Mon 1 As of 27.7.2005: After a great trip up to Biormingham and a bit of a trek through a dismal part of the city to the Campanile hotel - more than satisfactory - we swept down to the National Indoor Arena in what Vladimir called a 'Love Stampede' - great name for a group. I had to leave my jar of olives in the cloakroom although Vl kept his camera. A bit of spirited queue jumping was going on . The Portugueuse are the best in Europe at this but are easily outdone at the international gathering.
In the foyer Vl told a joke about an airline which announced - 'It's 2 o'clock in Britain, 14 hours in USA, in India the little hand is on the two and the big hand on the twelve and in Belarus . . . it's Tuesday afternoon, glad you made it.' An Australian lady got a bit snotty about it so I'm glad I didn't say, 'I understand there might be Southern Baptist suicide bombers here.'
The first culture shock was to see an elaborately arrayed Korean koto or shaminzsen orchestra all kimonos and demureness lauch into the opening item of the congress - The Hallelujah Chorus. Then they brought on a Korean children's choir and they sang some English world worship songs. This was all corrected later on in the congress where there was plenty of indigenous music but at the time it seemed not right at all for them not to be using Korean music. They went on to sing an admittedly oriental sounding 'Amazing Grace' and even 'God save the Queen' follwed by two more Anglophone woship songs and then finally one in Korean follwed by 'Swing low sweet Chariot' and 'When the Saints go marching in' as David Coffey came onto the stage. Then they sang a gospel version of 'This little light of mine' complete with Korean Mahalia Jackson type singer.
Then there was a film about the 100 years of the BWA but it seemed a bit incoherent to me and didn't really convey much historical fact. Then there was a procession of the nations snaking in and out of the blocks of the seats. Then there was a bloke impersonating Alexander MacLaren who had spoken at the first conference in 1905. Then they had the creed, with mime by Richard Bowers. Then the Mizoram choir who did an upbeat American style version of Jesus shall reign' after a Mizo song. The some Americans did a superb mime based on Bridge over troubled water and the story of the woman at the well. They used the main stage, a saller stage in the centre of the hall and some open air footage on video. The PA sound at this stage was quite metallic and harsh but did improve as the days went by. In fact, technically the congress was superb - video screens everywhere.
Here's a good saying by David Coffey: 'The current events [bombings, war etc] provide a context for God to speak to us in a deeper way.'
Billy Kim was the main speaker but like I think nearly all of the evening speakers it didn't seem to me to come off. Personally anecdotal. He asked rhetorically, 'Where is the modern-day Spurgeon?' As I hope to display in further instalments, a modern day Spurgeon is not needed, at least not in the sense of a speaker amassing huge crowds. Watch this space.
Tue 2 Off to the BBc today to record two talks for Radio 2. Rehearsed last night for Brinley's party so must find out today what time we are to play.
Now, BWA as of 28.7.2005 Couldn't decide which Bible study to attend, Russian or English and then which English one. Anyway, we thoughtm wrongly as it turns out, that anything at the BWA is bound to be great. The Northumberland Community were leading worship. Instead of exhorting us to eat grass or scourge ourselves with rushes or set ourselves adrift in open boats to see where we would end up, they treated us to some agreeable celtic flummery. I was particularly happy to watch an incredibly busy percussionist - a different instrument on every beat it sometimes seemed. They sang St Patrick's Breastplate to the 'Scarborough Fair' tune - a beautiful sound but the words don't fit and that leads to lots of wrong emphases. After that the North Carolina Choir sang but unfortunately only one song. Thye turned out to be one of the best ensembles of the congress with a well balanced and full bodied sound. Anyway, the talk on baptism was by Wanda Lee of Birmingham Alabama. Vl characterised it quite aptly as appropriate for ten year olds - I'd say fifteen year olds and it led us into a futile discussion about women's ministry. I took notes on the talk but only one thing is worth putting down: the talk ended with a resounding, 'The waters of baptism are living waters.' Very infelicituous and injudicious.
It was a short session too and we ended up in one of the other halls for the end of another session where the atmosphere was charged. From what I remembered of 'Experiencing God', I worked out it was Henry Blackaby. He was saying that there's not enough about sin in our evangelism. Our question should be not, 'Do you accept Christ?' but 'Does Christ accept you?' When we meet Christ, sin comes onto the front burner.
Ironically, the very next thing I saw was contradiction of this and a highlight of the congress and of my life so far: a band from Trinidad called the something Messengers singing: 'Nice, nice, nice, Jesus is so nice, so nice.' !!!!
