Cool Choirs, Clappy Choruses, Cringy Coffee: Religion Chat Thread No 5

[madhairday]

I thought seeing as our other thread has gone somewhere into the oblivion that is old MN pages, I would start us up again anew for a new term. This is a place for those who are Christians (and anyone who's not, we're not an exclusive little club) to chat about life, theology, church, any other stuff and of course Graham Kendrick, as nickel would not forgive me if I forgot to mention him

So all welcome, old and new, it would be fun to chat and chew over anything that comes to mind. Lurkers say hello!

Anyone got a nice juicy topic to get the ball rolling then? Or if not come say hi anyway and tell us how you are doing. :)

[Tuo]

Thanks for the new thread, MHD.

Following on from the prayer thread, here's a for you of 'There's a wideness in God's mercy'. I couldn't find one with the lyrics, but you can read them here. Enjoy!

[newlark]

Hello :) - I'll come and join a shiny new thread - I had lost the old one... Can't wait for all our term time groups at church to restart - the summer holidays seem like a bit of a spiritual desert. Two different bible study groups restarting this week - some old testament reading to do...

[niminypiminy]

Hello MHD (and anyone else reading and/or posting)!

Does anyone else here lead a Sunday school which has their children in it? Mine came back to church this week after spending their summer Sunday mornings at cricket lessons, and DS1 (who has Asperger syndrome) staged a major meltdown and started ripping the pictures off the walls... I finally managed to get him out of the room and calmed down with the aid of biscuits. I can't decide if this is the AS or having to share me, or a bit of both? And if your kids act up when you are trying to run a SS session, what do you do? Any thoughts gratefully appreciated! I was so drained by today I had to go have a sleep this afternoon.

And tomorrow I have an appointment with the new DDO. I'm really nervous, and between that and this afternoon's nap I predict a sleepless night.

[SESthebrave]

Hello! I'll pop my head around these parts again! Hope to be able to join in and journey with you all a bit more again :)

[Bluetinkerbell]

New thread! Yay!
Nimi didn't know you're in the discernment process too!
I had a chat with my DDO today, as he was covering the service at church today.
I had sent him an email 2 weeks ago saying I was slightly worried about the progress, as ideally I would like to start studying next September when my contract finishes here. Anyway it's all in God's hands, isn't it?
I did book to go to Cuddesdon Open Day in October, being 8 months pregnant

[cloutiedumpling]

Hi everyone. Haven't managed to get to church much over the last few weeks so is good to "meet up" with you all here.

[madhairday]

TUO, that is beautiful and beautiful lyrics too. I know it's not usually 'my' kind of music but it's brought tears to my eyes this morning. Such awesome truths, thankyou :)

Niminy, is there any possibility of you leading a different age group, swapping with someone? I have taught Sunday school with my dcs in it and always find it more difficult than without, as they play me up!! I could control 30 reception kids no problem but two of my own and I'm climbing walls at times! When my dc did act up during a session I was firm with them but then had a talk afterwards and gave a consequence etc. But it was never ideal. Or do you need to be in with him anyway due to the AS? Must be difficult to be teaching and coping with this too, I'm sure some of the others have some ideas....is there someone who could support in the lesson, a sort of one to one that may help him?

How far are you along with the DDO? Exciting stuff!

Blue, wow visiting theological college at 8m pg - crazy lady

Hello cloutie, SES, newlark - great to see you.

I've been thinking about how we as a church here on a rich estate can follow Jesus in action as well as word, in getting involved with the poor and the sick. I think God has been speaking to me again and again about this as both sermons yesterday were on the subject, stuff with the paralympics and it just keeps coming up. I'm wondering what we should be doing, more than simply giving money, which is good but hardly getting hands dirty. With poverty on the rise, maybe it is time to look into helping at food banks. I would like to start a group for disabled people but not sure about how to go about it. Pondering...

[gingercurl]

Hello!

[thanksamillion]

Ooooh hello everyone. I haven't been around much lately as we're on our road trip of the UK! I can't remember if I updated you all, but when we go back to Moldova in November we'll be moving to another village which is even more remote, and which doesn't have a church at the moment

[MaryBS]

Niminy, are you on a certain Christian unrest website? It would be too much of a coincidence if you weren't, I go by a different name on there... have posted on your thread :)

My son has AS, and he plays his father up when he is in the pews and I am "up front" (I'm a lay reader). Having said that, it takes a while to get settled back in anywhere after the summer break, so I guess that doesn't help either. If he's had you to his self all summer, he might find it hard to see you back in that role again.

[ballroompink]

Hi everyone - I haven't posted on these threads before but am delurking to try to get some perspective on things. Anyone want to share experiences of feeling disconnected from church after having children?

I had my first DC earlier this year. Due to being pregnant, I stopped serving at church last Christmas. It's hard to feel connected or involved during services with a baby that needs feeding, changing etc etc. I find that thanks to all this I feel less connected at church and almost invisible. I attend a large evangelical church where a lot of people are very involved in church life, serving, ministries, etc, and being 'on the edge' of it all is hard. I feel like I can't 'give' anything to the church and as if I'm not 'getting' anything from it either (including the teaching). Giving birth hasn't changed my faith in God, but it has changed my relationship with church :(

[BitchyHen]

Hi everyone can I join in? I've been lurking a while.

