Monday
While getting ready for work, I listen to a French Christian radio station – I like to hear their Bible reading and the Lord’s prayer. Coincidentally today it was a similar passage to one we’d heard on a Sunday recently! As I live and work on my own, I love to listen in to talk radio to feel connected with the world.
While having breakfast, I switch to Premier Christian radio. I love the breakfast show; it is a thought-provoking and uplifting start to the day.
I cycle to my little office in Romsey along peaceful country lanes, and I spend most of the time in prayer with some singing worship since it is a glorious day.
I have an online meeting with a potential new client. My job is Operations Manager for a lovely company specialising in Nordic language services. That means managing our 100+ production team and services as well as client management. This morning, I have a meeting with an exciting potential new client. I need to delve into their requirements to work out how we can serve them, and hopefully convince them to consider us as their new service provider. If we land this client, it will turn around our struggling finances this year. Before the meeting, I pray for God to guide me, give me wisdom, and for his will to be done. Opportunities like this come along once in a blue moon: is it a God-incidence that I had been praying for God’s intervention in our company’s future, to lead us up the path he wants for us? Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.”
In the afternoon, I crack on with some of the other tasks in my inbox, which include reviewing the salary of someone newly promoted; reviewing our profit and margin on some accounts and discussing these with the relevant team to see if we can improve them.
My brain is tired but the fresh air on the ride home refreshes me. While eating my dinner, I listen to some industry news podcasts to keep up-to-date with developments.
When washing up I listen to the evening’s sermon on Premier radio. As usual, it is challenging content about what it means to give your life to God. The preacher doesn’t shy away from hard talk.
I pop up to visit my parents for the rest of the evening for company as I have been alone all day.
 
Tuesday
This morning we have a sales and marketing team meeting with colleagues in Argentina, Bulgaria and the UK. It’s great to talk to them and compare weather! Then I tackle a request from a client to reduce the rates they are paying for an important account which will be detrimental to a large chunk of our income; a frustrating situation.
 
Wednesday
I feel too tired to pray on the commute today. I try to “be” with God instead and tell him I can’t pray. There are so many prayer needs among the community, friends and family at the moment that I feel overwhelmed emotionally with trying to dedicate prayer to all of them and feel guilty that I’d reached a point where I can’t pray for any of them right now.
I feel better once I start work and my brain has to focus and forget about other worries. I have a meeting with my team managing our Bulgarian office. We talk about a peculiar Bulgarian employment law and what we need to do about it.
By the evening, I’m shattered and haven’t the energy to do anything other than crash on the floor and hear how mum and dad’s day has been.
 
Thursday
Feeling more tired today but plod on! Today’s meetings include a management meeting where we discuss the possibility of redundancies as our finances are not picking up enough. I pray before the meeting for God’s guidance and strength for all of us involved in the discussions, and for the employees who could potentially be involved. I also pray for God’s intervention in the situation to help us avoid redundancies somehow.
Our cell group meet this evening. After the difficult day, I’m emotionally exhausted but I push myself to go. We have a good discussion, and I feel blessed afterwards.
 
Friday
So glad it’s Friday! Feeling a bit more energetic knowing it’s the weekend tomorrow. Today a junior manager and I discuss an underperforming colleague and how to help them.
I am a volunteer council member for an industry association working on the standards and ethics side; today I have to review a complaint about a member company operating unethically.  It is challenging but I pray for wisdom and guidance on how to handle it.
 
Saturday
The house is a tip so I spend the morning cleaning. I am blessed to be soon heading off on a cycling holiday in Europe and need to do some long-distance training rides beforehand so in the afternoon I head out for a four-hour ride in the New Forest. I get bored riding on my own for that long, but I talk to God for chunks of it and I also sing “Amazing Grace” and “Good, Good Father” continuously like a broken record!
 
Sunday
I go out for a short run to make myself more awake before meeting people at Church! I am feeling a bit down, but I am serving Communion today and that perks me up; it’s amazing to see the emotions on people’s faces when serving them; from relief to delight, pleasure, gratitude, humbleness, thanks and love.
After lunch I walk across the beautiful Common to meet a lovely Hong Kong friend. We chat about life in the UK and they tell me about some recent racial abuse someone faced.
This weekend, it is my shift on the patient helpline for a scleroderma charity; it’s a challenging condition and people often need emotional or practical advice. I speak to a lady who has not received the right treatment and is very unwell; hearing her sad story is tough but at least I can listen and advise her of where to access specialist treatment (and of course pray for her afterwards).
​
If you are still awake at this point, I’m impressed!

