I hope you have all had a great summer; for me, as for many, the summer is defined not so much by the months and the weather but rather when my 3 children are on holiday from school. 6 weeks stretching across July and August which can be full of adventure, excitement and new experiences as well as boredom, frustration and fatigue!
This year our holiday consisted of a week spent in a caravan by the beach in Burghead. An almost idyllic 7 days of swimming; paddle boarding; crabbing at the pier and building sandcastles on the beach. Enid Blyton eat your heart out!
Then there were visits to see family and friends; cramped car journeys and audio books playing to distract us; an unsuccessful attempt to camp in the garden with 6 children in 2 tents. And, of course, there came the rainy days when everyone was bored and nothing was fun, when every suggestion was met with disdain and tempers all round became frayed.
And finally, an incredible trip to a fairytale theme park in the Netherlands; roller coasters and rides where we screamed ourselves silly while spinning upside down.
So many different experiences, some picture-perfect moments that I’ll want to treasure forever, others I’d rather quickly forget! But it’s the variety which makes it all so enjoyable, so memorable.
I am incredibly grateful that my work within presbytery is equally as diverse, just as my summer holidays were multi-faceted so too is my job.
Like facilitating Future Focus sessions; helping churches to reflect on where they are going and what they want their vision to be, using ordinary items like Post-it notes, flip charts and group work to help us undertake the extraordinary work of following God.
Or meeting with individual ministers; assisting with their planning; undertaking research for a project and helping to get an initiative off the ground.
Among various other things I am currently working to organise a Woman’s Retreat in October; I’m creating resources for a newly formed children’s ministry which is going from strength to strength; and I’m helping to shape a church’s Mission Plans.
The variety of my work reflects the variety we find within our churches across our presbytery. From fishing villages to the city centre and from growing congregations to a faithful few. We are rich and diverse, no two communities are ever identical, each with their own history, background and vision and it is a privilege to be able to you all.
And just as I cannot say which of my holiday experiences defined my summer, nor I can say exactly what it is that defines my role. But I am enjoying every experience and every challenge and I welcome every new opportunity as it arises. So, as always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to contact me – whether you think you are as exciting as a vertical drop roller coaster; as pleasant as a day at the beach or as tedious as a long car-journey! I very much look forward to working with you all!