Helping Ridley Hall when you use Amazon

When you buy things through Amazon.co.uk, why not help Ridley Hall at the same time by following this link before browsing? All purchases made this way will benefit Ridley Hall, as Amazon donates a percentage of your purchase costs to the college, at no extra cost to you.

http://www.ridley.cam.ac.uk/amazon.html

Ridley Hall - every little helps!

End of Term approaches

I don't know how we got here this fast, but we're getting to the end of term. We seem to have three end of terms - Dec 3rd is 'end of lectures', Dec 12th is 'end of term' and by Dec 22nd I have to hand two essays in.

Of course, those nearest and dearest to me latch onto the earlier date, but the reality is that the gaps between those short Cambridge terms are quickly filled with other stuff, especially for those of us who are only here for two years and have to fit lots of non-lecture based training requirements into our holiday slots. I've already had to start thinking about which church I'll spend a month in next summer and where and when I will do a mission trip. The family calendar is getting filled up in advance like never before, and the trick is to reserve family holiday time first! I have no idea when I'll get back to Ferndown - the family Christmas is going to be in Cambridge, and there isn't much time spare.

With end of lectures approaching there's a change of focus as individual subject courses are coming to an end. We've 'done' the New Testament, and by Monday I will have re-read through it all since starting in September - mostly by reading through whole books in a single sitting - you ought to try it. We've covered Church History from 0 to 1000AD, I've learnt the basics of the ancient Greek language in the last nine weeks and I have a formal test on it on Monday - and I've never felt less prepared for a test.

After lectures finish it's time to turn our attention to other areas: First Years have a half day session on Child Protection, and my staircase has a Prayer Day for which we'll be visiting Coventry Cathedral - the new hangout of former Principal of Ridley, Bishop Chris Cocksworth. Also there's an opportunity to find out about a mission trip for next Easter, and an 'end of first term' tutorial with my tutor.

Around all that there's reading to do in preparation for those essays. I have to write one for New Testament, and one for Church History, each of 3000 words (that's about 6 pages of A4). The preference seems to be for you to have read 4 or 5 books in researching each topic - that might sound a lot, but actually you're not reading a book from cover to cover, just skimming through for the relevant bits. The danger of doing this is that you'll mis-read something and get the point wrong.

I handed in a formative essay for New Testament this week and got good informal feedback on my writing style, and we have a Study Skills session coming up to coach us through essay writing, so things aren't looking too bad in the essay department.

However, with the upcoming lack of structure comes the potential to be mightily distracted. My reading is a bit behind to the tune of 3 hours or so, but my new Bible has beautiful tabs marking the location of each book. My laptop is a valuable tool for writing, but also for Facebook, and writing blogs when I could be revising Greek. And there are so many interesting books in the library, but unless I'm writing about those subjects I haven't got time to read them!

Must go - I have to read through Acts of the Apostles in a single sitting before Monday.

All in white shall wait around

I preached my first sermon at St George's Chesterton yesterday, and I got to dress up to do so.

No jeans and T-shirt preaching here - in the attached picture you see me in an ordinand's robes. Close inspection may lead you to the conclusion that the robe is borrowed - you'd be right - I'll have to buy my own before I'm ordained, and I might even consider not wearing trainers for the occasion.

Preaching from the same pulpit as a former curate, one Rowan Williams, was a novel experience - I was elevated to on high and was looking down onto the masses. It was a bit wierd to have everybody straining their necks to see me, and to be constrained in the box, not wandering around a stage on a radio mike.

All very different from St Mary's Ferndown. Which is why I'm there.

Light and Dark

"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not put it out" - John 1 verse 5.

Last Sunday night, whilst the family were warmly tucked up in their cosy villa at Center Parcs, I was making my way back to Cambridge in order not to miss fun-packed lectures on Monday morning. This meant that I had to cycle about 6 miles to the nearest railway station, from where I could get a train back home. Being night it was dark, and when I set out the moon was shining down from a clear sky. I was looking forward to my moonlit crossing of Thetford Forest. However by the time I got out onto the road it had clouded over - there was little light coming from the sky, and my tiny little bike light wasn't much use in helping me to make out the edge of the road. My eyes adapted and night vision kicked in quite quickly.

