Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas blog readers!

I'm on holiday till 2 January - hooray! So, so pleased.

Today I led the Christingle service by candlelight in our church and I have to say I sensed something very different this year. It felt like something "opened up". I ran the same order of service (more or less) that I have always done EXCEPT for one thing.

I usually have an adult or a family give a testimony of how this Jesus who we are celebrating has changed their life in some way. I had been praying about who to ask to do this; had a great story from a couple last week at the all age nativity service but I didn't feel I should ask them to repeat that, though I did consider it. I felt it would be right to ask the children who I work with. It was unrehearsed and unscripted except that I talked with them about the purpose behind a "testimony slot" in a public service on Monday at our soft play centre party.

Just to elaborate, I work with and oversee a very large number of primary-aged children but as we get towards the older end of the spectrum (ages 8 to 11), there are children I personally see quite a lot of, as they step up to be junior leaders at our midweek club, or get involved in praying for people, or join the missional discipleship group that I run. They take roles in all age services and prayer events as a natural progression on from the things we do as part of our Sunday service.

Ten of the children had learned and presented a "god rods" drama **ask me about this!! under the tutelage of one of my faithful volunteers and at the end of it I gathered around and asked them what difference knowing Jesus made to their lives.

Well......I've got tears in my eyes as I recall what the children said, one after another...He's changing me inside, he's helping me stand up for him in school; I never used to come to church but since I have in this last year I have found someone who listens when I talk to him; he's beside me when times are tough, he's answered my prayers...(and more)

I truly believe I sensed the presence of God in a powerful way. Something was different this Christingle service. Our church building was packed out with visitors. I could count our regular families on two hands but I counted huge numbers of local school families. At the end, one mum came up to me and said her 4 year old wanted to know why Jesus had to die. She asked me right then and there if I could help with the question.

All of my bible college knowledge came to the front of my brain....all the reasons you read about and write about - ...I could almost SEE the weighty tome of Stott's The Cross of Christ in front of me as I talked to her, as well as Moltmann, Wright, Bruce, Borg, McGrath, Volf, Green, Hart, Chalke, Piper, Grenz, Grudem....and yet I could only say what I believe Karl Barth once said: God allowed Jesus to die because the bible tells us that he loved us. I gave mum a "Why Jesus" booklet to help her in her journey of explaining this to her wee one.

I'll be able to hook up again with this mum and child in the playground and give them a preschooler version of "why Jesus".

But doesn't this just illustrate once again, the WIDE open doorway before us in ministry to children and families? Never, ever give up prioritising this as highly as possible in the life of your church...pour yourselves out for the local community in any way that you can that reaches the young as it ALWAYS, always bears fruit.

I'm praying tonight for the outpouring of the Spirit of God over every and any seed that was planted this Christmas season as we love families and children and long for them to enter into a beautiful collision with the one who loves them so.

Nativity Time

I haven't blogged for ages, mainly because I have been working flat out. And I would have been a boring blogger. Plus we have had huge snow....and the car wasn't even over the door for two weeks. It was quite pleasant for a while but towards the end of the fortnight,if I had to trudge up our long road one more time....(the buses were off for two weeks)..I guess I had forgotten how heavy four pints of milk are!

In the past week or so, I have finished the parenting course with a wee group of parents from the local school and had an alpha reunion from my last daytime course. Both of these things have reminded me how much I love people; even when I am feeling tired, just some time in their presence invigorates me. I love just chatting and being myself and when that is coupled with the opportunity to bring something of the Lord Jesus just by being me, I love it even more. A real highlight this week was the midweek kids club Christmas party - I have just the best team running it, and I had planned to hold one of my most favourite kind of events; a social event for the mums and dads to come along to. Two fantastic folks cooked dinner and we served it to the parents in a separate room while the kids had their party.

One of the dads said: "I didn't expect this evening to have been THIS good!" It was a funny moment as he confided that he had come along filled with trepidation, wondering what the evening would be like. I love talking about how our church loves to welcome children and families - which it does - and you know from the interested faces as you say it that that has not always been people's expectations nor experience of the church.

This Sunday is our Christmas family service which I have put together to try and weave together testimony, story and song. I'm particularly looking forward to the Nativity which I have had very little to do with, and is being run by the kids team, and in particular one of our medic students has worked her socks off - it's got a lot of speaking parts in it this year. Another of my kids leaders has choreographed this year's "god rods", which is a worship with sticks thing I brought over from Toronto.

I want to try and weave in quite a challenge to "investigate" Jesus and his claims in the New Year on one of our two alpha courses (daytime and evening) - I still remember so clearly the first Christmas that I knew of God's love for me in a deep and very personal way - it felt so "alive" - the presents didn't matter so much but everything else around Christmas took on a new sparkle.

I love this time, the story of the Nativity has incredible power - it's from the word of God; it speaks over time and space and into a myriad of peoples' circumstances, fears, disappointments and worries. It brings hope, beauty and light into darkness. If you haven't heard about the BBC Nativity drama showing Monday to Thursday this week at 7pm on BBC1, then please check this out. As well as being on prime time TV, it's been scripted by the writer of Eastenders, Tony Jordan - and how about this for his motivation:

Tony wanted to write a nativity that his mates in the pub would watch, and that addressed some of his big questions about the story..

