At the end of January Rachel and I went to Launde Abbey for the annual Northampton District Retreat. I took advantage of the fact that we didn't need to be there until tea time on the Monday to fit in a longer bike ride, so my very circuitous route to Launde was just over 100 miles.

This year the retreat was led by Stella Bristow, a former Vice
President of the Methodist Church. She helped us look at our journeys of discipleship & spirituality through using the cycle of the seasons as inspiration. Stella is always very creative in her use of focal
point displays, music, poetry and scripture and is very gentle.

The prayer focus Stella created

However, she is also very challenging as she encouraged us to consider our own lives and experiences in the light of the cycle of the seasons.

Last September I attended my first class for becoming a member of the Methodist Church.  I had been considering making this decision for a few months, and now felt it was the right thing to do.  I thoroughly enjoyed the classes which started at the Creation and continued with discussions on several subjects, making us eventually think about the significance of the birth of Jesus, the crucifixion, the resurrection and what it really meant to us.   How did it affect us all?  Or rather, how did it affect me?  I found these questions very interesting and challenging.

Every Thursday afternoon we have Explorers at St Peter's School in Belgrave.  During the Autumn term about a dozen children were coming along each week for an hour of crafts, drama and Bible stories.  We decided that on the final Thursday before Christmas we would invite parents to come for a short Christingle worship time.  So on December 15th, along with about 12 children, we had several of their parents join us.

George MacLeod, founder of the Iona Community, used the following illustration:

“A boy threw a stone at the stained glass window of the Incarnation.  It nicked out the”E” in the text “Glory to God in the Highest”.  Thus, till unfortunately it was mended, it read, “Glory to God in the High St”.  Such is the genius, and the offence, of Christian revelation.  Holiness, salvation, glory are all come down to earth in Jesus Christ our Lord. …. I simply argue that the Cross be raised again at the centre of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church.”

This Advent, Birstall Methodist had the opportunity to take the Christmas stories on to Birstall “high st” when we were given permission to use the windows of an empty shop on the Sibson Road for display.  Jules Richards, who has generously done so much design work for the Circuit recently, helped us to produce posters suggesting which local people might play the various parts in the story of Jesus’ birth if it was taking place today.  Thus, Martin Bolton, a local postman, featured as the Angel Gabriel on account of their both delivering news; Meg Young, crossing patrol guide at Riverside Primary School was portrayed as the guiding star and the staff of Birstall Tandoori Takeaway stood in as Magi from the East.   Dawn, landlady of the Earl of Stamford who featured as the Innkeeper said, “I was really pleased to be asked to take part.  The posters attracted a lot of comment from customers at the bar”.

Meg Young as the Guiding Star