People sometimes say that church goes a bit quiet over the summer – so here’s an idea to encourage groups to gather socially.
 
The 2024 Olympic games mark the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell’s famous ‘Chariots of Fire’ story. A committed Christian, he refused to run in his favoured distance on a Sunday – but instead won gold in a different event. [You can read more of his story here.] Did you know that Eric Liddell went on to be a missionary in China – and that the story of his later life is told in another film called “On wings of Eagles” (starring Joseph Fiennes).
 
So here’s the suggestion:
 
Gather some people round – invite friends and neighbours, and others from church (maybe including some you don't know so well, or who are new to church). Put on the popcorn, crack open the beers and enjoy 1 or 2 film nights – or even a double-bill!
 
Chariots of Fire (PG, 2 hours) is available to stream on Disney Plus, Youtube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay etc. Watch the trailer below.

On Wings of Eagles (12, 1h45) is available to stream on Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Apple TV.​  Watch the trailer below.

Both films are great examples of Eric Liddell’s lively faith and courageous discipleship. So even if you don’t like sport or the Olympics – there’s much to enjoy and be encouraged by in these films. 

So … over to you … I hope you have some fun evenings!  

Oh, and don’t forget to show the classic rendition of the Chariots of Fire theme from the 2012 London Olympics, featuring Rowan Atkinson ...

Following on from Dan's lead a few weeks ago...
Here is a glimpse into the life of Youth Work at St James and what Josh gets up to on a typical week

Mondays - These start with our weekly Zoom prayer meeting of Pray for young disciples at 7am. A huge encouragement to pray big prayers with a committed group each week and lay the ministry before the Lord. I share the leading of this with Angel. Dan kindly covers when we're both away. I'd recommend joining in if you can!
After being Dad for a couple of hours, next is a trip to Sainsburys to pick up 100 doughnuts from the bakery there. More on that later!
I then try to sit down on a Monday and think through the pattern of the week, see which groups are happening and pick up how I hope it might flow.
Roughly every other week, we sit down for a staff lunch, a chance to spend some time eating and in fellowship with one another followed by a staff meeting on a topic which is relevant to us. Last time, we discussed an interesting concept of 'Stages of Faith - Journey of Holiness'
It is straight off after lunch to set-up for Drinks and Doughnuts with Suzanne and Bob ready for the students of Upper Shirley High (USH) to arrive at the church doors. For the past year, we have served the students with Hot Chocolate, squash and of course doughnuts. About 150 students come by, some stop long enough to pick up a doughnut, others stay for more of a chat.
There is just time after this to check one or two emails before setting off home for more time as Dad. Once bedtime is done, there is a chance to catch up on any outstanding bits from the day.

Tuesdays  - A bit of gentler start to the day in preparation for the evening to come. Much of the day is spent in preparation for the evening's Connect session. More on that later.
At lunchtime, I have the opportunity to head into USH to the library to chat to some of the students who find that a helpful place to be. Students can ask questions of faith or just talk about how their day has been to that point.
In the afternoon it is another trip to the supermarket for snacks ready for the evening. Stocking up on the right snacks is crucial to good youth ministry and young people's preferences have definitely changed in my time here!
In afternoons in the run up to the event, I've snuck in some time for a Youth Fest leaders meeting.  A group of 5 Youth workers from across the city have been involved in the planning and delivering of a Youth event for 150 young people from 7 churches. It took quite a few meetings to get everything prepared!
In the evening, we have Connect, for years 9-13. This happens every week and is our focal point of connection with our older youth group. We generally meet in the church building for bible study, prayer and games. Those three are the staple core of what we offer in sessions but we know how to let our hair down too with socials, including - Bake Offs, bowling trips, mystery nights! In the summertime - we take advantage of better(?) weather and head to the park. We have an incredible team of leaders who serve our young people through these sessions week in, week out.