The occasional car overtook me, and for a while the light from them shining ahead of me was useful. And then cars started coming towards me. Even with their headlights dipped I was suddenly disoriented, and had to slow down and almost come to a stop to ensure that I didn't steer into their path. My little light was insignificant compared to the headlights, but it still shone, and was still there. It's at this point that you are waiting for the great analogy with Jesus. You're going to have to wait.

On Tuesday it was Mark Autherson's funeral, which you can read about on his blog: http://pleasepray4markautherson.blogspot.com/2008/11/marks-funeral-time-to-remember-marks.html.
It was an emotional event, and a number of us at Ridley are struggling with the 'why Mark?' question. A man taken from us far too early, leaving a young wife and 3 small children. I just can't cope with seeing a woman younger than me carrying a baby into her husband's funeral. I did a lot of crying in that church. Despite the brilliant sunshine outside lighting up the bright and airy church, despite the celebration of his life, despite the warm stories and emotional tributes and the reassurance that Mark is now free of pain and with Jesus, it was still a dark day.

But as I've been reflecting about it this week I keep coming back to that cycle ride through the forest. It was dark, but my little bike light was shining. Occasionally it was overpowered or overtaken by a brighter light, which allowed me a brief glimpse of the road ahead. But at no point did the darkness win. There was always a light shining in the darkness. My light was nothing compared to the glory of the bigger light, but it was still contributing in keeping the darkness at bay.

Never let your light go out.

"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not put it out"

This is my week - Friday

Nearly there (actually I am there already, writing this from the perspective of 'next Monday'!)

Each Friday we do Morning Prayer in our staircase groups, rather than communally in chapel. Still reasonably formal, but with the bonus that we can have a cup of tea in our hands while doing it, and for some of us the opportunity to spend a little bit of social time together.

For the rest of the morning we have 3 hours of 'Life and Service' - which is where we get to talk about all sorts of vicary things, rather than the intellectual academic side which occupies the rest of the week. This term we're spending quite a lot of time on Theological Reflection (or 'how to find God in a situation'), learning techniques for analysing conversations, encounters, and the various things that life in the vicarage throws at you. Often we are given case studies of awkward pastoral situations, and asked to think about how we would approach it. After half-time we changed tack, and looked at the privileges and abuses of power, which took us into some interesting territory. Whether we like it or not, a vicar has a certain authority by virtue of his position, and with that authority comes a responsibility towards our congregations, to care for them, to demonstrate servant leadership, but when necessary providing strong directional leadership without being a bully.

Lunchtime comes around all too soon on Fridays, and with that I was off home for a family weekend away - Tasha's dad recently turned 60 and we're celebrating with him in Elveden Forest.

So that was my week - Saturday would normally be my day off, so you're not getting a report on that!

This is my week - Thursday

As usual, Morning Prayer at 8.15, swiftly followed by 'Quiet Hour', which many use for prayer with a prayer partner. However, I'd done that bit yesterday, so instead this precious hour was used to catch up on some New Testament reading and Greek.

Down the road to Westminster College for a lecture on Mark's Gospel, then a seminar on 'The Messianic Secret' (Mark 8:27-9:1), during which, dear reader, I was apparently 'on fire'. An hour of unusually focussed Greekness took us up to lunchtime.

After lunch a bit more reading, a bit more dithering, a bit of tea drinking, and all to soon it was time to fetch the children over for College Communion.

Upon return to Ridley, I was on duty on the sound desk, so a swift soundcheck for the band, whilst trying to prevent Isaac abseiling from the chapel balcony (where he's not actually allowed to go.....I blame the parents). The band were fantastic - every time I descended from the balcony to listen to the sound mix they stopped playing. Hmmm....

