Top moments of 2011

A friend posted on her blog her top moments of 2011(here) then sent out a tweet to challenge to do the same and STF posted her 11 for 11 (here)...

So my moments for 2011 Hmmm it's been a really hard year for MyPatch in a lot of ways.. but lets see how far we get.....

1.  Hesse (link) with a friend is always good enjoy these trip with this friend a lot...

2.  Trip though the Finnish Archipelago over night with STF and had breakfast on the boat looking out over the harbour in Sweden. playing wii bowling in the children deck very funny oh and Playing M&M poker

3. Getting a second merit for a MA assignment which meant I could go on to the full MA at Cliff College. Thanks due here to STF and My/Our friend and mentor Rev Dr P Meadows. Who believed and encouraged.

4.  Robes project... talking and serving the homeless who stayed one night a week with us in vauxhall over the winter months. For many there were good news stories of lives renewed starting jobs.and new homes.

5.  My New Home and New post in Leicester -

6. Bryan Adams in Concert at the O2 amazing night

7. Cub Camp - eating pizza in Akkalas car that had been smuggled back to camp by her and another leader so the other didn't find out...

8. Little women- Helping with the Lighting at the inner city players production.

9. Tea and home made scones on the patio in wonderful sun in Turku

10. Trip to Greenwich and the docklands museums picnic lunch band in Hyde Park on a hot sunny sunday afternoon Regents park too tea at the teahouse theatre

11. Street party in vauxhall for the royal wedding and wandering round London the night of the wedding chatting and taking in the atmosphere.

Advent 4

So we're almost at the end of the  journey to Bethlehem and so the ADVENTure is almost over but is it theres much more to the story more of the journey to take..  I'll be sad to leave the advent story behind I've enjoyed leading it and enjoyed seeing the different children engage with the different characters. Comments from other leaders about the wondering we did on the very first story of the Holy Family way back in October. Who went home and discussed it with there significant others.

But today we had the wise men bringing there gifts.. Each week there has been that little phrase that makes me smile todays was this 


"The wise men are always late, every year they're late, usually not arriving until January 6th. But we remember them anyway, because like us, they too on our their way to Bethlehem."  :).. 

Christmas Meal

I used to love school dinners esp the sponge cake with pink icing on covered in custard. Today was christmas dinner at Hamilton Community College.

 Over the Last few weeks I've been working in the Key stage 3 base ( thats yr 7-8 (11-14's) or to the older readers 1st & 2nd yrs of secondary). Those who come to the base are in need of support in different ways through bad days or need help with social skills. The base is part of the Inclusion facilities at the school 

The faculty strongly believes in the College ethos, “Every child should achieve their very best and feel secure,” regardless of their individual needs.  The Learning and Life Skills Faculty is dedicated to improving the literacy and numeracy of targeted students, SA, SA+ and Statemented, providing nurture as appropriate and to share information on students with needs to all staff, especially strategies and targets to include in mainstream lessons wherever possible. 

Looking back many of those who come through the base when I was at school would have been excluded from education. That now is the last case Scenario each each child's situation is looked at individually. There are many reasons why there are struggles with certain lessons or how we handle situations... for some it's english is a second or even third language, others its difficult settling in to a new environment, a unsettled home life. And those worries and concerns come through in many different ways.

talking to one of the staff they use chocolate buttons instead of counters playing draughts with those who struggle with patients and frustration..not sure i would have the patients not to eat the counters :)..

but this was titled christmas meal.. and today classes for yr 7 finished a few minuets early as we all went down to the dinning hall and lined up for lunch. The dinner was worth the wait.

  It would give any restaurant a run for it's money  

Advent 3

Our favourite part of the Advent story is the changing of the flame. We don't put out the flame we change it.. I love that.. the words are  

Look. Do you see how the flame is in just one place now? It is right here. When I change the light, it will no longer be in just one place. You can’t see it after it spreads out all over the room, but it is there.

