Worship and Mixed Emotions

I know I am getting close to really being ready to be back at church when I start thinking more about it. As good as it is to get away, and as much as I know I have really needed this kind of time, I also look forward to returning to ministry at Hickory Grove. I plan to spend some more time going through some materials for a study I’m considering leading later this fall, and it feels really good to have quality time to spend on that sort of preparation!

This morning was good. And hard. And emotional. And depressing. And joyous. Is that possible? Maybe that’s what worship is supposed to be; in fact, sometimes I know that it is. I dearly loved my time ministering and living in England, even though I did deal with being homesick and all the rest.

Overall, though, it was a good experience and the church at Ilminster was a big part of that. The beautiful old church has been condemned – we all knew that the front was slowly sinking into an ancient (now collapsing) sewer system but it was still a shock when the building was suddenly condemned and services had to be moved.

I knew all of that had happened before I arrived in Ilminster, and Margaret had described the school hall where they are now worshipping, but it was still hard in a way to see it.  Somehow this...

and this...

just can't compare to this...

and this...

but oh well!  Worship is about focusing on God and gathering as a fellowship of believers, right?  Here are two of my favorite believers, Les and Margaret :)

Even though it was sort of hard to see the old church locked up and abandoned and to be reminded of all the people who have either died or are no longer well enough to come, it still felt in a way like coming home to old friends :)  It was wonderful to have the opportunity to worship without leading (that doesn't happen much!), and the addition of the "special friends" made it even more special!

Margaret had told me about their "special friends," who are a group of five special needs adults who live in a group home together and walk to church each week.  They were so full of joy to be there it was contagious!  One of the guys shouted "AMEN!!!!" every time there was an amen anywhere in the service, which there were a fair number of.

We had communion (a rare occasion over here these days because so many of the services are lay led due to a shortage of clergy) and his exhuberant "AMENS!" throughout were a real reminder of what a joy it is to break bread together.  I loved it :)

Another part that was special for me was getting to see Thomas again.  Since Ilminster was my first appointment it meant a lot of "firsts" in ministry for me that year, including my first baptism.  Here's me with baby Thomas at 5 months old in 2003 on the day of his baptism:

and here's a pic of Thomas and I 7 years later!  He obviously didn't actually remember being baptized but you could tell his parents had talked to him about being baptized by the American minister and he was keen to see me and get our picture taken together.  Great memories!

Okay, and speaking of great memories, here's one of those impossible-to-catch-on-film sorts of things...

Sunday night we went to the service at Kingsbury, another of my churches (and yes, over here a FEW diehards still go back to church for Sunday evening services...) - this is the main road down to Kingsbury village!

I will never ever forget the sheer and utter terror I experienced my first few months as I had to drive down there by myself...in a car that was stick shift...that I couldn't manage to drive without stalling...  You see, the only option if you come upon another car is for someone to back all the way out and let the other person go.  My usual method would be to throw my hands up in the air, shake my head at the other driver, and pray THEY would back up.  Try backing up in a manual car when the steering wheel is on the wrong side...  Bad combination.

All that said, I LOVE this drive when someone else is driving, and since Les was at the wheel it gave me a chance to snap this out the window!  I am sooo thankful I canned the idea of driving from Ilminster to north Wales and am instead taking the train...even though it is going to require getting up at 4:30 in the morning (yeah, which is 11:30 PM at home...my body is going to be so confused by the time I get home!) and taking 4 different trains...with my two suitcases!

Wish me luck!