Aquitaine Ministry Team meeting
During a vacancy it is important for a ministry team to keep in close contact with each other. In Aquitaine, with 13 worship centres spread around the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, it is particularly important. To this end, the chaplaincy churchwardens, Tina and Tim, invited PTO clergy, readers and congregational worship leaders to meet together at Tina’s home, a central location near Bergerac, and about two hours drive for several of us!
25 July was a hot day but there was plenty of shade in the garden as we enjoyed a BBQ together. There were a lot of comments like: 'Oh, you look smaller on Zoom!' as a lot of us had never met 'in the flesh'.
My heart sank when pencils and sheets of paper with questions were given out, but it was fine, it wasn’t a so-called ‘fun’ game. We were asked to note our answers to six questions such as: where were you born? what are your interests? tell us about your faith journey and ‘an unusual fact about yourself’. We then found someone we didn’t know to share our answers with and, after a while, moved on to another person. Instead of us just chatting together we had deep and worthwhile conversations as we learned so much about each other. It was a time of encouragement and relationships were strengthened.
It was a significant day in drawing us together and we particularly thank Tina and her husband, David, for their wonderful hospitality and to Tina and Tim for organising the day.
Our epistle reading on 28 July was Ephesians 3:14-21. This is a good Word for us, particularly during this time of vacancy as we seek together to serve God and His church and reach out to others, may this be our prayer:
‘Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.’
Angela Marshall (PTO)
PS If you are an ordained minister reading this (or know someone who is) perhaps you might like to consider if God is calling you to join us. The position of chaplain will be advertised by ICS from September.