First visit...

On Monday we fly out to Florence - and I am full of intrepidation. We had an interesting and informative chat with Jane and Colin* this week, a good opportunity for Robin to hear first hand about the situation in Florence, and for us to ask some of the practical questions about moving.
We will be staying in the apartment, so that should give us a good feel for the place, and meeting members of the congregation and other local clergy.

I do have a list of questions, but I'm more interested in what we are told and what the church feel their priorities to be. I'm very interested to find out if the church has managed to get the youth work off the ground - and if not, how they are planning to do that between now and October/November when I start. I also hope to meet the leaders of the different churches that use the premises, as building relationships with them could prove to be the important first step to the outreach and service that the Church can offer to the incoming communities. Again though, I'm looking to hear some enthusiasm for this work from the Church members themselves.

It will also be the moment to try out our very limited Italian! "Mi chiamo Alison." And "Piacere" (pleased to meet you) will be the end of the conversation, although at least ordering food is not a problem (pizza!).

In the meantime in Potters Bar it's the time for visits, sadly one funeral and preparation for Christmas. Today's Remembrance Sunday parade service was packed out, with excellent participation from the Scouts and Cubs, lots of hard work from the worship preparation team, musicians and drama organisers. It will be very, very hard to leave.

*Jane Cullen - World Church Office, partnerships and Colin Ride - World Church Office, Europe Secretary. At least, that's who they are and what they are doing for now. The WCO is still undergoing change. It is the plan that all re-organisation and re-structuring will be complete this summer, so we should be able to meet with the person who will be taking responsibility for us. Having found a previous time working overseas difficult because lines of communication and support were not always clear, it's important to know who's in your corner.

Preaching on the Gospel Matthew 22: 1-14

Just to prove that life still goes on in Potters Bar!
I've been struggling this week with the lectionary gospel reading. I tend to read quite a few online comments, to 'get me started' and then turn to the books. Most of the online people were clearly stating that the King in this parable of the guests-who-are-invited-but-choose-not-to-attend-the-Wedding-Feast, should be interpretated in an allegorical fashion, as being God.

Firstly, I'm not too sure that the parables are allegories. But more importantly, is God really the kind of King who gives you a second chance, but after that kills you?! The King in the parable reacts to the violence of the guests (some of whom kill his messenger-slaves), with full-scale destruction of the City. The King could not even claim that his response is proportional - the murder of his slaves leads to the murder of an entire City.

And then, once he has done the right thing and invited in 'the good and the bad' from the streets to fill his banquet, he spots one guy who is wearing the wrong clothes - and so throws him out into the place of torment.

So God - the executioner, and God - the fashion judge?!

Fortunately, I was rescued by some Girardian insights (Rene Girard), that I'm slowly grappling to understand. Greenbelt-ers will recognise the name of James Alison, who draws on Girard's work, and I've found a website by Paul Neuchterlain (girardianlectionary.net). This way of thinking rejects the idea of allegory, says that the King in the parable is not God (what a relief), and even suggests that the wedding guest who is thrown out, could be Jesus who is soon (in the Gospel narrative time) to be rejected and killed. Bearing in mind that the narrative context of this parable (like the previous 2), is the questioning of Jesus' authority by the Jewish leaders, then it seems to make better sense.

So, I'm not ready with a sermon yet (it's only Friday!), but with a bit more reading, thinking and contemplating, God normally gets all of my slow moving clogs to click in time for Sunday morning.

Speaking Italian

Robin had his medical & psychological tests yesterday, and naturally enough - he passed. As he said, it is quite affirming to be told that you are OK. Robin has also attended 1 Italian lesson - so that 1-0 to him then! At this rate, he'll be the one doing all the talking...actually, that would just show that not much changes, wherever in the world you end up :)

Getting Gabrieli In

Ok, for those of you who are not dog lovers, I would think that this will seem complete madness! Our insurance company had verbally told me that, while they would not cover Gabrieli whilst in Italy, we could continue to pay the insurance premium, could obtain treatment for her when we were back in UK, and (most importantly) be able to return to the UK and start using the health insurance as normal.

I thought it would be wise to get this in writing, so I rang back this morning. And they've changed their mind. If Gabrieli leaves the UK, even if we pay the premiums, we can't claim on the insurance ever again. Umm, covered for life apparently means 'covered in the UK'. She is an expensive pet - and I don't mean that she gets satin sheets and diamond collars - just that her medication is expensive, and she takes lots of it. So now we have a real problem. Her Pet Passport is fine, she's fine, getting her there would be fine, and living in the apartment would also be --- well, you get my point. I'm waiting for their official response, and they are going to check the initial phone conversation, as I know it is always possible that I have misunderstood.
Anyone got any advice on Italian pet insurance?

Being checked out

I've discovered that having an appointment with a psychologist is a bit strange, really. In order to prove that Robin and I are fit and healthy for the rigours of the Italian life, we've booked appointments with Interhealth - a charity that specialises in other the health and welfare of other charity's workers. It is standard practice, although I would think that for people setting off to Africa, far from medical treatments, it is more important than those of us staying in Western Europe. Hopefully, nothing has been discovered -and Robin will also get a clean bill of health next week (although....!)

Talking about yourself for an hour or so is not that exciting - but it did remind me just how blessed I have been, with family, friends, and with Robin. It also reminds me that whilst I can rationalise not living in the same country (we'll probably see more of our parents and siblings when they come and visit, compared to the occasional days now), it will still put a large gap between us. This will be OK, as we both have the firm foundation of our loving upbringings to build on. So - thanks Mum & Dad! and yes even - thanks sis!

Jobs are like buses...

No sooner have we unpacked our boxes, then we are beginning to wonder what we will need to take, what we can leave and where, and how on earth we get everything from Potters Bar to Florence.

We've been in Potters Bar for 7 weeks, and I've been working with the 3 churches for just 4 weeks, but the opportunity to work with the Methodist Church in Florence has already called us to discover not just a new place, but a new culture, work, history and language. I can only say that I feel very blessed to be in this Circuit for this year and very sad that it is likely we will be leaving after such a short time, but very excited by all the challenges and discoveries that we hope Florence will bring.

Nothing is settled yet - we've both got to have medical and psychological tests (oh dear!) and all my references need to be in before the appointment can be confirmed, but I've told the churches (with a lot of help from very supportive stewards) and put it on facebook (so it must be true!). There are lots of questions and hopefully answers will be provided in the next few months. In the meantime, there's plenty to do here in PB, Shenley & Radlett.