Maintenance Mode [Or Not]

A struggling Church approached me for advice on calling a new minister. Among other things, I said don't think in maintenance mode, unless maintenance is what the Spirit is saying for the moment. I said that with Churches, it's not "what you see is what you get", and I gave three examples of struggling Churches in our area whose anticipated future changed dramatically -- in two cases with a new minister, in one case with a so-called probationer or intern under external supervision. OBSERVATION: However, I don't here have in mind what I have come to know as the US practice of hiring for results. I don't (necessarily) have in mind bigger plans than may be sustained. Rather, that faith may be rewarded.

Meetings And Sentiments

When one communicates with individuals face to face, one can be sensitive to personal sentiments -- for instance, how boldly one approaches an issue, or to what degree one "sanitises" one's language. Not so with a Church Meeting (a Church executive, as we had on Sunday) -- because one is addressing the crowd. The same for those who attend such a meeting, and speak from the floor. It is therefore not uncommon that one finds that one person's sensibilities differ from another's in the meeting. Mostly this merely causes fleeting unease or distress. OBSERVATION: There are various ways of conducting such meetings. I myself regularly take the risk of expressing personal sentiments -- yet not so as to press people this way or that.

Explaining Anaesthetic

I had a spinal anaesthetic yesterday, for an operation to my foot. It was interesting that I could wiggle my toes, and feel people's fingers touching the foot -- but I didn't feel the surgeon's knife -- or the removal of any bone, which is what it was about. The anaesthetist (a burly, friendly man) proudly claimed that this was the mark of a first class anaesthetist. He explained that there are various kinds of nerves, and the anaesthetic had specifically blocked those which feel pain.

Church Caretakers! [4]

I have been posting a few stories about "legendary" caretakers in our Church. This one would seem to "take the cake". Situated between our caretaker's quarters and our main Church hall, we have a stage. One of our Church caretakers put a bed on the stage, and installed a prostitute there. He acted as the pimp, taking a cut from clients. Needless to say, he was dismissed. (So was the prostitute).

Pleasant Day Reading

I sent our secretary this photo today, with the caption: "Pleasant Day Reading ..." She replied: "You are something else!" Actually, it was a pleasant day. It wasn't without its moments, though. My pulse set alarm bells ringing a few times. I was discharged from hospital before evening, nicely sewn up.

Under The Knife

I'm to have an operation to my foot this morning. The hospital says that the surgeon booked me into hospital for the day. My medical aid scheme says that he booked me into hospital for two days. (Big chief speak with forked tongue). OBSERVATION: He's probably just hedging his bets. I am informed that I will be completely incapacitated until Saturday.

Personal Justice

It's not difficult to sense the mood of a congregation. Today I preached on personal justice, and the mood was intense. Either people were rapt, or I was about to be lynched! Thankfully it turned out to be the former. I had three points on personal justice: 1. Life is not like the movies. Often one doesn't obtain "justice". However, one does obtain God's blessing. 2. Injustice should be challenged -- Jesus Himself did it. At the same time, He "entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly." And 3. The quest for personal justice may become a time-waste that side-tracks us from far more important things in life. It may be a spiritual trap.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

An issue that came up in our Church Meeting today (our highest executive) was that of the Church being taxed (for a little background, see Tax Shock). A year-and-a-half ago, we applied to the state to be exempted from taxes. On the one hand, they had not responded. On the other hand, they had not taxed us. We seemed to be in no-man's land. What should we do? Our attorney advised us ... see a doodle that one of our members did in the meeting today.

Dreams And Visions

Dreams and visions may be unheard of in Churches in the West, yet they form a continual backdrop to my own ministry in Cape Town. Yesterday I performed the "last rites" for a member who was in a coma (he died shortly after). Afterwards his wife described to me how God had given various members of the family, not least herself, dreams and visions which had assured them of His salvation and His presence. She said that this was a wonderful grace from God in a time of weakness and trial, bringing them strength and comfort. OBSERVATION: All this differs markedly from the Western tradition of dreams as the representation of the unconscious. I think we are impoverished by not taking dreams and visions more seriously. (See also Dreams In The Church).

High Member Participation

I think that one of the secrets of an urban Church's success is high member participation. If one sees a thriving urban Church -- even a viable urban Church -- one may assume, even if one does not see it, high member participation. Tomorrow, as minister, I shall publicly acknowledge, as I do each year -- not staff, not office-bearers, but faithful helpers in our Church, giving each one a gift -- also lovingly prepared by helpers. Our "faithful helpers" amount to one-third of our membership -- and even this is by far not all of our helpers. OBSERVATION: I think, though, that there is something else in this. They are not just helpers, but they are helpers who know and love the Lord. This makes a crucial difference.

No Rubber Stamp

Tomorrow we are to have a Church Meeting -- the highest authority in the Congregational Church. Recently someone wrote to me that their Church leadership (normally the servant of the Church Meeting) had turned their Church Meeting into a mere advisory session, a mere rubber stamp, anxiously seeking to adjourn without real congregational input. I myself believe that the members must be fully incorporated into the decision-making, fully trusted, fully empowered. Personally, I am distressed when I hear that a Church Meeting diminished or depreciated the precious members. OBSERVATION: There is a spiritual basis for this -- among other things that the Spirit moves through the whole Body.

