tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51641000251394957622024-02-19T04:29:58.502+00:00Wonder and Wondering - Attentive to Rhythms of GraceGeoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.comBlogger268125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-55434952867944560612020-11-13T17:39:00.000+00:002020-11-13T17:39:00.162+00:00An unusual club<p>This week I received a letter from Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with 'Important advice for you about new guidance for <i>clinically extremely vulnerable people</i>' (my italics). My initial reaction was 'Thanks Matt, I didn't need you to rub it it in!'</p><p>Because of the treatment I'm receiving I am in this category and apart from a daily walk, weather permitting, my only outing is a visit to the hospital each Friday for some additional treatments. Strangely, this is something I look forward to, mostly. I enjoy the short drive along the beautiful tree-lined grid roads of Milton Keynes - knock Milton Keynes at your peril! And then there is the experience itself, seeing some familiar faces above masks, and meeting new half-faces.</p><p>This week it was so good to see Adrian, whom I missed last week because he'd been admitted to a ward because of an infection. And then I met Lucy and Stefan. Lucy was sharing a very positive experience of the next phase of treatment which I'm to undergo in the new year and which was encouraging. The conversation was light-hearted and humorous. We then spoke about a particular procedure which isn't very pleasant and at the end of it, after a momentary pause, Stefan said, 'It's a shit club, isn't it!' And we laughed, and yet in those few words was forged a deep connection which was special. You might even say it was a moment of grace.</p><p>And then add to that the angels I encounter who care for me each week, and Samantha, who brought me tea and offered me a sandwich, and then as I received my treatment a conversation with Alice about star-gazing, picking up on her memorable experience of a holiday in the north of England in the summer. Moments of connection, of small but special connection. Moments of grace. Overall it was a good outing.</p><p><i>(All names have been changed to retain confidentiality)</i></p><p><br /></p>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-69364231884482873872020-11-04T11:10:00.002+00:002020-11-04T11:16:33.581+00:00Some reading along the way<p>I've been back at work for three weeks and it's given me just a bit of distance from the three months that I had off due to my medical condition, together with the preceding weeks which are all a bit of a blur. I've described this time as being 'graced' because despite my unwelcome circumstances there have been many riches along the way. </p><p>We have this fantasy that when we're unwell we'll have the opportunity to read all the books we haven't got round to and watch all the films and series on Netflix in the 'My List'. Of course the reality is far from this. However, I did read, moved in the early days by books with which I was looking for a connection. And many of these were re-reads.</p><p>Michael Mayne's 'The Enduring Melody' is a book that I've read several times, and used as the basis of a number of sermons, drawing on his exploration of the enduring melody, the <i>cantus firmus</i>, at the centre of a life. This forms the first part of the book. However, the bulk of the book takes the form of a journal with the chapter title, 'The Questioning Country of Cancer' relating Mayne's experience of what proved to be terminal cancer. This frank but moving account took on a fresh significance and Mayne became something of a companion to me. </p><p>Another re-read was Barbara Brown Taylor's 'Learning to Walk in the Darkness'. I'd read this before and wasn't overly struck but finding myself confined to strict bed rest with the prospect of needing to learn to walk again once I was fitted with a custom-made back-brace, the book was a pretty good summary of where I found myself! Again, it made a particular connection and gave much to reflect upon in the way of 'lunar spirituality' in contrast to 'full solar spirituality.'</p><p>Eugene Peterson has been a 'friend' for over thirty years and I returned again to his little book on the Psalms and in particular the Songs of Ascent, 'A Long Obedience in the Right Direction.' I found him inspiring and reorientating. In a re-issue since his death there is an introduction by his son in the form of a letter to his Dad. He concludes, <i>'for fifty years you've been telling me the secret. For fifty years you've stealed into my room at night and whispered softly to my sleeping head. It's the same message over and over and you don't vary it one bit. God loves you. He's on your side. He's coming after you. He's relentless.'</i> I was deeply touched, and continue to be, by these words.</p><p>Douglas A. Campbell's 'Paul: An Apostle's Journey' was an absolute delight which took me in another direction and in the process gave me a fresh perspective and excitement for Paul. I'm now reading Tom Wright's 'Paul - An Autobiography.'</p><p>And then Nigella, 'Feast' which, with a currently limited diet, has been welcome fantasy-reading, stirring hope for a not-too-distant future when I can get back to cooking and enjoying food again!</p>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-60373150006634277472020-10-17T12:30:00.000+01:002020-10-17T12:30:50.726+01:00Beethoven, the unpredictable and life after Covid<p>Admittedly this is a tad nerdy, but over the last few months, in celebration of the 250th birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, I've listened to, and indeed watched, the entire Beethoven symphonies, all nine of them, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. I've listened to them in chronological order beginning with the First Symphony which is classical in style, though still unmistakably Beethoven, and concluding with the Ninth, which is revolutionary, and unmistakably Beethoven!</p><p>The Ninth Symphony has a very special place in my life. I heard it when I was a very young boy, more specifically the 'Ode to Joy', and fell in love with music, an affair which has only gone deeper as the years have gone by. My first ever LP, received as a Christmas present, was of the Ninth Symphony, on the Marble Arch label. I have kept it for sentimental reasons. Strangely, I have mixed feelings about this symphony. I love the first three movements, and the initial entry of the 'Ode to Joy' theme, played <i>sotto voce </i>by double basses and cellos, joined shortly after by a bassoon weaving a counter melody, still sends shivers down my broken but mending spine! But then I find some of it gets a bit overblown. In the performance I heard the quartet of singers were excellent and contained but this isn't always the case!