Catching up on stuff...

We have arrived in Aberdeen on a rainy afternoon and have a nice comfortable apartment. We are blobbing out a bit catching up on ourselves. I thought a post about "catching up" appropriate.

Catching up on history...

We decided to spend two nights in York. We knew little about it, except that it was about halfway between London and Scotland. We were so pleased we did, it just oozed history. The town was officially “founded” by the Romans who had a fort there in 71AD. There is a Roman column and bits of Roman walls and baths around the place. Constantine was proclaimed emperor there in 306 AD. After the Romans left the anglo-saxons built a town wall which has had all sorts of additions and repairs over the years. You can still walk 3.6 kilometres of it, which we did. The vikings came and raided the place and lived there for sometime, adopting some anglo-saxon ways and religion. We learned all about them. Eventually they were kicked out and William the Conqueror reigned supreme. There are old houses, churches and buildings everywhere. We are who we are today because of so much of this history.

Catching up on language.

The whole experience of our trip has made me appreciate the complexity of the languages we use in communication. In Poland trying to communicate with the family there was a learning experience. Trying to ask questions and find our way in Czech, Germany, Netherlands and France made us long for our UK holiday. “At least the language will be the same” we kept saying. But even in the UK, it is interesting. When we go into a bar or store as soon as you open your mouth people look at you, and know immediately that you come from somewhere different. “Where do you folks come from?” is often asked. (Sometimes the experience is made worse by them suggesting “Australia?”) Then we travelled to York, and they speak English, but of a very different type. It sounds almost like a pigeon English. e.g. “go t’castle” (If you want to go to the castle).. “train every fifteen”.(They have a train to Edinburgh every fifteen minutes- the guard on the train said this) It is very efficient, they only use the essential words, and such a great sounding accent. We moved from there to Scotland. We are a bit used to scots' accents, but the announcements at rail stations, the helpful shop assistants, our hosts at the hostel all speak and we have to work hard to understand. We told a couple on the bus we were going to Aberdeen. The husband said, “They speak a different language up there!” and he named it. He grew up there. We have not encountered it yet, but I listened to a local talking on his phone at the railway station cafe, and there were lots of words I could not understand. I will be more patient with immigrants now. I was also thinking... we have English people with different accents coming to NZ. Often their accent does not prevent them getting a job, we know that they know English. When an Indian comes, however, who has been speaking English (with an Indian flavour) since childhood, his/her English hinders their getting a job... because (I suspect) we assume wrongly that they do not know English well. If we heard their accent and thought of it in the same way that we think of a Yorkshire accent, their chances of employment might improve.

Catching up on the Church scene.

I have been trying to avoid visiting old cathedrals, but you cannot come to Europe and avoid them. I have noticed that many ancient church buildings are unused or have a different life. A church in Glasgow, for instance, is an assembly hall for a local university. Another is now a furniture shop. Others we have discovered to be cafes or restaurants. I have nightmares that this might happen to my down town church at St Andrew Street Dunedin. This is one reason we have been trying to have it open and used by community groups. We have Space2B happening. We have a ministry to new settlers through Space2B. We have various "life-enhancing" groups centred on the Church building, with the church open for coffee and workshops. It has taken a while to get this off the ground and we have a long way to go. It feels a lonely road. We have, however discovered examples of similar things over here. An ancient Church in York was closed and derelict. A group made up of community and church people formed a trust and re-opened it, initially as a centre for over-sixties. It has all sorts of activities, (a choir, meals, cafe, dances, workshops) has a chapel area with a service every Wednesday and a chaplain offering support and counselling. (the Queen Mother opened it in 1974) St. Sampson’s has a management committee keeping an eye on things. In London just off Fitzroy Square there are the street front houses and apartments. We discovered one with its street front door opened and notices in the window. It was a Church. Offering a space to go in and pray. Offering support to young people after school. A place to have coffee, people to listen, a roof top garden area and facilities for community groups to use. (It was in the house Mr Morse, the inventor of morse code used to live in.) Another old church in York was dying. The Church people met with locals in their community and a new space opened in the church. There is a cafe there. Workshops are run there for the community. Counselling is available, a regular church service happens and there is a place for prayer. The place is buzzing with life everyday. ..... So... I am encouraged... some other people have similar vision as I do. The St Sampson’s blurb reads;

“When first built it was not only a building for Sunday worship -York’s medieval churches were used as schools, courtrooms, meeting halls, and even for transacting business. Now St Sampson’s is a community centre once again.” ....Amen and praise the Lord.

Catching up on me...

It has been interesting opting out of “life” for this long a time. One of the things I have registered is that I encounter a lot of sadness in my job and as a part of my life. I have had suicides to cope with. I have had funerals for people I have known since childhood. I have to deal with the tough side of life as a chaplain, in my contact with emergency services and in our drop-in work. As I have been wandering about again and again some of these sadnesses have surfaced in my mind and emotions. Time off has been a time when my heart has been catching up with “me”. For example... in York we visited a centre which talked about the Viking period of their history. As I went around the exhibits I could not help but think of my Aussie friend Ian,(who died last year) who had Viking ancestry. (The description of life in the Viking settlement said that the children drank beer... water was so polluted.. I had to chuckle, Ian would have thought that was neat) All these sadnesses impact on my view of life, my reactions and I guess my relationships. I watched a musical group playing happy music in York. They enjoyed their music and the interesting thing was that as people passed them, their countenance improved. They were sullen looking shoppers, but as they heard the music and saw the energy they could not help but smile. I found myself asking, “Do I improve people’s countenance with my presence?” Lately - maybe not. A friend once gave me a little ornament that he said suited me. Underneath it said, “Grumblebum”. Sorry.. I’ll try harder not to be a “Grumblebum” when I get back.

Photos:

• York's ancient city wall.
• I have spent hours walking, watching people, thinking and taking in sights. Time when my heart catches up with "me".
• An ancient church with new life. A cafe and all sorts of "people" things as part of it.
• A prayer in a London street front church.
• An open door on a London street invites you in to rest and offers support and friendship.