Wednesdays - These tend to be admin day to catch up to go through emails and do some planning for the rest of the week or the following week. I find having long chunks of time without any in the diary make it easier to plan. 
Every 3 weeks or so, Dan and I will still down for a line management meeting where we can discuss the youth ministry in a bit more depth.
Every other week, we have a Torch session or our younger youth which is kindly hosted in a local home by one of our leaders. This is a bit like a mini cell group. We gather to eat amazing home cooked food, we play some table based card games and have a bible study. This year we have been exploring the book of Mark.

Thursdays - Today starts with staff prayers. We share leading of the prayer time around the staff which means we all lead about every 5 weeks at the moment. It's a really helpful time to pray for the needs of the church and to pray for one another. On weeks where we don't have a staff lunch, we have a quick meeting to make sure we'll all up to date.
I then have an hour and half for any jobs that need doing, this often when I'll start putting finishing touches to Sunday provision so it is prepared before the weekend.
Lunchtime is then busy again. First, it is a trip into Richard Taunton's College. Armed with doughnuts, I run a drop in session for students who might want to come and talk. It can be about faith or anything else they want to. There have been some really encouraging conversations over the course of the two terms I have been there already. Second, it is back into USH again to spend some more time in the library. I find being in the school twice a week allows me to get to know students a lot quicker.
After school finishes, I grab my tennis racquet and head over to the park to play tennis with one of our church young people. This has been a really enjoyable way of doing some 1-to-1 ministry time and helps me get a bit of exercise in the week!
In the evening, I host our cell group every other week which is always an enjoyable way to finish my working week!

Fridays - a chance to rest and relax with the family on my day off 

Saturdays  - Have a check of the emails to see if anything has come in on Friday for the weekend. It's a chance to finish up anything that is needed for Sunday. That could be a session plan, a Kahoot or a talk. Sometimes, there is even an exciting trip to Costco for cake!

Sundays - These look different depending on the week.
On a 1st Sunday, the focus is on Elevate. Our service which led by the young people. I'll be around for the morning service and help with the children's focus at the start of the service where needed. Then, after the service it will be time to set up for the evening. I'll come back at about 4:30pm when the band are rehearsing and help with finishing touches to the space and check in with any young people who are leading or giving a talk in the service. Our recent service in July was such a celebration of joy and watching young people lead the band is fantastic!
On a 2nd and 4th Sunday mornings, we have our Ignite group for those in years 6-8. These sessions typically get divided into half. First half is some games, often related to the theme of the session and the second half the session is our teaching time. We have Hot Chocolate and Pain au chocolates in between too!
On 3rd and 5th Sundays - I'll either join in with our morning services or spend the morning with my wife and son at their churches picking up ideas to use here!
On 2nd - 5th Sundays, I'll try and pick up on any planning admin that needs doing in the afternoons.

Hope you have enjoyed the read and if you want to know any more then do come and ask!

Dave Snape led us in bible study and prayers looking at:
Acts 2:42-47
1 Corinthians 12:12-20
Ephesians 2:19-22
We talked about unity of purpose and common belief; all the believers being together, they were all different but one in Christ. We, the people are the bricks and Jesus is the foundation and cornerstone. 

We looked at draft drawings for the Parish Hall and agreed to go ahead with paying for a quantity surveyor so we can have some idea of costings to help us move forward.

We also agreed for a computer laser survey to be carried out on 133 Church Street. It’s a complicated building and this seemed the most sensible way forward.

We had previously watched videos of different expressions of church: Bubble Church, Mosaic International Church, Café Church, Forest Church and Pub Church. We discussed if they would work in Shirley and were asked to write comments stating what we liked and what we didn’t like about each one.

We had a new safeguarding scenario to discuss and were reminded that as we are trustees we have responsibility for safeguarding in the parish.

Marie presented us with draft accounts for 2024; she also reminded us that we were trustees and therefore needed to engage with them thoroughly and ask questions about anything we didn’t understand. 

We agreed to pay for work to be done on a lime tree in the corner of the churchyard to make it safe.

We ended in prayer, especially for Youth Fest, Holiday Club, and Holiday at Home. 

Dan writes ...