These words remind me of the opening verses of Johns gospel.. words that will be read at 9 lessons and carols around the world over these next few days.
      the Word present to God,
      God present to the Word.
   The Word was God,
      in readiness for God from day one. Everything was created through him;
      nothing—not one thing!—
      came into being without him.
   What came into existence was Life,
      and the Life was Light to live by.
   The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; 
      the darkness couldn't put it out. 
The simpleness of that phrase, unpacks something much deeper and ties together the mystery of Christmas and Easter... 

One of the boys changing the light

At the end of our session we don't pack everything away but instead put it on the bench we use for our focal shelf. Why well this is so that there is opportunity for sharing with the wider body of the church.

Waking up the neighbours

          During the last song the little lights are mobile phone screens 

Well last nights trip to the O2 was fantastic.. And a amazing concert by Bryan Adams and Band It's not very often i no all the words or even recognise the words to songs ( thats if you can actually hear them, Hmmm think I'm getting old!!!) last night i did and came away with ringing ears and no voice from singing and shouting for 2.5hours, everything I do I do it for you, Summer of 69, 18 till I die, can't stop this thing we started and more...

Last year year bryan adams was in Tampere I was in Turku Finland I thought about going but decided it would be crazy with the weather. Then a call from a friend here in london I know you wanted to go last year but couldn't  I've just got two tickets do you want one  for london.. So it's been a long wait but I'm just about to leave to go down to london for the night.

Music and Theatre are things that really refill me..

More later :)

Advent 2

The table was put away this week at the back of church the bench remained to become our focal shelf and out came the carpet. its not very big but was big enough for the four of us and the the story.. This was a new way of doing junior church for us. And though we cant do a full Godly play session in the time we have we can tell the story have a quiet wonder time and short very short time for reflection ( they normally want to draw ) before joining back with there adults as we break bread.

What was great this week was the retelling of the story of advent one that one of the children had heard twice now and as I put the tile out recounted what it was about..  So the journey continued from the prophets to Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem.

I think the best bit for all of us was changing the light more on that another time though...

Christmas fete

This weekend was busy here with the christmas fete.. To see the church changed was truly remarkable and for it to be back to normal ready for sunday and the visit of The Bishop was even more so. The fete was fun. The youth ran a stall with some testing games like below( mouse maze) guess the bears birthday and little gifts for sale that the Kids and youth had made over the last few weeks..

then all back to normal for sunday

A King Is comming

Maggi Dawn writes 

The first Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the Church year, the liturgical journey that explores not only the story but the meaning of salvation. Creation as the start of everything is a theme that is often highlighted at this time.

It is also the beginning of our preparations for Christmas—and, as Christmas celebrations are creeping further and further back into December, Advent is focused more on Christmas than it ever used to be. The preparation for Christmas, and the stories of the nativity, are a key part of the later weeks of Advent.  (Beginnings and Endings (and What Happens in Between): Daily Bible Readings from         Advent to Epiphany P11)

Today in churches around the world the first candle was lit, a candle of hope of promise a candle for the prophets who proclaimed the wonderful message Of what God was going to do. During our Family Eucharist today our first candle was lit.. And we reflected on Advent   and used the Godly Play material for Advent. Which we used last week for the story time at our monthly Kids club...


The opening words to today I love almost as much as the words from the Holy Family "wonderful in a Easter kinda way.

 A King is coming, but he is not the kind of king that people thought was coming. This King had no army, no great house, and no riches. This King was a baby who was born in a barn.

The King who was coming is still coming. This is full of mystery. You know, a mystery is hard to enter sometimes. That is why this time of Advent is so important. Sometimes people can walk right through a mystery and not even know it is there. This time of year you will see people hurrying in the malls buying things and doing this and that, but they will miss the Mystery. They don’t know how to get ready or maybe they just forgot.

Things were slightly bigger than I'm used too... we had the first tile on the big screen throughout most of the service... which was great to do but I do like sitting in a little circle on the carpet to tell the story.


