York - Week 8 (moor sheep than we can count)

Highlights of this week in York included renting a car to explore some of the Yorkshire coast and North York Moors National Park.  Driving on the 'wrong' side of the road was incredibly disorienting at first, but Jay adapted quickly. After a few "Mama, why did you say 'Jay! Jay! Jay!'?" questions from Emma in the back seat, we settled in and enjoyed the freedom of car travel after our weeks of trains and buses.  One of the places we visited was Whitby Abbey, along the coast of the North Sea, where Caedmon, the famous early English hymn writer once lived.  One of Emma's favorite picture books is about Caedmon, so it was very special to get to show her where he'd lived.   The national park was glorious and full of sheep, much to our delight.  We were able to do a bit of hiking and explore several small rural villages as well as stopping frequently to take pictures of the steep moors and golden dales in between, and to pray our thanks to God for the beauty of creation.

On Sunday we attended two 'Family Services,' one in the morning at St Michael le Belfry and one in the afternoon with an alternative worship community called Visions.  Both services intentionally engaged the children in different ways, with varying success.  At St Mike's they had small ribbon/flags for the kids to wave and dance with during the songs, small activity bags (with a few age-appropriate toys and books in them) that they passed out to families on the way in, and a sermon with hand gestures preached from a stage with a large inflatable boat.  At Visions in the afternoon, they had art supplies out for the kids to use throughout the service and instruments for them to play, and plenty of room for them to wander.  There were a couple of stories followed by prayer activities for children and adults, and afterwards one of the leaders recommended some resources for us on multi-sensory prayer that we'll look into when we get back home.  It was a relief in both places not to have to try and keep the kids quiet, contained, and engaged!  We continue, as we visit various places, to be grateful for the wonderful hospitality and care Boston Square gives to our children.

We leave tomorrow for our trek to Northern Ireland, where we'll be visiting with a friend from seminary who pastors the Presbyterian church in Bushmills.  We're eager to see him and to learn more about the church in Northern Ireland.

Elizabeth

Misadventures of the week:  (1) Much of our time driving through the moors, most of it along winding road barely wider than our car, was in pursuit of "some of the best preserved stretch of ancient Roman Road in all of northern Europe".  We stumbled upon several quaint villages and an abundance of amazing views, but no Roman Road.  Signage seems to be a bit less thorough than that to which we are accustomed.  At one point, after having just forded a river with our car, we came across a side path with a sign saying, "Caution: Unexploded incendiary devices in this area.  No camping" (2) Along the way, Emma spotted a ginger-colored cow out the window and excitedly proclaimed, "I see a kangaroo!"  (3) It was biker week in the moors.  We've never seen so much leather in a tea room.

York--Week 7 (Transition)

We left London this past week and made our way up to York.  Along the way we spent a few days in Cambridge visiting the University.  Unfortunately, not much was open to visitors because the term had just ended and each of the colleges was hosting highly-exclusive, over the top parties for their students.  One we heard about included camel rides and we saw preparations for another that were unloading bumper cars from a big truck to set up in the college green.  Sadly, try as we might, we were not offered tickets and were unable to find a way to crash one of them.  Guess we don't look so much like students anymore.  On a positive note, however, if anyone needs a punting chauffeur, let Jay know--he's pretty good.

From Cambridge we took the train to York and settled in at the house Calvin College rents for the faculty who travel here on their semester in England program.  It's an ideal place for us to catch our breaths a bit--centrally located, plenty of space for the girls, and well-equipped.  York is a fascinating city with a long history, and we're enjoying soaking it up. 

On Sunday morning we worshiped at the York Minster, a cathedral that dominates the city.  It was a high Anglican service with lovely music in an extraordinary space.  We went home, took naps, and came back for the evening service at St. Michael's le Belfrey, right next door to the Minster.  St. Mike's (as locals fondly refer to it), is one of the largest Anglican churches in the UK (at least numbers-wise).  It had some striking parallels to Holy Trinity Brompton in London--especially in clearly assuming that the Holy Spirit is at work in the life and worship of the congregation and making room for that to be felt and heard.

We met with Vicar Matthew Porter on Monday afternoon, and he shared some of their vision of being a coordinating force for renewal throughout all of northern England.  They, too, are going through a number of significant changes and transitions, and are seeking God's will for what is next.  We appreciated their ability to communicate a clear evangelical message with also a call to act justly and love mercy.

