There's six sorts of people in the world

Well that's my contention (plus a further four subcategories), which are:

a. Them what  knows what needs to be done - and does it

b. Them what knows what needs to be done - and tells people that they know it

c. Them what asks those what know what needs to be done what it is so they can do it

d. Them what might know what needs to be done but are never there to do it,

e. Them what come but do nothing, leaving before they get a job or spend too much time there, and

f. Them what are never there because:

• It's not a Sunday 
• It is a Sunday (but they're not down to do anything)
• Regardless of when it is they just do stuff (full stop)
• They had to be somewhere or do something or (insert really good reason) else

Today was one of those days when the church fayre too place and there were many type a & c people on display doing what needed to be done and giving up their time to welcome people into the church building and make drinks, serve cakes, run raffles, tombolas, cakes and bottle stalls, sell bric a brac, jewellery, books and sing, play the organ and ring bells and take people around the church and tell them stuff and sell tickets to climb the tower and run the church bookshop. There were people who were there doing stuff in the background (setting up, packing away, locking up, etc.)

These are the same old people (and goodness me - we're all getting older) who are always there and doing. The sort of people who are worth their weight in gold and need to be praised and prayed for (in equal) measure.

There were also some b people on display today (and it's merely serendipitous that they appear under the letter they do!) and these people (who neither ran stalls, set stuff up or did anything other than steal valuable oxygen from the a & c types and rabble rouse regarding. 'What could have been done!' But of course they know everything and yet . . . . (I'll let you fill in the blanks).

The d people weren't there - but of course they wouldn't be or else they'd be in a different group.

I didn't notice the e people , but then again if I did they'd have stayed too long and would have had a job!

The f people - now these are a challenge because they are like the waves upon the sand - every club and society has them (church is no different) - the are seen but pinning them down is a problem for all of us (it's not just Maria, Mother Superior!*).

So there you are - I have had a fantastic day meeting, greeting, encouraging, praying with and enjoying people and now, this scribbled (a <5min -="" :-="" blog="" entry="" for="" nbsp="" p="" so="" typos="" watch="">
People - you have to love them - Jesus tells us that!

PS. a,b,c,d or f - which one are you (and which should you be?)

* Sound of Music genetic issue at play - apologies

Tamworth Street Angels

At eleven O'clock yesterday (2nd July 2013) the town of Tamworth gave birth to a new community project in the shape of Tamworth Street Angels.

For those of you who are asking the question, 'What?' Here's the answer:

The idea of the Street Angels is that they are a group of volunteers who give up their time between 9:30pm in the evening and 2am in the morning to ensure that those who come into our town to enjoy themselves do exactly that in a safe and secure environment. The Street Angels are there to offer support to those who have enjoyed themselves a little too much and offer water, tea and coffee, a listening ear to make sure that the laughter doesn't turn to tears.

When those high heels become a little too high for comfort, the Street Angels are there to offer flip flops and a less fashionable, but safer, choice of footwear and when emotions run high, they are there to defuse the situation and to bring dialogue (or perhaps stop it when it gets to rich) and help restore the conditions that make it all fun again.

In short - Street Angels are there to make sure that all those out on the town are as safe as we'd like to think our own children are!

They're not a group of vigilantes, 'Guardian Angels',  or people looking to get involved as police officers (after all we have a fine bunch of 'Specials' who do that for us) - They're just a bunch of people who want our town to be a safe and enjoyable place to be and what the people partying in it to be as safe as possible too.

Interested?

email: tamworthstreetangels-enquiries@yahoo.co.uk

We need people who willing to get involved and the bottom line is that they have to love people and be able to keep their cool when others aren't. We are not out there on the streets to judge or preach or be authoritarian - we are out there because we care enough to want to make a difference.

For those who are worried about, or think that, this as 'just about ministering to, working with or caring for drunks', you can rest easy for it isn't! This is about much more than alcohol - it's about engagement and being there for others.

For those who think that this might be, 'One of those Christian ghetto things;' again you can rest easy for although this initiative is Christian (that's what CNI is about) it's open to all and it's there for all. It's not about proselytising but about serving - and you don't need to be a person of faith to do good stuff now, do you?

So what are you waiting for?

Street Angels - Something good hits the streets

Last night I was privileged to spend some time with Burton's Street Angels as they went about their Thursday night engagement with the partying population of that place. Going out in teams of four, each one having a role as Team Leader, Mel, briefed the others (who fulfilled roles doing First Aid, Radio Communications and the like) on last week's experiences and provided general intelligence of what was happening in the community (end of term for the college) and what they might expect.

This done the team loaded up and went out to work their patch (with me as gooseberry in two :-)) and what I saw was great. There were the guys who work at getting people into their clubs, the security people (doormen) and the general populace were all in evidence and the team were greeted and engaged with as friends. No wonder as they make life simpler by helping those who have had a little too much to drink, provide flip flops for those who can no longer balance on the amazing hiiiiiigh heels, pass out water, provide tea, coffee and help those who would otherwise get into trouble stay out of it!

As they walked the streets, one of those who passed them asked, "What are Street Angels?' to which the bloke she was with said, 'They look after you if you get drunk.'

Never has a truer word been said!

Street Angels are there to help those enjoying themselves do so in a safe and protected environment and many do it because it's an extension of their Christian ministry of getting out there and serving their communities - want to know more?

Then find one in your area and if you can't - then it's time to talk to CNI and start one where you are :-)

Community art - Jubilee!

St Francis' Church, thanks to it's Pioneer Minister, has been at the centre of a community art project which saw many members of the community paint panels that form a seven panel mural on a wall outside the church building.

