72 hours in Israel/Palestine

So as you might know, I spent the first half of this week in Israel/Palestine. We were only 'in country' for 72 hours (give or take a few minutes) but managed to pack in 10 meetings, 3 discussion sessions and plenty of time in the minibus. I won't give you a blow-by-blow account, but I'll give you some of the highlights.

The trip was part of an ongoing dialogue between the Methodist Church in Britain and the Board of Deputies of British Jews (a representative body of the British Jewish community). The group was made up of four leading people in the Methodist Church, an Orthodox Rabbi, a leading Rabbi in the Reform Jewish Movement, and me, and was led by FODIP and The Centre for New Diplomacy. The idea was that we would experience some of the issues facing people on both sides of the Green Line.

Between Monday evening and Thursday afternoon we met with Diplomats from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, members of the Palestinian Authority, leading Jewish figures, and a number of organisations (both in Israel and the West Bank) working for peace and greater dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians; Jews, Muslims and Christians.

I learnt a lot and took on a lot of different points of views. I realised the complexity of language around identity. I learnt that Modern Hebrew isn't the same as Scriptural Hebrew. I took part in an outdoor celebration for the last day of Hanukkah on the slopes of  Mount Zion. I remembered that I really don't like Arabic Coffee, but drank it anyway (it would be rude to refuse it...)

One of the highlights was getting up at 4.55am to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (I never thought getting up that early would be a highlight for anything!). I had been to the Church before, about 18 months ago, during the day and it was crowded - at 5.30am there were very few people there, and the peace was amazing. To kneel at the actual* foot of the Cross is an extremely humbling experience, as was praying in the Tomb of Christ*. We spent some time in worship, singing and offering prayers in such an holy place.

I was so excited when I saw that a visit to the Tent of Nations was on the itinerary, as it is one of my favourite places on earth. I have talked about it before (here). Returning, hearing the story of the family's perseverance again and hearing some of what has happened in the last 18 months was very emotional; I have to admit I did start to well-up. The positivity of people living in such difficult circumstances is so inspiring, to thrive despite a 22 year legal battle, with not access to the electricity grid or plumbed water; amazing!

But the most valuable part of the trip for me was the chats between the group on the bus, over dinner, in the bar etc. Sharing experiences, thoughts and perspectives really helped me to understand the complexity of the issues in the Holy Land (and I mean understand the extent of the complexity, I don't think anyone actually understands it all fully). So I would like to thank the amazing people I had the honour of spending time with this week. I am so grateful to have been considered to be part of this process.

I'm not sure what the future is, but I ask those of you who pray and/or send out good thoughts to pray/send good thoughts to all those involved in the current negotiations, all those working for peace and justice on (and for) both sides, and especially for all the people living in the region. May the land where Jesus walked feel peace.

* I say these are the actual places. I'm a tad sceptical, but even if they aren't, they are still so highly symbolic that it doesn't really matter to me if they are or not.

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

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?

OPP Post #5 - 3Generate

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while (I feel I start with this too much), but it's been a busy few weeks. I have recently moved again, so I'm going to use that as an excuse this time.

So, after the negativity of the previous post, I'm back on a much happier note. The weekend before last saw about 300 young people who are connected to the Methodist Church meet together in Litchfield for 3Generate 2012. 3Generate is the current regeneration (Doctor Who based pun!) of the Youth Assembly and Youth Conferences of old (I have blogged about 2011 here), and are one of the highlights of my year.  I love being around like-minded (and often not-so-like-minded) people discussing issues that are important to them, society and the Church. I have been involved with the running of five of the seven I have now attended, this year getting paid for some of it due to being an OPP. I found this tricky because I felt like I should be doing more than I have in previous years as I am being paid, when actually I probably should have been doing less...

I'm not going to give a blow by blow account, but highlight what I took from it. The first thing that struck me was how events and people mature. In 2009, I was ready to give up with the Youth Assembly as was. It was the first time it was run in a workshop style rather than a formal debate structure, and a lot of lessons needed to be learnt. And all I can say now is that it has come so far, this year's event was amazing, truly professional and a real asset to the Methodist Church.  But as well as the event maturing, I have to admit that I have as well. For the past few years, there has been a group of us (formerly calling ourselves Methodist 2.0) who would often spend time picking at all the things that were wrong and being very negative; almost, it seems, for the sake of being negative. But this year was so different. There were still things that need tweaking, but as a group, we were much more positive. Maybe it's because we are preparing to move on in the next year or so, but we started talking about what comes next, and how the event can continue to grow to best suit the 'youngsters' who come now. And there are going to be some very interesting things happening over the coming months and years.

