What's going on?

What's going on?

It's a good question. The world seems to have gone more than slightly mad and here at Burton Joyce Community Church there seems to be so much going on that it is difficult to keep up. Or is it just me? Let's pause for a moment and rewind. What has been going on?

Counting on my fingers:

• 1. The local Methodist circuit (Nottingham East) is merging with Nottingham North to form Nottingham NorthEast. Have I mentioned this before?
• 2. The local United Reformed church is reorganising into two areas Notts South and Notts North. We fall into Notts North.
• 3. The local Anglican church (I know, I know. We're just good friends) has been reorganised into a group of six churches but (big but) they have now appointed a new vicar. Hurray!  
• 4. Several of our long serving members at BJCC have died this year and we need to pause and celebrate their lives & their contribution to the church & to the village over the years
• 5. At our last church meeting we declared a Climate Emergency and agreed to sign up to the Eco Church scheme administered by A Rocha, a Christian environmental charity
• 6. We held our Harvest Festival on Sunday 8th September
• 7. Last month, some of us went to the first session of Seasons of my Soul organised in the Methodist circuit. It was good. We might go again.
• And there's more. Enough for fingers 8, 9 & 10 

 There is a sense here that we are moving forward

We may not know exactly where we are going but we know the general direction. We know, at least, that to move forward you have to put one foot in front of the other and that is what we are doing.  Step by step we are moving on. 

A few specific things coming up:

• Friday September 27th. MacMillan Big coffee morning, 10.30 at BJCC
• Tuesday October 1st. Seasons of my Soul, session 2, 10.30 at St John's, Standhill Road, Carlton
• Sunday October 20th. Final fellowship meal & service, 4/5.30pm at Mapperley Methodist Church
• Saturday October 26th. Ordination & induction of Amanda, the new minister, 3pm at Dales URC Church
• Monday November 4th. Induction of Anna, the new vicar, 7.30pm at St Helen's, Burton Joyce
• Friday November 8th. Farewell service for Peter, the retiring Moderator, 2.30pm at Sherwood URC

So, you see, we are quite busy.
But that's enough for now. Go well.
 
 

 

Study Day

The Nottingham East Circuit Study Day is tomorrow, Saturday 19th November 2016 

Values Based Discipleship
led by Laurence Singlehurst

• Arrive 9:30am for a 10am start 
• Emmanuel Church, Bestwood 
• Church View Close
• off Bewcastle Road
• NG5 9QP 
• Bring a packed lunch
• Drinks provided
• Donations towards the cost of the day would be welcome
• Should finish about 4pm
• More details here

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What Price a New Minister?

The Methodist Church: Stationing

Those of you who are Methodists by upbringing or accident may understand what stationing is all about. It is the way the Methodist Church decides which minister to send where. The stationing itself, the actually going somewhere, happens at the beginning of September each year but the process of considering and deciding begins well over a year before and decisions tend to get made in the autumn of the previous year - like now.

You may be aware that at this moment, the Nottingham East Circuit of the Methodist Church (and that includes us at the Burton Joyce Community Church ... just) is actively seeking a new minister to take on the role of Superintendent Minister in the Circuit (Ask me sometime). This process is well under way and a little bird has told me that a suitable candidate - if that is the right turn of phrase; possibly not - has been identified by those charged with this task (representatives of all the churches in the Circuit).

What we can all do is pray. 

It is a tough process for all those involved. Let's hold them up to the Lord in love.

To illustrate what it can mean for the ministers and their families, I thought I would share with you this blog post (see link below), from eighteen months or so ago, from someone intimately involved in the process. It is, I think you will agree, thought provoking and a stimulus to our prayers.
Stationing, a personal view: Flight of the Skypilot