church publicity

There is very limited space for putting up a poster outside the church, so it needs to be eye-catching. I've tried doing this one, but perhaps there is just too much info? The church speaks italian, but there would be no problem accommodating english speakers, as long as they were content with translation, rather than actually hearing an english sermon or english prayers.
What do you think?

Hopefully I've managed to publish the poster, but I'm not sure...

Listen : Think : Act: Methodism and Migration - In Italy

Listen : Think : Act: Methodism and Migration - In Italy

I have not blogged here about the last few weeks, but instead took up John Cooper's invitation to expand my facebook updates into something a little more considered. Thanks John for the opportunity to blog "away from home". You can follow John's blog on the above link, and then I will post an update on my own blog. We are currently hosting our third group of Rom, 6 adults and two very small babies. The Methodist church here has therefore welcomed a total of 12 people.

Ash Wednesday and Festival of Religious Liberty

We spent a lovely Sunday night-Monday at www.casacares.it with great food, company and the traditional falò (bonfire) as a slightly in advance celebration of the granting of religious liberty to the Jews and the Waldensians (17 February 1848). It is a festival that seems to go unmarked by the majority of the country, but is significant as the religious freedom granted then opened the doors to the further freedom that is part of the country's consitution.

However, there continues to be widespread ignorance about the Protestant churches and faith. I think that Protestants are no longer seen as potential enemies of the state, but a sense of being separate clearly persists. On Saturday the Methodist Church hosts a conference on the theme of the expereince of religious minorities. I am wary in the UK when the Church starts to see itself as a religious minority, after all we exert an influence way beyond our membership, however here perhaps the term is correct.

It is also Ash Wednesday, althoug there is no service here. It has not been requested and I suspect that the practice of ashing would be seen as far too Catholic! One reaction to the experience of being a religious minority is to withdraw from practices that look too much like being quasi-catholic. Perhaps this combination of festival and fasting invites us to get back a sense of balance in our relationships with other churches, with the earth, with God.

Anglican-Methodist Unity

David Gamble (President of Methodist Conference) and Richard Vautrey (Vice-President) made interesting reading yesterday. The Methodist-Anglican Covenant has been going somewhere since 1 November 2003, but the direction has not been clear. David re-affirmed the Methodist Church commitment to the Covenant, fine. But I am still waiting to hear such an affirmation from the Anglican Church. Even at the time of discussion leading up to and after 1 November 2003, many Anglicans still assumed that unity = Methodists becoming Anglicans. It is my understanding that the Covenant does not take us in that direction.

However, Ruth Gledhill was wrong when she wrote: "In 2003, in the presence of the Queen, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the leaders signed a covenant affirming each other’s orders and sacraments and committing themselves to full unity." (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7023713.ece). As far as I recall, the Covenant says that we will in the future affirm each other's orders and sacraments, but at this point in time, I cannot celebrate Communion in an Anglican Church. I cannot, because the CoE does not recognise my ordination as being valid. On the other hand, the Methodist not only allows Anglican priests to celebrate communion, but when there is a joint Methodist-Anglican Church agreement, it is automatic that the Anglican priest receives full access to the Methodist structures, including voting rights. But this is not reciprocal.

Leaving aside the vexed question of the inequality inherent in the Anglican system, (and the way that bishops opposed to the ordination of women have been allowed to recruit new male priests who are also opposed, thus perpetrating this denial of the gospel), until Methodist orders of ministry (presbyterate and diaconal) are fully recognised by the CoE, the Covenant is as still as pondweed in stagnant water.

Meantime, there are more important things to do be doing. The work of the Kingdom is active, right where I am, where you are. Synods and Conferences can talk, it is the relationships we have that will make the difference.

Prayer letter - settling in

Settling in: We knew before we arrived that travelling with our dog was going to be “a good thing”. In fact, she has helped us talk to people from day 1. Our Italian has slowly improved, but she was quick to learn that “Che bella!” was usually directed at her. It seems the Italians are quick to praise and caress children and pets, so Gabrieli certainly feels right at home. With her, we are distinctive, and our neighbours quickly realized that we are not just tourists, but here to stay. However, without her, it has taken a few more months to reach the stage where we can smile, wave and “ciao” people as we pass by.

Prayer letter (2)

The local neighbourhood: We are sandwiched between the river and Santa Croce, just round the corner from the statue of David. The night-life is lively, with a nightclub and bar next door to the church, and a kebab shop and restaurant on the other. The streets are filled with people, and the area therefore feels very safe, if somewhat noisier than you might like at 2am! However, it was puzzling when we arrived because there appeared to be no shops. Instead great corrugated iron shutters obscured any clues of what lay beneath. Firenze is so hot in the summer (see above!) that anyone who can simply leaves the city, and that includes many local shop-owners. As August wears endlessly on and the heat diminishes into a hot UK summer in September, shops re-appeared, as if we were on Diagon Alley . We are not living in a graffiti inscribed, vacant lots, scruffy area, but instead can enjoy the small businesses – pet shop (Gabrieli’s 2nd favourite place), fruit & veg. shops, butchers and ice-cream parlour (Gabrieli’s favourite place). We are also a short walk from one of the Firenze markets with plentiful selection of meat, greens, clothes, household goods. It is a good place to watch the world go by (as you sip your cappuccino at the market bar): the group of Africans selling dusters, tissues and umbrellas, the stall-holders are Indians, Italians, Filipini, the beggars are Romanians and Italians, the shoppers are from everywhere.

Prayer letter - part 1

[Knowing how my followers are hanging on my every word, I thought I'd send out my prayer letter on my blog over a few days; although you may receive an email as well, sorry!]

I am serving as Mission Partner in Florence, Italy with the Italian Methodist Church. I am very happy to be here with my husband Robin and our standard poodle, Gabrieli (the Italian name is just a coincidence!)

First impressions may be misleading: We arrived into Firenze (Florence) in the middle of the holiday season. It was hot. It had been hot since we’d entered Italy (in our camper-van) on the 6th August. Sun is lovely on holiday, but it has a strange effect when you are living in the city. You selectively open windows and shutters, trying to keep the sun out, but find the breeze (there isn’t one). During the day, the apartment is so shady, you begin to feel nocturnal. No matter what combination of windows and shutters, open and close, morning and afternoon, it doesn’t matter. It is still hot. The apartment has beautiful floor tiles throughout, which we had imagined would be cold to our feet. They are now, in early January, but in August and September, they’re hot. The terrace is too hot. You have to walk the dog before 8:30am, or it is too hot. And you simply have to go round for the corner for gelato at midnight, because it is still…