Home Minister's Letters From Barry Weetman
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Dear Friends,
'Sabbatical – back to reality!'
Between May and August I took my second ever Sabbatical, which proved a thought provoking and fulfilling time. A Sabbatical is a three months break given by the Church every seven years to Ministers with the object of offering 'a time for refreshment and renewal' and 'to prevent burn out and reduce stress amongst presbyters and deacons - a time to be able to hear the still small voice of God'. Whatever ones calling or line of work it is good to take a mental break now and again and I have learned to value these times though I took a bit of convincing at first!.
As well as study, we are encouraged to do something different to normal both as a break from reality and for the value of the experience itself. Some go abroad, others like me have projects they can spend time on closer to home. I had a few different objectives.
As to the theoretical and theological side, during my last Sabbatical I started a book about John Wesley's understanding of the Holy Spirit and wanted to continue with this – I find it hard to write creatively when immersed in Circuit life, and it was good to return to this and take it further forward. I hope to have it finished in 2012 should time allow – watch this space!
I also had a few practical projects I wanted to spend some time on. It is interesting that most monastic orders when first set up used to expect monks and nuns to do physical work – was this because of the value of the work itself, or so that they were not a burden on others? Probably both. Certainly I have always enjoyed working with my hands and find it easy to feel close to God whilst I am doing so. I think also that it is good to see an end product – so often in my line of work one doesn't.
Therefore, last Sabbatical I established a vegetable garden – in the wrong place, so it didn't last long, I am not much of a gardener. This time I wanted to rebuild an engine for my Austin Cambridge which had been languishing in the garage for two years with a worn crankshaft, and to spend some time digging foundations for a garage and kitchen at the house in King George Crescent we bought in dilapidated condition some years ago to retire to one day. We got some way with both of these projects. The engine is now rebuilt and the car purrs away happily much to my delight, the foundations are only partly dug but we got the hardest sections finished and approved by Building Control so there was a real sense of accomplishment. My eldest son Peter gave me three weeks of his Summer holiday to do this – thanks Pete - and my younger son Gareth (aka Gaz!) will carry on digging during the next couple of weeks, which should see this stage largely finished – thanks, Gaz, in advance!
It was rich and rewarding to be able to follow my own pursuits in this way and I have returned to the active work all the better for it. I have come back to a fresh oversight, a different style of Ministry, and a different staff team, so in a sense it was good to have a break from life as it was and then come back to a new working environment and a new phase of my own Ministry. I am very grateful to the Methodist Church for allowing me to do this and to my colleagues Linda and Ray for making it possible.
Every blessing,
John Davies
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Dear Friends
I am writing this article on what is a very warm Monday morning. There is just a faint breeze blowing which suggests that this will have a tempering effect as the heat continues to build.
In the cul-de-sac where I live all is relatively quiet; I say relatively quiet because there is always the anticipation of a far from melodious trumpet voluntary emanating from what seems to be round here an endless succession of scrap metal collecting vehicles. Apart from that it is, all in all, a fairly tranquil scene.
Though, of course, in the wider world this is very much not the case. Many of our fellow human beings, God's sons and daughters, are living in anything but tranquil situations. On the previous night's T.V. news there was a chilling report about the Horn of Africa so called (Ethiopia and associated countries) where there hasn't been any rain for two years and not
surprisingly, live-stock are dying and crops are not growing. It has all the makings of a desperate situation.
Life is very far from tranquil there and neither is it in Libya, Syria, the Yemen, Palestine, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Somalia to name but a few. Parts of the Middle East and Africa where there is great unrest in particular countries.
In a wider context than this or that country there is, of course, the international terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda. Its founder Osama Bin Laden has been killed but this does not mean its malign activities will cease. They haven't.
Al-Qaeda itself is made up of a very small number of fanatics bent upon creating maximum mayhem and doing so in the name of Allah. It goes almost without saying that this is a thorough and total distortion of what the Muslim faith represents.
In a recent edition of the Church Times I share with you a brief paragraph that reads as follows: The Washington based Council in American-Islamic relations pointed to the fact that Bin Laden "never represented Muslims or Islam. In fact, in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al-Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide. " This is a view that needs to be seen as being held by the vast majority of right thinking, faithful Muslims for whom Bin Laden and all he stood for is anathema.
However, this does beg the question what motivated the dead leader and what continues to motivate his followers? What has led them to the point of profound hatred, loathing and absolute disregard for the lives of their fellow human beings? Without doubt, that which motivates people is necessarily of supreme importance.
In the Christian tradition we affirm that `Jesus is Lord' but always there is the need to take on board what that means as regards our individual lives and in our relationships with others. During June, the Church again celebrated the Day of Pentecost, the anniversary of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. In keeping with the context of this letter, my focus is on what Paul refers to as the fruits of the Spirit, namely, `love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.'