</p><p>The thing about the Ninth Symphony is the way that even at this stage - having blown convention to the wind as early as the Third Symphony by taking the direction of classical music in a radically new direction by the ninth note of the opening phrase - Beethoven still has lots more in store. </p><p>There is a moment in the final movement of the Ninth Symphony, when the music reaches a climax on a mighty unresolved chord which is followed by a silence. The question is, 'where next?' and Beethoven is totally unpredictable. What follows has been described as a 'fart' by the conductor and musicologist Roger Norrington. Two bassoons, a contra bassoon and a bass drum intervene in the wrong key, in a different tempo, on the wrong beat of the bar, a huge contrast to all that had preceded it!</p><p>I'm struck by the unpredictable in music. Beethoven was by no means the first to use it and he wasn't the last. And actually interesting music depends on some degree of unpredictability, what is called the principle of expectancy violation. Haydn's Surprise Symphony is an obvious example but Beethoven took music to a place where it had never been before. He invented the future and in this sense he was a revolutionary.</p><p>We are currently living in extraordinary times. I think it is unlikely that we'll look back on 2020/21 and say that it wasn't a big deal. Aside from the sheer tragedy of the situation for many people at so many levels, the question is 'where next?' In relation to the church there are those who paint an exciting picture of what might be with the opportunity to, as it were, reset. There are those who are less optimistic and simply want a return to what was, maybe with a few tweaks. And there are those who are hedging their bets with something of a mixed economy. </p><p>Damian Howard SJ, in an article in The Tablet, looking at 'Utopia, Dystopia and Life After Lockdown', does a quick trail through Church History making the point that throughout it has been wholly unpredictable. A reading of the Acts of the Apostles prepares the way. 'It's been a rollercoaster of blessing and grace, struggle and death and new life.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">That shouldn’t surprise anyone who believes in the incarnation and in the paschal mystery. Because this God is always creating anew. There </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic;">is</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> no steady state. Jesus Christ isn’t that kind of person, as you will notice if you read the Gospels attentively.'</span></span></p><p><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Unpredictability</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is </span>something<span style="font-family: inherit;"> that has become familiar to me, having been diagnosed with a serious medical condition that resulted in six weeks in hospital and ongoing treatment. I could not have imagined being in this situation this time last year. The condition is highly treatable and so the future is positive but ultimately it is incurable. For me, personally, the music has taken a very different turn from </span>the<span style="font-family: inherit;"> one I expected. And it has for our society and our churches. What next? is a </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">question we may be asking for a long time to come and I warm to the writings of Walter Brueggemann and Tom Wright who are hesitant to come up with any ready answers. However, I am taken with a comment by Roy Searle that we are being called to be 'co-creators of the future with God rather than curators of the past for God'. This seems to be key and whatever, that future is likely to have a considerable measure of the unpredictable.</span></p><p><br /></p>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-73708601013682594982020-10-10T10:47:00.005+01:002020-10-14T12:46:01.390+01:00Wonder and Wondering Returns<p>'Some Highlights from 2012' was the last time that I posted on Wonder and Wondering. Up to that point posts had become occasional but then they ceased completely. And here I am in 2020 posting once again. Why?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Firstly, because over the last few months I have been diagnosed with a serious medical condition which initially resulted in a six-week stay in hospital. It struck me that there are things that I might want to reflect upon for which Facebook doesn't seem appropriate.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Secondly, although my previous experience of blogging felt a pressure at times, I found it an enriching experience which stimulated my thinking and also my writing. In short, I enjoyed it!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Thirdly, in May of 2021 I will become the President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, and the blog may provide a platform for further exploration of my presidential theme, 'Attentive to Rhythms of Grace'.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The blog will, as in the past, express those things that cause me to wonder and keep on wondering, and being 'attentive to rhythms of grace' will feature prominently. Of course, I may never get beyond this initial post, so it will be a case of wait and see!</p>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-22695443864702606062012-12-31T16:21:00.000+00:002012-12-31T19:47:17.625+00:00Some Highlights from 2012<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m conscious that my blogging is so occasional as to be almost non-existent. I regret this as, regardless of whether anyone engaged with what I wrote, I found the experience to be enriching. I observe that many </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">of those whom I view as part of ‘my’ bloggers community, have gone the same way as me - a notable exception being <a href="http://livingwittily.typepad.com/my_weblog/">Living Wittily</a>. I think that Facebook is mainly responsible, but that’s another post.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On this, the final day of 2012, as I’ve reflected on the last year and jotted down some of my highlights, I’ve decided to post them. All of these highlights have been life-giving and in them I’ve experienced the touch of God in some way or the other.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Books:</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Francis Spufford, Unapologetic, is most definitely the ‘Book of the Year’. The writing is intensely beautiful at times, while being refreshingly raw at others. Sarah Quigley’s novel, ‘The Conductor’, about the events surrounding the composition of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, ‘The Leningrad’ was captivating and moving.