Smallest 3-Wheeler

Son M. drew my attention to a YouTube Video of Jeremy Clarkson driving the world's smallest ever production three-wheeler, the Peel P50. This is my favourite scene from the video -- the P50 going up on two wheels round a corner, and coming down with a squeak. This year the Peel P50 -- last produced in 1965 -- went back into production.

Death And Import Duty

I am having surgery on Monday, to remove some bone from my foot. Having said this, I asked some booksellers to address some books to our office secretary. But she says: "If you die, I'll have to pay the import duty, because my name is on the address." This is of course sharp thinking, and everything one expects from a good secretary. But I reminded her that, in the event, she'll have some good books to read, for the mere cost of import duty.

400 Citations

I happened to mention to someone how many citations (basically, quotes) there are in a paper I am to have published next month: more than 400. He e-mailed me: "That's nuts!!!" Plus, there are about 70 books in the Bibliography. OBSERVATION: It's not a blockbusting paper. It's a technical piece -- doing what I always said should be done, namely providing a definition of Christian leadership which can be used as the basis of critique. Without a good definition, there can be no meaningful critique. Without a good definition, it's all just Kaffeeklatsch.

Our Rentals Policy

This one's "boring but important". We have sprawling properties -- and we hire them out. If it is an "everyday" rental like a body corporate or a wedding reception, no problem. However, if it is a religious organisation, we seek a written application and motivation, with a statement of faith and information re affiliation. While we have a "broad Church" approach, some religious groups really are not reputable. Also, we want our decisions to build the Church in this area, not hinder it. OBSERVATION: Further, we do not hire out our premises to political parties or unions -- yet we do to government departments (the photo shows a meeting of a government housing project). In short, we are non-partisan. And we donate, or part-donate our space to worthy causes, e.g. Narcotics Anonymous or the Maryland Literacy Programme.

Indecipherable

I jot down very many notes and reminders during conversations and meetings. Afterwards (like tonight) I need to decipher them. So the note on the right (from a leadership agenda) has the following meaning. The delta sign means "the Church", the black spot means "requires immediate action", and the "M." (I think) would refer to wife M. However, I am not really sure what this means. Except that I should be doing it! (See also Cryptic Notes).

Church Exodus [Part 2]

In a recent post, Church Exodus, I described how our associate pastor G. lost fifty members in one month. One of his members had recruited the fifty on ethnic lines, and set up a new Church, just four streets away. But last week, the new Church was put out of its new premises. Without our office knowing who they were, we let them hire one of our halls on Sunday. When I found out, I said we need a meeting about this, and we need to consult with our associate pastor. In the interim, they do not have permission to use our hall. OBSERVATION: There is too much that unsettles me about this.

Why The Church Shouldn't Be Sold

Yesterday I spoke to someone whose mother (long deceased) was closely associated with our Church. I said: "Your mother's plaque is still on the wall." He said: "I should hope so! Just don't go selling the Church, or my mother's plaque will go with it!" OBSERVATION: This must be the most original reason I have heard for not selling a Church! (We have no desire, or need, to sell it).

Apoplectic Ministry

I happened to stray onto a page today which listed what people had been searching for when they arrived at this blog. One person was searching for "apoplectic ministry"! I did in fact have a post on Apoplectic Changes in our Church -- that is, the things that would give members apoplexy today if they were still here. I thought that was rather a nice post. It also had a nice photo of our Worship Team (pictured).

Reinstated

Yesterday I was formally reinstated at Fuller Theological Seminary in LA (I had mentioned the possibility on this blog), which I consider a great privilege. I plan to finish an MA in Christian leadership (I already have an MTh in Christian leadership). I completed the first half of the MA with 92%, and two-thirds of the second half have been credited to me. OBSERVATION: I get asked a lot about the other 8%, and the annoying thing is, I know what happened to it!

The "Tablecloth"

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I took this photo last night from Woodbridge Island, at dusk. Our Church is situated behind Signal Hill on he right. Just to the left of Signal Hill is Lion's Head -- a peak that I climbed for my Big Zero Birthday (which see for a photo from the top). Table Mountain and Devil's Peak, on the left, are here covered by what is nicknamed "the Tablecloth". This indicates a storm. One sees the new Cape Town Stadium on the very far right. You may enlarge to 170k by clicking on the photo.

Bedside Visit

I went to see someone tonight who has inoperable cancer. He was gravely ill -- but at home, with round-the-clock care. I pulled up a high chair and sat down by his bedside. That very moment, he suffered a seizure. His wife said: "He does that when he gets excited. He's excited that you're here." I spoke to him "like old times", as I usually do in such situations. I read a Psalm and expanded on it, and said a prayer.

Golden Handshake (Not)

A minister retired after nearly thirty years of ministry in the same Church. After his final service, there was a large gathering in the Church hall, at which I was present. They presented him with a chocolate cake and R500 ($70/€50). He passed me on his way out, and said with obvious disdain -- but without adding any comment: "They gave me a chocolate cake and R500."

