Sunshine, Straw and Scarecrows!

I currently live with my parents in a big village on the edge of a historic market town called Retford. Once upon a time, most people from the village, Ordsall, would have been employed in local mines or in the steel ropes factory located in the village itself. Now that both of these places of employment have closed, many people travel to the surrounding towns and cities to work. The church, called All Hallows, is fairly central to the old part of the village. We also have a couple of pubs and some shops where people may bump into each other for a chat. But because Ordsall is such a large village and because people now work in all kinds of different places, there aren't many times when the community can gather all together. 

So, scarecrows. Around 50 people, families, schools, shops and other organisations volunteer to make a scarecrow. The scarecrows are then put on display all around the village on the Saturday and Sunday of one weekend in the middle of September. A unique number is displayed next to each scarecrow so that 'scarecrow spotters' can vote for their favourite. Orange maps are available from various local shops and and pubs so that people can see where the scarecrows are located. These cost £1 each and people can also use their map to cast their vote for their favourite scarecrow. The scarecrows with the most votes are awarded the golden pitchfork trophies at the community bbq on Sunday evening.

But apart from a bit of fun, what's the point? But does the scarecrow festival really matter?

Yes, it really does matter. Like I said, the opportunities for community engagement in Ordsall are very small. I had a chat with a lady on Sunday afternoon who said 'Even if you've never seen someone before, you know you can have a chat to them if they're holding one of those orange maps!'. I love going round the village and seeing people chatting on street corners, comparing notes and discussing which is their favourite scarecrow!

Equally, I know how difficult it can be to spend quality time with family in this busy and hectic world! Yet families of several generations can enjoy this festival together- it always turns out that there is a scarecrow to suit everybody's taste. This is probably because so many different people design and make the scarecrows! I know one family who came up with the idea of their scarecrow together, portioned out the various elements of the display for different family members to create and then they all got up early and put the scarecrow up together on Saturday morning! 

Also, I think it's important that community events like this are accessible. The maps cost £1 and squash & biscuits are available for free in the Church. A whole family can enjoy a fun afternoon for £1- or if you don't want to buy a map then it's easy to follow everyone else round the village!

But that being said, the scarecrow festival makes money. Our raffle, sponsorship, tea & coffee and map sales have gradually increased over the 6 years that the festival has been running. Last year, beyond all expectations, the festival broke the £1000 mark and we hope to have done the same this year. This is a really big achievement for the Church because the money goes towards the upkeep of the Parish hall. And this money has made such a difference! Over the past few years the hall has had new blinds, new lighting, a new cooker, a new car park surface and lots of lovely new decor. And as our festival coordinator said this year, it may well be worth investing in some new chairs because it was standing room only in the hall at the BBQ this year!

Added to all of this, the festival is a great opportunity for the Church to engage with the community in which it finds itself. The Church is open all day Saturday and Sunday morning for people to pop in for refreshments should they want to. But on a bigger scale, the scarecrow festival hopefully lets people know that the Church is here to serve the community, and that we are available whenever people want us. If that's buying a map and looking at the scarecrows in September, then you are very welcome. If that's popping in every now and then to see what we're up to, you're very welcome. If that's sometimes coming on Sunday morning, you are very welcome. 

So if you find yourself in the North Nottinghamshire area on the 10th and 11th September 2016 then come and join in the fun and spot some scarecrows! 

Greenbelt- the Bright Field

Last weekend I went to my 8th Greenbelt Festival! Which is mad because the time since my first one has gone so quickly! Now, a summer without Greenbelt would be truly incomplete. Here are my 10 thoughts about the 2015 festival- 'the Bright Field'.

1, I'd forgotten how beautiful the Boughton festival site is. I sat in various talks and would glance outside the tent to see lovely tall trees and lush greenery. This definitely gives Greenbelt something that it didn't have so much of in Cheltenham.

2, Even at a smaller festival with cuts to the program we were spoilt for choice! On Saturday morning there were 4 talks beginning at about 9 that I'd have loved to have heard.