With Isaac delivered to the creche, and Bethany dispatched to my study to do her homework I could now focus on the service. Which went brilliantly - well led, well structured, good choice of songs, inspiring message. Oh, and the sound was out of this world. Along with my humility. Somebody burst my bubble please.

Supper, the real reason for bringing the children over, was an interesting variation on the advertised Toad in the Hole, in which the part of the Hole was played by mashed potato.

A swift return to the chapel to pack away the sound kit, and then home at 8.15pm to biscuits, bathtime, a huge pile of ironing, and bed. A long day.

This is my week - Wednesday

It was a running morning this morning - although I didn't make it out of bed in time to run from college, so I ran in the drizzle from home instead. Tasha was a little surprised when I arrived back at 7.15 and got into the shower - as far as she was aware I was long gone!

Again, chapel at 8.15am. Veterans of Poole's Farside youth events may recall a beany-hatted young man who used to lead there - he's here now, a fellow student, but the hats are gone. Seeing Jon lead this morning took me back to various school/church halls around Poole, and I was half expecting him to take a completely different direction from what we're used to.

Wednesday is a completely unstructured day for me - I have no lectures scheduled, so the day is mine to control. The morning looked something like this:

• Drink a cup of tea
• Shuffle paper around desk
• Read some New Testament textbook
• Read Gospel of Mark (in twenty minutes flat, speed reading!)
• Read a small bit of Mark in somewhat more detail and prepare for tomorrow's seminar.
• Eat a banana
• Shuffle a few more bits of paper
• Go to Greek self-help class, work on translation exercise with Sam
• Have another cup of tea
• Go back to study, pack bag, go to lunch

Lunch was so uneventful that it doesn't warrant a mention (that's no comment on Jude, Mark and Peter's entertaining conversation though). Nice cauliflower cheese though.

The afternoon was slightly more organised. Whilst the musicians practiced for tomorrow's communion service I twiddled a few buttons and reassured the artistes that they sounded wonderful. Which they did.

Then home, exchange the bike for the car, and over to a secondhand book dealer who was disposing of a number of theological books. Upon re-arrival at Ridley these 6 boxes of books had to make it all the way up my 54 stairs. Another banana was necessary after the exertion, and it remains to be seen if there are any gems amongst the boxes.

The day's college programme concluded with a meeting with prayer partners Mark and Charlie, where we compared notes on how things are going, and how we could support each other in prayer. This all took place in the setting of a Bella Italia restaurant where we extravagantly splashed out on coffee and tea that we could have got for free at college!

That done it was hometime where there was time for a brief refuelling stop before getting back on the bike with Isaac and going to the city's free public firework display along with 25000 others. Spectacular! Thanks to Will and Grace for the company and the hot dogs. Will has learnt not to invite not-so-small boys to sit on his shoulders

This is my week - Tuesday

Tuesday is a slightly more relaxed affair than Monday.

Into college for 8.15 Morning Prayer, which from Tuesday to Thursday is a community event, in the chapel. The chapel was built for Ridley's original intake of (I think) 20 to 30 young men, so we're doing quite well to squeeze in the current population of 80-ish students plus staff. Week by week a different staircase group leads this 30 minute service, which is based on the Morning Prayer service in Common Worship - there's so much flexibility in the liturgy that we're unlikely to ever have 2 services the same.

At the end of Tuesday's service it's ''Principal's Notices" - where today we learnt the arrangements for this evening's American party. Apparently The Colonies are having an election which Lewis Hamilton's twin brother is going to win.

And then to Greek - which day by day gets a little clearer, but just when it does you learn something new and it gets a little murkier again.

By 10am the formalities of the day were over - the lecture program complete I had some unstructured time, during which I returned books to the library, printed off some lecture notes, caught up with e-mail, started preparing for Thursday's New Testament lecture, tried to ring the plumber and went to lunch.