Brain Dead

A young man was involved in a car/auto accident -- and he was brain dead. He looked perfectly fine, except for a small indentation in his forehead, and he was hot to the touch. A young doctor said to me that he didn't know how to handle this, and asked me to speak to the family. I was surprised how easily it went -- the family accepted without question that the life support should be turned off -- but they seemed angry and upset at the same time. The young man's girlfriend asked to see him. She stroked him and kissed him. Then they turned off the life support.

Church Caretakers! [3]

Our Church treasurer (many years ago now) expressed the opinion that part of the Sunday collection was going missing. The routine was then (as it is now) to take the collection up in Church, carry it into the vestry, and place it on the vestry desk. Therefore, the next time that the deacons placed the collection on the vestry desk, they carefully noted what was in the plates. This proved that there was some thieving going on. One of the deacons set up a video camera in the vestry. When the video was played back, the Church caretaker appeared on the screen, selecting a few banknotes from the plates. That was the end of that caretaker.

Church Exodus

Our associate pastor G., last month, lost fifty members in one month, and without the slightest conflict. One of his members had recruited the fifty on ethnic lines, and set up a new Church. I need hardly note that G. was "knocked for a six". This beats my own finest accomplishment, which was the loss of about twenty members in one go, including half of our Church leadership, in 1999. OBSERVATION: Our own Church recovered extraordinarily quickly. I said to our associate: "God's calling is on you, and that will be proved."

Farewell Bajaj

Last week, I said farewell to my Bajaj pickup. This was one of the microcar "greats" -- along with the Mini, the Isetta, the Messerschmidt, and so on -- first built (more or less) in its present form in 1956. This 4-stroke model was much better than its predecessor the 2-stroke, and filled my life with fun. However, it had a few obvious flaws. Cables were very hard to replace, and its brakes weren't durable. The buyer was unsettled by the noise of the engine (mounted on the floor of the cab, which acts as a sounding board).

Authority

I had a counselling session tonight, which revolved partly around the issue of authority. My counselee said: "I confronted my boss, and I won the day, but that was the beginning of the end." I said: "I think that, mostly, we have far less authority than we think." OBSERVATION: Perhaps when Jesus said that we should be the servant of all, He was saying (among other things) that that is simply how it is.

Trading Fruitfulness

Not seldom, people who have some association with the Church hold on to some fond sin, such as heavy drinking or cohabitation. One of the things that I see happening in such situations is that they trade great fruitfulness and usefulness and honour for their sin. In many cases, this may have nothing to do with Church discipline, but rather with an instinctive sense of the whole Church as to who to "give room" for usefulness in the Body. OBSERVATION: In short, as one surveys a congregation, it gives the impression of a choice: sin or fruitfulness.

"Facilitators"

Urban ministry crosses many paths. One of the worlds I have entered into -- through my counselling -- is the world of so-called "facilitators". So as one example I counselled a woman who facilitated a deal between a major computer company and a provincial government department. The woman, though not in government, was very well connected. In this case, it worked like this. The facilitator (the woman) was paid a fee, plus benefits, for the guarantee of one hour's "connection" with a government official (an MEC in this case) -- who took the lion's share of the fee from the facilitator. I don't know whether the desired outcome was part of the fee, or perhaps a future installment, but I did a quick Google search tonight, and see that this particular facilitation paid off "big time" for the computer company. OBSERVATION: I kept this matter confidential and reveal it now only some time after a change of MEC's (I have thought carefully about my response in such situations). A Kenyan website comments: "The transaction is often enabled by professionals from many fields. Corrupt intermediaries link givers and takers, creating an atmosphere of mutual trust and reciprocity; they attempt to provide a legal appearance to corrupt transactions, producing legally enforceable contracts; and they help to ensure that scapegoats are blamed in case of detection."

Supernaturally Saved

As minister, I have often encountered stories of supernatural salvation (though I believe that, if one has the eye to see it, every conversion is supernatural). Here's an example. A young man who later became an elder in our Church was standing one day overlooking the city of Cape Town. Suddenly he saw the city collapse before his eyes. It was destroyed. As an immediate and direct result of this, he gave his life to the Lord, and set out with determination to become a priest. He was ordained to the priesthood three years ago (see Ordination).

"For" The Community

I have changed this post, as I believe it was not in keeping with certain protocols I am involved in. I will retain this much of it: I expressed much unease over theologians who wish to do theology for or on behalf of the Community, the Church -- and asked what kind of a Community it is if theology is done for it. Such thinking has all sorts of unfortunate consequences.

He Restores My Soul

I wrote in Keeping Spirits Up, three weeks ago, of my struggle to keep my spirits up in a somewhat serious situation. Yet I have felt, since that post, that my soul was restored -- in spite of my feeling a bit shaky. Thank you to those who so kindly encouraged me, and us -- and prayed for us. After sudden, rapid decline the past two weeks, wife M. was admitted to hospital yesterday. I guess she should be all right, but this would seem to be a case of "a trembling balance". She is cheerful. The photo shows her in hospital back in April (she's on the right). For a little background, see Leukaemia.