A member of the Tamworth Football Club community development team came and officially unveiled the whole work and, despite grotty weather (I actually put the heating back on for a a time this weekend!!!), people turned out to watch the whole affair.

I would like to say a really big 'Thank You' to Wendy (for co-ordinating and making this happen), Hazel (who was at every meeting and just got on and did!), Jo (especially for turning up and helping on Saturday) and all those who were involved, painted and supported the whole shebang!

It was so good to, once again, see the Church at the centre of a community event and look forward to the next one with interest and expectation.

Well done guys!

Click for larger image

The old year has passed - the new lies open before us

If we were ever looking for a prayer to end all prayers I guess this has to be it for it offers new beginnings, fresh opportunities and the potential for so very much. It is with this thought that this morning's time before the keyboard has focussed on everything that is before us this year in the little family that I am privileged to pastor.

The church has reached a fork in the road and we need to make some very important decisions over the next week or so, choices have to be made and the type of church that we are has to be decided upon. As we approach this there are many things to thank God for where and who we are and some areas where we need to look at what we offer too!). Some of these are:

The 'Don't be home alone' Christmas lunch saw forty-eight people fed and given a good time. This meal, which we do with and for many of the churches within our town was, in my book, another great success and an opportunity to be really blessed (and I was, hope the rest were). A 'give thanks' area.

Kid's Club has been another blessing. The realisation that some of the children we started with five years ago are now adults is a bit frightening (yes, we are all getting older!). The format appears to be set but we need to look at ways we can help support those coming and perhaps extend what we do. A 'give thanks' and a 'new direction' area this one.

Friday Friends, our provision for the older generation continues to flourish and the team who work here are committed and so totally engaged that it is an ever continuing source of joy and inspiration. Another 'give thanks' area.

The Mental Health support group, an autonomous group who offer support and friendship to those who have had mental health issues, is one of the great blessings of 2011. Another 'give thanks' area which beggars the question, "What more should we be doing to support those with mental health needs?"

Drop-in - the free tea, coffee, cake and biscuits sessions which operate on Monday and Thursday ending with lunch for those who wish to stay and have it has seen the highest numbers yet over the past year. A gentle place where people can come and relax secure in the knowledge that they aren't going to be pressurised into 'being Christian'. A place where we can offer friendship without strings. Another 'give thanks' area.

Messy Church has been a mixed bag. Now in its second year we have seen some great days and have seen some where the attendance left us all a bit low. That said the opportunity to take it into other places and do it where the people are (rather than drag them into the fearsome 'Church' building) is proving to be a great opportunity to engaged and sow seeds of awareness - who can ask for more than that? Another 'give thanks' with a bit of 'fresh direction' area.

The midweek communion - a relatively new service which provides an opportunity for those who wouldn't otherwise be able to make church happen, happen! Lightweight, accessible and so informal as to be horizontal, this is a service which promises so much and for which praise and direction need to be sought.

Community engagement is one of the jewels in the life and mission of the church and this, along with the love and lack of acrimony within it, is probably the greatest source of continuous joy. We have seen some great community events and have received much encouragement from many. The only downside is the lack of space that wer can offer and this is the place whereby we begin our considerations as to the direction we take along the road.

There are other areas and things that are happening, about to happen, would like to see happening but that's enough for now. Please pray for us as we shuffle along behind Christ trying to discern His footsteps and 'do the stuff'. Please pray for me as I seek to lead but not direct and be part of the family rather than the man with the megaphone.

Happy New Year to one and all

Making money from the poor - Pt3

Standing in the queue at our local convenience store I became engaged in conversation with the woman in front of me as she purchased a packet of twenty cigarettes (£6.97). I expressed my surprise at the cost to which she told me that she 'needed' two pack of them each and every day, "Just to get through it!" Quick as a flash I thought to myself, "That's £13.94 a day which is just over £5,000 a year."

Having paid for her cigarettes (she buys the morning packet and hopes she can scrape the money for the second when it's needed) she raked through her coins and put £10 on the electricity card. Apparently that was going to be all she could afford until the next cheque came (I assume this is a benefits cheque). I asked her what she did when the electricity ran out and was told she'd go and stay at one of her children's places or perhaps a friend.

As we got deeper into the conversation she told me that she'd had, "One of them instant loans which meant she was struggling." Delving into the subject it appeared that she'd taken up an 'instant cash' loan of £1,000 from someone who'd knocked at her door last Christmas and the interest rate had turned out to be so high that, with default charges, she now owed a sum whose principal figure was something in excess of £4k. She'd managed to take out a loan from a 'proper' company and was paying it off at £25 a week. Now I don't know the term or the interest rate but I get the feeling that she, like my would-be car buyer, is paying something punitive.

When I got back I rang someone from the debt counselling business and was told that she'd probably be looking at one of the local companies whose rate would be around 20% and that this would make the time needed to pay off the debt would be five years and the charges would be around the £2.350 mark. This means that for a £1,000 'instant' loan on the doorstep, our poverty-stricken heroine was going to end up paying around £5,500 when all was said and done.

Now I know some will say she's the victim of her own folly and that she should pay off the whole thing in a year if she would but stop smoking but I get the feeling this is the easy answer. What I am more interested in is the tough questions, like:

How do we handle the fact that people can knock on a door, offer money and charge high interest and punitive default amounts?

How do we get those who would jump at such offers to get involved with their local Credit Union (and if there isn't one, how do our churches set one up?).

How do we provide debt awareness and debt coaching for those who have fallen into the debt trap?

How do we make our fellow church members aware and get us mobilised and motivated to act to resolve the situation so that we can truly set the debtors free?

Pax