GadgetVicar

It's A Quiet Life

It looks as though the new facilities will be handed over in two to three weeks time. The internals are just about finished, bar a deep clean, and the stonemasons are busy working on the ramp walls and fencing. We now have to get the interior fitted out with furniture and technology, so it's all go.

The rectory is now on the market, so we'll see if we get a flood of viewers (must keep the house tidy, must keep the house tidy).

We're launching renewed vision (see here for more details), and we hope that will reorientate us to be more outward looking, inviting and clear in our purpose. I'm excited at what is happening and what might be possible. The next event in our plan to have more fun together is the Great Big Quiz Night on the 5th February. We're running a six week School of Ministry on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from the 22nd February, looking at Work, Leadership, Listening, and Godly Living for men and women. The prospectus for this will be up on the church website soon.

The Gibson Street Gala is in June - the first planning meeting for it is tomorrow. Where did the last half-year go?

I am going away for a few days at the end of this week, to Skye and then the Black Isle, for time with dear friends and some rest and recuperation before the onslaught that will be February. Bring it on!

Carols By Candlelight 2010

St Silas' enjoyed another Carols by Candlelight last night, where we were deftly reminded of the significance of the Incarnation. Great singing, narration, staging and visuals, as well as lovely refreshments, all combined to create a superb and gentle environment for the Gospel to be shared. It was only marred by my bad singing and missing of lines! That will teach me....

The completion of the new hall has now been delayed until the end of January (assuming that the freeze ends). The new toilets and baby changing/shower room have been handed over and were in use last night (not the shower, though!), so at least those facilities which have so often been the shame of the congregation on these occasions are now attractive and warm.

Thanks to all who made it happen and to all who came. It's simply the best way to start Christmas week.

Change Ringing

"We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps." Proverbs 16:9

There is a lot happening right now-

First up is the St Silas' Carols By Candlelight Service on Sunday night at 7.30pm. Bring your friends and family. It will be good! Come early to ensure a good seat.

Then there is the Hogmanay Ceilidh, 7.30pm to very late/early. TIckets are £5 and £15 for families. BYOB. Good music and fun are guaranteed.

Completion on the hall now looks likely to be delayed until the New Year. internally, the building looks great and is very close to being finished but externally the extreme cold is delaying the external works. At vestry last night, I likened it to being like looking at a Christmas present but not being able to open it. We're used to waiting....it's an Advent thing.

We are busy planning how we might structure our life together in the coming years. We are a comfortable church and could trundle along merrily without much to disturb that, but if we want to grow, both as individuals and as a congregation, we need to configure ourselves a little diferently and be moved out of our comfort zones. We've generally been good at navigating through the waters of change and innovation, and I hope this coming year will see us doing that well again. This is all tied to our vision booklet which will be published early in the new year. This is a time of change for us as a church, and that can bring some pain, but as we talk and pray through things, I'm confident that what the Lord has in store for us is good.

Vestry have now taken the decision to put the rectory on the market and hopefully buy somewhere nearer the church. Missionally this makes sense - having the Rector in the area will work well (I often say that I sleep in Jordanhill but live and work in the West End). It might well release a significant amount money to go towards the hall. The hope is to buy a large flat within ten to fifteen minutes walk of the church. Practically, the rectory is just too big, requires a lot of money and time to maintain/heat. That means I might be in for a busy year! Time to start decluttering......

St Silas' Christmas Craft Fair Is This Saturday

Welcome?

I've had several encounters this week which have caused me to ask, 'Just how welcoming are we?'. I've been much exercised recently by how the Church might minister to sex offenders once they leave prison. Their crime is viewed as the worst possible (more than murder?), even by fellow prisoners, hence the reason they are segregated in jail. I'm not aware of any churches specifically ministering to sex offenders, and it prompted me to wonder whether it's something we might explore. I'm aware of the difficulties, particularly being a church with lots of children. Yet, I wonder, is this not precisely one of the areas where the church needs to offer love, support, care and the possibility of transformation? Of course, one issue is that sex offenders once released from jail are not permitted to consort with other sex offenders, which means that there would be a lot of scrutiny if more than one began attending the same church, and in fact this would not be permitted. But what if churches were supported in supporting just one such person, helping them along the road a little way? Might that be a good thing? Am I being naive? What do you think?

