The Paper

Yes, it has begun. I actually have words on paper - several pages of them as I try to sort through 19th century English history, religion and literature. It will be interesting to see how this all works but I am enjoying the challenge of writing about the life and times of Thomas Sowter. So far I am loving my research and I could probably read a lot more but I have to stop for a few days as the library at Mansfield college is closed for the weekend. I will return on Monday afternoon with specific questions to answer from the documents they have available. Then on Thursday I get to go to Cambridge and read in their library. I am wondering about my ability to shape everything and keep it to 30 pages, a number of pages that seemed daunting at the beginning. I feel really smart being the only person in the Library - hey wait a miniute does that make me smart or stupid to be spending beautiful summer days inside? I have to take advantage of the resources that are not available at home so.... I have already figured out how to use part of my research for another paper on moral theology.

I discovered a funny family thing in doing my research. I was checking out Charles Sowter's life in 1804 when he got married. What I confirmed was that he was a smith (blacksmith mostlikely) and that in 1841 Thomas was a journeyman, I imagine under the tutulage of his father. By 1848 Thomas was a minister and long gone from home. It was in 1849 however that Charles received a great honor - or that is how Eustace (his grandson) perceived the receipt of a silver tankard with the following inscription: "Presented to Mr. Charles Sowter, Master of the George and Dragon Friendly Society, by the members, for his valuable and gratuitous services (26 years), May 29, 1949." Eustace stated "He must therfore have been a worthy man and esteemed in the town in which he lived, and his descendants may be proud of him." Well, the power of the internet revealed the truth of the matter. The George and Dragon is a local pub in Ashborne which opened in 1710 and has been in continuous service to the community. And so our travel route north has been altered so that we can go to the George and Dragon and toast our most esteemed forfather - of whom we are indeed quite proud.

Procrastination - or so I thought

Well, it has been a nice week - grey and overcast with a few sprinkles here and there and an occasional very local downpour. I have moved house again and am "housesitting" for a church member who will be away. It is in an interesting part of the city of Oxford and will suit me just fine and will accommodate Larry and my sister and brother-in-law when they arrive.

I preached in Cumnor on Sunday and it went ok - I made two power point presentations of the Lord's Prayer with different music and pictures I have taken here (with a few additional ones from home) The sound wasn't loud enough on the first one but the second was fine and is one of my favorite versions of the prayer sung by Joe Wise. Thank goodness for I-tunes! Monday night we attempted to have a movie night for youth - we tried out the system and it was loud - the kids showed up 15 in all 6 of whom the local youth worker had had not prior contact with so that was amazing. Pizza (free hence the 6 extra boys) and popcorn eaten in the hall and everyone went to the sanctuary which had been "relaxed" to watch the movie. Volume of the music was just fine but the volume for the speaking was not working right. No amount of dial turning solved the problem and we had no laptop back up so... unfortunately the kids left except for 6 from the youth group. Games were played and everyone had a good time and I think they will try it again in the future.

I did go to London on Saturday with half of the world's population. It was hot and bright and crowded but I had a great time dashing about to fit as much in as possible. I started at Buckingham Palace but didn't want to deal with the nearly hour wait for the changing of the guard so I walked and found myself outside the Guard Museum with the Guard Band ready to play. Here I was in London and the band played - New York, New York! I had to laugh. I then walked rather briskly along the Thames toward the London Bridge. It didn't look so far on the map but my feet told me something else. I had another laugh when I looked from the Tower of London toward the London Bridge and saw a Starbucks! I then walked to St. Paul's and Covent Garden, Chinatown, Piccadilly Circle, The National Gallery and then Trafalgar Square (the Lion). I find London amazing for the history and the crowds of tourists. The international economies seem to be doing much better than I would have thought when looking at the number of tourists and the packages they all seemed to have no less the ice cream and drinks they purchased on a hot summer day. I did a lot of people watching and enjoyed the day but was too tired to stay until 20:50 which was the time on my return ticket. I had to pay the price but I got home and rested and took lots of aspirin for my hips - they just aren't what they used to be.