As part of the service FrM shared this video 

It is so easy to miss the what advent is all about..This time of year you will see people hurrying in the malls buying things and doing this and that, but they will miss the Mystery. They don’t know how to get ready or maybe they just forgot. it's not just those who are rushing about in shops that my miss the mystery.  I wonder when was the last time you stopped and reflected on what Christmas is about. Maybe this advent take up the challenge for just five (5) mins a day to think about what is this mystery to me...


there are plenty for resources for advent like the one mentioned above (link)


shared briefly about letting the kids touching interacting with the materials and take on the story for themselves to often the nativity set is to be looked at but not touched..... 

when we were clearing up last week turning round to see the kids playing with the Holy family and the module of Bethlehem..


During advent each sunday morning the rest of the ADVENTure will unfold...  

Y@AS

Last night saw the launch of the youth club here in Scraptoft.  The idea is to have a very relaxed relationship building based group, provide a safe space. To start last night we had the Wii out table top games and a quiet area, a silly game that will run the next four weeks ( till christmas) and not forgetting a tuck shop. 


I had expected a very quiet start to the club, three youth were moving up from the monthly kids club. And a few interested from detached work over the last few weeks (Each wednesday morning- yep you read that right a youth worker talking about mornings :)) while the youth waited for the bus. So 6 or so youth were expected.


We wasn't I wasn't expecting to get 18... 


So a much busier night than any of us had expected. 

In proverbs 16 it says 

Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
   and he will establish your plans.

The danger is when you do this He could just blow your expectations out of the window. Taking them further than you think. 

The prayer now is for next week that they return and relationships are built at the club but also while doing detached in the mornings and We continue to give the plans to God and to listen to His plans and leading. And for more volunteers to come forward...

three months

That was this weekend, Its been three months since I began work in the parish here.  Since being here my one word answer to the Diocesan Youth Officer(DYO) when asked how it goes has been SLOW. Today things started to speed up as the meetings with schools finally happened. One a primary school the other a community college. So from next week I'll be in both at least twice a week doing reading, pastoral playground games, story time...

between the two meetings nipping into a chip shop and a great chat with the owner about the youth in the area and that they often hang out in the shop in a evening. Not doing anything just a warm welcoming place. 'there good kids just nothing to do' and not having the money to buy anything. From this is another place and contact to meet with the youth with a bag of chips in hand to chat.

it's these "chance" conversations that so much is learnt about place and people.

All Saints Kids

We were making the nativity today at Kids club we meet every third sunday last time we met I told the Godly play Story of the Holy family this week we did advent one ( which we will do again during family Eucharist next week) As we finished and we collected the characters together the conversation went like this

Kid: wheres baby Jesus... Me: being made over there... kid: but I thought He was born.... 

As the other leaders started laughing  it then a discussion with a 9yr old about the creed

the end of the conversation was followed by haha you were told by a 9yr old...

MA MA

I was watching repeats of  dr who (gridlock) and there this really cute bit with a basket of kittens the dr picks one up and it says Mama. 


My patches life is often a juggling act.. let me explain Two years ago my friend and mentor encouraged me to apply for a course that I was interested in. The course at cliff college was to be a PostGrad certificate in Wesleyan Theology And Spirituality. What came next totally surprised me but not so my mentor. I never expected to be completeling a Masters degree to be honest I never expected to complete any further study after leaving school. Two years into the part time course and this week attended a dissertation conference at cliff college. Three words really sum up the feelings about this next task exited, scared, overwhelmed. You see i have the same probem as pooh bear 

“My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles,

 and the letters get in the wrong places.”

 -- Winnie the Pooh


This week I'm off upto Cliff college for a dissertation conference scary.. 

The other part of the juggling act is that I have a full time post as well.  Its just  over 2 months now since starting here in Leicester and things are about to get busy with  going into two schools and the new youth club starting in a couple of weeks and in between a week long course with the diocese so not much on then..

And a some point I need to write a 6000 word essay for the third unit of my course ...

the end of october

I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of halloween in this post there's plenty of other places where that is and has taken place.. 