Trivial Typos

Some years ago, some hate mail was anonymously circulated against the minister (me). There were two typos on the address label. I had no idea who had circulated this -- but by chance I came across a business circular that had the same two typos on the label. I approached the businesswoman behind the circular. She exploded: "I can't believe that you're so petty! You want to major on trivial typos! I refuse to discuss this!" OBSERVATION: I had my answer.

Truthfulness (Or Not)

Truthfulness is important in ministry, in more ways than one. For one thing, one speaks to so very many people, there is the desire for some consistency between one conversation and the next! However, reality is not as kind. I find that one forgets what one said to whom -- and language in practice is not that rigorous. For example, one might say to one: "It was a ten-hour journey," then to another: "It was a ten-hour journey, with a two-hour stop in such-and-such a village," and to another: "It was an eight-hour journey." And then one might in fact forget what was the case: "It was a six-hour journey." OBSERVATION: I don't take it too seriously. I say: "Oh, did I say that?"

Poor Business

Business in South Africa is famously poor. On Monday I called a major motor dealer to confirm the price of a vehicle. It was confirmed. On Thursday I walked into their offices with the deposit -- cash. But no, they said, the price had risen nearly 10%. They explained it like this: the vehicles were off-loaded at Cape Town harbour, and shipped up to Johannesburg -- but some were left behind in Cape Town for sale. These had now sold out, and they would need to ship a vehicle back down from Johannesburg. Hence the increase. I called the distributors in Johannesburg. They said: "That's nonsense. There's a list-price. End of story." But then they called me back. No, they said, they weren't sure about a list-price -- they'd call me again. I said: "This is not good business."

Albie Sachs

This is me in conversation with Albie Sachs this morning -- a former Constitutional Court judge who lost an arm and the sight in one eye in an assassination attempt. He wrote Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter. That's his hat, not mine. The photo was taken by a reporter of the Mail & Guardian.

Church Caretakers! [2]

We have had some legendary caretakers in our Church. Tucked away in a far corner of our sprawling property is this shed (pictured). We are mindful of security on the Church premises, therefore one night when several men's voices were heard in the shed, the police were called. When the police arrived, the men (one of them our caretaker) panicked and fled across the Church garden – leaving a trail of Kruger Rands in the grass. Kruger Rands are worth nearly $1,500 (R10,000) each. I don't think there ever was an explanation.

Unity

I have a distinctive approach to unity in the Church -- and I consider that we do have extraordinary unity of young and old, Black and White, rich and poor. A Canadian minister said to me once (elsewhere on this blog): "That is so hard to achieve!" In fact it is not -- nor do I (ordinarily) make unity an explicit focus or a special goal. Jesus says in John 17:20 (where my exegetical preaching has arrived): "I pray also for those who will believe in me ... that all of them may be one." In keeping with this, I see unity as being rooted in that believing -- and that such believing needs to be made explicit -- else how can it lead to unity? Therefore I seek, Sunday after Sunday, week in and week out, to bring the faith of the many to meaningful expression in the Body.

Vehicles, Desirability

I have been seeking to sell two vehicles -- for which I have little time -- I mean, for the selling of them. One a sedan, and one a three-wheel pickup. I offered both of them at market value, with generous discounts. The sedan was snapped up almost immediately, cash. The three-wheel pickup however (pictured) is an Object of Desire, and this is proving to be a very different story. It's not something that gets snapped up. And it brings very different people to my door. OBSERVATION: I drive the pickup every day. It is a well-known sight in our area.

Ruining My Blog

The local police are ruining my blog. Since the Soccer World Cup, they have brought such (relative) security to our suburb that the typical "fare" for this blog is drying up: the street fights, the local prostitutes seeking counsel (male and female), the brutal destruction of Church property, the tantrums in my vestry, the insults hurled at me in the street, the intruders, the disruptions to our Sunday services, and so on ... It all seems to have become very dull here.

What They Don't Proclaim

I begin all of our leadership meetings with brief devotions, usually with some application to Christian leadership. At our last meeting, I read from the end of Ezekiel Chapter 4. I said that so many people focus on what Churches -- or prominent Christians -- do proclaim -- yet it is vital that one focuses also on what they do not proclaim. The things they do proclaim might sound good -- yet if there are crucial things they do not proclaim, then one needs to ask what is really going on.

Our Smokers

I call these lovelies "our smokers". They work at a hotel near the Church. During their lunch break, they come and lean against the Church wall for a smoke. They receive a brief mention in Post World Cup, as an example of how our suburb has changed since the Cup. I took the photo at our recent Church Fête. They'll each get a copy.

Church Caretakers! [1]

Over the years, we have had some legendary caretakers at our Church. I've told a few stories about those under my own ministry -- now here are some stories about those before me. Our caretaker A. took his children for ice-cream on the Beach Front -- but he left his wallet at home. He asked the man with the bell and the bicycle to give the children ice-cream anyway -- he'd pay him back sometime. The man said no -- A. should pay him first. A. flew into a rage: "YOU DON'T TRUST ME?!" The ice-cream man raised his bell in alarm. A. pulled a gun, and fired two shots in the air. The police came running, and put A. in the police cells in Mouille Point. A. claimed afterwards that, when the ice-cream man raised his bell, he thought he was pulling a gun on him (hardly likely)!

