Sunday Surprises

I have been away from blogging for a month.  October was a bit head-spinning really.  Between regular Sunday morning services, Sunday evening services, and weekday evening meetings (especially amidst the Church Council season), Spivey and Moore were out a lot.  Ultimately, this means less about the being out and more about the who is going to be in.  There is a two year old to consider after all.

So far it has been our commitment that one of us is with Laura-Clare at night when the other is out.  This means that we have been very careful about scheduling our evening meetings.  (We have out of necessity welcomed iCal and MobileMe to our household and happily live with them!)  There have only been a couple of Sunday evenings recently that have required both of us to lead separate worship services, and I am able to be home before little girl bedtime.  Thankfully we have met a young lady, who has become Laura-Clare's newest friend.  (She is following in good company with Laura-Clare's sitter (and playmate) for the first two years of her life!  Thank you, Ashlan!)

For two Sunday evenings in a row, Catherine has come to "play" while we have been out.  This has been great, especially since Laura-Clare is so happy to have a friend come to her house!  Their time has been chocked full of fun!  It is simply adorable that Catherine has been teaching Laura-Clare to give a thumbs up.  What is even more adorable is that Laura-Clare, while unable actually to hold up her thumb, very confidently and proudly raises her pointer finger instead...!!

Outside of these Sunday evenings, typically, Laura-Clare alternates weeks with us on Sunday mornings.  Because all churches are not accustomed to providing nurseries, we rely on part-service Sunday school or in-service creche.  Fortunately, she is getting to know people and feeling more comfortable, but it still means that ultimately Mommy or Daddy will be the default for the vulnerable little two year old (even if Mommy and Daddy are the ones leading worship, preaching, and presiding over Holy Communion).  Needless to say, there have been some priceless Sunday moments.  I am compelled to share.

Laura-Clare arrived at church with me several Sundays ago, and she very happily joined the Sunday school group that meets during worship.  I was well aware that she would enter the service with the other children at the time of Holy Communion, but I didn't expect her entrance to be so dramatic.  Something had upset her just before the group entered, so needless to say, she caught the attention of everyone as she made her way towards me front and center behind the altar.

-fast forward-

Having completed the delicately balanced Communion liturgy, Laura-Clare and I walked forward hand-in-hand and positioned ourselves to offer the bread to the people, and I whispered for her to stand right beside me.  She stood, listened, and watched.  I began as always:  "The body of Christ broken for you....The body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ given for you...The body of Christ broken for you..."

In just a couple of moments, one of the church members received the bread and invited Laura-Clare to go and get a biscuit (a cookie!).  Initially, she asked if I could go along and was very reluctant, but in the name of cookies, she reconsidered.  I continued, "The body of Christ broken for you..."

-fast forward-

Following the morning services, our family reunited as always at The Manse, and we prepared lunch.  Despite our best efforts, Laura-Clare wandered away from the table with a slice of cheese.  Timothy followed her with gentle instruction and soon thereafter summoned me and said,  "Tell Mommy what you said to me!"  As she stood beside her Elmo chair and pinched off a small piece of cheese, she reached towards me and sweetly said, "The body broken for you."

-brief pause-

Our earlier struggle through the Communion liturgy was erased in an instant.  The grace of God came alive through the playful practices of a two year old.  And in some strange way, time stood still while Timothy and I reveled in the moment.

-brief pause-

I will resist the obvious urges.  I will set the theologizing aside for now.  I will save the "churchy" reflection for another day.  And I will simply say there is most certainly a two year old to consider amidst our busy lives in ministry, and with the gift of Sunday surprises and so much more, it is amazing to share life with her!

A Letter to Friends

The distance from friends and family is much more obvious.  I guess this goes without saying, so I am trying to be more diligent about keeping in contact. I plan occasionally to send an informative email so that we can remain connected in some small way.  I sent the following email just the other day and included these couple of photos as well.  It offers a bit of a glimpse of our experiences in Thatcham and in our new church appointments. We look forward to sharing more about our journey!

