Living Open Source

Just back from hanging out with Baptists in Bournemouth at our annual Assembly. It is now customary and obligatory to blog about the experience, pointing out what was funny and what was profound.

This year we were encouraged to share the experience on Twitter and Facebook, but they didn’t bank on the weather driving people away from their laptops and on to the beach. The idea didn’t seem to take off. Last night’s Gadget Show, showed you what might be possible next time around.

I think it was the weather that made it seem a very jolly weekend. The opening session set the scene, being rather less stuffy than usual. The choir and congregation from Trinity played their part in helping us loosen up a bit. I thought it was a beautiful thing to witness the affectionate excitment displayed and vocalised when Kingsley was invited up on stage as our new president. They were a perfect illustration of why it is silly to suggest you shouldn’t cheer when your minister goes up on stage!

The best moments were actually in places I was surprised to be impressed, and actually surprised that I even went. So why did I go to the Sailor’s Society metting? I couldn’y say. Perhaps because it was at the end of the pier; perhaps it was because they were offering free cream teas; or perhaps because Adrian Plas was there to entertain. Actually none of these things appeal to me, but what caught my attention was the lesson in communications that the society gave us. The venue was bursting at the seems and exploding with laughter at Adrian’s witty anecdotes. They had got themselves an audience and with Adrian hosting they were listening and went away impressed. I remember in a previous church somebody giving us a talk about the Sailors society and it was deadly. Hats off to them! This is how get people’s attention.

And for some reason I chose to go to all-age worship instead of Prism on Sunday morning (because the Saturday evening Prism session had irritated me a tad). With no family with me this year, again I couldn’t say why I did go. But I think it was the most real worship of the weekend for me.

And I’m hoping the person sat next to me making notes on that Bible Timeline will get round to sending them to me, because that was really quite cool (Prism watch out!).

On the subject of coolness, Baptists didn’t really blend in very well when they hung out in surfer’s bars at meal times. Yes, Prism worship leaders don’t wear socks, but we looked very uncool with those funny little bags. It was though in these places that you experience the best of the assembly, catching up with friends and colleagues.

Blessings in surprising places was the story of Assembly for me this year.

Now while we had a good time, did the experience change us? There was one moment on Sunday evening that really hit me. Two freshly acredited and blessed ministers shared their stories with Jonathan on stage. We sat in silence as the first told of how she and her church had housed the homeless in the coldest of winters. We errupted in claps and cheers as the second told us that their church had managed to get 350 people to attend a worship service. Jonathan had just preached about having the same mind as Christ, but at which of these stories do we think Jesus would have cheered? This weighs heavy on me, because the applause was infectious and we all joined in. It wasn’t that we shouldn’t applaud the second story, but that in doing so I wanted to turn and applaud the first more loudly, and the moment to do so had gone.