Ballroom - I felt much the same as you when my dc were small. One thing that helped me was getting together with two other mums from church who had small children. We met together every week or two while the children played we chatted and prayed together. If I was having a tough time I knew I could ring either of them to share and I would have someone else praying for me. Are there any other mums at your church who you could meet with?

[SESthebrave]

Hello all!
Welcome Ballroompink! Am I right in remembering you from May 2012 thread? I had DD in June (she was late!) and also have 3yo DS and I'm finding it very difficult to feel involved in the worship on a Sunday whilst feeding and occupying DS. I keep trying to tell myself that by being there, I am partaking in the community, sharing my faith with my DC and trying to open myself to God's love, grace and sacraments even if I can't consciously do that very much!


Millie - hope you're enjoying your UK roadtrip. Your new challenge back in Moldova come November will be in my prayers. Amazing work that you do.

Hello TUO, newlark, Cloutie, MHD, Mary, Ginger, Niminy too.

[SESthebrave]

Hello BitchyHen - sorry x-posted with you! That sounds a wonderful idea and experience with other mums. I know quite a few people at church but not really well and not many with young children but I will bear in mind if I'm chatting with others.
It reminds me that I'd been contemplating starting an ecumenical prayer group and that may be one way to go with it - starting off with mums. I used to be Anglican and am now RC and still have links with my Anglican friends and am keen to further the ecumenical cause!
Ballroompink - whereabouts in the country are you? Don't suppose you're near the SE?!

[ballroompink]

BitchyHen, yes I know one woman whose DS is a week younger than my DS. Unfortunately don't know anyone else with young DCs - before having DS was very much involved in the 'young adults' side of church where very few people are parents. I should get in contact with this woman , i know!

Yes that's right SES :) I have tried to get into that mindset but what with being so tired as well, I'm finding it so hard to muster any enthusiasm for Sunday mornings. I want to do more in terms of prayer and reading at home but that's also hard! I think at present I would benefit from quieter and more contemplative spiritual practices.

Glad to know that other people have been/are going through the same thing.

[niminypiminy]

Hi MaryBS' yes I am on that other place - too unimaginative to think of another nickname. Good to see someone else in both places!

I think DS1's troubles at church may be one of those things that have to be managed as best they can - I don' think there's a magic answer. But from now on we will have two of us running each session of SS and we're going to adopt a very predictable format, which will help. And I will bring snacks for everyone, because food is often a good way of calming him down. (most reliably frozen peas and fish fingers - I mean still frozen! - but I don't think that will work for anyone else! Goodness knows what will happen if the vocation stuff works out ... but that bridge is still a long way off.

Blue I've been in the discernment process for 15 months now, and it's all been massively slowed down (of cours normally it works at the speed of light ) because the DDO left last January and the new one has only just started. Now she has a huge backlog to work through. I'd love to have it sorted so that I know what I'm doing by next summer, but we'll see.

MHD maybe we should have a church twinning system. We have loads of poverty, and feel our small numbers overwhelmed by the needs around us.

[Bluetinkerbell]

Which diocese are you in then niminy ?

[ballroompink]

SES I'm in East Anglia!

[niminypiminy]

Ely - where are you?

[Bluetinkerbell]

Lichfield, my MIL's sending diocese was Ely.

[madhairday]

Morning all and welcome to ballroompink and bitchyhen, great to have newbies on the thread. :) The small children and church issue is one that has affected or is affecting most of us at one stage or other, and it is so hard to go through, mine are older now but I still remember clearly how it felt. I always recommend this book which I found in the midst of having a baby and toddler, being ill and not feeling connected in church or with God: Barefoot in the Kitchen - would strongly recommend it, it is very reassuring and helpful :)

You know niminy church twinning is a great idea and one I've thought for ages should happen. Some huge rich churches don't do anything to help their small neighbours on poor estates (some very much do though) and it would be good to spread the load. When we get church going here, we will give this some serious thought.

Will you be thinking of going off to theological college or training where you are? It's all exciting stuff.

Hello Milly - have been wondering how your tour is going and if you were back. Wow at moving to a more remote village - you guys are amazing. So are you planning to start a new church there? We can swap ideas!! Or partner up, our two situations could not be more different but I bet have so many similarities...

Waves to Mary and ginger and everyone else - nice to have this thread going again. Anyone seen nickel around?

[SESthebrave]

Thanks MHD, I'll have a look at that link :)

I'm in Surrey, between Gatwick, Croydon and Reigate. Our parish is spread across 3 churches. 2 of them in pretty affluent areas and the third in a community that is a lot poorer. I'm sure we could do more to help and witness in that community.

[DutchOma]

Nickel had a visit from the Gruffalo

[niminypiminy]

Blue is your MiL still in Ely? Anyway, the new DDO seems incredibly efficient so maybe the glacier will move a little faster. I live in a city with two theological colleges in it so I'm hoping to train at one of them. But it just seems to uncertain at the moment to make those kind of plans. Blue you must be further along in the process - do you have a date for a BAP?

[Bluetinkerbell]

Niminy MIL is now curate in a team benefice south of Cambridge :)

No, not at all further along in the process! I haven't even had conversations with the DDO yet... So a date for a BAP is not on the cards yet :(
Wish I was...
Would love to have some more certainty and clarity about the future, I know it it all in God's hands, but still with DD1 and soon DD3, and DD1 starting Reception next September it would be good to know where we will be...

DO I hope the Gruffalo didn't eat her