Sunday Fellowship: Church without the church, but also mostly just church.

When we went down to Southampton a couple of weeks ago we joined our friends for the Monthly Quaker "youth" outing to the Southampton Sunday Assembly. For those of you who don't know, the Sunday Assembly was started in 2013 as an idea to take the best bits of church such as communal singing and gathering together, but without any of the crappy religious bits that obviously makes actual Church rubbish. Here are their four point summary (see, they even shirk the three point sermon):

• We are a secular congregation that celebrates life.
• We have an awesome motto: Live Better, Help Often and Wonder More.
• A super mission: A Sunday Assembly in every town, city and village that wants one.
• An awesome vision: To help everyone live life as fully as possible.

So we went along and it was just like church. Actually, it was closer to some of the funkier churches in Southampton such as New Life or Vineyard, perhaps even a little CU at a push. There were the funky folk, the quirky outsiders, the poets and the rebels. After an initial slightly awkward meet and greet time with coffee and tea the service got under way with some singing of traditional pop songs (Cold Play's "Fix You" was rather enjoyable) followed an excellent poem on apathy by an American member of the congregation. The main sermon was also good, by local poet come song writer Grant Sharkey about maintaining a line between love and anger (and included the term 'binge thinking' which I rather liked). This was followed by the short five minute talk (which went on for nearer 30) and tried to get us to share nice things that had happened in the past week. We then prayed together. No, I mean we thought together. There was even a collection!
It was good. Nice people and a friendly atmosphere, just like a good church should be and quite often are. It was markedly young, as seen by their twitter banner and I suspect most of my church would feed out of place and not as a result of the lack of God. Indeed I barely felt there was a lack of God, just that no one mentioned him or tried to avoid mentioning him (actually Grant accidentally did). This was simply church re-imagined by young people who failed to be taken along to a CU while at university. Or perhaps they were taken along to a CU, or similar funky modern church where they were prayed at or otherwise intimidated into being saved, resisted but secretly enjoyed the whole thing.
Perhaps I'm being a little facetious. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why people were there, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised if a number were ex-evangelicals, some of them had that look. Either way there is something other actual churches could learn: people like to sing together, and do pretty much everything else that Church does. It's not even the preaching that puts people off, though no doubt some of the older traditional stuff has. We just need to loosen up a little and funk it up. But at the same time I certainly don't want to loose all the lovely silver backs we have in my local Church - they bring such warmth, love, vision and stability that should be treasured. Also they are most certainly not all stuck-in-the-mud bores who don't want change. Lets all sit together and learn from each other. It is hard to be a cohesive living church of all ages, but God really can help, even if some have to pretend not to have heard about him.
PS. The idea of giving new people different coloured mugs so everyone knows who's new and who's not is a wizard idea.
2015-08-17

Kuti Pots

I've just found that you can buy Kuti pots on Amazon:
Pink Apple C650 Unique Quality Plastic Containers 40 g (Pack of 252)
For those not familier with Kuti Pots, Kuti's Brasserie is the leading curry house in Southampton and his takeaway's come in the best quality plastic pots that you can buy (this is agreed by anoyne in the know). The pots last for ages and can be used as lunch boxes, freezer boxes, fridge boxes and hot water bottles (yes, they are water tight). Go and order a takeaway or buy in bulk.
2015-07-30

Apparently this was what I was drinking by choice a decade ago.

This was my birthday activity ten years ago - taking myself off to the Southampton Airport flightpath to photograph aircraft on approach. Don't get me wrong, this is still something I would enjoy now, but it it surprising to see how things have changed in ten years. In some ways so much and in other ways hardly at all. One thing that has definitely changed is my taste for alcohol. Back then I must have only just found that I could actually buy drinks for myself at home (I can't remember drinking anything much before then), and clearly I was only on the level of enjoying cheap and fairly nasty cider (at least it's not Blackthorn). Around this time I also discovered wine, red wine in particular and remember a few Friday evenings when I retired to my bedroom after Film & Chips to find the whole room spinning quite swiftly round and discovered to my surprise that it is possible to fall off the floor. The joys of youth. Now I enjoy real ale and gin from The Cambridge Distillery.

drinking habits a decade ago - almost an Andy Worhol of cider

a rather beautiful rich sunset

the first plane approaches (quite exciting)

birds gather in the fading light

like a scene from many a film
2014-12-17

British Rail + Leaves = Problems

Clearly our railway companies just can't cope with autumn. This photo from Southampton Central station shows leaves clogging up the drain pipes.