3, That being said, I chose to go to 'Jesus crucified himself, so you don't have to' by Sara Hyde. This was one of the best talks I went to all weekend. It was an honest reflection of Sara's struggle in finding time for herself and how difficult it can be to say 'no'. There was also practical advice for people who find themselves in similar situations. I'm sure this advice will be very valuable in the next couple of years or so because I'm going to theological college to study for the ministry at the end of this month!

4, I found myself in a lot more sessions focussed on other religions than I have done at previous Greenbelts. I found the attitude to people of other faiths really refreshing! Especially the Jihad of Jesus talk on Friday night by Dave Andrews because he offered thought provoking ideas that I hadn't really considered before. For example, why do our creeds miss out love when the Bible tells us that love is the greatest thing, even greater than faith? (1 Corinthians 13)

5, I always love Greenbelt communion. I know that it isn't to everybody's taste, and that some people would theologically struggle to think of it as 'communion'. But whatever we want to call it, there is something beautiful about gathering together in the fresh air to worship. I long to see both a Church and a world without walls. *Most* of us were dry under the big top roof and this meant that we could have our communion without fear of the rain. But the people in the Wedges and Nacho stall, the Noodle bar and the Creperie could see and here what we were all up to. The lack of walls around the big top meant that walls were broken down when it came to the surrounding stall holders who aren't necessarily Christian.

6, The prayer during the communion service about tents was beautiful. Tents were most people's home for the weekend however we prayed for those who have no option but to live in tents every day. Even by Sunday morning the novelty of the tent was beginning to wear off for me- but I was thankful for the reminder of how blessed I am to live as I do compared to thousands of others.

7, I always love the random chats with people over the weekend. This years chat locations included; the car park at the beginning of the festival, the camp site whilst setting up the tent, the queue for the ports loo, the Jesus arms, the Glade Big Top during communion and the Christian Aid tent. Greenbelters are such a friendly lot!

8, On Friday and Saturday it was great to see so many venues overflowing onto the grass! It just goes to show how difficult it much be to plan such a festival with so many unknowns such as how popular a talk will be. I really enjoyed sunning myself whilst listening to various talks and panels! I can't say the same for Sunday or Monday but that's just the British Summer for you!

9, For me, the drama and plays at Greenbelt just seem to get better each year! The Mill by Ockham's Razor was so good! I've never seen such a clever and interesting set like that before. It had a human sized hamster wheel suspended about 8 ft in the air, thick rope that was used for tight rope walking, pattern making, climbing, pulling and swings, and 5 strong actors who were brilliant acrobats too! What's not to love?! 

10, I love how outward looking Greenbelt is. Our faith is not an isolated being, it is designed to interact with our world and Greenbelt is a wonderful catalyst for this interaction! There are plenty of opportunities to get to know local, national and international charities who are always looking for support and interest. Equally, many talks and panels are about looking out into the world and how we can make a difference in it. 

As with every year at Greenbelt, I found myself being more myself than anywhere else. I am...

-the Poppy who walks around as a rainbow- because Greenbelt is all things rainbow, and rainbows are my favourite.

-the Poppy who is happy to admit what she really thinks but also the Poppy who isn't completely sure who she is in some ways.

-the Poppy who just wears leggins and a TShirt- because it's Greenbelt, normal rules don't apply and I just don't care about my legs as much!

-the Poppy who doesn't care about showering- because there's no time for that at Greenbelt!

-the Poppy who just doesn't care about the latest Christmas displays in Harrods- because how boring and irrelevant is that in comparison?

So I just want to say thank you to Greenbelt for yet again being the space of healing, home, where new friends can made and new ideas can be explored.

That time we went to Israel!

Two weeks ago I got back from a trip to Israel. I went with my sister, Isabelle, and a youth worker from Nottingham called Ade and we were away for 18 days all told. We spent most of our time away in Nazareth helping at Christian Youth camps which was a lot of fun! One week we worked with 60 11-14 year olds, some of whom had good English but others felt too shy to talk unless we kept on trying! The teenagers on the second camp were 15-18 year olds and being that bit older had a really good understanding of the English language so for this reason I found the second camp a bit easier than the first. That being said, every child I spoke to had much better English than I do Arabic! 