I've just returned from hearing York University present Benjamin Britten's War Requiem in the York Minster.  A truly remarkable and humbling experiencing--an incredibly moving piece about the horrors of war and the mess that we as humans have made of the world in the midst of a building which unlike most any other communicates the grandness and power and sovereignty of God above all else.

We've also been reflecting on how intertwined church and state are here.  Most any church, especially the larger ones, has displayed a number of coats of arms from prominent families that helped past kings or queens in particular battles.  The York Minster here has carvings of the first sixteen or so kings of England as part of the choir screen that sits in front of the congregation.  It's something both the American and Christian Reformed contexts of Boston Square react strongly against, with the American emphasis on the separation of church and state and the Christian Reformed history of many of the founders of the denomination being suspicious of the state church in the Netherlands.   

We're excited to think of all the activity at Boston Square this week, including the youth and leaders who are in Cincinnati.  May God bless you all and your work.

Jay

Misadventures of the week:  (1).  After meeting with Matthew Porter at St. Mike's, we left our diaper changing pad in the meeting room.  When we next needed it back home, we couldn't find it anywhere.  It was past time the church was closed, so we retraced our steps back to the church, looking in all the garbage cans along the way, just in case it had fallen out of the bottom of the stroller on our meanderings after the meeting.  No luck--we made due overnight and then made the first stop the next morning St. Mike's.  Sure enough--there it was right on the table.  (2).  Emma is starting to embrace the traveler's lifestyle.  When we get back to our apartment after the day's adventures, she will often take Brianna on a walking tour of the home.  "This chair here is really old..."  "That's a really old painting..."  "Look, Brianna, here is where we do baptisms..."

London--Week 6 (Wrapping up London)

We took it a bit easier this past week, focusing on seeing a few of the last sights we wanted to see in London and making sure the girls weren't spending all of their time strapped into a stroller or on our back.  Our backs appreciated the break as well. 

Despite the "more relaxed approach" we did still manage to see a fair bit related to Britain's WWII experiences--the secret war rooms Churchill and his cabinet used for most of the war and the collection of equipment, weapons, airplanes and tanks in the Imperial War Museum.  Perhaps most sobering was the "Children at War" exhibit--a retelling of how the war affected the youngest of Britain's citizens and how virtually every family was affected and split one way or another.

Emma is starting to feel much better after a long week of unsettled-ness.  She finally slept well again last night for the first time in about two weeks.  A real blessing for her and for both Elizabeth and me.

With a more relaxed week comes more opportunity for reading.  I've been working through a book called "Young, Restless, and Reformed."  It's about a resurgence in Calvinism throughout the United States, especially among the younger generations.  Unfortunately, this resurgence is often played-off against the Calvinism that has been rooted in Grand Rapids for the last 150+ years--the Calvinism in which Boston Square is rooted.  The book makes the argument that this resurgence is a reaction against the uncertainty of post-modernism with its claim that there is no ultimate truth and that it's okay for different people to hold different beliefs.  What surprised me was that the Calvinism that is described is a very conservative Calvinism--one that might have described the Christian Reformed Church forty or fifty years ago.  It seems to me we have a more compassionate version to offer these days, and one that certainly should have much appeal in a world desperate for a transcendent, sovereign God who loves us deeply. 

We worshiped at Holy Trinity Brompton again this Sunday and were able to hear Pete Greig preach.  Pete is the organizer of a movement called "24/7 prayer" which encourages churches to set up a week where there is someone praying every moment of every day.  There have been remarkable stories of revitalization that takes root through this, and we've talked some about trying it at Boston Square (yes, we're a bit smaller than most who do this, but why should that stop us?  We can pray with the best of them!)  He had a powerful message about those times when prayer doesn't seem to work.  Perhaps his most meaningful point for me was that these are moments when the faith that is present in prayer is then matched with the faithfulness that is created by continuing to bring these requests before God, even when it doesn't seem like God is listening.  It is a church built on prayer, and the pray that takes place after the service, where those who would like someone to pray for them are matched with those willing to lead in prayer, is extremely powerful.

Our hearts were warmed this week with the psalm that was featured in our daily devotions:  Psalm 84.  One line reads, "blessed are those whose strength is in you,  Lord, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage."  We continue to seek God in our travels, reading, and prayers. We move to York this week, and will spend a few days in Cambridge on the way.