This morning when I started this post it was to do something constructive and avoid working on my research paper. The title was written and a few lines drafted and my phone rang - it was the librarian at Mansfield College saying that I could come in an use the library! No procrastination now. I saved my draft and off I ran across the city to the college and sat like a pig in a mud puddle surrounded by the Congregational Church Yearbooks from 1830-1890! I am attempting to see how the church was dealing with the issues of the day and so far I have had 6 hours of reading and will be back at 7 am tomorrow for a few more hours before my morning meetings and then a few more hours in the afternoon and then.... well I think you get the picture. I am a very happy camper as I cannot get these documents in the US and it is fascinating to read. Church issues just don't seem to change. I also have a day in the library at Westminster College in Cambridge scheduled so I can't say I couldn't find information. I had been a bit discourages when I tried the conventional route to get privileges but as they say it is who you know that makes the difference. I know the chaplain at Mansfield College and the Principal of Westminster so... I'm in. Now off to sleep so I can get up early and dash to the Library. (Yes I am a bit crazy I know).

Quiet in Oxford

This has been a quiet week for me - worship prep, a few meetings and a walk in town. It is crazy in town now with map reading, umbrella waving, same colored t-shirt wearing tourists! Where did they come from and why are they all here? Where are the students? It is amazing though to hear virtually every language under the sun on the High Street. The other thing that has arrived is scaffolding. Many of the college buildings undergo repairs during the summer season when the colleges are not in session. This means that the wonderful pictures I was able to take on a quiet morning in May are not available to people today - plus it has decided to turn into an English summer - rain and gray on and off with a hint of blue skies to keep the optimism just a smidgen above total depression. Hope and sunshine seem to go together. Well, I have made two PowerPoint presentations for worship on Sunday, written the order of service, written the prayers and oh that's right, I am supposed to have a sermon finished. Started, slept on and ready for real words on a page now so..... off I go

Tour de France - Stage 4 and 5

This morning we were off again to the city, taking Kenzo with us in hopes of another Spiderman sighting. We went to the river that runs through the city to a park that has a wonderful water feature for children on a hot summer's day. Along the way we encountered yet more cows and we had to take pictures - in this picture something has changed though - Fleur just found out that she did very well on her national test and will be an English Teacher starting in the fall! This was great news and the rest of the day she spent answering congratulatory phone calls and answering emails. I am very proud of her hard work and perseverance. The boys loved the water park and splashed and ran and had a marvelous time until Noah cut his foot :( We had to then head home and perform minor surgery with much ado and band aids and kisses and hugs and reassurance that his foot would not fall off and that after a good long sleep he would be just fine.

After said sleep all was wonderful and Daddy returned from work to a happy home. Dinner was to be at a Chinese restaurant for my benefit - it was a way that Fleur and Julien could provide a dinner when I could have anything I wanted and as much of it as I needed. This was so kind of them and yet the day was really to celebrate Fleur's accomplishments. She doesn't even like Chinese food but wanted me to be well cared for. I hope she celebrated on Saturday at the birthday party she prepared for Julien-a surprise party for the man of her dreams. Sweet dreams were had by all and Stage 5 saw Easy Jet whisk me away to England where there was a rainbow awaiting my return.

Tour de France - Stage 3 - Bastille Day

We did it - we actually watched some of the military parading from Paris - on TV of course - lots of pomp and circumstance with horses and tanks and all things that seem to fascinate little boys. Is it genetic? Then picnic packed for our journey to the sea - actually to the sand by the sea. We went to the largest sand dune in Europe. It was really quite something to see by the sea. I am happy to say that they did have a large plastic staircase that made climbing the dune much easier and safer for all concerned. I wasn't winded at all but my breath was taken away by the size of the dune and the sight of the Atlantic Ocean glistening out before me. We found the wind from the sea a struggle for the boys - being shorter they were really tormented by the blowing sand. Over the edge we were out of the wind and the boys played and played and managed to get so much sand in their pockets that one wonders how the dune survives the constant removal of sand by all the visitors. We decided to skip eating on the dunes - how can you be hungry with all the sand which is there (get it sandwiches?) - anyway off down the road to a park and an attempt at a holiday lunch - in the rain and cold and well... we ended up eating in the car. Fun and memories for all.

