"THE shirt"

This was the weekend of our Circuit(sorry United Area) farewells - yesterday saw the departure of my Superintendent minister (the poor man with pastoral charge of me!!) I will miss Him, his wife and their combined wisdom a great deal, although I'm sure it won't be too long before I see them it will be on very different terms than it has been over the last three years as he has helped me in my journey -  from the day in April 2006 when he interviewed me to see if I should be allowed a note to preach, though the ups and downs of Faith and Worship and recently holding my hand throughout the candidating process. Chris has been a source of great support, someone to share good times with, often a shoulder to cry on and I will miss him lots.

Today was time to say goodbye to Sheila as she moves to a time of semi-retirement (I am sure I will still see her as she is on the committee at SEITE, and continues as Assistant District Chair). 

Today's formal goodbye service was also the first public appearance of  "THE shirt" which I am sure will feel less weird as time goes on. I thought I would post a picture for those who missed it!!

Doing Less

One of the things I enjoy most about my blog is that I can go back and read how I was feeling about certain points in my training, which is really useful when writing reflective practice reports and nice for me to see just how much I have moved on. 

This morning I looked at the stuff from the last summer holidays, and read with exhaustion the list of things I had done/was planning to do. I have been officially broken up for 6 weeks now and although I have managed to catch up with some great friends for coffee/lunch, have joined in with the children' s usual end of term stuff (including "The Prom"), caught up with a few overdue haircuts for people and cooked for the Church anniversary I feel very rested and not pressured (unlike term time!)

I have changed a lot during Foundation Training and I have definitely started to really appreciate time for not doing, but just being. This holiday I haven't arranged loads of things to do - although I spent a lovely day out with my Son yesterday (just the two of us, doesn't happen much when you are the youngest of four!). I am only on the Plan once in August (usually I offer more if I am on holiday from college).

The children are off camping next week and are going to spend some time with my Mum later in the holiday, and we are all going away together camping at the end of August. I'm sure there will be stuff planned in, but within those plans there will be quiet as well as busy.

Conference 2009

I listened to the Methodist conference on line last week. I listened as our new President took office, to decisions about the BNP, to debates about Ministers pensions(and felt mine slipping away before I begin!) and about "the way forward" - I laughed, cried and shouted at the computer during the debates.

 I listened to the fantastic service on Sunday morning and joined with the 1700 Methodist's in worshipping God, and heard the moment when our new Presbyters and Deacons were received into "Full Connexion" before being ordained that afternoon. 

However by far the best for me was on Thursday 9th July 2009 when I heard the standing vote on 601b - the moment when Conference accepted for pre-ordination training those of us who have just successfully candidated. I played the recording  to my husband and children (they were quite unimpressed!! - all you can here is the sound of people standing up from their chairs and then sitting down again!!) and gently reminded them that this was one of the most significant moments in my life so far.

It is often in the quiet, seemingly insignificant moments that the greatest changes to our lives are brought about.

Endings and new beginnings

The last three days were my final time away as a Foundation training student which was very strange indeed - the seven of us have travelled a long way together in two and a half years, and shared many things both good and bad. 

I set off believing I would be in need of my tissues for this emotional time, but for most of the time we were together we celebrated our training together. 

It was a time to reflect on where we had been, how far we had come and where we are going. And we had a great meal out, on Friday night, accompanied by the various staff who have walked alongside us. 

It was only Saturday morning as we gathered on our own to pray together as a group, before two of us had to leave earlier than the formal goodbye timetable had planned, that the true weight that we will never really be together as a group in the same way really hit home. 

We have a reunion planned, and all have emails, mobiles and could even get in touch by snail mail at a push but the monthly sharing of our lives together is over. It will now take effort on our part, to stay in touch and not let the pressure of the next two years and new friendships stop us from supporting each other. 

This was the time that the tissues were needed - and in no way just by me!! It is hard moving on but the time is right for the next stage in our journeys to start.

Methodist Conference is next week, and this is where where the decisions made at the Connexional Committee will be ratified and I will formally become a Methodist Student Minister. It is a significant moment in my journey and one my Church have decided to recognise formally,  during the service this morning.

The reason I had to leave the GCC early yesterday, was so that I could go to Rochester, to the cathedral, to see two very special friends Ordained Priests, the next stage in their journey. My love thoughts and prayers are with them both as they celebrate their first Communion this morning - with Jeremy as he is Priested today and celebrates his first communion on Tuesday, and with Lincoln, David, Gwilym and Martin Ordained as Deacons yesterday.

For all of us it has been a weekend of significant endings and significant beginnings.

The next step along the path, the way ahead is different for each of us, we will each have different travelling companions - but the one thing we can all be certain of is that as we travel, Christ travels with each one of us, whatever the next step is and wherever the path leads.

Training and Trust

The training allocations panel have met and decided that from September I will be staying at SEITE to complete two years further theological study before being stationed. There are many reasons that I am very grateful for this decision - My Learning Support is all set up through Kent University and it will be easier to continue that now. My children won't have to move schools/colleges for another two years. I haven't got to pack all this stuff up again. I quite like SEITE in a funny sort of way, and it saves having to leave my comfort zone and try something new.

However this is me trying to find the positives in what feels like a really horrid decision because what this actually means is another two years caught in the poverty trap with no obvious means of escape - we have spent the last two years living by faith and although God has never let us down and the money we have needed has always turned up -eventually!  It has been quite a tiring way to live and I was looking forward to a grant and a change of lifestyle. It seems strange that, what for many people would seem a small amount of money would have made such a huge difference to our lives. I have no idea how we are going to manage another two years, I just have to trust God has it all in hand

Tiggerish

I have now spent an exhausting 40hrs bouncing about, since the news broke of my acceptance for Presbyteral Ministry within the Methodist Church. Swinging between being absolutely overjoyed and almost overwhelmed by the immensity of what those words actually mean.

Today I have come down from the ceiling a bit because there are still things to be done - real life things (even though it doesn't feel much like real life at the moment!).

I have filled in my forms for the training allocations panel and now I have to wait(again!!) until they meet on the 20th May. After that I will be informed of their decision about what happens next and where I will be in September.

Monday sees the return to normality properly - there are essays to write as usual, and services to prepare.

All you need to know today