Rambling for Kirwan Uniting Church Keep in Touch pew sheet 25 October 2020

I think I’ve told you the story about Rev Peter Hobson coming into the Synod complex refectory wearing a Cowboys t-shirt, straight after Rev Garry Hardingham had asked me whether I was interested in Kirwan Uniting (would have been nice if he’d asked Kirwan Uniting if they were interested in me, but them’s the breaks). “Hey, Peter”, I said to him, “Are you from North Queensland, what do you know about Kirwan?” “Great church”, he replied, “my mum’s a member, and Peter Ireland led me to the Lord”.
I thought of this episode when I had a Facebook message overnight from someone who had been in my youth group, mumble mumble (OK, forty) years ago. She had noticed my name pop up on mutual Friends’ walls, and wondered, is that youth leader Richard from ancient history? I’ve stayed in touch with one of my co-leaders from those distant days (she lives in France now, I’m taking a Zoom service at her church in a couple of weeks time), and a little while ago one of our (then young) people who has stayed friends with her, made me her own Facebook Friend. Then one request after another came in, including last night’s latest. These are people whom I’ve not seen or heard from for almost forty years. They’re parents (grandparents, even, in some cases). It’s been very lovely to catch up on so many years news. And they express happiness at being back in contact with me.

But do you know, not one of them, in reminiscing, has said “You led me to the Lord”. They recall riotous evenings and camps which would land youth leaders before Professional Standards and invalidate insurance these days, but no-one attributes their Christian discipleship (because many of them are active believers, praise the Lord) to my influence. This had me worried for a while, still does, but then I remember that the youth leaders worked as a team, like Starsky and Hutch. It’s a case of I got them into the metaphorical garden in the first place with unholy ploys, another leader planted the Word, yet another watered it in deeper study, but God gave the increase.

I don’t think they teach unholy ploys in seminary. More’s the pity. Ecclesiastes 11:9,10:
“Young people, enjoy your youth. Be happy while you are still young. Do what you want to do, and follow your heart's desire. But remember that God is going to judge you for whatever you do. Don't let anything worry you or cause you pain. You aren't going to be young very long.”


(btw, they've got at least 1 CBE, 1 MBE and a PhD between 'em, that I know of. Can't put that down to unholy ploys, they've done it themselves by God's grace)

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ramble for Kirwan Uniting Church Keeping in Touch pew sheet 25 June 2023.

  (I wonder if they've missed me? 😊) Well, we’ve lived in our little cottage for six months now. We love it, it’s comfortable and homely, and very “us” - you know what I mean by that. Maudie the German Shepherd loves it, she can cavort around the yard all day long, fetching balls which Leisa throws morning and evening, and making me chase her for those same balls during the day while Leisa is at work to pay the mortgage. I think that the cockatiels love it. It’s difficult to tell. Holly, the hen bird, would never let on, and Glimfeather, the cock bird, would chirp happily in a Force 4 cyclone. I’m sitting on the front deck as I tap this, looking up at Castle Hill right behind us. It’s not perfect, of course. The irrigation points leak, and the system is counter-intuitive in the extreme to programme. The bathroom slopes alarmingly to one end. It’s on one of the busiest roads in Townsville. That’s not such a problem for me until I put my hearing aids in. Maudie loves it most of all
Read more

Ramble for Kirwan Uniting Church Keeping in Touch pew sheet 1 January 2023

  Our new pad has an electrically operated gate for our cars to come in and out (to our electrically operated garage, which is being used for storing assorted unopened and part-opened boxes for the time being.) The pedestrian gate opener is obstructed (on purpose, for security reasons) by a padlock. So how do parcel deliverers, meter readers and bearers of mulled wine (thankyou Robin   😊 ) gain ingress? Well, they press the groovy wi-fi connected camera doorbell which rings my and Leisa’s iPhone, wherever we might be in the world, displays their pic and allows one or both of us to tell them that we’ll be right down (if the dog is safely in) or ignore them if we’re in Woop Woop so that they can leave goodies at North Ward or JCU PO. Except it’s not connected yet. Give me a day or two to understand the accompanying installation instructions. Two well-known instances in scripture of Jesus, as it were, pressing the doorbell, are in Revelation 3: “Behold I stand at the door and knock.” And
Read more

Ramble for Kirwan Uniting Church Keeping in Touch pew sheet 12 February 2023

  While there’s still time to dash out and buy a card, let me remind you that it’s Valentine’s Day on Tuesday. It’s also Gail Mumme’s and Shirley Nuss’ birthdays, so you can buy them a card for each occasion. Just remember that it’s traditional that a Valentine card should be from an anonymous admirer. On the first Valentine after we started going out, I composed a poem and faxed it to Leisa, or rather I faxed it to the firm of structural engineers for whom she worked. It was entitled, “The Poet’s Plea to a Civil Engineer”, and dealt with the pain of separation. I lived in West Sussex, while Leisa lived and worked Mon – Fri in London. The poignant last two lines are: If things don’t get better, I’ll jump in the sea, Sir, So build me a tunnel from Sussex to Leisa.   A few weeks later, she flew to Egypt on holiday, and I composed another poem on the inauspicious topic of a Romanian Airways Tupolev. Since then, the Muse has largely left me.   Poetry makes up a large part of the Bible. In
Read more