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Films:</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Among the many excellent films recommended to us by our good friends Chris and Frances Norton, going with them to see ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ on one of the few sunny Saturday afternoons of the year was wholly worthwhile. ‘Delicacy’, with Audrey Tatou, was quirky and exquisite - and we downloaded the CD ‘Franky Knight’ by Émilie Simon, from which the soundtrack was taken, as soon as the credits came up. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘Borgen’ Series 1 and 2 were hugely enjoyable. The second series isn’t broadcast in the UK until next Saturday evening, but the kindness of friends meant we were able to borrow their imported box set. Both were excellent as was Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Newsroom’</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Live music:</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This included Richard Strauss’ Salome, and Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold, both at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Bach’s St Matthew Passion on Palm Sunday, sung by the Bach Choir at the Royal Festival Hall; a concert at the Theatre de Champs Elysees by the French National Radio Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davies, including, Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto and Dvorak’s 7th Symphony. The tickets were €10 each and we were at the back of a box and could see nothing without standing. It was still exhilarating! Two Renaissance choral concerts, one by Stile Antico at The Stables, and another by The Sixteen at The Church of Christ the Cornerstone in Milton Keynes were gorgeous.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">CD’s:</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Two stunning purchases were James MacMillan’s, Miserere, and St John Passion. And on DVD, the Peter Sellars‘ ritualisation of Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic together with a stellar cast of singers including Mark Padmore. This was one of the highlights of the year above all.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year the Horizon Ensemble - Katie Canell, clarinet, Geoff Colmer, bassoon, and Mary Cotes, piano - has performed on a number of occasions, notably giving first performances of Chris Norton’s Trio, Clarinet Sonata and Bassoon Sonatas, composed for us! </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Art highlights include the Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy (for the second time); Daniel Buren’s Monumenta 2012 at the Grand Palais, Paris; and Fra Angelica’s Annunciation at San Marco, Florence - I struggle to put into words how beautiful this is (see photo) - and a surprise find at the Chiostro Delle Schalzo of black and white frescoes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Holidays in Paris, Umbria, including Assisi and Montepulciano, and Florence, were renewing, refreshing, and huge fun, and we fell in love with Assisi, ‘a particle of paradise’. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This last year I’ve had the opportunity to speak on New Monasticism, and to launch Faith Engaging with the Arts, speaking on The Arts and Christian Understanding, and The Arts and Christian Spirituality. The Order for Baptist Ministry has continued to grow and develop and its second convocation in November was an encouraging event.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miscellaneous highlights include discovering Art of the Day which is sent to my Inbox every day and has been a source of delight. And likewise the daily reflections from the Franciscan, Richard Rohr. The BMS Mission Catalyst edition on Art & Mystery was one of the serendipities of the year - it was so good! </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over this year I have been awed by the courage of colleagues and friends facing the challenges of life, which for some has meant terminal illness and death. It seems appropriate that in a small way I honour them by including them among my highlights. They have been an inspiration.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There have been other highlights, including many family ones not mentioned, but also some lowpoints and a lot of in-betweens. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">'For all that has been - 'Thanks' and for all that shall be - 'Yes'. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And for 2013, grace and peace from Wonder and Wondering!</span></span><br />
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Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-81515739983473721232012-10-08T18:57:00.000+01:002012-10-08T18:57:39.915+01:00Order for Baptist MinistryI'm delighted to announce that the 'Order for Baptist Ministry' now has a website and can be found <a href="http://obm.emuto.co.uk/">here</a>.<br />
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Along with information about the Order, including The Journey (the story so far) and The Dream and Two Expressions (foundational documents), there's news of the Convocation in November, and downloads of The Daily Office.<br />
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We hope that this will provide a window onto what we're seeking to be and do.Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-56788210836260509902012-05-03T11:50:00.000+01:002013-01-01T18:37:48.562+00:00New Monasticism: something old, something borrowed, something blueTomorrow sees the beginning of the three-day Baptist Union of Great Britain Assembly at Central Hall Westminster. What seems like ages ago I was invited to give the address at the Baptist Ministers' Fellowship AGM, and the suggestion was, New Monasticism. At the time it sounded like a good idea! Well, I'm nearly prepared and looking forward to it.<br />
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I'm not an authority on the subject but I do have an interest which is more than just curiosity. The title I've come up with is 'New Monasticism: something old, something borrowed, something blue'.<br />
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If you come early to the Assembly and haven't been seduced by other attractions, it would be great to see you at 3.00 p.m. in the William Sangster Room.<br />