Dear Friends,

I hope that you are very well! We are very sensitive these days to the added distance that is now between you and us, so we want to keep in contact as often as possible. There have been several emails recently that have prompted our writing, so we want to let you know about our first two months in England. We will welcome any updates from you in return!!

We are settling into our new home in Thatcham. It is a nice town and offers easy access to many places in south England. We live just a short 3 minute walk to the train station and an easy walk along footpaths to the town center. We live right across from a large park with a children's playground, so we can easily venture out for some running and climbing. We are right between Newbury and Reading, and we are about an hour train ride away from London. Thatcham is a commuter town for many people, so the trains in the morning and evening spill over with commuting passengers.

We are literally finding our way around, learning the roads, and even on some occasions getting lost (at least for me:-)). Thankfully, we have been given a TomTom (known as a Sat Nav in Britain, not a GPS) as a gift, so we are appreciating the navigational assistance. We actually found it much easier to acquire two cars and a Sat Nav than to get cell phones. Until we have been residents for at least a year, we are dependent upon the less convenient, high maintenance pay-as-you-go phones. (I mean no disrespect to any pay-as-you-go people out there.)

On a given work day, we take Laura-Clare to nursery (Monday - Thursday). She enjoys her time at Woodlands, and she is flourishing amidst the many offerings that they have even for a two and a half year old. She is managing, despite our initial concern, to be very agreeable with the requirements of wearing a hat and wearing wellies for outside play. On the other hand, she has everyday for three weeks rejected her lunch because she is extremely selective (i.e. picky and headstrong). Fortunately, she does eat her morning snack and afternoon tea. No worries. She is not going hungry. :-)

The going favorite toy for Laura-Clare right now (besides her ever-faithful Baby Madison, of course--thank you Angie and David!) is the excellent Play Doh Big Barrel that I found at the Toys-R-Us in Reading recently. It is chocked full of Play Doh and accessories, offering hours of fun for Laura-Clare to "squish and squash." She has also added to her favorites collection a new, little pram for Baby Madison. Laura-Clare loves to push the baby in the pram on our walks to the park.

We are juggling our new home life with our new ministry responsibilities, and we are appreciating the challenges. The Methodist Church has quite a different structure from The United Methodist Church, so we are learning much along the way. Although the two Churches share some similar terminology (District, Circuit, Superintendent), these function in different ways. We are having fun trading stories and making comparisons. This is certainly one very interesting part of being in ministry in a new culture.

There is a deep interest with the church in Britain to explore new ways of worshipping and simply being church. What we might call emergent worship in America is called fresh expressions in Britain. Fresh expressions are being explored quite a bit in seemingly unexpected places, and it offers exciting possibilities for new ideas in the local churches. Also, there are distinct and vital ecumenical relationships within communities.

We officially began our ministry work on September 1st and were welcomed with a worship service on our first Sunday. This was a lovely occasion for our two Circuits to come together. (Feel free to read my blog post about this welcome service.) Since then, we have now had three Sundays for preaching and leading worship after months of being in limbo. It has helped to give us much needed grounding. We are each and everyday trying to make the most of our time in this new place. In addition to the things of ordinary daily life, we are happy for the opportunities to explore. We are looking forward to a few days away to Wales in November for a break before Advent and Christmas.

Needless to say, we are overjoyed, curious, excited, and overwhelmed by the experiences thus far. We will appreciate keeping connections with you and do hope that you will keep in touch!

Love,

Amy (and Timothy and Laura-Clare)

A Day of Formal Welcome

Early on I asked, "Would it be possible to experience this calling of ministry and life in the church somewhere besides North Carolina?" I had been in North Carolina for almost my entire life, of course, except for the two years that I spent in Scotland. I had a familiarity with Great Britain and, therefore, an interest in the "somewhere else" being Great Britain. So this question had immediate direction. I asked it and explored the possibilities.

I was well aware that there is vital ministry to be done in North Carolina and that my commitment is with The United Methodist Church in Western North Carolina. I understood that my yearning for new experience in ministry and life in the church would consequently remove two people from ministry in the WNCC; yet, I could not ignore the sense of excitement and curiosity for ministry that was stirred when thinking about serving within another Church in a new cultural context.