Something Happened To My Inbox ...

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Something interesting happened to my e-mail Inbox during the blizzard of attacks that hit my connection during the past week-and-a-bit (this is a selection of my Inbox). Unfortunately, I don't read Arabic. It's a funny life.

Legislation Puzzles Me

Legislation puzzles me. Whatever motivates it, economics is clearly a major factor. Supposing that someone withholds R1 million ($140,000) from the Receiver of Revenue, or Revenue Service, or swipes it from their company. That's big. But then, supposing that a woman chooses single motherhood. The loss is likely to be two-thirds of her income (depending on the statistics one looks at). Say R3 million. The difference is, though, that the economic link in the second case is indirect. The same would apply to many common vices -- the economic impact is indirectly estimated. It does make one wonder, though, what criteria legislators use when considering, presumably, the welfare of society. OBSERVATION: I think this could be a characteristically pastoral observation, as ministers' experience tends to see the end together with the beginning.

Cyber-Attack

It was a strange week, this past week or so. It is estimated that there were several million(!) attacks on my computer system, thousands and thousands of them classified as “serious”. According to statistics, this was accompanied by a ten-fold (week on week) increase in activity from a certain Middle Eastern country, specifically relating to this blog. A private /24 internet used amazon.com as a front to launch the attacks. Such private internets are like parallel universes, and in theory have no connection at all with the Internet we know. OBSERVATION: I am really unimpressed with amazon.com, who have acknowledged their part in this, yet have offered no solution until now. This has “not been funny”, not least because I have needed to provide masses of data for various organisations, but also because of security issues and disruption to the Internet.

Design And Absolutes

I keep saying that my electronics "career" is on the wane, but my latest article is now on the shelves in WH Smith in the UK (Everyday Practical Electronics). With many of my designs, I have sought to unhinge the design from absolutes -- in this case, from absolute light level. It picks up fluctuations in light level -- but only rapid fluctuations -- and operates over the considerable range 200-10,000 lux. It combines simplicity and sensitivity. One of the things this circuit could do, as an example, is monitor an entire street for movement.

Special Youth

In nearly every respect, our Church's Youth group would seem to be special. The group wasn't planned, but spontaneous. Its original leaders were both older than 50. Within months, it grew ten times over -- and has never looked back. Nearly all of the Youth had zero Church background. Many wandered the streets and arcades. Discipline was a very big challenge, and (light) injuries not a few. We developed nearly everything from scratch, sometimes with painstaking thought and prayer: roll-call, devotions, games, discipline, snacks. I doubt that many Youth groups are like it today. By now, with the experience we have gained, we might be able to write a book-chapter on starting an urban Youth group.

Ministering To Capacity

It has been said that the maximum size of a congregation with one minister is 150 (that is, Sunday attendance) -- and the average size 80 (that is, 80 give or take). That is with one minister. Figures are more freely available where the number of ministerial staff is not considered (i.e. the number of ministers is unknown) -- then the mean attendance lies around 80. OBSERVATION: The figures raise the question as to whether one should be thinking of additional pastoral staff between 80 and 150 (which is close to the widest range of our own attendance). It also raises the question as to why the size of a congregation should be so dependent on the number of ministerial staff.

Jakaranda Tree

I took this photo of our elder C. under a jacaranda tree in Gauteng earlier this year (Gauteng is a province of South Africa -- GP for short). He joined me there for my graduation. He and I both played with my Leica camera for creative shots. A recent photo that he took with the same camera is at Infant Dedication. This one's in VGA if you click on it.

The Whole Gospel

A recently ordained pastor asked me today whether Churches were Satanic if they didn't preach the whole gospel. I said that Churches should preach enough of the gospel for people to come to know the Lord, but the Lord knows how to circumvent a Church's weaknesses. I said that, surely, no Church preaches the whole gospel. They are all unbalanced in some way. I said that the best antidote against that, in my view, is to keep drawing on the spiritual wealth of the whole congregation, through the priesthood of believers.

Patient Leadership

I'm very thankful for patient elders and deacons. A Church is at times the field of spiritual warfare, which may be intense. Then it becomes crucial that people not only have patience, but stamina to go with it. One of our stated requirements for leadership is "peaceable", and I think it is vital that we have adhered to this selection criterion. Even under severe strain, our leadership has been peaceable, with not more than one or two transient exceptions during the past ten years. OBSERVATION: Our situation does not reflect the statistics or the trend -- we have far less conflict than that (e.g. Lyle Schaller says: “Three-quarters of all church ministry is significantly reduced because of nonproductive conflict.")

Church Bell

This is the bell of the Nieuwoudtville Dutch Reformed Church (DRC, or NGK) about 400km/250mi north of Cape Town. Being hung just above head-height, it seems a wonder that it hasn't been stolen (bell-stealing would seem to be a national pastime). For a very different Church bell, see Favourite Church Bell.

