Easter 2007

This Easter has been one of real contrasts, and perhaps because of the variety of the training situation, possibly quite unique.

On Palm Sunday we completed our final preaching placement at Clapton. We have really enjoyed this placement - a very chaotic, unpredictable inner city church, and God has shown us new things about what it means to lead His people. A lively upbeat all-age service, with lots of interaction - a good way to start Holy Week.

Holy Week itself at William Booth College has been very special these last two years. An enormous cross is suspended from the ceiling of the Assembly Hall, and we meet every morning for an hour's meditation, sat in a circle around the cross. Much to think about and, as always, within the WBC community we minister to each other - through drama, dance, music, readings, shared prayer and story.

Good Friday saw the usual two public meetings at the college, again around the cross in the Assembly Hall. A highlight for me and many others was a dance item that presented the events of Calvary in a way that is hard to describe in words, but helped make a significant connection. During the afternoon of Good Friday we went to the nearby Ruskin Park for an outreach event, working closely with some of the other local churches. The band played on the newly refurbished bandstage, a short worship service was held, a special children's ministry area was set up where children in the park could have fun, as well as be told the Easter story in a way that was accessible to them, and coffee and hot cross buns were given out to the public. Someone counted around 250 people at one point, and a number of people made their way to the evening meeting as a result. A fantastic opportunity, great to be part of it, and God really used the efforts of all involved. My time as college bandmaster will soon come to an end, and this event will remain in my memory as one of the most productive open air initiatives I have ever been part of.

Easter Saturday and Sunday is time away for most cadets - one of the few times we work in small teams around the country, and one of the only times we get to work with the other session. Lynley and I were part of a team that went to Forestdale, near Croydon, South London. On the Saturday morning we ran a children's event in the local playground, near to the school where the Forestdale corps worships. The corps had run a holiday club during the week and this was intended to provide some continuity for the holiday club children continuing their links with the corps into Easter Sunday. A very busy morning mostly led by Lynley with a variety of games and, of course, an Easter egg hunt.

Easter Sunday morning we were back at Forestdale to lead their Easter worship. A chaotic, interactive all-age service - informal but meaningful to be part of. The evening was a complete contrast, as some of us went on to Croydon Citadel to lead their evening worship. Croydon is more traditional, more formal and almost the other end of the spectrum to Forestdale. It was a privilege to be part of the team, and a privilege to preach at Croydon.

In all the contrast of a busy week, the central truths are the same. We preach Christ, and Him crucified... but He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed!

But we don't want to give you that...

After an "interesting" couple of weeks, Lynley and I have now been appointed to the Failsworth Corps in the Central North Division, just a couple of miles closer to Manchester than our original appointment at Oldham Roundthorn.

There have been a number of lessons to take from this experience:

(1) Not to get ahead of ourselves. We had visited the appointment, seen the hall, toured the house, driven round the community, prayed for a vision, and were in the process of working some of those issues through when we were called into the Principal's office to be given our second appointment. I think it's a bit like buying and selling houses - it's not actually yours until you show up and collect the keys. In the meantime, there's a task to be done where we are now. Perhaps if we get ahead of ourselves we get ahead of God? We would have gone happily to Oldham; we will go happily to Failsworth - we have a sense of confidence and peace that despite the real sense of frustration in the last couple of weeks, God's hand is in this, and He will place us where He needs us to be.

(2) Don't take your children to see houses that you may not end up living in. We may be at peace with the situation we find ourselves in, but that doesn't alter the fact that Christian, particularly, and Caitlin less so, have been unsettled by the revelation that things aren't always as definite as they may appear.

(3) What to do with words of encouragement and affirmation that we received in connection with our original appointment? Still working that through, especially now that we are receiving more of the same in connection with our latest appointment.

All that aside, we are very happy to be going to Failsworth and are very excited by all the possibilities before us. As we've been preparing Easter Sunday material for Forestdale and Croydon this week, both Lynley and I have started to think about Easter in Failsworth next year - although I remind myself that lesson 1 above still applies. It was good to speak to a couple of the church leaders on the phone last week, and a great thrill to discover that a couple of them had found their way to this Blog site and left a message. It was so helpful to receive their encouragement and the promise of their prayers. That said, I am now a little conscious that they are out there reading some of my ramblings before they have a chance to get to know me!

When we first came to college we wrote a few lines each for the Salvationist. In my comment I quoted from a song the line, "Where I cannot see I'll trust" (SASB 489). I was reminded of that same line in a card we received from a friend this week.

God is doing His thing in Oldham, Failsworth and William Booth College. It's an amazing thing that someone like me gets to join in.

He is Able.