Comings and goings
I’m now back from Eastbourne, although tomorrow I jet off again, this time to Soul Survivor. Regular posting should recommence the other side of that.
One slightly unfortunate side-effect of my being away for the last week was that I missed Mark Heath preaching at KCC last weekend - obviously I was at King’s Eastbourne with Helen, but I would’ve liked to hear Mark preach. Remind me to download and listen to it, someone.
I know that it isn’t ‘my church,’ since that’s Grace Church in Nottingham, where I’m committed and a member, but it seems odd that this summer I’ve been to King’s Hedge End maybe 3 times, with I think only 1 more Sunday left in Southampton. I guess this could be the last long summer, what with graduating and the like, it seems slightly strange on reflection quite how little I’ve been around, and how difficult it is and must be for other students who aren’t going back to a ‘home church’ that they’re part of to actually do anything more than attend a Sunday meeting.
I think it’s worse when like me you know a few people, since there’s no incentive to, and less drive to, get to know people, and since you don’t look as lost and new. It’s not like you can get plugged into a church you’re only at for 2 months, or like you can start attending a midweek group or the like. I imagine this is a key problem for all those students who find summers to be ’spiritually dry’ or the like. Not that I’m really suggesting it’s that, it’s just a bit like being disconnected from home. Presumabley because that’s precisely what it is.
Home, I think, is where you meet in communion with other believers, the church community in which you’re ‘plugged in.’ It certainly feels more like it than anything else does. It also seems to be where your closest friends are. Which makes sense really, since you’re united by ‘ties stronger than blood.’ Actually that’s a lie, isn’t it? Since you are united by blood. Just not yours.
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August 18th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
It’s funny, I find myself yearning to return to Cornerstone. For me Cornerstone is my home Church, so to be away from it really is quite odd. I still feel pretty out of place in my crazy Anglican church.
August 18th, 2006 at 12:53 pm
Exactly, I’d consider you to be in a very similar position to me - ‘though for pretty different reasons.
August 19th, 2006 at 10:35 pm
Yeah, I had that the last two summers as well… I couldn’t settle on which church I wanted to go to, and then by the time I made my choice summer was nearly over. Then to make things worse, whenever I went back (Christmas, Easter, the next summer), people vaguely recognised me, and so didn’t think I was a ‘new person’ to jump on and welcome.
Being able to stay at Grace Church has made this summer alright - it would have been incredibly difficult otherwise.
August 22nd, 2006 at 6:00 am
191840 Blog Verification…
191840…
August 24th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Your situation is in fact pretty much exactly the same as Gareth’s I guess, Steve. You should compare notes/pray for/with each other or something.
As for you, mr possibley spam but I’m not sure what you are. You can do something something.
August 24th, 2006 at 11:07 pm
Hmm, somehow I got confused in the timescales when writing that. I’ve only been in MK for one summer since becoming Christian; I must have been thinking of Easter as the first period, then summer. After that, I haven’t been away from Nottingham for any significant length of time.
Meh. Self confusing is great :P
October 16th, 2006 at 8:33 pm
Hi Tim
Just thought I would make a link, although I know you’ve commented on the content of one of my posts before over on Gareth’s blog.
The link is pretty much just KCC. Helen McDermott, the Brombley Family, the Hill Family (the Woods and the Hills lived together for several months), Maddy and her husband who are going to help start the new Newfrontiers church in central Southampton (as am I)… the list is potentially endless, but actually that’s pretty much it.
I worked with Tim Brombley over the summer, he mentioned your blog when he found out I had one, but didn’t realise then that our paths had already crossed!
Anyway, there it is.
Luke