Went to see Rick Warren and here's lesson one in church growth. He was not in a back room avoiding the punters but on the door giving every attender a hug and greeting them by name. He made an extraordinarily strong impression starting by telling us that his great grandfather was a Spurgeon convert who went planting in America. Some good things: 'When God asks a question of you it's never for his benefit but always for yours.' Another thing: God asked Moses, 'What is in your hand' Moses replied, 'A Staff' and he had to throw it down and the dead staff came to life. It represented three things - his identity as a shepherd, his income as a shepherd, his influence as a leader of sheep. Warren said that if we hold on to these, they will die but if we lay them down they'll come to life. As he went on, it became clear that Warren is a man who wanted to pastor a church for life who suddenly became rich and full of influence. The purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence. 'Sharpen your axe - work smarter not harder. Don't harvest rice with a cherry-picking machine. It takes skill as well as prayer to grow a church.' 'Never stop learning.' 'Never compare - you either get discouraged or proud.' 'Don't pray, God bless what I'm doing; pray, Help me to do what you're blessing.' 'Criticism is part of the pastor's job and often it's jealousy. He had a very gracious approach to his critics - 'I know they'll get to heaven but when they get there, they'll be surprised to see me.'
Rick Warren's main emphasis here and in his evening session was on a new acronym they're trying out and will shortly launch. It chimes in very well with the new thing God seems to be doing - to send the church into the community and let the church be a supplier of help to people as well as bringing a message of salvation (not instead of doing this). He said that those who have influence are given influence in order to speak for those without influence. Here is the acronym:
Plant a Church or partner with one. Equip servant leaders. Assist the poor. Care for the sick. Educate the next generation. PEACE
Wed 3 When we came out of Rick Warren's talk people were agog - there's been a hurricane although they presented it as just very heavy rain and there were huge patches of water everywhere as they gamely continued to sing on the main stage.
In the evening we went to the main event in the indoor arena. The Bishop of Birmingham (soon to be Archbishop of York) brought salty greetings concluding with the sentence addressed to Baptists: 'Remember, he who fetches the water is most likely to break the pot.' Very thought provoking.
Next, Myra Blyth spoke and I found it first a powerful analysis of today's world as narcissistic and then another compelling explanation of the incarnational model for the church. There was a really moving conclusion based on the fact that Myra's mother had died only two days before the event but that we can experience resurrection even in life. Vl didn't enjoy the talk at all, finding it far too verbally fussy and too much led by theology rather than the Bible. I must get the CD and include it in the series of BWA evenings we'll hold. Here's a good saying from her talk: 'God cannot be confined to Pharaoh's palace, David's temple, the ressurrection tomb, the church or the Bible - he keeps breaking out.'
As of 29.8.2005 Geraldine Latty began the Bible study with a verbose song that was more like an undergraduate essay on perichoresis - the dance of the Trinity than anything else. All about dancing and with a tune like something out of the Teletubbies. Definitely not a song to sing in Raglan. Still, I thought that about 'The Servant King' the first time I heard it. She was followed by a good South African Choir.
The Bible Study was by Tony Campolo and this was where the conference really caught fire for me. It was full of pithy short quotable statements but with the clear uniting theme that wheres in the past the Church was the guardian of orthodoxy and tried to create structures of Church society and ethics to obey Christ, in the 21st century, Christians must be filled with the Spirit. He portrayed himself though as more a Catholic mystic than a Pentecostal who has to 'drive back the animals' and create what the Celtic saints called the this place. He ended with an astounding passage about the conflict between the desire for titles and the desire for testimonies. What he meant was that no matter how correct our doctrinal formulations and no matter what our qualifications, people must be helped. Some quotes:
'Your prayers are stupid. But when I finish my stupid prayer, the Spirit prays, "Father . . . "'
Mother Theresa: 'In prayer, I listen to God', 'And God says?' 'Nothing, he listens.'
'I believe in miracles; I've seen them on TV.'
'All a wedding does is create the possibility of a marriage.'
'If Jesus had the choice between walking on water and making an old lady laugh, which would he choose?'
'I love my country: it's the best Babylon on the face of the earth . . . but some think it's the kingdom of God.'
Fri 8 As of Friday 29th July In the afternoon we heard Steve Chalke talking about the church as the real health service. It was actually very complementary to what Campolo and Rick Warren had said and for me these three talks were the backbone of the congress. He's talking about outreach into the community and integration of the whole life as Christians and as churches. Now, here's my point about the Spurgeon reference from Billy Kim - 'Where is the modern-day Spurgeon.' What's needed is communication of this outreach/integration message and actually that couldn't possibly be done better than it has been done here by Warren, Campolo and Chalke. Now, from what I heard Steve say about the controversy about what was achieved by the atonement, I can't follow him there.