Another encounter took place in Starbucks yesterday. This was with 'A', a transgender person. As she came and spoke to the women I was with (she didn't know them, but was being gregarious with the sisterhood!), I noticed the tattoo of a cross on her arm and asked about that and what she was listening to on her iPod. 'I was a goth and I'm listening to Rammstein' she told me. I then told her I am a pastor to which she replied with some vitriol, 'I wouldn't pee on the church if it was on fire!'. It turns out she'd been a youth worker at a well known Glasgow church, had known she was a woman trapped in a man's body since she was four and felt that she had been totally rejected by the church when she revealed her struggle to the senior pastor. I felt nothing but compassion for her and said, completely off the cuff, 'You'd be very welcome at the church I serve'. I really meant it, and I hope she shows up some Sunday. Yet, I wonder how easy that welcome would be for some of the flock, what judgements would be made and just how many other churches would welcome her?

Let grace, truth and compassion abound.

More On The Gala

Sponge The Vicar

Thanks to Isabel Ross and Graham Lynch for these images.

21st Century Disciples

21st Century Disciples proved to be a superb day conference. Bishop Graham Cray spoke for almost four hours in total, giving us an incarnational model of mission that chimed with much of the way I've been thinking of late. His biblical contextualization helped provide a framework for us to be disciples in Scotland in the here and now. Jesus is both Saviour and Lord, but he is a Lord unlike others. He is not one amongst many: He is The Lord. Bishop Graham contrasted and compared the world of the 1st century and our world. Consumerism, fame, money and power were all issues then too. Part of our discipleship is to work within that framework, but to subvert the systems which seek to shape us. I think it left me with a renewed confidence that the Gospel is effective - it works! Too many of (even in church leadership) have lost such confidence. The whole thing was a powerful call to witness and mission which left me with a feeling that we might need to offer this course to the whole congregation. It was such a good platform for what will happen as we take part in the Gibson Street Festival tomorrow.

I asked Bishop Graham my burning question of the day: ' What are you listening to at the moment?' He was delighted to be asked this, because he is an aficianado of all things 'rock'. The National and Arcade Fire featured heavily, as did a gig to see Neil Young  play in a field. I could barely contain my excitement - a bishop who likes the same music I do. I don't even have friends who like the same music I do! He becomes my second favourite bishop. At the end of the conference, as he departed, he made a point of telling me, 'I forgot to mention The Hold Steady'. He rawks!

Happening Things

I can't make this on the 19th June, because I'll be at 21st Century Disciples, but the Blessing of the Bikes sounds like fun. Shame I can't make it, as I like the idea of processing up the aisle of St Mary's on my mountain bike. Could I wear a cassock alb while doing so? I'm sure it will be a joyful event which some of our many cyclists at St Silas' will want to attend.

Something I will be at on the 20th June is the Gibson Street Gala, which we play an integral part in (and not just because we provide some lavvies). This year promises to have exceptional participation from St Silas', with some quietness, coffee, stalls, spiritual stuff, 'fairground attractions' (including one where it seems that I will get ritually humiliated and you'll get the opportunity to get your own back for anything I've ever upset you over - all in the name of 'charidy', of course). Details to follow......I fear that the advertising of this will draw hordes of people for this one purpose. There will be a low key worship thing at 6.30pm, assuming I have survived the afternoon ordeal, at which we'll be thinking about 'Belonging'. Bring your friends to all or part of the day.

Ballooning II

Another response to the Easter Sunday balloon release:

Subject: Thank you !

To the members of St Silas Church

On Easter Monday, the 5th April 2010, we got an amazing surprise: a balloon hanged in one of our trees with the wonderful message "Jesus is risen!" It's our 9 years old son who gladly found it.

This message really warmed our hearts, all the more after the wonderful Easter week-end we had with our brothers and sisters in Christ in our local evangelical church. Furthermore, as we saw that this balloon flew about 1600 km from Glasgow to Siviriez (small village in Switzerland), we considered it as a "wink" from de Lord. We were so amazed that we shared this experience with our church the following evening.

May the Lord bless you! Best regards to all of you from Christian Rapin's family.

You can visit our church's website at the following Internet address: www.apv.org