Unauthorised Expenditure

We have a rule in our Church: if you are responsible for unauthorised expenditure, the bill is yours. It therefore fell to me this morning to inform one of our staff that they would pay a bill we received. They weren't too pleased, but they should have known better. They had employed a third party to carry out a task which was assigned to them. OBSERVATION: While staff and money matters are not strictly my domain, I volunteered to handle this one.

Published

I am delighted to report that, for the first time in my life, this morning, I was informed that I am to be journal-published in the field of theology. This is the first sign that a goal that I put to paper in 2004, "to be capable of writing on theology and philosophy to a respectable academic standard”, is being fulfilled. OBSERVATION: This is a hat trick for me. I am now journal-published in three fields: gnomonics, electronics, and theology -- thanks to God.

Handling Dissent

There is always the question in ministry as to how to handle dissent, disagreement, differences of perspective. The minister says something -- somebody disagrees. "Small-time" dissent, I think, will nearly always be there. If I sense that it's malicious, that's one thing -- I won't deal with that in this post. But if it's just "everyday" dissent, then I tend to give people a robust challenge -- however, I seek at the same time to understand my bounds. As soon as one goes beyond one's bounds as minister -- ignoring it, scheming, trying to shut it down, and so on -- one runs the risk that people will feel they are without recourse -- and then there is trouble. You are setting up an explosion. OBSERVATION: So, not seldom, I briefly "give people a run for their money", then I quit. I think people know by now that that is my style. After that, an issue becomes subject to wider opinion.

My Stint As Waiter

At our Church Fête last week, I walked into our "Tea Room". A woman said to me abruptly: "Take my tray! Put it on that table over there!" I did as I was commanded. Then she said: "A friend is coming to join me. Fetch another chair!" Again I did as I was commanded -- then I walked out of the Tea Room. As I left, she shouted: "Waiter! Come back here, waiter!"

Multiple Hymns

One of the innovations I have introduced to our Church services during my ministry here is multiple hymns/choruses, particularly at the start of a service. This means anything between one and three hymns/choruses together -- and sometimes a repeat of a chorus. In fact I borrowed this idea from Park Street Congregational Church in Boston. Of course, this is an old idea, and very well known, though not so much in traditional Congregational Churches. It does make a difference to the spirit of worship on a Sunday morning.

Balanced Prayers

Every few Sundays, I ask someone in the congregation to lead the prayers in Church. Not every Sunday, as I like to set a pattern through my own prayers. I routinely remind those who pray that prayer includes at least four aspects: praise, thanks, confession, and requests. However, here is a fuller representation of what balanced prayers should be. I have this from author John Mallison – whom I once met, on a remote Pacific atoll.

Church Plants

I continue to be puzzled and amazed by Church plants in our area – which seems to be a preferred area for Church plants. Last month, there was yet another Church plant in our suburb, close to our Church. The curious thing is that such Church plants do not seem to affect our Church in the slightest. It has been pointed out to me that these Church plants tend to attract people that our Church (and others) would be unlikely to attract. Yuppies are those most often suggested, although we do attract young people. That is, the Church plants pick up the “gleanings” of the Kingdom.

Belief In A Just World

Some sociology for a change. Belief in a just world means the belief that, ultimately, people obtain justice, and that we can make it happen. However, it may not be a good belief to have. Miller (1977) found that strong believers in a just world are 40% less likely than weak believers to help the needy in the long term, while Brehm and Kassin (1996) note that strong believers are "Scrooge-like". OBSERVATION: This is interesting, because it would seem to tie in with theological views. I post this on my ministry blog because I believe that I have sensed this dynamic. If that figure is right, one surely would.

Outsider Input

We have a loosely constituted Fête Committee. This year, we introduced a raft of new ideas to our Fête, which proved to be successful. However, few if any of those ideas came from the Committee. They came from outside – and mainly through the discussions of one small group. This seems curious, and I am not sure what it means. OBSERVATION: However, the Committee was “in the loop”. The photo shows one of the new ideas: face painting.

Ministry After Us

Wife M. and I were discussing ministry after us, in our Church (though I have no plans to leave). I think one need not assume that it would be a troubled transition. However, it would need to be an extraordinary minister who comes in – simply for the reason that urban ministry is not like other ministry. It would need to be someone who has a firm hand, yet a receptive spirit, and a “rugged” gospel for rugged times. One could get by without one of those characteristics in some Churches, though not, I think, in the urban setting.

Universal Theology

I was in touch with a well known African theologian this week. He said something which I thought summed up very well a major feature of the global Church today: “Over the years, theologies written from the West were thought to be universal theology, but we know that it is not the case.” OBSERVATION: I'm wondering what he means by "we". All too few, it would seem.

Coffee

If one has a good macro feature on one's digital camera, coffee always makes a good desktop background for one's computer -- or so I think. And in keeping with whichever restaurant one photographed it in, it always has a unique character.