We were there to support the Priests and families from the local area as well as to add our own flavour to the camps. We did this by teaching them some English songs, playing sport and going swimming with them, praying in groups and providing craft activities such as 1000s of loom bands to make into bracelets! All of which seemed to go down well with the adults and young people alike.

One of the first things you need to know about me is that I'm used to getting 7 and a half to 8 hours sleep a night, and I definitely function best when I have slept well. Needless to say 8 hours sleep a night was not my experience whilst staying in a hostel full of teenagers! I'd say that it probably took me over a week to get back to normal on the sleep front.

But despite the lack of sleep I, we, had an absolutely fantastic time. We also worked with three others from our diocese; Azaria, Michael and Bob who were just brilliant and made us feel so welcome when we arrived. The kids are cheeky, energetic, loud and really lovely. I have no doubt that all the young people we met will grow up to make a huge impact on their world, definitely for the better! The 'grown ups' that we worked with are also such inspirational people. Being Palestinian Christians living in the state of Israel means that their lives are not always easy or even pleasant. Yet their enthusiasm and generosity is absolutely infectious and I hope that I will never forget their passion for the Gospel in one of the most troubled parts of the planet.

We were in Israel for 2 weeks and 3 weekends. Quite unexpectedly we spent each weekend in a different area of the country site seeing! When we arrived we stayed in Jerusalem so took ourselves off to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemene, the Garden Tomb, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and got a taxi to Bethlehem! On the second weekend we visited Tiberius and sites on the sea of Galilee such as St Peter's Primacy, Mount of the Beatitudes and the Church of the Multiplication of the loaves and the fishes. We had paddle in the sea itself but unfortunately none of us managed to walk across to the other side! Finally just before leaving we saw more of Nazareth such as the Basilica above Mary's house and the festival for the assumption of Mary!

We were also able to spend a weekend in Shef'Amre which is a town with which our Parish at home is linked. We walked into the Church there, St Paul's, and I felt truly at home which was definitely helped by recognising some on the congregation who were in Ordsall to visit us just a few weeks earlier! All the congregation, those we already knew and those we didn't, made us feel so welcome. It is wonderful to see how much a Parish to Parish link can mean to people on other sides of the world. 

Over the past few years I have been very blessed by the support from All Hallows, Ordsall and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham to go on a range of trips across the world. I'd just like to say how grateful I am for all of these experiences because I never get tired of seeing new places and how other people live, and it really does change the way that I see the world. 

If you get to chance to go and experience something new then I just have one word to say to you... GO! Even if it's scary and unknown, go. 

A new chapter

Hello! Welcome to my new blog space!

I know I've done this a couple of times before but this time I promise to try and keep updating my blog regularly. I might even be so organised as to set an alarm on my phone or something.

So today is actually my favourite day of the year, so what better day than to begin a new series of blogs? The reason that today is my favourite day of the year is because September is my favourite month. It means new diaries, stationary, lists, timetables, equipment- it means going back to school! I always loved school, so much so that I really thought that I would become a teacher because what better career is there for somebody who loves to learn? However, God had other plans which is what these blogs are going to be about. Also, 1st September is the day that the Hogwarts Express leaves Kings Cross Station at 11 o'clock so what's not to love?'

Anyway, I am an ordinand. This is church talk for 'someone who has been recommended to train to be a vicar'. They are sending me to 'Vicar School'. I will be there for 2 years before there is a big service in the Cathedral and they put a dog collar around my neck. This is if it all goes well. Like when going from GCSEs to Sixth Form of College, you need to get the grades before you can go. I need to do well for 2 years before I wear a dog collar.

This is another reason why I'm particularly excited today... At the end of the month I'm going back to school! Well, Vicar School. Still, as with all things school this means new books, sticky notes, highlighters, diaries, pens, note books, (the list really could go on forever!). I'm moving to the beautiful city of Durham and I get to live in halls, which I never did when I was at normal Uni! It's all very exciting! Actually, that's a lie. I'm definitely a bit scared too! 

Anyway, welcome to my new blog! If you want to read about what kind of things I'm getting up to as an ordinand then please pop back occasionally to have a read!

Much love x