As of Saturday 30th July Quite a routine Bible study fom Neville C of Jamaica. He was followed by an American worship leader in a rainbow waistcoat who reminded me of The Floaters - 'Hi, I'm Larry and I'm Aquarius . . .' He tried to get everyone to hold hands but didn't manage that in our part of the hall at least. Followed by a Korean opera singer singing the Lord's Prayer. We'd already heard Panis Angelicus sung by a Korean tenor accompanied by the koto ensemble. An article by jonathan langley in this week's Baptist Times makes a similar point: 'Disappointingly, much of the Korean ensembles music was played to the background of Casiotone cheesy backing muzak, demonstrating the devastating effect Western music has had on Eastern culture. Ouch!
An interesting conversation with Vl about the unsuitable wives of famous Christian men - Wesley, Livingston, Carey. Hudson Taylor had the misfortune of having to work with his wife in the other room locked up.
A great speech from Denton Lotz underlining Christ, the Word, the Trinity, Holiness and Unity and Keith Jones pointed to the declaration from the Congress as a mighty fine crystallization of this basis of our faith. The subtext is that the Southern Baptist secession is on secondary matters and power related (points forcefully made by Jimmy Carter in his Sunday address).
Evening Session with Rick Warren. He has distributed a declaration of intent for future ministry and I find it quite moving and in fact more powerful than the sermon itself tonight. He is preceded by too much music and other contribution although of course they are of the highest quality. The North Carolina choir are singing again. One of them came forward at another event and made a moving speech talking about the grief and broken hearts about the actions of their leaders. He pointed out that when the SBC withdrew $450.000 funding from the BWA, the actual members responded by donating $500.000. Unfortunately though the sound is not as good in the National Indoor Arena as it was in the Symphony Hall so the impact was not as much. Rick Warren's main points were the same as I've already written earlier but he did enlarge on his notion of a New Reformation not of belief but of behaviour. This New Reformation will be marked by: The mobilization of believers. The multiplication of churches. The eradication of problems (See Steve Chalke's ideas). Evangelisation of the world. This will be done from the Father's perspective, with the Spirit's power and according to the Son's pattern - out of gratitude to God we will do the works Jesus did (See Tony Campolo).
Saw Ian Inglis
Very moving time around the induction of David Coffey as BWA president. The whole family were around him as the Carolina Choir sang Rutter's setting of 'The Lord Bless You and Keep You.'
Sat 6 The Committee band played at Brinley's birthday party last night. We set up in the new conservatory - a not bad spot in a pub that's not great for live music (it's an L shaped room and I think the best seats were just outside the window). The first half was a couple of songs from John Tribe followed by the hog roast and then Catherine and I sang three numbers - Every Grain of Sand, Both Sides Now and You Got a Friend. Then I had to fill in because Matthew was at the bar and so I sang the Wimberries song. Then Matt and Jonny came on and we did 'Your're beautiful'. Jonny gave us an impassioned In Dreams and after that I shouted out, 'Come on, Jonny - show some commitment!' They did a couple more and then John Tribe finished the half with a couple of things. The Committee came on after Brinley's speech and it was a great set in spite of Matthew breaking his second string of the evening two songs in. I had an opportunity to pray with someone after the set and it was a marvellous evening.
Sun 7 David Gray on the process of recording his new album in his new studio built in a converted church: 'Jesus, all this is mine!'
Kate and Alan phoned up last night to come round on their way back from holiday. They arrived in Toulouse I think in our first Winter there on a boat on the canal and spent several months there while the work with homeless people was beginning. It must have been the winter of 1995/6 although I look forward this afternoon to comparing notes on some of the details. Alan says he's looking after an ancient monument at Linlithgow.
Mon 22 Lots to write about the holiday in France. Most important probably were the discussions we had with Charles about the cell church concept. At the moment they're working on the basis of Ralph Neighbour's book 'Where do we go from here?' which sees the small group rather than the congregation as the basic building block of the church. They're trying to put this into practice at the moment and, understandably, they're coming up with some ambiguity between what they call a Sunday morning cell group and what many people understand to be a churhc service in an informal setting. I was able to bring to the discussion and leave with Charles 'Church beyond the Congregation' which attempts to place the focus of the church even further out than the small groups, namely in the daily activities of the members of the Church. He has a difficult but stimulating theological basis for this in what he understands to be the Hebrew understanding of 'the heavens'. Christian activity is destined to achieve integration between God's heaven (the biblical third heaven which Paul saw) and the heavens between the earth and heaven where we all operate. This view has the benefit of removing the distinction between 'spiritual' activities and - well, what? - just ordinary activities. All activities become spiritual. Charles and I came to agree that they are about 7/8 of the way there but whether their members and attenders will understand that and give up waiting for a proper church is debatable. Anyway, we agreed that Charles' group was well ahead of the other Toulouse churches with British churches off the map and American on another planet. Still, as both Ralph Neighbour and the author of the 'Church beyond the Congregation' put it, all this is only just beginning.
