Chaplain’s Blog Stardate 22/01/2023 Give me a pulpit or a chance to preach and I am in my element - it does not matter whether it is to two or two hundred. When preaching one has a certain authority, a certain distance and generally the people listening want to hear what you have to say about faith matters but outside church I find it very hard to strike up conversations about faith.I am hopeless at evangelising folks I meet in the street, offering to pray for them and the sort of joyous thing that others seem to do with ease. My workplace was always a school and there was little faith conversation away from assemblies.The on the spot evangelism or faith conversation is right out of my comfort zone, however.....Stopping to chat or to listen to people's stories and praying my own private prayers for them is something I do often. I thought the following two examples worthy of writing about and hope that it might inspire some of you to put pen to paper about chance encounters that have inspired you to prayer. Thought for the Day – Epiphany IV - This link is for Peter Coster's Thought for the day this week. He attended a Leadership Safeguarding Course and makes some very interesting points. Quiet Day at Epiphany House on February 10th - details Storytelling and Building Everyday Faith led by Jim Seth – Epiphany House Chance encounters – PC Binnie Most days I spend an hour or two walking with Barney a.k.a. Mr Dog the energetic collie. He attracts quite a lot of attention, especially when he sits patiently waiting for people to pass, looking up with a sort of RSPCA expression that pleads for interaction. Brief conversations with other dog-walkers are fairly frequent but the occasional longer conversations are things to be treasured. Mr Binnie is a long-retired policeman who must be well into his 80s, who I often see but yesterday I met him twice and listened to his stories both times. The first, as I was about to ascend the long sloping bridle path to the Wheal Euny mine, was about the day he had been instructed to investigate a body that had been found in the brambles at the side of the path. It was a sad story about an old farmer who had been in Barncoose Hospital (once the Redruth Workhouse) suffering with dementia. Somehow, he had evaded the security system and wandered out and made his way the mile or so to where he was found some ten hot July days later. Mr Binnie’s description of the task faced by the police that day was graphic but I won’t go into maggoty details here! The second time we met outside the infant school as we were a few hundred yards from our homes. I greeted him with, “no bodies to be seen!” Mr Binnie chuckled and asked, “did I ever tell you about the time I was shot?” Well…. You have to…
Greetings Reader / LLM colleagues and esteemed others! Having has a chest infection right across the Christmas period I am only just beginning to get some energy and motivation to do something more other than be dragged out for a daily dog walk by Barney the energetic collie! Thankfully antibiotics came to the rescue at the right time, but the festive season seemed to pass in something of a blur with the tastiest treat being max strength Lemsip! I am quite certain that I won’t have been the only minister in the diocese to have to miss out. On that note…. The Prayer List! Reader, Joy Gunter, and others have a vocation to pray of others who are suffering and would really appreciate a focussed up to date list. If you would someone put on the list or if you would like to be on the list yourself please let me know. I will only send the list to those Readers who request it for their own prayers. Those we have lost and making the most of each day. In the past year we have lost a number of friends through various illnesses, some well before they should have died. Some have been members of one of our churches and others have been friends from elsewhere but each one has underlined how important it is to make the most of each day. One of those who died recently and whose funeral I will attend remotely was in the first Sunday School class I taught at St Euny Church way back in late 1978- which in many ways marks the beginning of my path to ministry. Simon died in his late 50s as the much loved and respected headteacher of an International School in Pakistan. When Lez and I first met Simon, I had just taken a job teaching nine year olds at Stithians School and was reeling somewhat at the contrast with teaching in North London where fast, sharp wit was the order of the day. My first class in Stithians stared at me with some bemusement. Simon and that Sunday school group provided some respite from the puzzled faces of that first village class. He was a Truro school student who came as a pair with his friend Mike. At the age of 12 he wore a cravat and held some quite right-wing opinions setting himself as a fair target for my teasing. Like many young teenagers he had a tricky time negotiating life with his parents and so he spent increasing amounts of time at our house where he enjoyed the discussions and demolition of some of his wilder opinions. Simon and Mike once decided they would amuse themselves on the tricycle bought for our children who were quite young. Simon pedalled, knees sticking out at an odd angle, while Mike stood on the back. Much jollity was had until Simon forgot to steer and they ended up in the flower bed – the front forks bent beyond repair! When the curate moved up to Pencoys…