Tour de France - stage 2

A wonderful morning of small children speaking a language I don't understand and yet together we seemed to make sense of the world - how delightful. Kenzo was off to school for the day and Fleur, Noah and I made our way to the Tramway. A joy for Noah until we were actually on it. I guess it could be pretty intimidating being strapped into a stroller and surrounded by towering people who you don't know. I have to say he was glad to be out and say bye bye to the tram. The next great delight was that there are cows all around Bordeaux. Thankfully not the cow pie making kind of cows, but statues of all colors. They certainly caught Noah's attention each time we saw one. He liked it when I put him on and he could hold the horns - the only problem was that unannounced, he would launch himself into my arms to get down, of course only to be put back on. The repetitions are good for my arm muscles as well as to see a sweet smile from a happy child. We walked around the center of the city, ate at the tres cool McDo's (yes nuggets are a favorite of children here too). There was a great statue made to the people of the region that attracted our attention, not only for it's grandeur but for the fact that there were two Spidermen on the statue. Kenzo was going to be very jealous. Photos taken, statue admired and then off to the petite tramway for a city tour. Unfortunately for me my camera battery died so I had to just sit back and observe this ancient city.

Dinner found us at Fleur's parents home where I was treated to a most delicious duck dinner - salad began the meal that had delicious duck bits on top and then the main course of the most fantastic duck I have ever had with potatoes escalloped in duck fat! This was not a low fat meal but was amazing and washed down with wonderful local wine. Dessert was strawberries and chocolate chestnut cake. Needless to say I slept well and had little need of breakfast the next morning.

Tour de France - Stage 1

I spent the early moning of July 12th in London on my way to see Fleur in Bordeaux. I got to walk through Hyde Park which looks like a desert because there has been no rain to speak of for over a month. The Park was quiet and beautiful even zith homeless men sleeping under the trees.

I arrived here in good order and am enjoying my time getting to know the boys and having them teach me some french. Thank goodness Ayden has already taught me all I need to know about Spiderman! I am looking forward to meeting Fleur's parents this evening and celebrating Bastille Day tomorrow.

Bury me not....

I bid farewell to Bury St. Edmunds on Sunday. I preached a sermon on Amos and the Good Samaritan without a fully written sermon for the first time. It was an interesting process for me and I hope a meaningful sermon for the congregation. This did follow a quintesential English Saturday - to the market in the morning for coffee, lunch and crickett watching and then a Strawberry Tea in the afternoon. The speaker had to back out at the last minute so Sa, and I presented a brief conversation about the power of storytelling. I was delighted to havet the chance to share a native american story with them after which a woman said she was going to share the story with her grandchildren!

I will miss all the folks in the West Suffolk group and truly appreciate all their hospitality, encouragement, advice, and wisdom that was so freely shared. This was a month that I will think about for the rest of my life.

Westminster in Cambridge - finally

I finally made it to Westminster College in Cambridge. This is the United Reformed Church tranining college and the place where Neil works. Neil was the one who, after a chain of emails, was the one who helped make my placement in Bury St. Edmunds possible. I am really thankful for all that he did and glad that he knew Samantha and I could come here to Suffolk. I loved seeing the college and learning about the two sisters who provided the resources for the college. I can't wait to read their biography in Sisters of the Sinai. I got the grand tour including a chance to go up the tower in which the Westminster Confession is kept. Pretty exciting stuff. I was unable to stay and read in the library but there may be another day. In light of all the things I am learning it might be a place I come back to study in - to learn more details for an even longer paper - or maybe I'll just come back as a tourist in the future. Time will tell....

Samantha had an appointment with Neil so I skipped off and explored a bit of Cambridge. It is a great old city with a modern feel. The college complexes seem a bit more spread out and in an hour I only got a glimpse of things but... a fine glimpse it was. The sky is perfect blue (Yes I am spending the summer in England and the sun is shining). The spires pierced the sky and inspired lofty thoughts - one certainly feels smarter there.

One of the ways to see the colleges is to take a ride in a punt - a long low boat that is poled along the river and allows you to see the backs of many of the colleges. We didn't have time to take a punt trip but I did see lots of people enjoying the river and the glorious summer day.