One of the activities we brought was to give a concert in Charles' house for about 25 non-Christian friends - how many of us, incidentally have 25 non-Christian friends and could get them together at 24 hours notice for a concert? We didn't have quite enough French songs but managed to do about an hour with no trouble.
On the Saturday nightm Frank Hennesey played my song about picking wimberries on 30th July 1966. It was on in the third hour so that was quite late at night but I've sold one copy of it so far to a lady in Grosmont.
Wed 24 Two interesting and contrasting items in the Baptist Times by Alan Kippax and Darren Blaney. One Sunday Darren went to the Bluewater Shopping Centre insead of going to church - 'members of my congregation seem to do it often oftenough. There are holidays and family occasions, and visiting friends and boot fairs, and, "We were just tired, Pastor." My wife has often said, '"how would the congregation feel if you behaved like that and just didn't turn up one Sunday?" Good question.'
Darren tells us he felt at peace at Bluewater and had a great time with his son chatting about different things they saw and did. He makes many interesting points along the way and concludes: 'I wonder, could the church have a presence here? We've heard of groups running Sunday schools at supermarkets - why not go one better and have a church at Bluewater? Why not a Christian-run coffee chop offering cafe church on a Sundays, along with midweek lunchtime Alpha style groups, and reading circles where people can interact over the the latest worldview-shaping books?
Or a Christian book shop offering books for non-Christians on things like parenting, marriage, money and debt, spirituality, life's big questions? Why not have a labyrinth laid out where people can put on headphones and experience a spiritual walk for half an hour?
Perhaps Bluewater is where I ought to be every Sunday. Perhaps it is here - and not in my religious church service - that I will have most chance to influence people for the Kingdom. Perhaps I experience peace here becasue this is where God is, among lost people whom he loves. Perhaps, like monasteries of old, it is in the meeting of community, spirituality and commerce that new opportunities for mission will be found.'
On the opposite page is a letter about pastoral identity which ends: 'It is the minister's calling to provide for the spiritual needs of the people, to teach Christian truths, to encourage those within the church and to reach out to those on the fringe. He has to be a friend in time of need, to listen to concerns and do his utmost to cause no offence, especially over trivialities. He has to learn to accept valid criticism and not to take offence. After all, those who attend Church do so voluntarily and churches can easily be decimated by unwise behaviour.'
Fri 26 Took Rachel to Newport and bought some CDs at the MDV chuck out sale. Had like Philip Larkin 'an awful pie'. Spent most of the rest of the day with Catherine converting our filing system from those grey boxes to flat plastic boxes. A much more manageable system.
Still looking for songs. We did a concert in France by the way. Not quite bilingual but not far off. Still looking for a name also, 'Frost at Midnight' 'Midnight Frosties.'
Tue 30 Great service on Sunday. Tim and Caroline were visiting with the twins and we had a new family just looking. I preached on hope and Steve brought some great prayers afterwards. Lots of people said it was a marvellous time.
Yesterday was the first new Raglan Day at the school field. I'd somehow got the impression there was going to be a site meeting at 7.30 in the morning so I was there early but in fact there was no activity until mid morning when all the gazebos and tables went up. In the marquee where I set up our PA there was a flower arranging display followed by Anna Tribe talking about her Nelson tour and then the handbells. We were due on at 4.30 but there was a Tai chi demonstration which cut into that even though we were on quite a tight schedule what with the band sound check later. On person who did turn up was the lady who asked for a copy of the Wimberries song after hearing it on Frank Hennesey. We did 'Bright Lights', the three Bob Dylans, 'Both sides Now' and 'You got a friend.' Ill advisedly finished with 'I found a love'.
In the evening there waws a good crowd for the Pop Idol final which I judged with Geoff Downes. Then we all did our sets in the first half. I can't help thinking this isn't the way to go. I think it would be better to do a couple of band numbers, then a couple of solo items, couple of band items, couple of solo and then the main band set. When we got going there were a few niggles and a few people said that Johnny spent a lot of his time singing with his back to the audience but he was only trying to get the sound right. In the end though he decided to tear it up and did so. I think it's be a good move to get Jonathan Kear to listen to the band and see what he thinks.