I navigated the application process and waited.  I waited for months and lived in complete limbo.  I received the invitation to go.  I struggled with the reality.  It meant that I would extend my lifelong, North Carolina roots and would expand my United Methodist ministry connections.  It meant that I would have to move my family.  Ultimately, it would bring to life the answer to my question.

Obviously, I have come to England.  I have extended and expanded the things in my life that are most familiar.  I have come to serve in The Methodist Church.  If I were still in North Carolina, I would continue to call it the British Methodist Church.  But clearly after 7 weeks, I am no longer in the Tar Heel state.  And so none of the differentiation is necessary (or appropriate really)..."The Methodist Church" it is.

Here I am thousands of miles away from the Western NC Conference of The United Methodist Church that I know so well.  Here I am in The Methodist Church.  And somehow I am beginning to feel at home.  Don't get me wrong.  The surroundings are different.  The church structures are definitely not the same.  Yet, I believe that by grace my new place in life is being transformed, and I am being transformed in it.

I may not be Home, but I am feeling at home--for good reason. Yes, we have been welcomed graciously and hospitably. Yes, we have been met with kindness and generosity. Yes, we have been given a comfortable place to live. Yes, we are renewing connections and making new ones. But, really my feeling at home in The Methodist Church began when we experienced the Church's practice of a welcome service.

On every occasion that a minister arrives in a new appointment (no matter whether from within the UK or from abroad), a Circuit offers services of welcome. Timothy and I had been hearing about the plans for this worship service long before we arrived, but we had no specific expectations. We knew that it would be a joint welcome service being offered by both of our Circuits.  We knew that it would include our carefully selected hymn choices, "Be Thou My Vision" and "Amazing Grace."  That was really the extent of our knowledge.

Not only did we have little expectations and knowledge, but we would have never been able to predict what the occasion would become for us and the community of Methodists.  We realized that this service was a unique opportunity for our Circuits to join together--for leaders in the Circuits to work together--for the people called Methodists in the Reading and Silchester Circuit and the Newbury and Hungerford Circuit to worship together.  We came to understand that in this service of worship Circuit boundaries were being opened to the future and The Methodist Church in some small way was being made ready for the promises of tomorrow.  Our welcome service was formative and memorable.

I must take you through the experience.

The welcome service was held in a neighboring Benedictine abbey called Douai Abbey just a few minutes outside of Thatcham. www.douaiabbey.org.uk Because of its size and its convenient location to both Circuits, this beautiful and unique worship space was used for this afternoon of formal welcome.  Our Circuit Superintendents and the Senior Circuit Stewards had organized and planned the service as well as the reception that would follow.  Our District Chair for the Southampton District would be the preacher, and the two Superintendents would be worship leaders.

My parents were still with us from North Carolina, so they were able to celebrate this occasion as well.  I was grateful for their presence and for their being able to share this experience.  So, we along with over 400 other people filled Douai Abbey to share in this afternoon of worship and fellowship.

The liturgy was especially crafted to offer formal welcome, and within the service itself, Timothy and I were each asked to make a response of commitment along with the gathered congregation.  We each shared public words of promise.  We each made brief introductions about our lives and our thoughts on ministry.  Then, we were each welcomed by local clergy from our ministry areas, as they approached us and greeted us, and we saw for the first time just how vital ecumenism is in Great Britain.

I will never forget my sweet, little daughter in her flowing summer dress on this day of celebration.  As we spoke and received welcome and sang hymns during the latter part of the service, my daughter was outstretched on the stairs below the altar with her crayons and paper.  She was moving about, keeping watch on the congregation.  She was dancing, as the organ pipes offered the timeless music of "Amazing Grace."  And it was pure joy!!

The abbot of Douai Abbey even leaned in at one point to a person down the row from me and said, "Those steps were made for children."  I would guess that those Abbey steps don't find children on them very often.  But, on this day of formal welcome, I am grateful that they did.  To some extent it was as if our little girl found her own moments for welcome.  She opened herself to everything and everyone without reserve.  And there is no doubt that before the close of the service we all found our place.  We had been welcomed, initiated, introduced, and offered love in the midst of it all.