Massive Attack

By late this evening, my office computer was under massive attack, with an estimated one-hundred thousand(!) attempts each hour to "break down its door". Fortunately by this time, I seemed to have adequate defences up -- yet a computer needs considerable resources to handle that. In case -- just in case -- a recent post had anything to do with this, I have taken that post down.

Dealings With The USA

Here's an example of why my dealings with the USA so often frustrate me. This (click on the image) is an organisation that routinely interacts with foreigners such as me. But my input is rejected because I don't use a US ZIP code, and the only localities it offers me are US states. I rest my case. This is one of many and varied examples of insularity.

Africanizing

We decided, this year, to Africanize our Church Fête -- at least experimentally. The photo shows our Fête convenor on the right, with two of our members. We set up this food stall as an experiment, with just two pots of traditional African fare, at a different time to the other stalls, too. It was sold out in a flash. Next year we'll scale it up.

Tearful Counselee

I don't "go back" on a counselling session unless people approach me. But sometimes this can be a little hair-raising. Earlier this year, a counselee cried for two days straight after one of my sessions. That need not be a bad thing. Not only does one get worrying tears. One gets healing tears, and crocodile tears. Happily, in this case, a week later the situation was pretty much resolved. A minister friend commented: "I like your style. Good on you!"

Battle with amazon

I am a relative novice when it comes to "space invaders" of the kind which commandeer one's computer. After I searched amazon.com for books on Friday, I had a hard job stopping them before they'd lifted masses of data off my hard drive. At first it was amazon.com Seattle. This was followed by the same from amazon.com Dysart. Ultimately I blocked them both -- or rather, I blocked their port numbers, until they changed their port numbers and got in again. Then I had an unidentifiable intruder -- again out of Seattle. Despite my complaints, amazon.com continues to make tens of thousands(!) of attempts to enter my computer. They claim it is "unauthorized" activity from their address.
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NOTE: I ran this by a friend who is an Internet journalist in the UK. He writes that amazon.com recently tried the same on his laptop. He is presently gathering data and doing analysis.

Church Fête Result

We called it "the year of new ideas" for our Church Fête. It was a multiplication of ideas, hardly a multiplication of effort. Many people waited eagerly to hear what difference it had made -- if any. All in all, the result of the Fête was one-third better than last year, which is no small difference. To view the new ideas (not all of which were finally used) see Church Fête Ideas.The photo shows one of the new ideas: toys.

Bands Of Thieves

As happens every year, we had bands of thieves at our Church Fête yesterday. These seem to target our Used Clothing and White Elephant stalls in particular. It is tough to beat them. Say we have three people "manning" a stall, then it gets "hit" by a band of four. But the stakes for us are fairly low -- as are the gains for the thieves. And if one catches them, they say: "I just wanted to put this aside," or "I fully intended to pay for it."

Invaded by amazon

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I searched amazon.com for some books. Today, my router showed extraordinary activity -- the kind for which we don't have the luxury in Southern Africa. Who was on my computer? I discovered it was amazon.com in Seattle, who took 20.5MB of data off my hard drive before I found a way to stop them (that's not counting what they took before I started monitoring them) -- click on the image to see. OBSERVATION: amazon.com, in the interim, suggest that this is "unauthorized network activity from our environment". They have not stopped the activity.

Year Of New Ideas

Today we held our annual Church Fête. It was the year of new ideas this year (see Church Fête Ideas). Among other things, there was face-painting and bubbles (see the photo -- click on it for VGA). Such simple ideas meant that we had children everywhere -- unlike previous Church Fêtes. OBSERVATION: At the moment, I have no idea how our new ideas influenced the outcome of the Fête. More in forthcoming posts ...

New Apostolic Church

If our government were ever to ban awful architecture, the New Apostolic Church (NAC) might vanish overnight. However, this would seem unlikely, as our municipal buildings would need to vanish, too. This NAC mars Lambert's Bay, nearly 300km/200mi north of Cape Town. OBSERVATION: The NAC has an energetic building programme -- hence Churches like this. However, buildings apart, the NAC is dynamic both in its missionary and in its social work. It has about 440,000 members in South Africa.

Selecting Courses

I have (provisionally) been accepted for re-registration in the USA, to complete a second Master's degree, at Fuller. But how to select my courses? I need three. Here's how I would describe my selection. Surveying nearly fifty possibilities, my first choice is the course that I hate the most. My second choice is the one that interests me the most. My third choice is the one that I feel most at home with.

Pregnancy And Promises

This year, I have dealt with at least four situations where a man got a young woman pregnant -- then promised her the world. In the first case, the woman didn't believe him. She had an abortion. In the second case, the man treated the woman badly, and she obtained a maintenance order. He said: "Go ahead, put me in jail, and see if you get the money you're getting now." She shelved the order. In the third case, the man has kept his promise until now. In the fourth case, the man kept his promise -- at first. Then he abandoned her. She decided to put her faith in God. OBSERVATION: On the surface of it, "promising her the world" sounds good, but bearing in mind the sinful, selfish nature, it may be a shrewd move by the man, to head off fairly stringent legal obligations.