Lunch done, I returned home. Tuesday afternoons is when I do my Social Context Placement - I have chosen to do this with Romsey Mill - a Christian run organisation which aims to "overcome disadvantage, promote inclusion and develop well-being". Their main programs are for children with autistic spectrum conditions, for disadvantaged 13-21 year olds, for under 5's and their parents, for young parents, and "Transitions". It's the last of those that I'm involved with.

"Transitions" aims to help 10-14 year olds who are struggling with the transitions that adolescence brings - physical & educational - through a mixture of out-of-school groups, outdoor activities, peer mentoring, one-to-one work, and literacy support. My 2.5 hours a week can't possibly hope to cover all of that, but I join the weekly afternoon after-school session, along with professional leaders Gavin* and Ruth and another student Michelle**. We have about 10 members of the group today, and any hope of structure soon goes out of the window. Youth-work is often mood dependent and this is no exception - the group has an extremely short attention span, and while Gavin is trying to hold order I find myself engaged in a debate about the point of school uniform with Gilbert***.

Ninety minutes of badminton, punchbags and Wii follow, and it's over all too quickly. The leaders convene for a debrief, and then it's time to go home. I'm sure I'll write more about Romsey Mill in future weeks, but in the meantime you can visit http://www.romseymill.org/ if you want to find out a bit more about their work - it's a fantastic place which every town should have.

A brief return home - The Mill is just around the corner from my house - and then I'm back on the bike, to Federation Worship. This is not some bizarre Star Trek cult, but a joint fortnightly service held by the Cambridge Theological Federation, the combination of all the theological colleges in town. Over the course of the next two years I'll benefit from this ecumenical endeavour, which enables me to experience worship led by Methodists, URC-ists, Orthodox-ists, Catholic-ists, and two different flavours of C-of-E-ists. Today, we assembled in The Church of Our Lady and The English Martyrs (that'll be Catholic then..) and were led by Wesley College (err, Methodists I'd guess from the name). The church itself is amazing - ornate but without being distasteful, well lit to highlight the architecture, and fantastic acoustics. Even on songs that weren't familiar the building made us sound loud anyway. And I even listened to the sermon, unlike last time where people were commenting on a sermon that I have no recollection of at all.

And once more I returned home, where I consumed the jacket potato that was in the microwave, just in time for Tasha to return demanding to know what had happened to her dinner. Oops. See you tomorrow.


*Gavin - look you're on t'internet - I promised I'd write about you, even if it is just to stop you whining on about it.
** Names have not been changed to protect privacy. I couldn't be bothered, and they like the attention.
*** Name of group menbers have been changed - don't have much choice about group members. Cool substitute name though!

This is my week - Monday

The day dawned some time after me. Along with a group of about 8 others I've taken up running. Apparently we're aiming to do a 10K run at Easter, which means being at college at 6.30am 3 mornings a week, so that's a 5.40am alarm call, get dressed, get on the bike, cycle 2.5miles to Ridley, and then do the running bit for about 25 minutes. It's actually more speed walking than running now, but I'm sure we'll up the walk:run ratio soon. A swift shower and breakfast at college follows, and all too soon it's time for the working day to begin

On a Monday our Morning Prayer is based in our staircase group, and is 30 minutes of prayer and worship, followed by "Fellowship Hour". Today Jane and Ian shared their testimonies (with some surprising similarities - don't they know about the recent plagarism in Cambridge story?), following which our leader Fred asked us all to submit searching questions which would be asked of each other. Most understood the request and submitted questions such as "what was your most memorable holiday?" or "who do you want to win the American election?". Unfortunately the aforementioned Ian thought it was Question of Sport and submitted classics such as "who scored the winning goal in the 1978 FA Cup Final?". Unfortunately no Lewis Hamilton questions were permitted.

By 10am we were a mile down the road at our Greek class, being amused by our unconventional care worker/performance artist/linguistics teacher Mark, and being led through indefinite articles, prepositions and vocabulary.