Wow!

Will post how it goes.....!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This wee post is to wish you a fantastic Christmas Day and joy and peace for 2010.

Today I led the Christingle service; the regular folk from our own church were definitely the minority as relatives brought their younger loved ones and friends and neighbours. There were LOADS and LOADS of visitors from our local school, which is great as a bunch of folk are praying for it. In the past 2 years the prayer meeting for the local school has gone from 2 to 3 parents to 12 to 14.

The great news about the Christingle, apart from Jesus of course, is that no-one was burned (lit candles, under 10s and narrow pews - recipe for disaster) and the church building remains intact as about 200 Christingles were lit. Mind you, the silk strips to aid younger ones to move and dance in worship to "Shine Jesus Shine" (I love to resurrect!!) were not intended for garroting and at one point, unseen by any other eyes, I removed a bright orange bandana from the baby Jesus' head in the manger.

Last weekend was the all age nativity service focussing on hope - the Christmas story is increasingly relevent to a world that seeks answers, I feel.

Tomorrow I am speaking briefly at our Christmas morning service then eight days off to relax - yayyy!

Really looking forward to spending time with friends and family. Blessings, all!

Try Again! - Blogging somewhere else today

Blogging at Hopeful Imagination HERE today.

Made a mistake with the URL yesterday. Hope you find it today!!

Christmas and New Year Children's Pastor Reflections

I have had my first Christmas and New Year here.
So different in so many ways but not in others - I'm a creature of habit, bringing some ideas from last place to this place - for example, by ditching Santa and cheap-ish presents for childrens' Christmas party in favour of a couple of hours at a soft play centre, with opportunities for parents to mingle and chat. (Do kids really need another soft toy? I think they prefer playing with one another, laughing, running about and eating!)

And of course a children/family pastor anywhere in the world has to incorporate the Nativity into a worship service. So, with the help of a seasoned thesp who is an expert in working with children (she writes assemblies and books on leading assemblies!), we put together a short nativity that involved every one of the children in some way.

My favourite moments were the escaping angel Gabriel (who loved Mary and Joseph so much that they were followed on their journey to Bethlehem) and the puking wise man. Actually, puking in a small confined space and then continuing to be sick all the way out the door, in front of the senior pastor's shoes and on my folder.

A couple of days later I managed to present my first ever Christingle service. Not being a paid up Angligang I had no idea what the legend/myth/lie behind the orange/candle combo was and an internet search provided me with three possible stories. I plumped for one that sounded like the one the Senior Pastor used last year and allegedly I sounded convinced. Hope it was true, don't want to think that I lied in church!!!

Although one of the kids team had commented to me that Christingle was a waste of good oranges I have to admit that it was very moving to look out and see a sea of candles held by quite a lot of wee hands. I even resurrected the song "Shine Jesus Shine" - works well with flame and under 7s.

I enjoyed the Christmas Day service very much too - highlights were introducing the toys that had been brought including the fart machine - and realising in dismay that that SP was linking each toy into some facet of the Christmas story (this scooter reminds us that M and J made a journey etc) - in my last church pastors on "look-at-the-toys" duty played with the toys and had a laugh! - so I was left with a mic and a small boy (whose dad will be reading this) introducing the congregation to his fart machine.

Errr, yes......

still here....

Oh. my.

tomorrow it will be a fortnight since I last posted.
I am still here! Just been so so so busy....just not had the will to blog!

Some snapshots from the month of December -
I've been - Brian McLarening - pouring forth on an afternoon on theology and children at a denominational training conference - struggling with housing concerns - out on trips - bowling with marvellous primary sixes and sevens and taking over warehouses of soft play with 80 younger primary children - trying hard not to over-do Christmas - catering for 9 year olds (daughter's birthday tomorrow) - arranging nationally significant child protection training - pastoral visiting a number of families which has taken up some evenings - planning and preparing for 4 services with SP....everyone loves a Children and Family Pastor at Christmas - have been stressing at not writing Christmas cards; stressing about the essay I have to write; the magazine article I said I would do and the research paper that I kinda shoulda begun (I blame Calvin. I picked up a commentary on Joel and nearly passed out when I read something in it. More about that another time) - meeting with denominational core leader about the future of children's ministry blah de blah

None of that includes my regular stuff - communicating with volunteers as I have quite a lot of new stuff coming up in January and a lot of folks needing drawn in tighter toghether in their respective teams. Plus admin that's suffocating me. Bleuuggh. Pauline - I love you!!! [some readers will understand that reference from days gone by!

You get the drift. It's been a busy month. Doing all age service with a nativity cast of *lots* tomorrow, an increased wattage on the illumination front (your light has COME (flip that switch!!) and several cracking visual clips (why do I choose such challenges....????)

