Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Others

My Church is on a journey.

Focussing on ‘OTHERS’ we move from Maintenance … to MISSION and from Programme …to PEOPLE

This weekend, new Mission Team members were announced to help us move forward with this new and exciting initiative.

We’re so blessed to have an amazing group of leaders here, whose global experience should be a big boon to our community.

I thought I’d share some excerpts of the biogs that were used during the initial presentation:

Gordon - Resources

Gordon worships at Croydon Citadel with his wife Pauline, and is an International Emergency Relief Worker for The Salvation Army, with huge international experience. He served with The Salvation Army in Russia (Volgograd, Rostov and Moscow) for two years, as well as working for the SA in Iraq, Uganda and Pakistan. Gordon has attended assessments or other Army work in Sri Lanka, Uganda, Syria and Kenya.

Gordon served for 13 months between 2005 and 2006 in Kuwait with the Iraq Relief Project.

At Croydon, Gordon operated our “soup-run” on behalf of the Corps from 1990 to 1999.

In the UK, Gordon has worked for The Salvation Army’s London Central Division from in the London Homelessness Services, working with Street-homeless people, and from late 2002 to mid-2004 was Manager of The Salvation Army Homeless Services, responsible for the management of London Central Hostels and Homeless outreach units.

Gordon is by nature a “leader” but also has the underlying understanding to know that he is not capable without God and believes he has the flexibility to be able to follow God’s leading - irrespective of how strange the direction at times.

Janet - Discipleship



Janet’s father hailed from St Lucia, and her mother came from Jamaica where she had been a Salvationist. When the couple immigrated to London in the early ‘60s the family retained that close connection with The Salvation Army.

London born Janet, AKA Mrs Johnny Laird has had a 15 year career in teaching, and has just returned to work in a local school in Oxted, after having taken a career break to have her children Mia & Noah. As well as her Batchelor of Education degree, Janet holds a Certificate in Counseling skills. During her first stint of teaching, Janet started an Alpha course in her home with her teacher colleagues.

Janet has a sister who lives in the US. Janet & Evelyn still manage to talk almost daily! ;-)

Janet is passionate about Church in the community, and thinks it’s important that Christ followers make an impact where they are.


Pauline – Ministry


Pauline is married to Gordon, and has a son, daughter, two granddaughters and one grandson. She was a stalwart of our Corps Charity Shop where she worked from 1989 to 1999.

Together with Gordon, she served with The Salvation Army in Russia from October 1999 to September 2002. Pauline also served in Kuwait for all of 2005 with the Iraq Relief Project.

Pauline has a calm and personal manner, and is not prone to excitability and easy to talk to. She is s good listener who is generally diplomatic and normally not prone to taking “sides”.


Anita & Duncan - Fellowship



Anita & Duncan are married with Daisi (5) and Max (2), a rabbit and guinea pig!!

Duncan is the Director of International Development at The Salvation Army's Territorial Headquarters, often traveling to developing countries to support Salvation Army work internationally. Anita works 2 days a week as a PA - also on Territorial Headquarters in the Evangelism Department. During the rest of the week she is a domestic goddess/home-maker, and blogs at MrsParkeratHome.

Duncan spends many weekends of the year leading meetings and preaching at other Salvation Army Corps and churches within the UK. Anita is a staff member of Territorial Music School.

A few years ago both made very personal commitments to be more concerned about people than about programme. Anita & Duncan hope this manifests itself in having more time to be there for others, especially each other, their children, family, closest friends and neighbours.

They traveled together during 1995 and 1996 to the USA where we worked on children’s camps, before Anita found work at The Salvation Army’s US National Headquarters in Washington DC and Duncan ran a family community centre.

Duncan & Anita think their gifts lie in interaction. They love spending time with people and just chatting. An ideal evening for them is to sit with coffee and food and chat with friends and family. Duncan & Anita are great hosts - They certainly enjoy being generous with our time and with their home. Anita is exploring her musical writing skills, recently having one song published, and Duncan thinks his gift is getting things done and an ability to upset the apple cart!

Duncan talking about Anita:
'Anita was the worst cook in the world when we first married but is now awesome. Her special gifts are that she can organize everything, everyone and anything and she is a great administrator to an annoying perfectionism! Her best gifts are that she can make me laugh and relax even after the toughest day, and can juggle crazy timetables for the kids, herself and me and still make sure the home is running properly.'