In a slight break with tradition our regular double lecture on 'Reading the New Testament' was replaced with an essay workshop. This was the bit many of us haven't been looking forward to - I haven't written an essay since 1985 in my English Literature exam - a grown-up academic essay is quite another beast from anything we did for GCEs. Anyway, just so you know, I've got the next 7 weeks to write 3000 words on 'The Christology of one of the canonical gospels'. After being reassured that as long as we do four basics it's pretty difficult to fail (hand it in, answer the question, don't copy, include a bibliography) I emerged a little less worried about the task.

Back to Ridley at 1pm for a lunch of spaghetti bolognese (some of which I have brought home on my shirt) and a banoffee pie that doesn't go too well with the running regime.

Breath in, breath out. Count to 10, and then onto the next thing, one of an occasional series of book sales - I picked up a few bargains, before moving onto the Lecture Hall at 2pm for double Church History.

I have to confess at this point that although I find Church History quite interesting, and I wanted to learn about the development of Monasticism, Asceticism and the Council of Chalcedon, my eyelids had other intentions at this point. My notes are, ahem, sketchy, at certain points in the lecture.

That takes us up to 4pm, and the end of formalities. After dithering in my study for a while, I find myself being fairly ineffective after such a busy day, so I go home, cycling through the drizzle. A few minutes for a cup of tea and a jam sandwich, and it's time to take Isaac to Cubs.

Later this evening I am honoured to be invited to a meal out with the spouses group - it's one of those rare occasions when the ordinands are welcome on a Monday evening, so there's a small group meeting at an Italian restaurant, proffering Cambridge University cards to attempt to get a mild discount.

After that I intend to collapse into bed, and look forward to Tuesday, a slightly less intense day.

This is my week - Sunday

I've decided that my weekly routine is now well enough established that I can share it with you without sounding too out-of-breath. So for this week I'm going to try to write something every day so you can get a flavour of what I get up to. Probably an over ambitious plan, as I'm going away on Friday, but let's give it a go anyway!

Sunday has already become a working day for me. Church is not really optional in this game! I am attached to St George's Chesterton, along with 3 other ordinands. During term-time I am expected to attend each Sunday, and to take part in one mid-week activity. As yet, the mid-week bit is not agreed, but the Sunday bit is!

Today I arrived a few minutes early for the 10am Parish Communion service and along with Hannah - another ordinand - was pressed into service immediately as an acolyte. I'm starting to expect to be surprised - this is a small church, and there are plenty of opportunities to play substitute in some role or other. I've already been trained asan acolyte - I get to carry a candle solemnly and processionally and preferably in-sync with my partner. Hannah on the other hand was coming into the role completely fresh, so was having to follow my moves - with my extensive 'follow-me-I've-done-this-once-before' experience. Along with the crucifer (that's a carved cross on a long pole) we lead the choir and clergy down the aisle and up to the communion table. A bit later we accompany the Gospel down the aisle from where it is read, and we also are involved in the process for getting the bread and wine onto and off of the table. Along the way there are turns, bows and pauses - it's a bit like the Red Arrows but at a much slower pace. There were a few confused glances across the width of the church between us two, but I think we did alright.

The position carries some privileges - We get a ringside seat to observe the process of preparing and distributing communion. We also get to wear a cassock (black robe that covers everything) and a surplice (white angel wing type thing covering the shoulders). It also means that people quite quickly identify us as theological students, which leads to some interesting conversations over coffee.

Afterwards, we learnt how to properly cleanse the communion cup and plate - much easier to remember than the earlier choreography.

I return home to find it empty - the family are worshipping at a different church, much closer in style to St Mary's Ferndown, so there's a few minutes to practice my Greek verbs.

A lazy family afternoon ensues - before I have to make a crucial decision - go to 6.30 Choral Evensong (which is optional, but I've never been to one before, and there will be others) or watch Lewis Hamilton's attempt on the Formula 1 title? Mmmm, hard one!