This year is the first time in many years that my doors been knocked on and the bell rang and standing there in costume are a couple of kids. it's happened a few time now tonight. Until this year I've lived in a flat or been in college so have missed this side of things.  What has been so good is seeing the community side of things the small groups of mums (and the odd dad looking a bit out of place) standing chatting to each other at the gate  but with eyes guarding their young as they press the bell and wait for the candy... it's not the wild packs of children banging on doors demanding trick or treat some tend to describe. Every knock on the door and questions trick or treat has come politely.. and in the case of a couple of very little ones I'm not sure what they would do if trick was the choice requested...

There was a little catch though tonight every one who came to my door also got a invite postcard to our monthly kids club :) 

Last night we did a bright and light party. A alternative to halloween we spent much of the evening in the dark playing games in a spotlight and with glows-ticks and balloons, had a feast and story about living lives full of colour in Jesus.and decorating candles by melting old wax crayons..

there was also much laughter with the apple bobbing 

 I don't know about the youngsters but i was ready for a cuppa and bed when I got home...

5,000

When I started my patch I wasn't really expecting 18 months or so later to still be still posting it was started mainly for portfolio I needed to do and a journal wasn't really my thing.. I was semi talked into a blog instead... well this week my patch broke the 5000 views marks :) 

Pageviews all time history

5,079

easter Kind of way

Last sunday was ASK! our monthly kids club and Introduced the children and leaders to the Holy Family. It was great to see everyone get involved and begin to wonder in wonder time.  as we were getting ready to get out the parachute for the last 5 mins I turned round to see this. one of the leaders listening as one of the youngest children retold the story in her words and the older ones joined in....

Time fly's having fun fruit fly's love bananas

Ok that's a silly title for a post but time has flown by this past weekend marked two months since I moved up to Leicester.
 I think I'm finally working out where things are.


Things I now know

1. Its easier to cycle to the supermarket ( almost wrote prisma that will make my finish friends smile) than catch two buses one in the oppersite direction and a long walk, it takes 10-15 mins to cycle though the hill on the way back is a killer :p. 
2. You need money for the bus - got very use to having my oyster card. 
3. Don't eat supper then try to get up the hill to church in 10mins this has very yucky results.
4. Don't run down the stairs to answer the phone and forget to duck through the arch way at the bottom this leads to missing the phone call and a sore head :)
5. check the bin men have been before you bring the bin back in two more weeks before it's emptied is a long time...

last week saw the a trip to Leicester Cathedral There are time when your name finishing with the second letter of the english alphabet is helpful. As I sat on the front row scary it was lovely though to see so many new friends from my church come to celebrate too the sad thing on occasions like this is there is little time to spend time with everyone. It was nice to see a friend from london and via cliff college STF was there too....

heres the article from the Diocese website

Called Together

last updated on: 10th Oct 2011

At Leicester Cathedral on Saturday 8th October and whole range of Clergy and Laity came together celebrate Lay Ministry at this years 'Called Together' service.

This service, the fifth of its kind in the Diocese, seeks to bring together the different authorised lay ministries from all across the Diocese and was very well attended.

Those welcomed this year:

Our first Pioneer Ministers, David Boyce, Keith Ellis, Judy Ellis and Janet King.

YP4L workers Caroline Brown, Gillian Gamble, Dan Gardiner, Katy Harris, Ali Goodman, Jayne Lewis, Mads Morgan and Ali Simpson.

Readers, Kathryn Noble and Norma Morris-Chapman.

Pastoral Assistants Edna Curtis and Joan Hawkins.

Pastoral Assistants in Training, Adrienne Saunders, Audrey Hutchin, Marion Porter, Jenny Bickley, Rosemary Griffiths, Alison White, Patricia Wood, Rosalind Barney, Chris Sedman.

Evangelist in Training, Phil Brenner.

Readers re-licensed in a new parish, Jenny Bacon and Elaine Browne.

and yeah thats me in the pink hoodie  :)

As youth workers the sign of our office was (drum roll) hoodies 

New Haunt

Fridays used to be spent at Sally's a short train ride from vauxhall to Putney and then wandering round the charity shops (often finding some great bargains) and then for coffee and chocolate taut. Some very happy memories there.

