Reflections on the last Year

So my year as an OPP is over. It has gone crazily fast, it only seems last week that I was in the interview, and only a few days since I was standing in Methodist Church House for our first training weekend. But now is a time to look back over what I have done.

I've worked for an amazing charity, Methodist Action, alongside so inspirational staff and volunteers who are truly dedicated to supporting those most in need across Lancashire. I've worked at countless drop-in sessions, meeting service-users who have opened my eyes to some of the problems they face. I've chopped a tonne of onions (and discovered that the ability to do so without crying is almost a valuable enough skill to go on my CV). But there have been a number of times where I have had tears in my eyes, and not because of the onions. I've heard stories that has shocked me, seen lovely people in terrible situations that have upset me, and felt terribly guilty about how lucky I have been to come home to a warm, dry house. All this has had quite an effect on me and on my view of Church. I've seen God's love and felt his presence significantly more at the drop in sessions I've worked at than in the Sunday morning services I've sat through (and that will be a post for another day).

One of the hardest things I've done is create a youth group resource pack, looking at spiritual gifts and volunteering. Called 'God Given', it is available free here. I've struggled, sat staring at a blank screen for long stints, scoured Google for ideas, and chatted with a wonderful designer for the publicity. All I can hope now is that people find it useful (and If you know anyone who might find it useful, point them too it and I have about 300 leaflets that I can send out).

Outside of work, I've moved to the other end of the country, become an proud honorary Lancastrian, and noticed that the Welsh twang in my accent has weirdly got stronger... I lived with the love of my life for a few months without us killing each other or arguing too much. I have found a house and (effectively) lived alone, getting to know a new city.

So what next? Well, that is a good question, and one I don't really know the answer too. I have discovered a passion for Christian-based charitable work, and would love to find a job in that sector. I'm looking for a job, hopefully in the charitable sector and hopefully in the Manchester/Oldham region. And I'm sure something will come up. In the meantime, maybe I'll have to move back south, that is a decision I am still working through.

And I also have to come to terms with stopping being a Methodist Yuff! In October I will be 24, and 3Generate 2013 will be (officially) my last. I know that I will continue to be a 'young Methodist', and will continue to support those involved in working with the current young generation.

So, now I'm back in a place of uncertainty, I focus again on that powerful and poetic piece of prayer, the Methodist Covenant Prayer:

I am no longer my own but Yours.
Your will, not mine, be done in all things,
Where ever Your may place me,
In all that I do and in all that I may endure;

When there is work for me and when there is none;
When I am troubled and when I am at peace.

Your will be done when I am valued and when I am disregarded
when I find fulfilment and when it is lacking;
When I have all things and when I have nothing.

I willingly offer all I have and am to serve You
As and where You choose.
Glorious and Blesséd God, Father Son and Holy Spirit,
You are mine and I am yours,
May it be so forever.

Let this Covenant now made of Earth be fulfilled in Heaven.

Amen

OPP Post #7 - There will be poor always

I love my job. I'm going into a third phase of my year, meaning that I am pulling back from the regular drop in work for a more desk based phase of report writing, research and resource writing. While this is very exciting, I am really going to miss the drop in work, and the clients I've got to know.

I must admit that there have been times where I have been totally overwhelmed by the task faced by those working with homelessness and poverty. With the changes to benefits this year, it has seemed like we are trying to bail out the Titanic with a thimble. A totally unscientific look at our stats has shown that the numbers attending one of our drop ins have jumped up in the last month. There is likely to be a number of factors, but can it only coincidence that it fits with the benefit changes. There are times I've got home after work and felt so guilty for the nice warm house I get to sleep in, when we have just handed a young couple sleeping bags and suggested a few places for them to bed down.

It seems like an endless job. And it has really made me reflect on those baffling words of Jesus 'The poor you will always have with you,'

I wish I knew what Jesus meant by this. Is it a rare defeatist view from Christ, or a criticism of the human condition? Or is it just a simple observation that true materialistic equality is impossible? (On that last point, I think of the film Enemy at the Gates, where the Communist Commissar comes to realise that communism won't work, as he is jealous of the love his best friend has. He says: 'In this world, even a Soviet one, there will always be rich and poor. Rich in gifts, poor in gifts. Rich in love, poor in love.')

Maybe it is a shot of reality to all of us, to not be complacent or defeatist. There will always be those in need, but that isn't a reason not to try. Or maybe I am reading way too much into this, and risk becoming like my GCSE English Teacher, who would overanalyse every word of a poem. (She once said that a poet used the alliteration of the 'M' sound to signify the falling snow.)

I'm sounding quite bleak here. But what sparked me to write this post was an encounter I had in the street a few days ago.

I was wasting time in town before getting the bus to a meeting when I bumped into Sophie*, a client who had been coming to the Drop In for a while with her partner Adam*, but who I hadn't seen for a few weeks. When you don't see someone for a while, it could be that they have moved away. Other times, we find out that they are in hospital, or even have passed away. But this case was the best scenario. Sophie told me that they had got themselves a flat and Adam had a job. She had a massive smile on her face. Then she thanked me for all we had done for her, shook my hand and walked off.

It made my eyes well up a little (and they are again now as I write this). Moments like that are that little boost that is needed to keep going. Yes, there are an awful (in both uses of the word) lot of people who rely on Drop Ins and Foodbanks, but there is hope.

*Not their real names.

Social Media Revolution?

Social media often makes the headlines as a revolutionary new form of technological communication, a wild place where anonymous avatars troll everybody, teens sext and rioters plot and plan. It's a scary place out there.

But is social media actually that that fundamentally different to what came before?

