and I have to be up early on Sunday to be on radio Sheffield for meet the vicar at 6.30am. 

Half term break

In a blink of the eye Christmas is now just a distant memory. Time has flown by and its half term. One of our highlights in January was being proud parents again when our youngest received her MA in social work.

 

Time for a photo with the town cryer 

So now we are in Penallt near Monmouth and could it rain any harder? We have managed one good walk between down pours. We trust as the week progresses the rain will fade and more walks and fresh air can be enjoyed.

Today we tried Hereford and spent most of the time in the Cathedral which is beautiful and does some good cakes and coffee.

St Thomas one time Bishop has his relics here. Poor man fell out with the then Arch bishop who excommunicated him. He goes all the way to Rome  to get papal support only to die.

The crypt 

And a view of the organ, a more modern communion table brought forward from high altar.

Outside the wind and rain continued and the river was very high. Hope no one gets flooded.

So back to a cosy cottage.