<br />Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-41753169676688329412012-04-13T13:55:00.000+01:002012-04-13T13:55:23.431+01:00Faith Engaging with the Arts - A Day to Explore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NPV8X-3qn4mTUf3yDrSnD4sCGYfS5jloP3oqaKBs_ss0CNJMYMaMAZolXNNMZiNwxV4LsJHCzPPRxQpBTrc0EVM2ZRY3sAH-OInC31k6XWUVpVIn3ycW4k8CvTKs4jt16dhaAdM95wLg/s1600/Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NPV8X-3qn4mTUf3yDrSnD4sCGYfS5jloP3oqaKBs_ss0CNJMYMaMAZolXNNMZiNwxV4LsJHCzPPRxQpBTrc0EVM2ZRY3sAH-OInC31k6XWUVpVIn3ycW4k8CvTKs4jt16dhaAdM95wLg/s400/Poster.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm excited at the prospect of an event that's organised for Saturday 19 May. The Central Baptist Association will be hosting, 'Faith Engaging with the Arts - A Day to Explore’, at Loughton Baptist Church, Milton Keynes, from 10.30 - 4.00 (with refreshments from 10.00 a.m.)</span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We hope to explore broadly, through presentation and conversation, issues of art, culture and creativity; and specifically how we appreciate and understand them as Christians, and how they relate to spirituality and encountering God.</span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'd really like this to be not just a one-off, but the beginning of something that might develop. It would be good to do some serious thinking together about the arts from a Christian perspective, and to ask some hard questions. Are they just an optional extra? Isn't other stuff more important? How do we discern God in the arts? Could the arts be perceived as the Holy Spirit's playground? ...</span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Other issues might be around the use of the arts in the life of the Church, and not just in it's worship; and the nurturing of artistic expression.</span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are a number of conversations going on around these themes, some of them within academia, and some among Christians involved in the arts within their own disciplines. Normally the local church is likely to be too small to have this sort of conversation, but an Association of 153 Baptist Churches might just provide a suitable arena. Friends from other churches are most welcome.</span></div>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-74532484720895493942012-03-04T12:37:00.000+00:002012-03-04T12:37:01.188+00:00Order for Baptist Ministry<div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Back in October, I posted on the first Baptist Order Convocation. I didn’t feel able to follow that up with more news but am now in a better position to do so.</span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Over three days in October 2011, twenty-five people came together at All Saints Conference Centre, Hertfordshire, to explore further the possibility of establishing an Order that was distinctively Baptist. </span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At the heart of the gathering was a rhythm of prayer - morning, mid-day, evening and night - drawing upon a variety of liturgies, mostly those that have been specifically written among ourselves for personal and cell group use. This was particularly rich and nourishing, combining stillness and silence with carefully crafted words. </span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We had opportunity to share the Dream, to hear from a number of ‘Holy Dreamers’, and to hold some discussion about different aspects of the Order. Of special significance were the conversations we had with Brother John Hennings, once a Baptist minister, now a Franciscan Friar, who we invited as a guest. Brother John was of enormous help, listening to our story and enabling us to consider the way forward. Two main things that we took away were: what we’re doing is likely to be a lengthy process and one that shouldn’t be hurried; and we need to articulate the particular charism of what we’re about. </span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Since then, a further period of conversation and reflection has taken place and in January, as the Core Group met to consider the story so far, important decisions were reached, especially concerning the name, the charism and our priority.</span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We’ve continued to struggle with the name, having adopted ‘Baptist Order’ until recently. We feel that now we have settled on, ‘Order for Baptist Ministry’. </span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our charism, ‘We are an Order for Baptist Ministry who see ministry as a living means of grace to the church as together we mediate the presence of Christ in the world.‘ </span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">‘Our priority is to encourage patterns and rhythms of relationship and devotional life that sustain this way of being.’</span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At the close of that day, we made our first vows with a real sense that this was God’s time to make this initial commitment. </span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We’ve booked a venue for our second Convocation. This time it will take place in the North, from 7-8 November 2012 and will be at Minsteracres Retreat Centre, near Consett, County Durham. </span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For those of us who’ve been involved in this for over two years, it feels not so much like an arrival as a beginning! We’ve much more to process as we continue this journey, but it seems as though a start really has been made.</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-78728785685010449912012-01-02T14:40:00.001+00:002012-01-02T14:46:11.279+00:00Christmas listening, watching and readingAs well as family, food and drink, Christmas - for me without responsibilities to lead worship and preach - has provided some space for listening, watching and reading.<br />
<br />
I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to the 'four' CD's I received. The first, the newly released box-set of the Beethoven Symphonies with Riccardo Chailly and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra - don't ask how many other sets I've got! Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians - beautiful, minimalist, repetitive music, which caused some 'interesting' responses from some family members. Bach Oboe Concertos and Sinfonias, played by Heinz Holliger, who recently turned seventy and still plays with virtuosity and extraordinary musicianship. And Paul Mealor, A Tender Light, which has some hauntingly beautiful songs, performed superbly by Tenebrae.<br />
<br />
As for watching, this included 'The Holly and the Ivy', a black and white movie starring Ralph Richardson torn between his roles as a clergyman and a father - thanks Chris and Frances for the present. And The Lemon Tree, a film which tells the story of a Palestinian widow defending her lemon tree field when a new Israeli Minister of Defence moves next to her - it's real, challenging and moving. We thought that The Artist might be on general release but we'll have to wait until 6 January.<br />
<br />
Other notable watching also including listening to the BBC2 broadcast of the Royal Opera House's stunning production of Tosca, with an entertaining introductory documentary with Antonio Pappano. Darcey Bussell Dances Hollywood, was stunning in a different way! And then Claudio Abbado's Mahler 9 with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra on DVD, another Christmas present. This performance concludes with three minutes of silence before the audience gives a standing ovation.<br />