It was a day of formal welcome--a day that will always be remembered!

Celebrating the Spirit of Gratitude

September and October mark the Harvest Festival season for British churches.  Churches use the harvest theme to craft worship and to give reason for eating together.  Mmmmmm! :-)  We have begun our ministry service in England just in time for Harvest, and so I share some reflections that I have offered in light of the season.

I celebrate the spirit of gratitude that has persisted throughout God’s salvation history! I celebrate the practice of giving thanks that remains at the heart of Christian community! I celebrate the gift of humility that enables the people of God to set self aside and offer appreciation for the gifts of life! I celebrate specifically for two reasons.

First, it is time for harvest festivals when we seek to be intentional about acknowledging God’s goodness and provision in our lives. Second, I have personally been more aware and sensitive to the presence and prompting of God while in the midst of transition. We may be reminded of this spirit of gratitude during the celebrations of harvest or any impacting life change, but really the practice of thanksgiving should be ongoing rather than intermittent for our lives of faith.

We may know well the voice of the Psalmists in offering thanksgiving to God. It is certainly evident in Psalm 136: “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures for ever…O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures for ever.” (NRSV) This litany reminds us why we give thanks at all—God acts on our behalf and loves us always.

There is willingness by the Psalmist to pray and to share this spirit of gratitude in a way that bears witness to God and to a professing trust in God. And this willingness opens the door for all of God’s people to follow this example and claim the posture of humility and gratitude. Is your heart open to this longstanding spirit of gratitude? How might you express your thanksgiving for God and for life that abounds? Are you able to finds words that express your own litany of thanks for our God of love?

With this harvest season and with this new season of life into which I have come, I am thankful that God has called me into ministry with you in Thatcham! I am thankful that God set out a path for me to follow and has provided along the way! I am thankful that these provisions have come because of your willingness to respond and reach out to my family and me! I am thankful for your gracious hospitality! I am thankful that we are now traveling together, as we share ministry for the sake of the good news of Jesus Christ! This is my litany of thanksgiving for God, for you, and for the possibilities that await!

I most certainly am celebrating the spirit of gratitude, the practice of giving thanks, and the gift of humility that shapes the character of God’s people! And I pray that our practices and offerings of thanksgiving for this season will become the constant offerings of our lives!

Get to Know the New Minister

The youth group at Thatcham Methodist Church sent me a list of questions so that I could introduce myself to them.  I think that they are fun and insightful and worth sharing!!

What Is Your Favourite Meal?
My favourite meal will not involve meat, as I am a vegetarian, but it most likely will involve some sort of rice. I really enjoy a creamy, cheesy risotto because I don’t make it or get it very often!

Are you musical?  Do you play any instruments?
I played piano and alto saxophone when I was much younger and, unfortunately, have not honed these skills for many years.

Do you know any parts of UK and do you have any favourite places?
I previously lived in St. Andrews for two years, so I am somewhat familiar with Scotland. I would definitely count St. Andrews and Edinburgh as favourites. I explored a fair bit of Scotland in the south, along the isles of Skye and Mull, and into the Highlands, but I hope to go to northern Scotland while I am living here again. I have seen some of the Lake District, London, the Cotswolds, and Wales, as I travelled along obvious American tourist routes, but I am looking forward to seeing much more. (If you have any suggestions of your own favourites, please offer them!)

What do you think of the English weather?
Admittedly, I would have hoped for a bit more sun in August when we arrived but have been very pleased with the sunshine that has come with September. With that said, I am very happy with the cooler temperatures (as it is very hot in the summer where I come from in North Carolina). I would count English weather as a prominent part of the experience of my living in England, so I will take it as it comes.

Do you like animals?  Have you any pets?
For the past seven years, I have had two orange tabby cats—Cupar and Pumpkin George. They are now living in new homes in North Carolina.

Do you have any brothers and sisters?  Do you come from a big family?  How do you feel leaving them behind?
I come from a family of four with my parents and one sibling. My parents live in High Point, North Carolina, the town where I grew up. My sister is two and a half years older than me, and she lives with her husband in New York City. It was a very difficult decision that we would move so far away from family.  But we felt strongly about the opportunity, and we trust that the trade-offs will be very exciting and worthwhile.