Such fruits should be at the core of our being, of how we are, of how we relate to and interact with others. For us this should be the practical outworking in our daily living of what it means when we acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. What motivates people does indeed matter.
Best wishes,
Ray Goode
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Dear Friends,
Her indoors will readily tell you, without any or much prompting, that when it comes to using my hands to make something, or effect a repair, then anything beyond requiring a modest level of skill should not be attempted and left to a man (or woman) who can. Fortunately, a requirement of expertise and competence in this area did not form part of the pre-nuptial agreement. (In my defence, such as it is, I am the only member of our household who has mastered the art of programming the DVD using the Video-Plus system).
As someone patently lacking in this area I have always stood in awe of those who are blessed in the sense of being able to turn their hands to almost anything. As far as I can recall, my first conscious awareness of how it was going to be for the rest of my life was when I moved on to secondary education and more specifically, the Art Class and the Metal-Work lesson.
Managing to come bottom of the class in Art four years running was no mean achievement, given that there was a great deal of competition from my fellow students to achieve this dubious honour. Art also involved pottery making and my efforts best reflected the creations of Ken Barlow rather than those produced by Deirdre.
The structures laughingly produced in Metal-Work left a great deal to be desired, and only infrequently approximated to the shape and form intended. Perhaps I should have opted for Wood-Work instead (that was the choice given), but here I can well imagine planing a piece of wood with the result of it only splitting and being instructed, no doubt as on previous occasions, by the exasperated teacher, to plane with the grain and not against it. Here, at least, I would have learnt a valuable lesson.
If you attempt to go against the grain you will, conceivably, have problems and this applies not only to wood-work. To do this in life situations can serve to cause all kinds of personal difficulties. However, at times, this is what needs to happen. Making a conscious decision to go against the grain of self interest and expected behaviour, of family loyalties and personal inclination. There can be situations when faith calls for this or that course of action which is at variance with the will of the majority, but is in keeping with, and remains true to the values we perceive to be taught and held by Jesus.
However, we need to see here that doing this isn't solely to be seen as, say, making a stand on a specific moral or ethical issue. The Gospel message puts going against the grain at the core of Christian living, in the sense that saying yes to Jesus does involve the call to deny ourselves and put others first ; the command to love our enemies ; the challenge to forgive and go on forgiving. None of this is easy. It's not meant to be. But in attempting to be like that we come somewhere near to achieving that fullness of life which Christ wills for each and every person.
Best wishes,
Ray Goode.
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Dear Friends,
I am writing this article almost at the end of the week in which took place the shooting to death of Osama Bin Laden. By the time you read this you may well be thinking this is old news and I very much hope this is the case. However, the painful reality might be that the followers of Osama’s organisation, Al-Qaeda, have taken it upon themselves to avenge the death of their leader in a spectacularly deadly way.
Al-Qaeda itself is, of course, made up of a very small number of fanatics bent upon creating maximum mayhem and doing so in the name of Allah. It goes, almost without saying, that this is a thorough and total distortion of what the Muslim faith represents.
In a recent edition of the Church Times I share with you a brief paragraph that reads as follows: ‘The Washington based Council in American-Islamic relations pointed to the fact that bin Laden “never represented Muslims or Islam. In fact, in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al-Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide.” This is a view that needs to be seen as being held by the vast majority of right thinking, faithful Muslims for whom Bin Laden and all he stood for is anathema.
However, this does beg the question what motivated the dead leader and his followers? What led them to the point of profound hatred, loathing and absolute disregard for the lives of their fellow human beings. Certainly, this is not in keeping with the central conviction of Islam : that of Allah as All-Merciful. That which motivates people is necessarily of supreme importance.
In the Christian tradition we affirm that ‘Jesus is Lord’ but always there is the need to take on board what that means as regards our individual lives and in our relationships with others. During the month that this news-letter covers, we shall again be celebrating the Day of Pentecost, the anniversary of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. In keeping with the content of this letter, my focus is on what Paul refers to as the fruits of the Spirit, namely, ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control.’
Such fruits should be at the core of our being, of how we are. For us, this should be the practical outworking in our daily living of what it means when we acknowledge the Lordship of Christ and that God is indeed All-Merciful.
Best wishes,
Ray Goode
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To all Senior Church Stewards:
It is worth asking whether we could find in each church someone or a
couple of people who would be willing to do 'Readers Services' perhaps once a Quarter -
I would undertake to find materials and issue a suitable Order of Service with suggested hymns. In some cases those who have already been on a Worship Leaders course may wish to do this.
Warmest Regards
John Davies