Thank you

Thanks to all my fellow bloggers for their congratulations on our 28th wedding anniversary and also for comments about my return to blogging after almost a month off.

Keeping up with the Joneses

Steve Jones over in South Africa has picked up on my earlier post about the Bishop of Lichfield's initiative to recruit young people into the ministry - it is worth a read.

Methodist Recorder Revamp!

I was quite surprised on Thursday when my Methodist Recorder arrived as the front page looked more modern that is usual for the Recorder. I opened it to do my usual skim through before going to work and was quite pleasantly surprised to find the inside had changed as well. On first impressions I would have to say it looks quite good but I am reserving judgement until it has been running a few weeks.
I have commented elsewhere that my cynical side says I wonder if it is a ploy to bring in a price increase. On a page count basis this must be the most expensive piece of reading material that I buy and often I wonder why I continue to buy it especially on the weeks when there is an 8 page supplement that reduces the 'Methodist' content by the same amount. At least the supplements in my local evening paper are always extra pages and do not rob the remaining items.

28 years ago today!

Well folks I can confidently say that 28 years ago today the weather was worse than it is today. I remember on that day an hour before our wedding I was shovelling snow off the church steps and my wife to be arrived at the church in jeans and Wellington boots.
She cause the organist some difficulty because she came into church by a different route and he ended up playing bits of the wedding march he had never seen before.
It was a great day though and around 100 people turned out so it was quite pleasing given the weather.
This morning is very reminiscent!!

Vestry Prayer Sunday after Epiphany Year C

Lord of the years we thank you for a new year, for the opportunity to make a new start and to re-commit our lives and ourselves to you. As we gather today to bring our worship to you and consider the beginning of your ministry, may it be that we will be enthused by those events and reminded of the words of your Father.
We ask that you would be with our brother/sister as they lead us in worship and bring your word, bless their ministry to us today and may it be that as Charles Wesley wrote we would be 'moved by thee'.
We bring our prayers in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Young and looking for a job?

If this is you then the Bishop of Lichfield has a solution according to the Express and Star. There is a campaign to encourage the jobless to think about getting a 'job' as a vicar - young people will be sent to theological college and trained to become curates and deacons according to the article. Now it might be me but there are a couple of things that bother me about all this - firstly when did being a vicar become a job rather than a vocation? Secondly there appears to be no suggestion that those expressing an interest should be Christians which I would have thought should be an essential requisite for anyone thinking of entering the ministry.
I have to say I do think it would be good to bring in some new blood but surely not at any cost.

Is there anybody there?

Not sure if any one has been thinking that as it has been some time since I posted anything. I notice there are one or two regular visitors according to sitemeter and I am also picking up quite a few from the next blog thing at the top of the page. I have done a bit of clicking on this from time to time and found some interesting stuff there.
Any way there are no excuses for not posting except I haven't really had anything that has made me thing I must write something on my blog - I have been commenting on others thought so not been totally quiet.
I suppose if you were looking for an excuse as well it would have to be the busyness of the last few weeks as we prepared for Christmas. I have already started preparing for this year as I bought a music book last week for only £4-99 with 49 well know Christmas songs in it - not sure if that could be said to be sad!!