meditatio at the water's edge

Well, it's Tuesday and I've been quite busy. Among all the sightseeing, I have been able to connect with some really great people from the London churches. Sunday night, we headed out to St. Stephen's Twickenham. It was a nice contemporary service. The music guys sounded just like and 'unplugged' Delirious. They were really good. I got to talk a bit with one of the clergy guys, named Adrian, and to another fellow, Andy (for a few seconds). It was an interesting trip to Twickenham, but not the alternative worship service I assumed it would be. Not bad, just not what I expected.

On Monday I was able to connect with Steve Collins from Grace. Steve drew me a perfect map, and then gave me a two hour lesson in alternative worship. Wow. I was in the presence of greatness. Okay, I was in the presence of someone who had 'been there and done that' for more years than I've even known about it. Steve really cleared things up for me and affirmed to me that what we're doing is headed in the right direction. Steve gave me a personal tour of his website (smallfire.org) and showed me all the amazing stuff folks like Grace and Vaux and Epicentre have been doing.

Steve shared with me a little of the dynamics of the Church in England and how things are headed. the picture did not look good. Many people give the intitutional church 40-50 years before it runs out of people and resources to hold it up as is. Steve said a lot more, but I didn't record it. Needless to say, I am grateful for his time and all he shared with me. Especially the affirmation he offered to us and what we're trying to do. I'll share with you all next time I see you some of the rest of what he said, but I'll move on to other things...

Steve recommended that I go to an Epicentre gathering, so I went. I showed up a little early, so I headed over to a pub for a stromboli and a pint--oops, make that a soda water. :) It was an okay stromboli, but I've had better. I showed up later to Epicentre and sat down with them on the floor around a banquet of snacks. The theme of the night was on Harvest, so we gave thanks for the abundant harvest God provided for us, and prayed for places where harvest is not so plentiful. The rest of the night we did some liturgy (great stuff), and talked. I talked with Nick and Phillip and Peter (some perfectly wonderful Anglican clergy-types who gave me a thoroughly enjoyable ride back to the 'tube' station at Sloan Square--my only car ride so far!) and later arranged to have lunch with Ian (one of the lead guides for Epicentre).

So today, I was pouring 20p, 10p, and £1 coins into the phone booth to set up my meeting with Ian. We finally arranged to meet outside the Westminster Tube station in front of Big Ben (which is actually only the big bell, not the clock tower itself). We met there and went to a cafe at the place where Methodism began (or else where it is only now barely holding on...I don't remember exactly), the Methodism Central Hall. My conversation with Ian was really great. Again, Ian affirmed to me that we are headed in the right direction. He did caution me about making sure we have a good connection with an established church--one whose leadership will be completely supportive to what we're doing. It will keep us from having to justify and legitimatize ourselves constantly. It made me think that perhaps we might reconsider our relationship with Southside Vineyard. They 'get' what we're doing. They offered to let us use their facility. Maybe we should be a little more open to making the drive once a week.

Anyway, it was a really good talk with Ian, and then we went to a bookstore in the heart of the Anglican Church, and I bought a couple of books: 'Threshold of the Future,' by Michael Riddell, and 'Truth is Stranger than It Used to Be,' by J. Richard Middleton and Brian J. Walsh. I will be ordering, on Ian's recommendation, a new book by Alan Jamieson, 'A Churchless Faith.'

So that's my report for now. Of course that all excludes the scores of miles I have put on my shoes and on the 'Tube', and all the sights I've seen, but I won't stir up envy in your hearts. ;)

peace to you all.