Anita talking about Duncan:
Duncan's only weakness in life is being unable to say no - when he takes on a task he refuses to stop until the job is done with 110% effort. When at home, Duncan loves nothing more than to be with the kids, do stuff around the home and coffee - lots of coffee. Whether it be work, health and fitness or a spot of DIY, Duncan strives to be the best at everything (something he tries to pass on to Daisi for her sports day!)


Duncan loves being a family man.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Noah


...was 2 this weekend...

Blogging's been slight as I've been a little under the weather lately.

The boy has recently been shorn of his beautiful curls, but somehow, now that he's two it seems appropriate.

Grace

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Shuffle


It’s time I had a shuffle, and updated the blog roll.

INs

In comes Darren Plummer, Pastor of Mosaic Community Church in College Park Maryland, and Peppermint-Filled Piñatas Group originator on Facebook.

I’m also going to include Duncan McFadzean’s next door neighbour-but-one, Duncan MacLaren just because they must deserve some kind of recognition for living so close, and both having aesthetically pleasing missional-stylee blogs, and remarkably similar names to boot!

I’ve been meaning to include the wonderful brace of blogs from Self Confessed Septuagenarian, Joe Noland - Slightly Irreverent and Slightly Irregular. Joe is a California based retired Salvation Army Commissioner, which kinda means he’s a bit of a deal in our little Sally Army world. Jim’s two blogs are refreshing, challenging, funny, progressive & pretty inspirational. Plus, I have to thank Joe for the funky-as-anything shot accompanying this post.

Chris Hinton stays, but in his Council of War guise.

OUTs

Sad to say, but I’m going to remove a few dormant blogs:

Chris Parker goes because his blog ground to a halt after his trip to Africa. You should start blogging again, Chris. I’m sure you’ve got lots of good stuff to share

Glenis at Pocket Mummy has succumbed to the Facebook disease, and seemingly abandoned the blog! ;-)

Tim’s blog seems to have given up the ghost, but Mrs Tim AKA Lucy is going strong, with regular thought provoking posts.

If you are lurking, and would like to be included on the blogroll, just bounce me over a comment, and I’d be happy to oblige.

J

Roots 2008: Going public

Monday, October 15, 2007

Bellshill visit



The visit to Bellshill I blogged about went like a dream. As I anticipated, it was so cool to reconnect with Thomas & Olly, finally meet up with Dan & Carol-Anne, and hook up with all the good folks at Bellshill.

Both Thomas & Dan have given a much a much better impression of the weekend than I could manage, so go ahead & check their posts here and here.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Alba gu Bràth!*



I’m looking forward to traveling to Bellshill tomorrow with the Band, and more importantly hooking up again with Thomas & Olly and the girls. I hear, too, that Dan Rous is going to make a visit, so it will be good to finally meet another blogging buddy in the flesh.

Bellshill can call itself home town to a remarkable array of stellar figures….Man U's Sir Matt Busby, Rangers legend Ally McCoist, Scotland captain Barry Ferguson, Sheena Easton, intermittant blogger Mrs Parker, Chick Yuill…..and MY DAD!

It will be good to spend some time in Scotland again – if only fleetingly.

*It feels good to add some Gaelic to my blog – lends a certain authenticity & celticness.

To be honest, though, I wouldn’t know how to say it!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Monday, October 08, 2007

Biblical Living



HT to Doug Pagitt for alerting me to this interesting - and funny – piece on an agnostic guy who tried to live by the rules of the Bible for a year….religiously.

A few select quotes from the article:

“There’s a lot about gratefulness in the Bible, and I would say I’m more thankful. I focus on the hundred little things that go right in a day, instead of the three or four things that go wrong.”


“…during the experiment I wore a lot of white clothes, because Ecclesiastes says let your garments always be white, and I loved it, so I look like Tom Wolfe now. Wearing white just made me happier. I couldn’t be in a bad mood walking down the street looking like I was about to play in the semifinals at Wimbledon”


…made me smile….

I might just buy the book, although I think you’ll find THE Book a lot more useful.

Having had a chuckle, it has really made me think about those who call ourselves Christians….and/or followers of Jesus… sometimes struggle to live a life that falls into line with what we learn about in Scripture, and most specifically one reflects the teachings of Jesus. So often, we get so wrapped up in our systems & rules & regulations that the simple words and wonderful life of that Man, born in Bethlehem, get shunted way down the list of the things that make us who we are.