BIG Day review Category: Faith (well, church anyway)

Somehow, now that I'm ready for tomorrow (morning, at least...) the BIG news of last weekend seems rather less so.

Having been running a Communion service in the house twice monthly for a... YEAR (good grief, I thought it was only a few months!) we felt it was time to be little more daring, or at least accessible. People don't seem to want to cross the threshold of the Vicarage (which maybe says something about the nature of perceptions in MLPK).

I'd chatted with the landlord at The Spitfire a while before and he offered us space there - a mid-sized room that we could use for the service itself and a beautiful airy room above it ideal for children's work. Wouldn't it be nice if we could outgrow our current room and have the service on the upper bar?

We've been using the Community Hall in the afternoon for over 18 months now, but somehow that didn't feel right this time (possibly because I didn't want us to be in such a large space that we looked silly!) Another important consideration is that we get the pub free! Not to mention a better chance that passers-by can hear us singing out the open window! We don't pay a fortune for the hall, but that isn't the point. And of course many people still can't quite get their heads around church meeting in a pub - almost as if it's a contradiction in terms (even though I like to think that the Upper Room was the function room of the Jerusalem Tavern!)

The upshot is that I will be BBC Radio Kent in the Sunday morning Godslot (.i.e listened to by nobody who will come, but who at least may pray for our endeavours) tomorrow, at 0650! I'm also having a photographer from the Seveonaks Chronicle coming on Tuesday (so I'd better remember to have a shave!)

Last Sunday the take up was worse than I'd hoped, but about what I expected - 8 adults and 2 children. It isn't a lot, but it's a start. Things take time to grow. The sad thing is that the other lot (with whom I have perfectly good personal relations) have also started morning services too - so once again the church is seen to be divided. It does neither of us any favours, but that's how it is. We're not in competition: it's not a race - and MLPK is big enough for both of us, but it's still sad, in fact I'm sure that in God's eyes it's little short of scandalous - but we are all fallible human beings who mean well.

So, we shall see what develops. There is a long way to go and a lot to do. I'm very aware that we are still in the business of setting up stall and saying "come to us", but haven't yet worked out quite how to meet people where they are. Theology Happy Hour, anyone? Half a pint and the theology of Origen?  ¶ 3:15 pm 0 comments

  Not just for the young... Category: Life (musings/sermon avoidance)

When so many atheletes and sportsmen have already retired by the time they reach my age, and when confronted by many folks who, when calling me "young" hear me modifying it to "young-ish", this came as a pleasant surprise, especially the last few paragraphs.

There's hope for me yet! I'm not saying I can afford it - of course I can't - but in a sphere that I had thought the preserve of "young" men I just found it strangely comforting.

Chaplain to the ISS, anyone? And to which province would you be licensed?

(And for RPG folks who've read this far, what are your thoughts on the role of faith in Sceince Fiction RPGs, and Chaplains to the IISS, if you are Traveller fans?)  ¶ 9:44 am 0 comments

  Motivations and recommendations Category: Faith

As a thought starter for today Off the Beaten Track recently posted about the phenomenon of parents getting the local vicar to sign the form to give their child preference in the local church school.

I've commented there, so presuming Paul doesn't object, you can read some of my thoughts on the subject there. But I wonder what yours might be?

Similarly it made me think about the value of thinking through other potentially tricky situations before they turn up on the doorstep....  ¶ 8:50 am 1 comments

  A hurricane by any other name Category: Life (musings)

I have no wish to denigrate those who keep us informed of the goings on in the world... there's plenty of others who do it far better than I can!

However, I wondered if this had caught anyone's attention or been mentioned in the news - Typhoon Damrey struck the Chinese province of Hainan and the the northern shores of Vietnam this week, with winds as powerful as those of Hurricane Rita.

It just caused me to ponder for a few moments: Do we get so caught up in the images of undoubtedly bitter times from the US because they involve a degree of loss to the material environment which is so similar to our own? Or more poignantly, are our attitudes actually saying that something is somehow less newsworthy if those who suffer the impact have less in the way of material wealth?

