Simon and Lisa's News 2010

We’ve still not adjusted to how busy Christmas is in ministry, and are sorry that once again we are late in sending our news to family and friends. 2010 began with Simon getting ill with the swine flu, which he took a couple of weeks to recover from, meaning a delay in starting his new role (for ten hours per week) as Chaplain to the local care home, Queen’s Court. Although Simon had led services at the home since he arrived at Lode Chapel, funding became available to employ a part-time chaplain just as the church were needing to identify a new income stream in order to maintain paid ministry. This role has opened up new aspects of ministry (Simon’s been involved in more than a dozen funerals over the last year) and it’s good for the church to be working with the older generation as well as local children and young families.

It’s been a year of change for Lode Chapel, and on 14th February the Baptist Regional Minister and the Bishop of Huntingdon joined us as we announced that ‘the church has left the building’. We now meet ecumenically under the name of ‘RE:NEW’ every Sunday morning at Bottisham Primary School. We still have occasional evening services at the Chapel and have also held a number of successful Quiet Days there. It seems to be developing as a ‘Sacred Space’ available to the local community and the wider church, for contemplation and quiet prayer.

Simon got a surprise in September when his face appeared on the front of a national magazine. The photograph was taken at ‘The Wave’ (a climate change march in 2009) and the article encourages Christians to campaign about injustice, and to play their part in making this world a better place. It doesn’t mention Simon at all – they just pulled his face at random out of the crowd, possibly because they don’t often see Baptist ministers who look like a cross between Adam Ant and a clown! Simon has, however, recently been invited to co-write a book which will, amongst other things, involve writing a bit about the inspiration behind what’s been happening at RE:NEW. There are encouraging signs of growth in the church, but we’re still quite small and all very busy. I’ve recently had to take on responsibility for the youth work, and that, along with all of the other commitments makes life a bit too full at the moment!

Lisa’s year has been much less eventful. Her M.E. has meant that she is pretty much housebound and she was unable to work during 2010 – this continues to be frustrating for her. She would love to keep researching and speaking about science and theology, but the illness prohibits this at the moment. We’ve been praying for healing, and although that prayer hasn’t been answered (yet!) Lisa praises Jesus that she has been able to find great joy and a real sense of the presence of God in her own prayer life.

Despite her illness making most visits to family and friends impossible, Lisa hadn’t seen her parents and other relations in the West Indies since 2004, and a trip to St. Kitts and Anguilla was long overdue. A generous gift from family made it possible for us both to fly out for three weeks in September and October. As well as the time spent catching up with the relatives, we also enjoyed some visits to the beach (photo right). We were really pleased to finally meet our great nephew, Dimitri, for the very first time and also had the pleasure of getting to know Paul’s fiancée Shamire, and the rest of that family (photo left). Congratulations to them as they get married just after Christmas. We’ve also recently met ten-month old Kian, another great nephew and son of Philippe who is in the British Army and based in Germany.

We’re sorry that this might be the only contact we’ve made with some of you since last year’s letter, but we do wish you a Happy Christmas and pray that you and yours experience God’s blessings in 2011.

Crying out for a spiritual experience?

This morning I stumbled upon two women discussing attendance at a spiritualist church. One of them was extolling its virtues and encouraging the other (who had been a few times herself) to come along this Sunday. I held back from quoting Scripture and from telling them why they shouldn't talk to dead people and asked instead why they went. Were there particular people from their past that they wanted to hear from? The answer was a surprise and a challenge - the main reason for going was for healing and guidance.
The spiritualist church near here is apparently increasingly popular. They've recently purchased a bigger building and at the service on the Sunday evening it sounded like you have to get there early to get a seat and even earlier to get a spot in the car park. I didn't ask, but I suspect that people are invited and/or are willing to give generously for the 'service' that is provided too.
It's often said that we live in a society where people are crying out for a spiritual experience. I know some people have questioned this, but the conversation this morning reminded me that some people are indeed seeking an encounter with something or someone 'beyond' the visible and material world that they inhabit. The challenge to me as a church pastor is the realisation that we still have a way to go in making church a place where these spiritual needs are fully met. I've talked about it before, but I am more committed now to having regular opportunities for people to receive prayer for healing and where we as pray-ers can be open to words of guidance for those who are seeking to hear God's voice. Perhaps people's past experiences of church or preconceptions of church will stop them coming, but the need is obviously there.
Indeed, only just the other day I was asked to come and do something about the 'goings on' in the home of a friend. The previous tenant of the house had died there and since my friend had moved in she'd seen ghostly apparitions, heard strange noises and seen other unexplained things. This woman didn't go to church, and in her own words didn't know what she believed, but was pleased that I was able to come and pray through her home. This is actually the second time I've been asked to do this in the last year...
Whatever else church is it needs to be spiritual and experiential - and some are. I know, however, that my church isn't alone in having lost this important edge to our mission and ministry. Please pray for us as we seek to rediscover it in the coming months and years.