I'm not saying it hasn't impacted society, I am sure it has. Combined with 24 hour news and the rise of citizen journalists, social media has sped up the world. Where as you used to get the news the next morning in the paper, now we see it unfolding live on Twitter. It has also shrunk the world. In an instant I can chat with a friend who is skiing in the Alps, help someone write a report in Brazil, discuss political representation with a former MP now in the US and see picture being taken in SPACE! (You simply have to follow @Cmdr_Hadfield)

But I could have done all this 30 years ago, only it would have taken a lot longer and been infinitely more expensive.

Let's look at an example that really caught the public imagination. The Riots across London and other cities in 2011 brought the use of social media into the spotlight. BBM, Twitter and Facebook were all implicated in being in part responsible for what happened, because without them people could never have organised the violence. Yet, Mark Zuckerberg wasn't even a glint in his father's eye in 1981 during the Brixton Riots and I'm pretty sure Wat Tyler wasn't live-tweeting the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. So why all the fuss about social media?

#PeasantsAreRevolting

I see the same in the church (its view of social media, not mass uprising...). You can find all kinds of blogs and seminars on 'how to be a Christian on Twitter'. I may have even written about it myself before... Maybe it's because I am one of the social media generation, but I act the same on Twitter as I do in 'the real world' (I don't like the real world/online world splitting, but that's another story). I respect people, I try and be polite, I debate, I choose not to engage with some people.

Far from being a den of evil, social media is great! I can engage with conferences and events I'm not at, and I can share my thoughts with other people. I was recently at Inspire, the Lancashire Methodist District day conference, and saw this tweet.

@inspiredayconf the old lady next to me does not believe I am listening #inspire7 Should have had a social media workshop.
— Keith R-W (@keithrileywhitt) March 2, 2013

This is something I have often come up against. But for me, summing up a view in 140 characters helps me think about it, it proves me with a archive to look back at later, and maybe more valuably, it adds a second layer of discussion to an event. The same thing happens at Methodist Conference; there is the debate going on between the 300-odd people on the conference floor, and then the debates going on between many hundreds of people both there and around the country, even the world. This is true 'connexion'.

So that is why I love social media, and I've not even touched on the great power of social media for campaigning. There are people who write much more eloquently and scholarly about Social Media than this rambling blog (thinking of you @vickybeeching), but as a member of the social media generation, I'm just putting my thoughts out there.

I'd like to hear from you - please comment on here, on Facebook or on Twitter, or by letter if you're not a fan of social media.

• Why is social media seen as something so radically different?

• Is social media inherently good or bad? Or, like a hammer, is it a tool that can be used for either?

• Should I blog about why I don't like the 'online/real world' dichotomy?

Looking back, Looking forward

I'm going to add to the mountain on posts about New Year. I'm not one of those people who get hung up with New Year, I don't see it as 'a fresh start', or anything special from yesterday. Years are artificial, it is no different to the changing of a second.

That said, 2012 was a pretty interesting year, one that I'll remember for a long time. Leaving aside the Olympics/Paralympics and the Jubilee, some amazing things happened. I went to Palestine and Israel, something I am going to do again sometime! I got a job and moved to the other end of the country (well, technically another country, kinda) and found out that I can spend more than 9 days at a time with my girlfriend, which is good. I was the best man for two wonderful people, and even managed to make a room full of people laugh with my speech (something I was really worried wouldn't happen). I've made new friends, got back in touch with old ones, and unfortunately lost touch with some.

When I look back over 2012, it gets me excited about the surprises I'll face in 2013. I had no idea that 2012 would bring up what it did, so I can only dream of the opportunities and chance encounters I'll face over the next 12 months. I'll be looking for a new job, probably a new house, and the next adventure. I'm getting a bit of a buzz thinking just about it.

Now, it's Resolution Time! (I have just sung that to 'Hammer Time' in my head... oh dear...)

Last year's resolution was to do the Bible in a Year. Well, according to my Bible App, I managed 15%, and I gave up some time in March. So I have hit the 'recalculate' button and will pick up from where I left off. I am really going to try and stick to it this year.

As well as Bible reading, I am pledging to dedicate 5 minutes a day to prayer time. Prayer is something I struggle with, I often say to people 'I'm praying for you', but rarely to I stop what I am doing, switch off distractions and truly spend time in the presence of God. My prayers are very one way, I hardly ever just sit and listen. I know this is one I'll struggle with, so if anyone has any tips, suggests or resources to help me with this, please let me know. I'm also looking for a good piece of music to have playing while I do this.

Also, I am going to do more with this blog. I am going to blog at least once a week, and am going to set Sundays as my default blogging day, starting this one coming. There will obviously be more OPP Posts, as my job continues to stretch me, and there will be more rambling thoughts when things whirl around my head. But I'm also open to suggestions, if you have ideas for things you'd like me to blog about, feel free to drop me a line. And who knows, I might even get a guest blogger in every so often, so watch this space. I'm also going to try and finish each blog with a little challenge, question or thought-provoker, and it would be great if you could interact with me, so I don't feel like I'm talking to myself when I write these.

My final resolution is to try and get myself into a better daily routine. I find this very difficult, partly due to the ever changing work hours I get, but I know that I waste a lot of time in the morning when I could be doing productive things. So I am going to (try to) be disciplined in being out of bed by 9.30 weekdays, and use the time I do have better than I do at the moment.

I look forward to looking back this time next year. I'll probably blog about how I did, and hopefully I won't have failed all of them. And I'll be able to look back on the adventures of 2013 and same the same grin on my face as I do now, looking back on 2012.

I'd like to hear from you - comment on here, on Facebook or on Twitter.

What was your favourite moment of 2012?

Do you find New Year exciting, scary, or are you not fussed?