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“The evidence of life in the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Christian discipleship cultivates these in your own life. Christian ministry seeks to cultivate them in other people.”As the new Connexional Year kicks into action so does our local ministerial theological college Queens Foundation in Birmingham. We are happy to welcome “The 2 Karens,” (Bell and Hilsden), back as they embark on their final year of training before being placed on probation. Having finished their community placements at the end of July, they both took some much earned rest over the summer before drawing together dissertation plans and for Karen Hilsden attending our Brigade Camp on the Isle of Wight.
They come back to us as Link students taking up their respective supportive and enabling roles in Luncheon Club and Girls Brigade and a key role in leading worship at Lyndon.
Karen Bell has also chosen to research Lyndon for her MA Dissertation in Applied Theology, as she wrestles with issues of healing, wholeness and disability awareness in the church. You will see her colourful leaflet about the church and I would urge you to have a conversation with her and accept the opportunity to study the Bible with her as she holds the issue of disability in conversation with contemporary theological thinking. She wants to hear your lived experience to bring her research to life!
Both Karens will also be completing Connexional paperwork over the next week to enable them to be stationed in churches of their own this time next year. This can be an exhilarating time. It can also be one of anxiety and uncertainty. We would wish to give them all the support that we can, so please pray for them and ask them at regular intervals how the process is going. They would welcome your friendship on their journey.
On a slightly different basis, the Rev Cliff Shanganya, his wife Christine and his 12 year old son Divine join us from Queens initially for a 4 month period until Christmas. Cliff is ordained and has been a minister for 10 years in the Uniting Methodist Church of Zimbabwe. Following a break in ministerial practice, after living in Botswana, he now comes to offer himself for service in the Methodist Church in Britain. He hopes to be accepted into full connexion next summer and be stationed as a minister from September 2010.
He comes to us as a student on a formal basis until December to understand the cultural context of British Methodism and consider the similarities and differences from his previous experience. Unlike the 2 Karen’s he will not be taking on a specific responsibility but will be seeking a broad experience particularly seeking to understand Circuit life!
As you may have already heard, Cliff, Christine and Divine come to us with considerable musical gifts and we look forward to hearing more of their story of faith as they share with us in word and song.
Please pray for Cliff and Christine that they may feel confirmed in their calling and for Divine who comes to settle in a new school in Birmingham.
We look forward to Karen B, Cliff and Karen H, joining the cultivation of life in the Spirit at Lyndon.
Julia Monaghan
27.09.09