The day now ended was a real buzz as we filled Lichfield Cathedral with music, ideas and people. The reason for this being the new bishop's launch of a direction for the diocese to begin to travel in and heralds a season of personal evangelism and discipleship for every member of the Church.
A bit of 'back to basics' without all the endless planning meetings with goals being set and outcomes and objectives being endless discussed as those employed by the diocese do their usual stuff - usually managing to have it all squared away as a new direction is announced and all the previously formed stuff is binned so they can start talking again!
Church ministry, chaplaincy, schools, fresh expressions - the thrusts we, the people of God (or as I like to call it: Laos), are (or should always have been) compelled to engage with. I have to say that I like this a great deal as I do church ministry, am in engaged in multiple chaplaincies, and involved with a few schools at various levels and do fresh expressions stuff too. This new bloke ticks all my boxes and seems to be a generally good guy too and so gets my vote (which of course if he didn't would undoubtedly stop him sleeping at night ;-)
On the day the wife was doing her pioneer minister stuff on the fresh expressions stand whilst I did my funeral Champion thing on their stand. I enjoyed talking to people about funeral poverty and fair funerals, things that make funerals fly or crash and burn and had some amazingly good engagements during the marketplace bit. Yes, I love funerals - give me more of them every day and you'll make me smile.
Later in the day there was an opportunity to engage with people about military ethics and this provided a bit of light relief and some real joy )hopefully for all present) before rushing off to make sure all was in place for the first Tamworth School's Music Festival. It not only was but it was a great success - so applause and additional buckets of respect go to Tamworth's sublime church organist.
Found myself spending some three hours tonight (wife out with the Street Angels) studying and reading the word - I know the working hours are shot this weeks, so what they hey? - looking forward to the services tomorrow (which looks like five with a potentially tough scattering of ashes in a favourite spot during the day).
Who ever said it was a quiet life in the regular clergy?
Lord, for all that has gone - Thank You,
For all that is to come - Hallelujah!
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