Peace and love,

Jay

Misadventures of the week:  (1) I bought ice cream treats at the mini-market.  They were buy 1 get 1 free, so I came home with quite the stash of assorted ice cream bars.  Only then did we discover that our fridge/freezer was not a fridge and a freezer, but a fridge or a freezer.  We decided it was more important to preserve the milk for the girls than to keep the ice cream frozen.  (2)  Emma is starting to really embrace the sacraments.  We have caught her several times attempting to baptize Brianna and also offering her Cheerios "in the name of the Father, Son, Amen."  Sign that girl up for seminary!  (3)  Jay wanted to watch the England-USA football/soccer match in true local company, especially to see how they would react if/when England scored.  Instead of heading to the pub, however, I went to the All Souls Church football watching party.  In good technology-at-church fashion, within two minutes of the start of the game, the picture went out.  Of course, by the time they got it up and running again, England had already scored.  It was their only goal of the match.

London--Week 5 (Visiting with Church Leaders)

This past week we spent mainly spreading Boston Square reuseable shopping bags throughout the city of London (see previous posts).  We met with leaders from the various churches that we've been visiting here in London, and as a thank-you gave each of them a Boston Square bag and some dried fruit from West Michigan (don't worry, we bought it already dried).

On Tuesday we met with Hugh Palmer, the rector of All Souls Church, and on Wednesday with Canons Bruce Saunders and Andrew Nunn of Southwark Cathedral.  Then on Sunday, we visited Holy Trinity Brompton and met with Curate Toby Flint after the service.  All of them were very gracious in letting us pepper them with questions and doing their best to give us answers.  They were also extremely encouraging, interested in what God is doing at Boston Square, and supportive of us in ministry.  They each send greetings back to Boston Square.

We asked them mainly about their perceptions of the culture and society in London and how they are able to thrive in the midst of what we perceive to be a very "post-Christian" setting.  We'll have more to share when we return, but we were struck by how similar many of their answers were despite the rather extreme differences in the styles of each church.  Southwark is quite liturgical, All Souls mostly contemporary, and Trinity Brompton charismatic, but they all emphasized reliance on the Holy Spirit--seeing what God is doing in their midst and then having the courage to follow along and be a part of it.  They talked about the importance of being true to who they are (that is, being authentic) and also being focused outward from themselves rather than just inward.  Toby, in particular, in hearing some of the story of Boston Square, praised some of the change in our mentality at Boston Square from that of being afraid of what the future holds to trusting that whatever the future holds, it is in God's hands.  They together mentioned that some of the challenges they faced as churches in London were extreme individualism, rampant materialism, and then simply the international nature of the city--the whole world is coming to their door, and they need to put Christianity in conversation with any and every other worldview.  And, too, it was somewhat comforting to hear that they each faced their own financial challenges.

For those of you who have been through the Alpha Program and are wondering if we met Nikki Gumbel at Holy Trinity Bromptom (the speaker in the series of Alpha videos), he did lead part of the service we were at.  We were disappointed, however, that he was not wearing a blue shirt.

One thing that has struck us repeatedly is how important it's been to us how each church welcomes our children and how clear they are in terms of communicating both that children are welcome in the church and worship and also what services they provide for children during worship should the need arise.  For those of you involved in the nursery at Boston Square--thank-you!  You are often the first line of hospitality for visitors.

We are all pretty tired this week, so the plan is to try to take things a bit easier in the days ahead.

Peace to you all,
Pastor Jay

Misadventures of the week: (1) Emma's been sick again, and it's been stressful for all of us.  The biggest challenge has been sleeping at night.  One of the crazier moments of the week was during the meeting with Bruce Saunders and Andrew Nunn at Southwark Cathedral when Emma promptly announced that she needed to throw up.  We scrambled for a plastic bag and then moments later Brianna filled her nappy and left quite the cloud of stink throughout the room.  We could only shake our heads and apologize.  (2) To celebrate our anniversary we traveled to Dover to see the white cliffs.  Towering over the city is a 12th-century castle that we decided to tour.  We struggled up the steep hill with Emma in the stroller and Brianna on our back and purchased our tickets with a stream of sweat pouring down our faces.  After the purchase, we turned around to see a shuttle bus from the village unload a bevy of passengers right at the gate.  Arrghh.

Canon Andrew Nunn and Canon Bruce Saunders, Southwark Cathedral, with Boston Square Church reuseable shopping bags

Hugh Palmer, Rector at All Souls, with a Boston Square reuseable shopping bag