Had to do severe speaking to self this morning. Feeling quite sad and I really shouldn't be. God's been so good to us this past week. Psalms are made for moments such as those. Being sociable in a new city at this time of year requires such effort and the longing to go back to the old place is stronger just now....plus I'm missing my green leather sofa (in the unsold, un-let house) so much. Then you realise how ridiculous that sounds and you get cross at yourself. In the getting cross at yourself, (and at others) sadness follows. And THAT'S when I need to open up the Bible and get some truth in......if you have a moment, please pray that I stick so close to those precious promises.

Thank you!

Hopeful Imagination

Blogging here today.
Advent has begun.

Christmas is over.....

I have been incredibly tired all day today (but then I did hit the sales today and allowed myself one teeny-weeny shoe splurge - only £10!)

23 Dec and 24 Dec were busy days but great fun. The All Age service went well - huge thanks to G who organised the "Weegie" nativity (only 2 shepherds but 14 angels and about 23 kings - that's what happens when children have free choice as to who they want to dress up as)

Actually - it wasn't a Weegie nativity in the true sense of the word - see picture above!

I loved doing the crib service on Christmas Eve as always - the candles, the relatives and visitors present, the excited children, the sense of expectation; the mulled wine at the Batemans afterwards :-)

Our SP led a great wee service on Christmas Day. Lots of children with great pressies there, although it was perhaps a little risky of me to ask a child to demonstate flying a radio controlled plane in the sanctuary during the service. Before I could clear the "runway" and indicate a free take off slot, the bigger boys had rushed for the controls and the plane soared into the air, only to encounter a freak wind (perhaps??) and crash land on a 2 year old. I did check and she was fine. Surprised but robust (hooray for God making children robust!)

Oh - a highlight from that service - I have now found out that someone I welcomed is a BLOGGER - I recognise your name Doonhamer Geordie, from That Hideous Man! Well done on making the connection! (how did you do it??)

I'm now off to bed early. This is never a quiet holiday. Got loads of reunions on this week - all the parents who I became friends with from early post-natal days 8 years ago; pals from university days, friends from Oxford. Love it.

Wishing you all a peaceful and blessed New Year.

Hopeful Imagination

Blogging here today.

My Week in Statistics

Thursday 13 Dec, just before midnight....

Christmas parties/lunches down - 5
Christmas Parties/lunches still to occur - 6
No. of Christmas Parties/lunches with participants under the age of 12 - 8
No. of packets of marshmallows bought - 6
No. of children attending aforementioned parties - approx 270
No.of vomiting children - 0
(ah, but wait, last year's it was this man's offspring who broke that record)
Amount of budget spent on funding parties - no-one minds, really.
I kind of get free reign because I am careful with money.

One's for a school group, three are for under-5s (one;the preschool's; I don't have to fund; one is for children with additional support needs, one is for the midweek kid's club, two are for Sunday School (though I don't call it that - nor do we hold it in church but in a bowling alley and in a soft play area).

No. of under 12s parties that I personally organise - 4
No. of under 12s parties that others in my teams organise - 4
(50% delegation rate is not bad; could be improved though)

No. of secret Santa presents bought - 1
No. of services that I am fully or semi- responsible for over the the next twelve days - 3
(now that's a scary prospect, she says with glee)

No. of work colleagues who have helped me with all of the above - 6
No. of volunteers who have helped me with all of the above - loads and loads

The last two says it all really!!!

Exam over....

phew....this term's work is over, fairly painlessly I thought.
In today's exam I had to write two short essays; one asking to what extent (ah, that old phrase) the Exodus was a historical reality and one accounting for the the differences in the Joshua and Judges accounts of entry into the land.

We shall see if I have misguided confidence. Perhaps there is an OT scholar in me yet!

I'm having tonight off - its just me and Jack Bauer in the house and later in the week I am onto ...Christmas party organising; one an in-house children and family event and one an outreach to families-through-their kids event. Oh, and I'm attending a senior citz one and one at the club for children with additional support needs. And a midweek club one. I love Christmas!!

One of my leaders came in last week to talk through a training issue that is on his heart and it was important for me to take the time to listen to this. As a result we hope to organise a training morning on different types of praying for/with/about children (I do love a bit of O. Hallesby)

I am not terribly programme driven; i.e. I never feel the need to have X, Y and Z happening each week and if X is a success then its time to extend and add in A and B as well; the only way I know how to plan my work is to listen to what God is saying to my fellowship as a whole and to me personally, listening to other people, observing what is happening with the people I serve and then bouncing the whole lot (of ideas) to some trusted friends and colleagues. Dunno if this is how other people in my kind of role do things but it's how I do it. Of course, there are things that NEED to be done and these things happen as a matter of course; one tiny example is making sure Sunday mornings run smoothly.

It's pretty exciting. I am teaching in secondary school later this week but I am feeling I wouldn't give the flexibility, unpredictability and excitement of a pastoral job up for anything......

(you can and should quote me on that when I feel morose!)

What do you love (and hate) about Christmas? Please do respond in the comments.