The second thing was how different people want different things from the Church. Maybe that seems obvious, but it really got me thinking. I facilitated a workshop on Cohabitation at 3Generate: how it is viewed and what young adults think about it, which will feed into a piece of work the Methodist Church is doing. This is a great example of participation in action.  At the Youth Assembly in Durham, the young people asked the church to do some work to give guidance on thinking about Cohabitation, and that work is now in its final stages, having had young people involved at key points.  Anyway, I'm tangenting (now a word!). I approached the issue with an open mind, not wanting to come down on either side of the debate as I don't feel that it's helpful in that kind of discussion for the person up the front to have an obvious bias. Many of the people in the session agreed that the Church shouldn't give a black and white ruling, as it is a complex issue with so many variables, but that the Church should give guidance based on the Methodist Quadrilateral of Scripture, Reason, Tradition and Experience. But there were some who wanted a definitive answer. I'll admit I am one of the former - I struggle with open and shut 'answers' when it comes to faith, partly because I don't see that the Bible always is that simple. But again that is another post for another time. But what I love about Methodism is that there is that range of views, but the Church is still very much together.

As I've said, I love 3Generate, and would like to thank all the amazing people who make it happen. The Children and Youth Team are great (I have to say that, I'm now technically one of them!) and the various volunteers (many were young people themselves) who give up an awful lot of time to make sure that it all runs smoothly (or at least looks like it is to the delegates, 3Generate really is like the graceful swan, paddling away manically under the water). But probably most important of all, the young people who come, engage, and challenge. And a big congratulations to Tamara, who was elected to be Youth President 2013/14, and all the other reps who got elected for the various things. Please hold them, and all young people, in your prayers as they go into the world to challenge injustice and spread God's love.

Politics, Prayer and the Pulpit

Yesterday was the first time I can remember that I have seriously considered walking out of a church mid service because of a preacher. It wasn't because she chose 'Shine Jesus Shine' (which she didn't) as someone suggested, or the 10 point sermon mainly on the architecture of Noah's ark (which we did get). It was over the prayers of intercession.

Now I've come across the age old 'using-the-prayers-of-intercession-as-a-chance-to-gossip-about-the-people-we-are-praying-for' issue before, and that annoyed me, but this was a whole new level. The local preacher, who isn't from our church, prayed for (and this is a paraphrase as I can't remember the exact words) 'David Cameron to change his mind over his support for the evil marriage bill'.  Yep, you read that right.

I don't really want to get into a debate about the Equal Marriage issue, though I'm happy to say that I support the idea of gay marriage. My issue is over politics, prayer and the pulpit.

I would never want the church to shy away from politics. The church has a powerful role to play on social issues. Put I do have an issue of preachers using the pulpit, let alone group prayers, to push a personal political agenda, without consideration or sensitivity. During the 2010 election campaigns, both my Church Ministers (Home and Uni) stressed that they were not going to tell people how to vote, or try and influence them, as that would be an abuse of power. But yesterday, I heard a local preacher ask God, on behalf of the Church, to turn a politician against a controversial issue. I respect her right to her opinion, though I disagree with her, but prayer is not the time to make comments like that.

As I mentioned, she is not from our church. She wasn't to know if there was any homosexual people in the congregation. She didn't know the situations, beliefs and views of the people sat in the pews. I have been attending this church since I was little more than a twinkle in my father's eye, and I don't know the situations and beliefs of most. I had been sat next to a visiting couple (before I had to dart to the back to play with the PA controls), and I was so worried about what their first impression of our church would be. I spend a lot of time trying to fight against the stereotypical view of Christians, and then it happens from the pulpit of my own church.

I'm going to wrap this up fairly soon, as I realise this is turning into more of a rant than anything else, and i don't want this to be read as a personal attack on the preacher in question. But the point was that I'm calling for preachers - no, actually all Christians - to act with compassion, sensitivity and common sense when discussing issues that are close to the hearts of many. And prayer is never the time!

On a lighter note, here are two bands that you should check out on SoundCloud. People Saw Us are a York based band, the drummer being a friend of mine. And Dennis is a band of the sister of another friend. Both their stuff is worth a listen.

PS: technically my church doesn't have a pulpit, we use a lecturn. But I liked the alliteration of 'Politics, Prayer and the Pulpit'

PPS: I'd like to email the Local Preacher to outline my concerns, but currently can't find her email address.