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As for reading, Mary Oliver's New and Selected Poems, Vol. 2, is everything I expected it to be. If you haven't come across her poetry, a small extract from Everything:<br />
'I want to make poems that say right out, plainly,<br />
what I mean, that don't go looking for the<br />
laces of elaboration, puffed sleeves. I want to<br />
keep close and use often words like<br />
<i>heavy, heart, joy, soon, </i>and to cherish<br />
the question mark and her bold sister<br />
<br />
the dash...'<br />
<br />
The poem concludes,<br />
'I want to make poems<br />
that look into the earth and the heavens<br />
and see the unseeable. I want them to honour<br />
both the heart of faith, and the light of the world;<br />
the gladness that says, without any words, <i>everything.'</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
And finally I've begun Eugene Peterson's The Pastor, which does to me what all of his books do, that is, remind me of my primary calling and help me to recalibrate.<br />
<br />
Lest this all sound a bit serious, there has been much family, food and drink. Let January commence properly tomorrow.Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-58071124867515573852011-11-26T15:09:00.000+00:002011-11-26T15:09:53.985+00:00Advent and CreativityWhat is it about Advent that seems to let loose a deluge of creativity? Is it because it's the beginning of the new church year; or because ordinary time has seemed so long prior to the Kingdom Season which doesn't really do it for many people; or because it's the first of three seasons which have a natural and progressive movement about them? Or is it because there is something about Advent which is essentially generative?<br />
<br />
Repeatedly people say that Advent is their favourite season, and I'm one of them! This week I assembled our home Advent Candle wreath and crafted some words and prayers for each Sunday; I set up the daily Advent Candle; I sorted out the Advent playlist on iTunes; and thought about some reading for the season. And I began to recall some of the great works of art, and poems, that are informed by Advent themes.<br />
<br />
I came across this brilliant video clip on <a href="http://godspace.wordpress.com/">Godspace</a> which entertains and informs - Advent in 2 Minutes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/S02KOlw7dlA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And also these beautiful words from John Van De Laar.</span><br />
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<div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">‘Advent reminds us that there is a new world coming – always coming. It also teaches us that this new world does not remove the realities of the old world, at least not yet. Rather, the new world exists in the midst of the old one. The signs of suffering and trauma that we see every day are not an indication that God’s reign has failed, or that God is not coming, or even that we still need to wait for some future fulfilment when all will be set right. Rather, the suffering we experience in this world is an opportunity for us to encounter God and to help others to do the same. The struggles of this life are a call to embody now the grace and restoration of God, so that we become the manifestation of God’s motivation and the channel of God’s presence and activity for those around us.</span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 11.0px Calibri; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">'Our challenge, as we begin the Advent journey again this year, is to hold fast to faith and to live, as best we can, in the midst of the struggling world, the hope-filled life of Christ. Despair is not an option for us. Rather, as we celebrate God’s coming, hope becomes the fountain from which our joy, our love and our life of Christlikeness can flow.’ </span></span></div>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-25077946998947164852011-11-09T19:27:00.000+00:002011-11-09T19:27:47.981+00:00AnamCaraAt the Baptist Order Convocation, someone quoted from a booklet, AnamCara: Collegial Clergy Communities by Mahan Siler. A number of us were captivated and so we ordered some copies from the States.<br />
<br />
It really is a booklet and not a book, but this slim volume is dense with beautiful writing and deep wisdom.<br />
<br />
'How do you stoke the fire of soul within your institutional role? How do you keep alive your curiosity about this mysterious generosity that wants to surge through you and your ministry? How do you lead with passion and vision within a congregation that may desire more management than leadership, more comfort than challenge, more efficiency than effectiveness? <br />
<br />
'My response from fifty years in our vocation, is this: You cannot by yourself. Without soul friends, vital pastoral leadership is not possible. A single log will not remain aflame.'<br />
<br />
And another extract, 'How do we get to that place where the Music of the gospel becomes again and again more important than we are? With friends, I submit. I imagine pastors circling up with other colleagues to "jam", to lose and find themselves again in the Music. I picture AnamCara as one of those gathering places where vocational friends, practice, improvise, harmonise, note the discordant sounds, learn from one another, laugh with one another over mistakes - in other words, to love the Music together.'Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-34718168671692194202011-10-21T17:46:00.000+01:002011-10-21T17:46:58.240+01:00Reflections on Time and MusicI've read two posts this last week which have reflected in different ways on time using music as a pattern. One is from <a href="http://nah-then.blogspot.com/2011/10/music-and-spirituality.html">Glen</a> in relation to spirituality; the other from <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/stephenhough/100057173/pleasure-its-delights-and-dangers/">Stephen Hough</a> on pleasure: its delights and dangers. Because music takes place in time as well as taking time, and because by its very nature it's elusive and can't be freeze-framed, seized, captured, it provides a rich means of connecting with dimensions of life that are similarly elusive and hard to grasp.Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-4885078603179512522011-10-15T08:11:00.000+01:002011-10-15T08:11:04.304+01:00Welcome to Rev Jeannie's Poetry BlogI met Jeannie when I was a student assistant in a church in South London. And all these years later it's a delight to meet again as colleagues and friends. I was so pleased when Jeannie told me at the Baptist Order Convocation that she'd begun a blog. She's a deeply insightful human being who knows how to use words, as you'll see in the poem she read at the Eucharist in the Chapel and posted on Friday. So do visit her at <a href="http://revjeanniepoetry.tumblr.com/">Rev Jeannie's Poetry Blog</a>.Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-14406137282559401922011-10-12T18:18:00.000+01:002011-10-12T18:18:20.775+01:00CBA Ministers' ConferenceOne conference over and another one to go! The Ministers' Conference went really well. Jonathan Edwards and Kathryn Morgan were great. And Nick Spencer from Theos, who I hadn't heard before, was very impressive. Keith Judson and Tim helped us relax at the end of the day with some entertaining, thoughtful, sometimes humorous, sometimes bitter-sweet, songs.<div><br />
