I had to write an article for the Methodist Newsletter about Re:Call. They may have to edit it as it might be longer than they wanted. It is admittedly uncritical and bland.
I knew that my wife was feeling a little bitter at my departure to Re:call when she told our two year old son that ‘daddy is going on holiday.’ I pointed out that this was actually work but she was focused on the fact that I would be spending time with my mates, in a hotel that had a swimming pool. Yes, there was an occasion when the Jacuzzi was filled with Methodist ministers (not the first time some of them had been up to their necks in hot water) but there actually was a lot of listening and learning to be done.
When we arrived we were given welcome packs, which interestingly included ear plugs! Clearly not everyone has had pleasant experiences of sharing rooms at previous Re:Calls. My problem was not that my roommate snored (although he does) but that he seemed to need less sleep than me; persuaded to turn out the light at 12.30 and up for the gym at 6.15. His wife has since thanked me (really!) for challenging him about his night time routine.
Our opening session began before our evening meal on Monday. We had each been assigned tables to move us out of our normal circle of friends and help us engage with those we might not normally gravitate towards. John and Olive Drane led us in some opening devotions. During the lighting of candles Janet Unsworth demonstrated, with her prolonged wrestling with a lighter, that she had never been a smoker!
The Dranes came with a vast amount of experience, including teaching at universities, working with emerging churches and writing books. Their style is certainly imaginative. Over the three days we made animal noises, placed stones on a map of Ireland, exchanged shoes, sang blessings to one another, put security blankets in washing baskets, made a collage and wrote postcards to our churches (ask your minister where their postcard is!). I wondered how the soundman described our antics to his friends after his day’s work! These Bible studies focused on the leadership of Moses, Paul and Jesus.
Our keynote speaker was Bishop Graham Cray. Graham has been Bishop of Maidstone and in 2008 was appointed to head up the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Fresh Expression team. He spoke from a wealth of learning and experience on building bridges, discipleship and discernment. Graham’s talks were full of interesting examples of churches that do outreach in innovative ways and he backed up his points with insights and quotes from a great variety of scholars. As well as the Bible-studies and talks, there was a variety of seminars covering such topics as pastoral care and mental health, emerging expressions of church, vision and leadership, connecting everyday life with our spiritual practices, and cultural change. On Wednesday Doug Baker and Scott Bolt facilitated an entertaining discussion on dealing with differences.
One of the strengths of Irish Methodism is the sense of family we enjoy. As well as being taught, it was great to catch up with friends and make new ones. Meal times often gave the chance to share ideas and simply have a laugh. Afternoons gave people the opportunity to use the hotel’s facilities, play football or explore the surrounding area. It should be mentioned that the service and staff of the hotel were excellent.
We finished on Thursday morning with one last Bible Study followed by a communion service in which Mairisine Stanfield (a Presbyterian minister from Ballynahinch) gave a challenging word. Mairisine challenged us to serve Jesus with excellence. During that morning I asked five people for a brief reflection of Re:Call. The following were their comments:
When we arrived we were given welcome packs, which interestingly included ear plugs! Clearly not everyone has had pleasant experiences of sharing rooms at previous Re:Calls. My problem was not that my roommate snored (although he does) but that he seemed to need less sleep than me; persuaded to turn out the light at 12.30 and up for the gym at 6.15. His wife has since thanked me (really!) for challenging him about his night time routine.
Our opening session began before our evening meal on Monday. We had each been assigned tables to move us out of our normal circle of friends and help us engage with those we might not normally gravitate towards. John and Olive Drane led us in some opening devotions. During the lighting of candles Janet Unsworth demonstrated, with her prolonged wrestling with a lighter, that she had never been a smoker!
The Dranes came with a vast amount of experience, including teaching at universities, working with emerging churches and writing books. Their style is certainly imaginative. Over the three days we made animal noises, placed stones on a map of Ireland, exchanged shoes, sang blessings to one another, put security blankets in washing baskets, made a collage and wrote postcards to our churches (ask your minister where their postcard is!). I wondered how the soundman described our antics to his friends after his day’s work! These Bible studies focused on the leadership of Moses, Paul and Jesus.
Our keynote speaker was Bishop Graham Cray. Graham has been Bishop of Maidstone and in 2008 was appointed to head up the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Fresh Expression team. He spoke from a wealth of learning and experience on building bridges, discipleship and discernment. Graham’s talks were full of interesting examples of churches that do outreach in innovative ways and he backed up his points with insights and quotes from a great variety of scholars. As well as the Bible-studies and talks, there was a variety of seminars covering such topics as pastoral care and mental health, emerging expressions of church, vision and leadership, connecting everyday life with our spiritual practices, and cultural change. On Wednesday Doug Baker and Scott Bolt facilitated an entertaining discussion on dealing with differences.
One of the strengths of Irish Methodism is the sense of family we enjoy. As well as being taught, it was great to catch up with friends and make new ones. Meal times often gave the chance to share ideas and simply have a laugh. Afternoons gave people the opportunity to use the hotel’s facilities, play football or explore the surrounding area. It should be mentioned that the service and staff of the hotel were excellent.
We finished on Thursday morning with one last Bible Study followed by a communion service in which Mairisine Stanfield (a Presbyterian minister from Ballynahinch) gave a challenging word. Mairisine challenged us to serve Jesus with excellence. During that morning I asked five people for a brief reflection of Re:Call. The following were their comments:
‘I think it’s been a refreshing time with many opportunities to catch up and renew friendships.’
‘Felt reconnected with God, mission and friends but somewhat disconnected from my Bible. Totally connected with my Saviour!’
‘One of the things I’ll remember the wonderful creativity and space of the bible Study and prayer room.’
‘Really enjoyed the week and the time away gave me space to think intentionally about mission.’
‘An overall very good experience . . . quite intense at times’
1 comment:
Paul, this isn't bland, its hilarious :)
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