Hi all, 

Life and ministry looks so different for each of us, in the different callings God has put on our lives. We’re not starting with me because I’m more important than anyone else – far from it! But if I’m going to ask others on the staff team and in the congregation to do this, it’s only fair I have a go, too! I’m looking forward to reading contributions other people make to this series.

So here’s what I’ve been up to over the last week …

Thursday:

• Staff prayers – our weekly time to worship God, study Scripture, and pray (for the church, individuals in the congregation and each other). It’s my ‘small group’ in effect. 
• Supervision – as part of Paul’s ordination training, we meet for supervision every fortnight to discuss various aspects of his study and placements. 
• Pastoral Oversight Group – the team who oversee all the pastoral work in the church meets every couple of months. Really pleased to have this group in place, chaired by Tracy King.
• In between my stints as Dad taxi, a short zoom call with the Care Fund Group to discuss a gift to a family in need. And a pastoral phone call. 
• Monthly House of Prayer evening – praying for our buildings. Really encouraging evening. 

Friday

• Hosted a small meeting with my deanery hat on, looking at possibilities for extra funding for various Anglican churches in the city.
• Writing and sending out the weekly E-news – one of our main communication channels.
• Theresa’s away – so helping sort out parcel deliveries and other bits and pieces to get ready for Sunday! 
• Writing a sermon for Sunday.
• Sad not to get into Shirley Infant School this week to support the staff. 

Sunday

• Up early to pray and finish preparing the sermon and other bits for the service. 
• Going to church! It was a really encouraging service, even if it was a bit long! Most importantly, the Holy Spirit was at work. 
• Termly gathering for small group (cell group) leaders. Small groups are the backbone of church fellowship, so I need to hear how the groups are going and support the group leaders and co-ordinators. 

Monday

• Early morning zoom prayer meeting – praying for the children’s youth and families ministry we do. So grateful for those who join in regularly, and those who join when they can. It’s no accident that we’ve seen more teenagers coming to Youth (including Alpha) since this Prayer for Young Disciples started a few months ago!
• Meet up with Helen Thaxter, who does some PA work for me – she’s invaluable! 
• Prepare sermon discussion notes to tie in with yesterday’s sermon – which quite a few of the small groups use (but individuals can use as well) to help them reflect and apply the sermon.
• Pastoral phone call about an upcoming funeral – we don’t get many funerals these days, but they are always a privilege to come alongside families in their grief. 
• Church Council (PCC) meeting in the evening – so spent some of the afternoon preparing for that as well. Good to have some new PCC members, and some progress with thinking about the Parish Hall, amongst other things. 

Tuesday 

• Unusual start to the day – helping a bird escape from our house! Then just as I was sitting down for breakfast, a phone call from the police about a safeguarding incident (not one at St James). Various safeguarding issues have taken up quite a bit of time the last few weeks – mainly trying to offer pastoral support to people who’ve been caught up in safeguarding situations. 
• Bit of extra time reading – I need to keep feeding my mind! 
• Preparing a funeral for Thursday. Two in two weeks – that hasn’t happened for a very long time for me! 
• A meeting with a PCC member re updating our staff handbook for HR compliance. Not very exciting for either of us, but it’s important we treat our staff well – and legally! 
• Preparing material for our staff day away next week – we go away about once a year to have a longer time to chat and pray together. 

Wednesday

• Lunch in Shirley Junior School staff room – listening to teachers talk about the impact of SATs on pupils, and to the Family Support Worker talking about various refugees / asylum seeker families – and how the system doesn’t tend to consider the impact of decisions on children. Very sad. 
• Cycled over to Bitterne Park (a good way to get some exercise and listen to a podcast on the way!) for a bigger meeting with my deanery hat on – similar to the meeting last Friday but making more concrete progress, which is good. So encouraging to hear what’s going on in different parishes across the city – and to know that the central Church of England is wanting to invest more in local parishes! 
• A bit of preparation and printing for this Sunday’s Explore Together service.
• Doing a little bit with social media and advertising of events. 
• Visit to a care home in the evening to see a congregation member who’s soon to pass through death to a far more glorious life!  

And in between all of that – various emails and pastoral chats! 
If you’ve read this far – thank you!