All change over the summer and now mondays are my day off and new things to find and do. I needed to go down to the bank ( thanks to a couple of checks from HMR&C :)) and being a nice day I went on the bike and found a new haunt :)  Finding the little cafe wasn't on the list of things to do today but I found it as I pulled over at the pavement as I spied a place to lock up the bike.

it's not Sallys I don't think anyone will ever be able to step into her shoes. But it was very friendly and welcoming.

Humberstone park cafe 

Postia Pappi Jaakobille

Letters to Father Jacob 

This I was given this film as a gift by a friend F when he came to stay in the summer. The poor guy was staying with me while I was packing. Every night F came back and had to fight his way to bed as I'd been putting stuff in his room while I packed. 

It's in Finish with subtitles 

It's a beautiful movie

It's the story of a old blind priest Fr Jacob and a pardoned murderer Laila who takes a job as his assistant, reading the letter asking for prayer and then writing Fr Jacobs response. On leaving prison there was nowhere else for her to go and now the secluded house becomes a new prison.while at the house she belives it was the priest who applied for her pardon and is bitter about it refusing to accept the help that she isn't one of the priest charity cases,  after some time she can not take it any more and plans to leave then one day the letters stop coming. Fr Jacobs life is shaken to its core Physically fragile before, now he is spiritually at his breaking point and Leila finds she cant not leave him. when the letters stop coming leila makes up a letter about a dog running away but something much much deeper happens and she opens up to the old Priest  about her past 


through the journey they travel  together both are freed. 

it's a journey of forgiveness of hope and grace


the old priest asks a question about who he was doing this for he thought it had been about God but was it about and for himself... 


in our patches are we building our own kingdoms where is our heart is it on selfish things or are we living out of love 

Mary

Photo by Mrs.wilsons art room 

A little different makes you think.... Today around the world many christians will be celebrating the birth of Mary... It's not something that the traditions I've be part of before have focused on.. I learnt today that three births are celebrated in the church Jesus, Mary and John the baptist. To take time out to just think at the start of the day about the life of a young woman her journey and impact was to be aware of who is there for those in our community to look up to.. when we see the state of the lives of those who are often the focus of admiration by young girls who want to be like "her". Recently in the news here in the UK the news of the tragic death of another young women for who fame and celebrity took it's toll. Yet it sadly to these and many others that teenagers and some much younger long to be like. 

There is much to learn from the " saints " and leaders who have gone before us whatever our view on Mary there is a lot for us to learn from her and those other early believers.  

Anyone who knows me well knows I'm not really into feminist stuff!! but who are the healthily good godly heros?  who are the role models for young women today?

here in mary we find a young woman who stepped out and stepped up to a challenged who was willing to lay aside her own rights and self even the man she was to marry thought to "devoice her quietly " 

what about me what about you are our lives worth following can we say like paul in his letter do what I do do our lives reflect Jesus. If not what am I what are you going to do about it.

OH and GUYS sorry you don't get off that lightly today either young men need role models just as much  will you step up to the mark too

He's a bit heavy

I did sunday school today for the first time here in my new patch.. we only had one little girl M and M was wonderful such a delight to hang out with. we sat at the table at the back of church and discussed and coloured and made oh then snuck look at what fr Martin was doing by creeping along the back row..

we talked about putting on Jesus and thats where the giggles came as M looking thoughtful but he's big thats silly...

untill....


 in whispers the story unfolded we worked out that even a 4yr old can put on Jesus...

when we showed people that we love (heart) we listen (ear) we care (tissue) when people can see these things then we're showing Jesus

and It's not really about giving Jesus a piggy back giggle

what I really loved today was it was M that put the little people all together in the middle of the heart I'd placed them at the edge going round... she just reached over before i'd finished and moved them love that

ASK

Lets try this again - Having Noticed last night that the time was wrong on the first poster I hope that this is at last right :) 

More to follow on this later 

Bank Holiday's

You can tell it's a bank holiday here in the uk - it's been overcast and rained on and off all day .... it put a end to some of my plans but others came about... I made two shelves out of reclaimed wood one for the living-room and one for the office.