</div><div>There are many things that I could comment on which were nourishing. But a couple of things in particular that have stayed with me: Dan Foster's sax playing; and the privilege of praying and anointing with oil those who chose to come forward after Communion. It felt to me as though we were standing on holy ground.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm now at the Baptist Order Convocation, which is a huge contrast and already I'm feeling refreshed by the space, the pace, and the comparative silence.</div>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-50252479445091512342011-10-09T14:35:00.000+01:002011-10-09T14:35:39.146+01:00CBA Ministers' ConferenceThis week's a bit crazy! Before the Baptist Order Convocation, running from Wednesday to Friday, is the CBA Ministers' Conference from Monday to Wednesday!! This year the theme is 'Faith in the Market Place' and the speakers are Jonathan Edwards, General Secretary of the Baptist Union, Nick Spencer from the public theology think-tank, Theos, and Kathryn Morgan, Baptist Union Mission Advisor. We've got Keith Judson performing, with son Tim, at an after-hours session on Tuesday evening, and I'm preaching at the final communion. I'm looking forward to it and it promises to be another really good conference.<br />
<br />
On Wednesday, straight after lunch, I'll leave King's Park, Northampton and catch my breath as I drive down the M1 to London Colney to begin the next event! Come Friday I fully expect to have had a varied, rich and exhausting week!Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-44208604306654516762011-10-07T08:52:00.001+01:002011-10-07T08:53:46.132+01:00First Baptist Order Convocation<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Wednesday to Friday of next week, 12-14 October, we will be holding the first Baptist Order Convocation. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well over two years ago, four of us, close friends for many years, found ourselves talking about the possibility of a Baptist Order. We invited another friend who had some more developed thinking to join the conversation. This took place in Oxford in October 2009 and we agreed to take things further. We each invited a friend on a similar journey to a 24 hour conversation, and also we asked someone to facilitate the gathering. On 11-12 March 2010 eleven of us met in Warminster and through a process of discernment produced The Dream, which has been something of a foundational document since. How this came about - from thoughts going in every direction to something quite coherent - had a touch of the awesome about it! </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We met again on several other occasions but hosted a further conversation in January of this year to which we invited those who we thought might be interested. And over 50 people travelled to Milton Keynes. As expected, many questions were raised in addition to those we were asking ourselves. We're still working through these and there is no hurry, but there was a real sense of affirmation and a desire to take things further.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the heart of what we're doing is a commitment to prayer and attentiveness through a daily rhythm of prayer, spiritual accompaniment and retreat. And there's a commitment to gather, regularly in a cell, and annually as an Order. Acknowledging a debt of gratitude to communities like the Northumbria Community and the Franciscan Third Order, we're continuing to explore ways in which we acknowledge our belonging to the universal Church and yet express that which is distinctively Baptist. This is no small task but one that feels hugely worthwhile.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems as though we're on an adventure with that mixture of both excitement and apprehension. I have to say that I'm really looking forward to what could be a significant milestone on the journey.</span></div>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-20101812199799674852011-10-05T17:46:00.000+01:002011-10-05T17:46:09.753+01:00Mobile phones going off in concerts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FqguuuBOj06SnOlrb2sJ34zBhD5QLxT38Aj69XIp6-D66xrRpdIVo0WNCC4R2JC0QQjcQh6lR67k3DWFqK2ZKtvP73fFhrvRqC65PJlowypyE-UNZ3MGg8qxC8rEw_93cYyt5iZBP4Jf/s1600/296911_10150406156847853_767597852_10335807_721600524_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FqguuuBOj06SnOlrb2sJ34zBhD5QLxT38Aj69XIp6-D66xrRpdIVo0WNCC4R2JC0QQjcQh6lR67k3DWFqK2ZKtvP73fFhrvRqC65PJlowypyE-UNZ3MGg8qxC8rEw_93cYyt5iZBP4Jf/s400/296911_10150406156847853_767597852_10335807_721600524_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I really enjoyed this photo I saw on a bassoon-playing friend's Facebook!Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-41771013568381000382011-09-24T19:30:00.000+01:002011-09-24T19:30:20.059+01:00EBF Council - Day FourThe final day combined business and pleasure with an afternoon tour taking in the Mount of Beatitudes and Capernaum, concluding with another great meal including St Peter fish and chips!<br />
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The morning included a report from Paul Montacute from the Baptist World Alliance, who reminded me that globally Baptists number some 110 million! This was Paul's last Council as he soon retires and I was reminded of my first contact with him back in 1988 when we were both involved in the Baptist World Alliance Youth Conference in Glasgow. I was conducting the orchestra alongside Graham Kendrick's band.<br />
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The two resolutions agreed by the Council were on topical issues. The first concerned the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine and included a call for unity among the EBF and an invitation to the world family of Baptists to pray and work for freedom and justice in the Middle East and Arab world. The second resolution expressed sorrow and solidarity with the people of Norway and the Baptist Union of Norway following the recent attacks in Oslo and on the Island of Utoya. The resolve is that as member Unions of the EBF we stand up for the rights of those marginalised in their countries.<br />