Are you sporty? Do you play and sports?
I am an active person, but I do not really play any organized sports. I enjoy walking, working out, and playing with my very active two and a half year old daughter.

What will you miss in America the most (apart from your family)?
Very simply…I will miss Mexican food and watching the television comedy show for which my sister is a writer (Saturday Night Live).

Beauty in the Rain

Admittedly, we have felt a lot of rain and wind since we arrived in England.  Yes, you are probably saying to yourself, "What else would they expect?"  But, actually, there usually is a very nice summertime in Britain.  Although, this year is an exception.  (And the Brits have been apologizing for the dreary weather since the day we arrived. :-))

We had one completely sunny, blue sky, and very warm day last weekend, and needless to say we spent all day outside.   Besides that there has really just been early autumn.  I don't really mind the cool because we left the way too hot summer in NC, but there are times when a little more sunshine would be nice.

With that said, we enjoyed a beautiful benefit of the rain one evening last week.  As you can see, we viewed the most vivid rainbow that we have ever seen.  It stretched completely across the sky and showed a glimmer of light in the midst of rain, rain, and more rain.  We will take what we can get along the way and will be grateful!!!

A Note from Thatcham

The following note was offered to several relatives and friends and expresses a brief update about our life in England thus far:

Dear Friends,

Now that we must keep up from quite a distance, we are checking in and hoping that all is well! We want to offer a brief update about our experiences thus far, and we would love to hear back from you too!

We have now had four full weeks in England after our morning arrival on August 7th. We were kindly met at the airport by representatives from each of our church circuits, and they drove us directly to Newbury (about an hour southwest of London). The manse in Thatcham was being vacated and prepared when we first arrived, so we stayed in Newbury while we were getting over jetlag and enjoying some sightseeing.

My mother-in-law joined us during these initial two weeks while Newbury was our temporary "home base," and we enjoyed many day trips to visit and re-visit different areas of the south (Oxford, the New Forest, Stonehenge and Salisbury, south Wales, and London). After a week and a half we traveled north to Sheffield for our Induction Course for The Methodist Church. We spent three full days in this orientation, and we are grateful for the official introduction to The Methodist Church and its Circuit system. While we remained in Sheffield, my mother-in-law bravely ventured off on her own to London to await her morning flight back to NC. We returned to Newbury for one more night before we moved into the manse in Thatcham on Friday, August 22nd.

We were so pleased to have our daughter in her new home, and she has settled very well with her new room and her new bed. She will begin at her nursery next week and will most regularly attend four days a week. We are so pleased with it and feel very confident in the care and instruction that will be offered. We have been working diligently to unpack and organize in Thatcham, and thanks to my parents who arrived on August 26th we have made tremendous progress. The manse is a lovely home, and we are thankful to be so comfortable in it already.

Along with the help in the house, we have also been able to show my parents around as well. We have explored a lot locally and have ventured to Stonehenge with them and also to Eton and Windsor. We were able to access the private campus of Eton College (William and Harry's high school stomping grounds) with a dear friend (and temporary tour guide), who teaches theology at the college. We spent yesterday in London with my mom's oldest niece and her family (my cousins) for a family reunion of sorts.

We officially started our work with the churches and circuits on Monday, September 1st. This has been a week more or less to ease into the ministry duties and the new settings; although, my husband has already been a part of one funeral and has another one plus a wedding on the schedule for this month. We have been welcomed very graciously, as the two circuits hosted a dinner for us Friday night with the circuit leadership. Also, The Methodist Church has a formal practice of welcoming new ministers into a circuit, so there will be a joint welcome service for us this afternoon. (In addition to welcome services, they also formally do farewell services, both of which are excellent practices for churches in the itinerancy.)

This is a short version of our first four weeks in England. We will try to offer updates regularly. We are excited about the challenges that come with new life and new ministry, and we are hopeful in the possibilities that await! Please do keep in touch and let us know how you are these days!

Much love from us all!