We are now back in Bury St. Edmunds to finish up Sunday services so we can enjoy tomorrow and yet another strawberry tea.

4th of July In England isn't a Holiday

Well, it has been a great week with lots of adventures. I spent last week with Ian and Morag Sinclare and was treated like royalty - I enjoyed watching Wimbeldon action with people who love the game - of course I wasn't in the stands but enjoyed the games anyway.

Wednesday I spent at the hospital and found the diversity of the day of a chaplain interesting. I was impressed at the way the Chaplain was working with different departments in the hospital to find ways to provide for spiritual nurture of the patients and their families and the staff of the hospital. He is creative and responsive and has an amazing newsletter each month. I will look forward to reading future copies to enrich my understanding of pastoral care issues related to health and well being.

Friday I had a wonderful day traveling with Walter and Myra Cleeland. They took me to Felixstowe to see the port where thousands of containers are put on ships to travel the world. It was amazing to see the automated systems for moving the containers. Walter worked on one expansion of the docks years ago and it was interesting to hear his take on the expansion since his days.

They then drove me to Saxmunham where my family has Bright roots. My great great grandmother was born in Saxmundham and it was there that the family, a generation before had a jewelry shop that has been in continuous operation since 1769. I did make a purchase there even though my family has long relinquished its ownership. I didn't get the greatest pictures but the current owner was aware of the family and was excited to meet me. She sent me off to the Museum down the road to see the Bright corner. There I saw a clock that was built by my great great great grandfather, Jerome Denny Bright. It was fun to find a whole corner of the museum dedicated to my relatives. The women in the museum were able to tell us where the Congregational church in town was and where the Congregational church in Rendham was as that was where the Brights were members. Thomas Sowter was the pastor in Saxmundham so I saw that church and then Walter whisked me towards Rendham where we found the cemetery with the help of someone from the Church of England. The cemetery had been moved and I couldn't find the stones I was looking for. I looked across the street and noticed that the house looked like an old meeting house. The gate was open and the door was open and a lovely little dog came out barking and scared me half to death. The owner, Rose came out and welcomed me in to see the church that is now her home. The amazing thing about her story was that she grew up in the area and moved to New Zealand and married. She moved back to Suffolk and together they bought the church. Her mother-in-law was reading the church history and realized that her family had donated lots of the money to build the church before they moved to New Zealand. Who would have thought!

Next was a trip back to Saxmundham to find Park Cottage. Jerome Denny Bright lived at Park Cottage and we have stories about him washing up under the pump in the garden. Walter and I knocked on the door and a frail elderly man opened the door. We told him who we were and why we were interested in his home. He invited us in and was delighted to have stories that might help date the house as all the deeds have been lost. It was great to see his eyes sparkle and to look at the home he created that was filled with his art and music. I am so glad to have met him. I am so amazed at how searching for family stories has opened so many doors.

After Saxmundam we drove to Alburgh and Southwold to see the Sea. It was great to be at the North Sea and have the cool breeze on a very hot day. We walked along the front and I loved seeing the bathing cottages. These tiny sheds with no water or electricity sell for 10,000 pounds! Add to that the rent for the land and you are talking a pretty penny for a place to store a chair and you swim suit. Evidently they are quite popular and they don't have any trouble selling them - I think the trouble is trying to find one to buy. A refreshing shandy in the pub and a drive through the countryside back to Bury St. Edmunds for a yummy dinner and the end of a fantastic day!

Saturday was spent at Clare Priory for a West Suffolk Group away day. This a time for fellowhsip and spiritual growth for eight small congregations. There were workshops as well as time to enjoy the Priory which was established in 1400 or so. It was lovely setting and the workshops were fun - I actually painted a water color picture and realized that I have not lost the skill I had in 6th grade - haven't improved since then either but... it was for growth not sale so I am ok.

Sunday, the 4th of July was just another day in England, no parades, no fireworks, no hot dogs or apple pie. I survived and shared a worship service with Rev. Mary Playford in Long Melford and then moved house again so that this week, my final one in Bury St. Edmunds is being spent at Rev. Samantha White's home. Worship prep and another strawberry tea this week but I think I will manage.