Tuesday 25 April 2017

Back in the UK

I think I have just about recovered from jetlag. Apart from the differences in time, there have been the differences in temperature. In the deep south it was very warm. In Washington DC on Easter Day it was 85F, but by the time I got to Chicago the temperature had dipped to 50F, although the sun was shining.

Christian display in downtown Chicago. In a spirit of fairplay there was also an atheists' display entitled 'In Reason We trust.' I tried to photograph it but my camera batteries died at that point. Or was it divine intervention?
I am now going to start to write up my reflections on the trip and I've got a few books on order to read as soon as they arrive. It has been good to visit some of the sites and museums connected with the history of slavery and civil rights. Typically they were very well presented and it felt good that these things are being remembered and not just glossed over or quietly forgotten. It was often very moving. I need to reflect more on these things and to consider lessons they have for us here.

'From the mountain of despair, a stone of hope' Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington DC

I will also be thinking about the second part of my sabbatical study: ministry to working class people in England. It's a subject I think about a lot, and I value the opportunity to consolidate my thoughts and to put something down in writing. A sabbatical is a great opportunity to take stock and reflect. I hope that our churches of St James and St Anne's will benefit from it.

One of the unusual things for a vicar that a sabbatical offers is the chance to visit other churches, and I will continue to give a brief report of each church visited in this blog.

Meanwhile, back in Bermondsey, the stonework of St James's was being surveyed today in preparation for the future repairs. It was quite a sight. Architects must have a head for heights.




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