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We said farewell to Valeriu Ghiletchi, the outgoing President, and inducted and greeted Hans Guderian as the new President. Hans spoke movingly of his three visits to Israel, the first as a self-conscious German visiting Israel. He set out three challenges that face the EBF: secularisation - which leads to a tiredness and a lack of expectation; nationalism - which provokes anxieties concerning the stranger; and injustice, which is the cry not only of the people in North Africa but also the people in Madrid and Tel Aviv.<br />
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We were formally invited to the Council next year which meets in Elstal, Germany, not far from Berlin.<br />
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On Sunday morning I preach at the Nazareth Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist Church in Israel, and then head for home. It's been a good Council, made special by the location. This sort of event is a reminder to me that I'm part of something bigger. I'm constantly struck by the diversity among us, and at the same time an obvious and expressed unity. Once more I'm challenged by the very limited resources that some of the Unions have in comparison to ours. Again I've enjoyed making new friends and getting to know existing friends better.Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-40639405981942905002011-09-24T06:27:00.000+01:002011-09-24T06:27:25.100+01:00EBF Council - Day ThreeAfter Friday morning worship, at which Munir Kakish, the Pastor of Ramallah Baptist Church, spoke with great energy, the majority of the morning was given over to a presentation by Musulaha, an organisation working for biblical reconciliation in the Holy Land. The two speakers were Evan Thomas from the Messianic Jewish community and Salim Munayer from the Evangelical Palestinian community.<br />
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On this day of all days, with the Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas's request for recognised statehood at the United Nations General Assembly, it was timely to hear from two individuals who might well have represented opposing positions speaking as one.<br />
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Evan recognised in his opening that the Israel/Palestine situation was an insoluble, intractable conflict-out-of-control. Movingly he related three stories of how he came to be involved in the reconciliation process. The first was the experience of being a soldier at a security point in Gaza. On one occasion he found himself doing what was expressly forbidden: looking into the face of the person whose body was being searched, only to be met with the gaze of a Palestinian Christian brother.<br />
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Their presentation contained no easy answers but many valuable insights. They commented on the power of collective memory, noting that the day each year when Israelis celebrate their independence and the formation of a state, the Arab Palestinian community commemorate the day of Great Tragedy. They reflected on the dehumanisation inherent in body searches, and the pull towards the demonisation of the other, adding that when God's brought into the equation things can become considerably worse!<br />
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There was the recognition of the reality that the situation is as though the Palestinians and the Israelis are living in one very small house and intermingling is unavoidable. It's always tense, even in the forums within the church.<br />
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They drew upon the great reconciliation passages in the scriptures, from Ephesians 2 and 2 Corinthians 5. And they went on to review conflicting theologies. It would have been especially helpful to hear about their process of making peace but even within a generous portion of the morning there wasn't time.<br />
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This was a particularly stimulating part of the Council and one that I found especially interesting. Clearly there are no straightforward solutions though there are seeds of hope. Part of the way forward, as exemplified by Musulaha, is that of living together and staying with the pain while recognising the enormous cost that this unity entails.<br />
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During the day there were other good things that were brought as information and encouragement, and a chunk of time in the afternoon was given over to seminars. In the evening the whole Council visited the Nazareth Baptist School, where we enjoyed a delicious Middle Eastern BBQ followed with a presentation by the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel. This was interesting but, for me, familiar!Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-20424308771856624872011-09-23T10:40:00.001+01:002011-09-23T10:59:52.206+01:00EBF Council - Day TwoThursday morning included a number of reports - it is a Council meeting after all! Tony Peck, the General Secretary, reflected widely on the kind of society we want, where God's kingdom is, and the task of engaging our society. He noted that several Middle East leaders weren't with us because of the huge changes in their countries. He made a plea for religious freedom, alluding to Thomas Helwys' Short Declaration of 1612.<br />
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We heard a report from the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague (IBTS) which went on to update the Council on the financial situation and options.<br />
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It was particularly good to hear from three delegates who shared stories from their churches. The first was from Terje Aadne, the General Secretary of the Norwegian Baptist Union, reflecting on the attacks in Norway. He spoke movingly about the deep shock that has affected the nation and the way that the nation has been united in this tragedy with a resolve to stay together and protect democratic values. The church, both State and Baptist, is making a significant contribution, having opened wide its doors in the days following.<br />
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Christer Daelander spoke of his relationship with the Baptists in Uzbekistan and shared something of the struggles of the church in a context where they face significant opposition and persecution. We heard from another delegate about an exciting church planting initiative in Latvia.<br />
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Late afternoon we had a break and visited the Nazareth Village which is an authentic reconstruction of a village from the time of the first century -an interesting experience culminating with excellent food! It was especially good to meet up with friends from the Association of Baptist Churches (ABC) with whom the Central Baptist Association (CBA) has a relationship through the Baptist Twinning in Israel (BTI) - with apologies for acronym overkill!<br />