New Forest Autumn with Mum

Mum came down to visit me yesterday which was simply lovely. Apart from spoiling me with lots of little gifts, we went for a walk and meal in the New Forest. We drove along Boldrewood Ornamental Drive which was simply stunning and went for a walk around one of the parking spots doing a little bit of arty photography.

Some beautiful colours, though not all turned yet

Lovely woody openings with leaf litter carpeting the ground

Mum walking through the leaf litter

Sunset came along and enhanced all the colours

As we climbed a bank the setting sun streaked through the trees

We both enjoyed capturing the pink sunset sky

And after all that we went to the Green Dragon pub for dinner.

New Forest, Hampshire, autumn photography

Evening in the Kitchener Community Garden

Surreal, I know, but I did indeed enjoy a bath in the Kitchener Community garden late yesterday evening. In celebration of the extra hour's light and with James Ayrton gracing us with his presence, we decided to light up the hobo stove. During the day Luke and Ben had made some excellent progress on the stove adding a chimney and plating off the old top hole. We then ground down the top surface to remove the paint and gave it a good clean to prepare the cooking surface.

As it got dark we fired her up with lots of wood that Luke had broken up. As it warmed I oiled the top surface and built up the wok-like patina. I then got a couple of eggs, some sliced courgettes and tomatoes as well as some bread and fried it all up with some oil on the stove. It tasted awesome - the stove works!

We played around for some hours and tried to construct a rudimentary heat exchanger out of some old copper piping in order to fill our garden bath. Unfortunately we only succeeded in raising the temperature from outside-tab-cold to tepid warm. Not bad, but not that great either. So with a couple of buckets of hot water from inside I was ready to have a bath in the garden (wearing swimming shorts of course). I tell you it was a strangely satisfying experience. I've longed to have a bath in my house for three years and finally my wish came true. Not only that, but I enjoyed it at eye level with the daffodils. Wonderful :)

The newly chimneyed hobo stove

Me in our garden bath

Right at daffodil level

garden bath, fire, hobo stove

SCM Bonfire Night 2006

What a Wednesday evening this was. The biggest bonfire I've ever built, lovely SCM company and completely no injuries or major calamities. Here is a brief pictorial overview of the evening. If you missed out then make sure you're here next year for another bonfire. I'd also like to add a brief apology to those with whom I didn't get to chat with (including my housemates), I'm afraid I tend to stick with the fire to prevent any problems arising making me less sociable.

The beggining. A big bonfire (including two tree stumps and a large number of pallets) built to withstang me jumping on top of it repeatedly - four years of engineering did pay off then.


The SCM gathering looking expectantly during the slightly problematic initial stages.


Finally lit and begging tp take off.


As the flames worked through the linearly designed construction the place hotted up big time.


We continued to keep the shed and fence well watered to prevent any unwanted combustion. (James is not trying to put out the fire in this shot)


I inadvertently got sprayed which helped cool off my nipples which got surprisingly hot as I tended the blaze


The braced construction collapsed in upon itslef beautifully within the hour I expected it to take.


As the flames grew the SCMers retreated across the garden, then closed back in as it died down.


A close in shot of the burning pallets


More tending. I've probably had about 18 years doing this.


The customary religeous sacrafice.


In our case a greater than lifesize Mel Gibson.


Finally, with the people gone and the embers piled, the fire is left to finish off in safety
(though it will be hot for at least two days).

The bonfire lead naturally on to the blast furnace. I found some copper to put in it (that I'd saved for just such an occasion) but sadly no ore so smelting wan't on the cards. We did geneate a nice blue/green copper flame :)
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What fun you can have with a bonfire and a high volume pump - remember kids, leave this for the professionals!
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Shots from the garden

Close up of some due on a blubell bud.

A daisy

The daisy and the leaf

Apple blossom

 

A New Sunset

It was getting on for 4 yesterday when I sudenly told myself to get up and get out of Southampton. I'd been at home most of the weekend, reasonably productive, but not particulary uplifting nor inspiring. I'd also been gaining ground with God but needed to feel inspired about the life that is in order to feel excited about the life to come.

So I packed my camera bag, got on my bike and headed off to Fair Oak, which is just North of Soton, to the East of the airport, just on the OL map of the area and showing a little wood to have a walk in. I arrived just as sunset begun to glow in the sky and was quite surprised as I'd not expected to see anything much. I was greaful and so fired off a few shots with some interesting effects.

It was really encouraging to be outside and in view of fields and trees and life! It was also important to observe sunset at the new earlier time, to come to terms with it's change (or our change as I'm making myself aware) and so not feel that there is a sudden, unexpected darkness that's decended over the Earth. There are still day times, just a little shorter now.

sunset over a distant forest

streaky traffic on the M27

motorway lights