2023! What!
Who would have thought it… 2023 is in full swing and things are changing and have changed! London is no longer my home town – I’m back in the sticks as they say in Africa. Rural living and working is once again a way of life for me… but the internet is better out here than where I was in London! Go figure!
The Art of Youthwork
So where do I start? Well, let’s change the web site title for one! “The Art of Youthwork!” Why, because my life has changed quite a bit since the last blog!
Why Suffolk?
My Dad passed away just over 2 years ago which was my main reason for coming back to Suffolk. I had started planning the move back here when we heard the news Dad’s cancer had started spreading quickly again and the chemo therapy was not able to keep up with the spread. I was torn between supporting the people whom I had a mission for in London and supporting family back here in Suffolk and it was a hard decision to make, but it was made. Unfortunately Dad passed away before I could move, what with organising people to take over the lease of the house in London so it could continue to be filled with people with hearts for God instead of just being another HMO (house of multiple occupancy as they call them here in the UK) I made it back here a month after the funeral… Thank you Polly for stepping up and giving me a room for a few days while I organised a place for myself!
Settling in
So, what to do… First off, find a church to call home again. That was the easy part because my flat is a few minutes walk from the local church where I had been going before the mission to London. They had changed vicar, the previous one retiring. Seemed like a good place to be. Why do churches always go through rough patches when the vicar changes? What is it with people and wanting to follow a particular church leader instead of wanting to follow God! I say that whilst biting my lips because it’s just a dig at the fickle behaviour of people! Of course we want to follow Christ but we always get caught up in agreeing or disagreeing with the way the church leaders do things… If you don’t like the way things are done then it’s time to get stuck in and do something! I was actually welcomed and fitted in very quickly. Tech guy to the rescue – sort out the sound desk – make sure people can see a screen and hear the speakers without horrible feedback. Seriously, it’s not rocket science!
Complications
But there are always complications! I started having issues with my guts again after the terrible 2019 and got to the stage where I could not eat or drink anything because my stomach was effectively blocked by a large pseudo-cyst. Hospitals are all busy, overworked, underpaid, what’s going on. Anyone would think we are recovering from a pandemic or something! Back to hospital one and off and finally take the plunge and say ‘yes’ to major surgery! Long and short of it, a wonderful surgeon offered a unique solution to my issues and performed some rather nifty plumbing inside me to get me sorted! I’m alive! I’m doing better than ever! But had to take it very slow for quite a few months again…
A Future
So what does the future hold here in Rendlesham? First off we need to get involved with things. Start from the ground up. Help where you can. Do what you can. Offer your expertise in whatever field you excel in! Again, not rocket science but something people eventually work out in the end after much arguing and sulking! Sooo, I got asked if I would consider becoming one of the church wardens… something new! Turns out there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes!
Now start offering more help and thinking about what can be done. Don’t jump in without backup! Urban church is a very different thing because you always seem to get past the critical mass point just by jumping in and doing something. That is what I loved about London and working there. If you saw a need you could jump in and start something and there would, invariably, be some people willing to help out. In rural settings… that help may live an hours drive away – and at highway speed, not stuck in traffic speed! So make sure you have dependable backup before you start something. Change is rural settings is not always welcome, so starting something means you need to keep going for a year, not a month to see if it floats!
Sooo, again, I got asked if I would consider being a church elder! Something different in Suffolk, not a long 3 year course for full CofE elder, but a ‘lay elder’. The church will make positions when they need people! Rural work here in Suffolk means needing people! Our church leaders have to look after a whole lot of church building in this benefice, 18 churches, 3 vicars! So you need lay people to cover for the times when the vicar cannot be in 6 places at the same time!
Being at Home
I work from home and the last few months have been a tad busy, working more than my fair share of hours as well as trying to cover church warden stuff and learning for lay elder. Turns out I get to see some of my family a lot more than before which is very nice! But one of the best parts of being here is meeting up with some of the youth who have passed through my doors over the last couple of decades! Yes, decades! Boy some of them are tall! And they’re all grown up!
Being a disciple of Christ means staying at it for the long term, not just doing your stint in church and then moving on. These people need stability and rural areas like stability. Slow down. Enjoy life. Enjoy being with Christ.
Love & Blessings
-DJ