Unfathomable Culture

Other cultures may be unfathomable. Dr. I. is a denominational leader who put me up in his home on a Pacific atoll. Every day, he shouted orders to his wife: "Te amarake!" ("Food!") "Te ran ni bue!" ("Hot water!") and so on. She hurried about, and bowed deferentially before him. One day he shouted: "Te amarake!" His wife stood in the doorway, and she looked stunned. She said: "I forgot!" I feared that "all hell would break loose". There was a long silence -- then they both burst out laughing with merry laughter. OBSERVATION: There was clearly something I had not understood. To an outsider, it looked like servility -- but it wasn't.

Wives And Ministry

Through my ministry here, wife M. and I generally followed this pattern: On my day off, which is a Monday, we would go out for breakfast together, and essentially the whole morning was set aside for that outing. Also, every day of the week, we would sit together for afternoon tea/coffee, for which we would buy some special treat. OBSERVATION: Wives need this much attention as a minimum -- it is, I think, written into the fabric of the universe. However, I know of couples in ministry who don't manage as much. I took the photo during one of our tea/coffee breaks several years ago.

Confidential Information

Somebody e-mailed me today: "I was co-opted ... to the board ... A bit scary actually, they are sending me confidential info ..." I wrote back: "Reminds me of when I was appointed [to a certain position] and the confidential info started coming my way, and I saw that [it looked like] about a million was unaccounted for. Actually it was unaccounted for, at least a very large sum. A million just happened to be my estimate. That was the beginning of my education. Be as wise as serpents, gentle as doves." OBSERVATION: If you see a million missing from the books, remember that a million can unleash very powerful forces.

Church Social Game

My seminary in LA, four years ago, made me do a so-called Social Game analysis of my Church -- based on detailed responses by congregants. The result was that we found ourselves pretty much in a "sweet spot" called Pilgrim Transformed. But notice that we were seen to be more Hierarchist in dealing with conflict, and more Egalitarian in dealing with property issues (click on the diagram to enlarge). OBSERVATION: In the interim, I suspect that our Church has lurched towards the Egalitarian quarter. It was an interesting exercise, although I question its usefulness or even validity.

Fake Sunglasses

I walked into our local police station with my Oakley sunglasses on, and put them down on the counter. A policeman came over. The first thing he said was: "They're fake." I said: "Fake? They're designer sunglasses!" He tapped them on the counter. He said: "They're fake. We're the police. We have to know."

Bottle Fight

A young man asked me yesterday for help. He'd been in a bottle fight, and he was smeared with blood. I took a close look at him -- what are ministers for. He'd stopped bleeding. His assailant had poked holes in him, but he hadn't slashed him (I've seen that, too). He didn't need my help. OBSERVATION: I felt afterwards that I could have given him some advice for life -- but really I was too tired.

Infant Dedication

Our elder C. was very pleased with this photo that he took on Sunday, of an infant dedication in our Church. I lent him my Leica camera for the occasion. I turned off the flash (greater atmosphere, yet greater risk that photos won't "turn out") and he took a whole lot of good ones. We'll let you have him as a photographer at $1,000 an hour.

Prolonging Life

I have very mixed feelings about prolonging life. Sometimes it just sets people up for the next disaster -- not seldom worse than the first. I dealt with such a situation this week. But that is not always so, and this confuses me. Sometimes people escape death and go on to live long, productive lives. OBSERVATION: I think it was Margaret Mead who said that, one-hundred years ago, one's final illness was three days. Now (or when Mead wrote it) it is eight months.

Chinese Mail

I receive an awful lot of mail from China -- in Chinese! It happened like this. The Chinese swiped several articles that I wrote, and reproduced them in Chinese, with impunity. The only reason we know this is that a reader in Burma alerted one of my publishers. My articles included my e-mail address, and I now receive (almost) daily e-mails in Chinese! OBSERVATION: Machine translation performs poorly with Chinese (see my post Chinese).

Parasitic Plant

This is an interesting plant, well known in South Africa. It is rumoured to live "off thin air". You hang an off-cut in a tree, and it grows. Actually, it is parasitic. Notice the little tentacles at the top of the photo. It is feeding off the host tree in which it has been hung (which is a frangipani in our manse/rectory garden). You may click on the image to enlarge to VGA.

The Tension Of Before And After

I feel torn sometimes between the way that people have "stuffed up" their lives, then have come to a place of penitence and turning. The result is that you have both the "before" and the "after" existing together in the present. OBSERVATION: In such situations, one should consider the past to be erased, and I do. At the same time, I have some kind of feeling that that past is very much a part of people today, and to ignore it is not really the way to go. Perhaps the past should be more openly acknowledged. Perhaps there would be a way to give it a healthy place in people's testimony today, and turn it into a blessing for others.

Fairly Full

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On this blog I have sometimes described our Church as being "fairly full". Yesterday I asked our elder C. to take some photos of an infant dedication. He turned the camera round and took this cross-section of the congregation. OBSERVATION: I've smudged the photo so as not to compromise anyone's privacy. Attendance has looked like this for most of the past month -- fairly full with gaps in between.