And what ever did happen to the famine in Niger....? Which by a roundabout way lead me here and here. Some more food for thought...  ¶ 1:25 pm 0 comments

  Despatches from the Virtual Category: Role-Playing Games.

Not, the pale imitation of the computer sort, for those of you who have been drawn into believing that the so-called role-playing games of computer gaming are the only type, but the proper stuff - sometimes described as "pen and paper" role-playing, Or as certain advertisers might say "the original and best." It has been too long. However, there's a lot going on to report.

I'm currently a very happy Moose for a number of reasons. Firstly I received today my CD-Rom copy of the entire MegaTraveller Canon, fresh from the US. As a system Traveller (Science Fiction Role-playing in the far future has a long and on-going history, having even managed to recover from a mis-guided attempt to freshen it up by killing it (if you don't know, just trust me and don't say "Virus") and the subsequent collapse of the production company (Games Designers' Workshop) and even a rather bug-ridden 4th edition. "Classic" Traveller, the original incarnation of 1977 is now just about completely re-printed and the second edition MegaTraveller is what I've just received on CD-Rom to supplement my not-quite complete paper-based copies. I really must get around to playing it again some time. Maybe I'll run a session at Continuum 2006 - although the 5th edition of Traveller will have to wait a little longer as it's not due out until June 2007!

I suppose I must be just an imagination junkie - which makes it slightly ironic that I so often flounder for the way to go ahead in the real world. Then again here it isn't a game, but deadly earnest. And anyway I often have to remind myself that the expectations I set in the RW are totally UNrealstic - but maybe more on that anon.

I'm also happy in the RPG world because my articles for Tradetalk are finally in the editing/peer review stage and due to be published soon. Hurrah! Of course, I'd like some money for them - but this is fan publishing, more reality in the way that the RPG sector works. I'll settle for the name in print and the chance that the stuff might catch enough attention to become "official" in Glorantha somehow. But I won't be holding my breath. It will be enough for me if the few who do buy and read it enjoy it.

Tradetalk and my work on Carreterre provides a healthy link to the next games-related thought, since the editor, who has impeccable qualifications in the field (and, unfortunately a "hacked" website), is none other than a fellow contributor to the shared world project that is Gwenthia. This project is growing by the month, proving highly enjoyable and now runs across one FTP site (complete with a PDF document), one wiki and plenty of discussion at The Tavern. A couple of weeks back was our first "Gwenthia Summit", a meeting of writer/designer/artists to discuss the ways ahead and how our individual contributions fitted into the whole. (It's a little odd meeting people for the first time when you've had regular Internet Relay Chat for months but never ever met outside of virtual reality - which would take us back to computer-based excuses for RPGs). How very cyclic!

I wish the hobby were more popular, but at least now I'm no longer having to defend the use of my God-given imagination against the wildly inaccurate and often slightly rabid attacks of some of my co-religionists...

And in case you are thinking I need to get out more, well I only game once a month and drink too much with other like-minded folks once every couple of months, so if you're anyway near ME19four then I'm open to offers. If, of course, GLW and LM will let me!

But now I must return to the Real World, or at least not these ones...  ¶ 3:08 pm 0 comments

  A BIG day Category: Faith (church)

A new start today - despite having had some homely Holy Communion services in the Vicarage for a number of months today we move to a different place for our spiritual refreshment - the pub! Brendan, our generous landlord, is letting us use The Spitfire for our Morning Worship, complete even with Sunday School (if any children show up, other than K's daughter!)

I have a fair idea of some of the folks who will show (which will add pressure in a nice way because I have the same readings at Tea Time Worship and so need two sermons off the same texts!) but plenty of "maybes" not to mention those who might have seen the publicity and think it's worth a try.

After all, if you can't wander in to your local, where can you go? (But the bar won't be open, so it's communion wine or nowt!)  ¶ 6:05 am 2 comments