reclaimed I like that word :)  the wood was reclaimed not recycled... Reclaimed it's been made into something new but it's kept much of what it was. It was part of a blanket box was part of one of the side panels it still looks like it did in the box but has been reclaimed and reused in a new way it's been reshaped just a little to fit where I now have it.

recycled to me means it looses all that it was it's broken down made into something totally new I have a recycled bag. on it it say I used to be a plastic bottle. recycling is great.

but I don't want to be recycled... I want to be reclaimed and reused in a new way...

but being reclaimed isn't always easy it can be hard work...  recently STF reclaimed my garden from the weeds... now I've reclaimed it even further and its been taken back to its raw bare self.. I have cuts and bruises and a few scares as I got to close to certain creatures I really don't like but know they have a very good job to do eating other bugs....

to reclaim our villages towns and cities will be like that too... some time there will be the easy bits turning the side panels of a box into a shelf other times to reclaim the places will be hard work it will be slow and painful.. it will be dirty and messy ......we may not see the full results of our labour either.

but we need to be faithful to the vision and call that God has given us....

I have the picture of what I want my garden to look like in my head... it may not work out as I think but I will follow this picture...

we need to do the same with the vision that God has given for our lives our churches and our communities... even when it means going out in the rain and getting mucky....

Time to play

My friends over see-through- faith and storyteller have been doing Godly play for a while. It was through them that I heard about it and went on a course in June to be a godly play teacher. Yesterday I got to 'play' it's the first time for a long time I have had my paints and craft things out. there was a reason behind this I made my first set of Godly play materials 

Set of advent plaques....just missing the Holy family characters. Normally I'm complaining about christmas being in the shops so early but to think about the plaques as they were being prepaied was to let my mind wonder each piece had to be done slowly and with care sometimes we can lose that and rush through the time of advent and christmas and miss just how much care and wonder that actually went into that first christmas.. 

if your not sure what Godly play is about you can read about  what storyteller has to say about it here 

I got to play in a different way for a few minutes last night as well. It was a first time I've ever got to have a small go at bell ringing  and was a real eye opener   I've only ever heard the wonderful results.  To see just how much work really goes into it, mentally and physically. 

first day

Today was the first day proper at my new patch.  

It was a bit of a strange night waking every half hour or so the service is no different from my last patch 10 am but I thought every time I woke I'd over slept. Silly I know but I'm like that when I travel to. In June I spent the night at heathrow and was worried all night that I'd fall a a sleep and miss my flight due to being asleep somewhere in the departure terminal.

This morning I was commissioned as the children's and you missioner.  I have stood before the church in many places and made promises /commitments /vows. The last time was in March as I was welcomed into full plan as a local preacher. Today though was like it was the very first time, I've always taken these times with a great respect and seriousness and do not enter into these lightly. the words today struck me to the core.

Caroline, do you believe that you are called by God, through the church, to ministry among children and young people

I do.

As you commit yourself to this ministry, we ask you these questions: Do you confess Jesus Christ as Lord?

I do.

Do you receive the witness to Christ in the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments?

I do.

Do you embrace the faith and unity of the holy, catholic and apostolic Church?

I do.

Will you submit yourself to the Church’s discipline?

With God’s help, I will.

Will you assist the church to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to young people, and to build them up in the faith? With God’s help, I will.Will you encourage young people to offer their faith, gifts and energy to God in the life of the church and the community? With God’s help, I will.

Will you seek opportunities to enhance your gifts and skills in youth ministry?

With God’s help, I will.

May God give you strength to fulfil these vows; and to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus from generation to generation for ever. Amen.

There is something very powerful about declaring aloud in public that makes these words more than just words. How we speak and the intentions of the heart as we do speak carries deep implications.

I stood today in front of new friends to make these vows... it was a safe place even if it was totally scary. In reflecting on this I do think and pray for those members of the body of christ around who make these vows in much different circumstances and where these words can mean even in 2011 a life of struggle hardship and imprisonment.