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One of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of the Council takes place in the conversations during meals, breaks, and over a drink, when stories are told, new perspectives gained, connections made, and friendships formed.Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-60123485804519413892011-09-22T08:59:00.000+01:002011-09-22T08:59:26.422+01:00EBF Council - Day OneYesterday was a travel day, exacerbated slightly by not being able to use air space over Greece. But it was in fine company and even EasyJet wasn't too uncomfortable.<br />
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A nice touch - at Luton Airport, Ian Handscombe, one of the chaplains, met us in the departure lounge and then came to see us off as we went through to the plane. Michael Banfield, the Senior Chaplain does a tremendous job and is greatly appreciated among the 8,000 staff who work at the airport.<br />
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We've now begun the first of the sessions, commencing with worship which was sung in Arabic and English. It was special to hear the reading from Luke 1, 'In the sixth month the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a village in Galilee called Nazareth.' Karin Wiborn from Sweden emphasised 'Here in Nazareth' and stressed how the annunciation needs to take place in our lives.<br />
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This Council takes place at a very significant time for Israel and Palestine and there will be opportunities to pray for peace for Israel and Palestine.<br />
<div id="myEventWatcherDiv" style="display: none;"></div>Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-77774448770545955862011-09-21T07:55:00.000+01:002011-09-21T07:55:27.519+01:00European Baptist Federation in IsraelLife is rarely monotonous! Two Sundays ago I was preaching in a small rural church with just a few people - we had a good morning! Last Sunday I was at the Milton Keynes City Church, Christ the Cornerstone, for their Covenant Service with a large attendance. This coming Sunday I'm preaching at one of the Baptist churches in Nazareth, Israel.<br />
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I will be attending the European Baptist Federation Council which starts today and concludes on Saturday. I hope to post, given time and internet access. I'm really looking forward to being there and particularly to hearing the perspective of those from the Middle East.<br />
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If you're asking 'How does Israel and the Middle East feature in a European Federation?' I'm tempted to say, 'If it's good enough for the Eurovision Song Contest ...' The fact is that many of these unions and conventions are there because of strong relationships with European Baptists and they're most welcome.Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-37286645357755725072011-09-20T17:54:00.001+01:002011-09-20T22:30:42.491+01:00facebook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSAbr2TNeZ0u9a0oMY8onaQnA9utl0LxPjHAFtfdc-TWCY6e4Rw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSAbr2TNeZ0u9a0oMY8onaQnA9utl0LxPjHAFtfdc-TWCY6e4Rw" width="200" /></a></div>I've joined facebook. 'What took you so long?' some of you might say. I've had some considerable resistance - I won't rehearse the reasons - until last week when at the Baptist Union Communications Committee that I moderate, I came to the conclusion that I really should have a go. If it threatens to get out of control I'll simply delete it!<br />
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My son Andrew gave me a tutorial on Skype, and I was away. And I have to say I'm taken! It's been a fascinating experience of connectivity, and what's blown me away is that within a few hours I'd made contact with someone I haven't spoken to for thirty years!<br />
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I've just networked this blog to facebook, so I'll see how it works.<br />
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Twitter next? I don't think so, but you never know.Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164100025139495762.post-13299289777210077182011-09-19T21:45:00.002+01:002011-09-20T22:33:20.924+01:00Recent viewing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dZYnn1c-L._AA115_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dZYnn1c-L._AA115_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Wondering when I can next justify yet another viewing of The West Wing, I've been watching the re-run of The Killing on BBC4 in advance of a new series. The first showing got rave reviews and I recall reading something along the lines of 'What are we going to do on Saturday evenings when the series comes to an end?' It's been screened Sunday to Thursday evenings from 10.00-11.00 for four weeks so it's been late night viewing and catch-up when I've missed it. From the first episode I got thoroughly hooked by this compelling drama. I haven't seen the American spin-off but the original Danish is mostly understated but constantly taut with superb characterisation and a plot that keeps you guessing almost to the end. It's dark, it's bleak and it's strangely satisfying.<br />
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Just before we hit the ground of September running, we had a terrific day in London with our friends Chris and Frances. Chris is a composer - Microjazz is one of his most popular series of compositions - and a highpoint, just as we were about to tuck into gourmet burgers, was Chris presenting me with the first movement of a trio he's writing for the Horizon Ensemble. What a gift! We'd just been to the Curzon Renoir to see in 3D, Pina, a film documentary about the dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. This was a wonderful, wonderful film, quirky, but moving and utterly enchanting. Clearly she had a huge influence on the dancers in her company and they spoke with reverence about the inspiration that she'd given them. The DVD came out the following week and I'm looking forward to seeing it again.<br />
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Another noteworthy film was Submarine, a coming of age film, again, quite quirky but lovely. I'd love to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy as it's getting almost constant five star reception. But September is far from over yet and I'm not yet back to enough of a moderate pace that would allow a cinema visit. Later maybe.Geoff Colmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05399306737741865827noreply@blogger.com0