Chaplain's Page

“It would be lovely to have more youngsters in Church.”  I will not be the only minister to have heard such sentiments expressed, often with a longing that we could return to a previous generation when all was so much better.  My response can vary but one option I have is to move the discussion away from a Sunday focus and invite the questioner along on a Monday evening when there will be lots of youngsters in Church.  But they won’t be sitting in nice organised rows, singing hymns or listening to a sermon although there may well be music and there will be a message.

Sundays are obviously important for the Church family: yet we have seven days in which to touch the lives of young (and older) with the message of Jesus and the fact that many young people are present every Monday (not all Sunday churchgoers are so faithful) is a great testament to what happens in those evenings and to the leaders who offer themselves because they want to make a difference.  Faith can be expressed as much by arranging an archery evening as sitting down for a Bible Study.  (One might be slightly more dangerous than the other…)

Six months ago I moved to take up the post as Minister of Christchurch Abbeydale in Gloucester, an ecumenical church created by Baptist, Methodist, URC and Anglican working together, and in the process inherited a Boy’s Brigade and Girl’s Association company.  It meant filling in the forms to become a BB Chaplain: now I have to learn what that means.  The youngsters will not be the only ones learning.

It is right that there is a partnership between the BB and the Church – both can strengthen the other.  If the 40+ youngsters that turn up on a Monday evening appeared on a Sunday morning I am not sure what would happen!  If the church were not there the BB would lose the foundation on which it is built and like any structure without a foundation would be much weaker.

There will be some in the church who are relatively unaware of the BB; there will be some in the BB who will not know much about the church.  Over time one would hope that the mutual ignorance would be replaced by growing understanding for both are working towards the same goals: how can we live our lives as Jesus intends us to.  Along the way there are likely to be surprises on both sides and where the partnership will take us only God knows.  Yet that should be sufficient to allow us to move forward in faith looking to see what God brings to fruition.

Steve Davies, Minister of Christchurch Abbeydale (LEP)

"...BE PREPARED..."

I know what you are thinking… “Using the scout’s motto as the title for a piece in a Boys Brigade magazine – that’s a bit controversial.”  Well I like to be challenging… so let me encourage you to take a few moments to gather your breath before you read on… because I can guarantee there are no other references to the scouts in this article.

I chose the title because it is relevant to our lives as a family. In a few weeks’ time we are expecting a new addition to our family. Not a baby, but a puppy. Last week as a family we went to look at a litter of puppies and had to make the hard decision which do we choose? They were all so cute, and my daughter wanted one, my son a different one and my wife another. But I had to be firm – “we are only getting one” I had to state over and over again to a family whose eyes were more puppy like than the puppies themselves “you will have to choose”.  As a result Bentley a Cockerpoo puppy will be joining us towards the end of September when he is old enough to leave his mother (how he got his name is a whole different story).

The talk in the car home was all about how difficult it was to choose, which led to a discussion about  how God chooses us… but I don’t want to go there today. Instead I want to focus on what happened when we got home and the days that followed the choosing of the puppy. Because our house is now in the process of getting ready and being prepared for his arrival. There is bedding to buy, toys to choose,  the garden to make secure, leads and collars to purchase, puppy pads to stock up on, and books on dog training to read. A hive of activity in anticipation of his arrival.

In heaven there is a similar hive of activity.  In John 14:1-3 Jesus said:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  (NIV)

Christ has already prepared the way, in verse 6 of the same chapter he tells us that he is “the way the truth and the life”. And so because of the work of the cross the way to heaven has been prepared, a work that means (Romans 10v13) that all who call on Jesus can be saved. But for now heaven is getting ready for your arrival (an event that I hope is some way off), the party is being prepared, the “welcome home” banner is being written, and the angels are rehearsing their anthems.

There is of course other preparation taking place. As Captains, officers, leaders and helpers in brigade companies, I am aware that you are all preparing activities, competitions, badge work, devotions, next year’s camps, and then there are the agendas for all the battalion and district meetings.

Like Bentley who will never know the preparation we have done, and just as we will only marvel and stand in awe when we get to heaven, the boys in your companies will never know all the hard work or preparation that goes into running a company, parade evenings, and competitions.  And although they may forget to say thank you because they have not seen all the work you have done, it does not mean that what you do is not life changing for them, their families and your churches.

And so on behalf of all the boys on our companies, your churches and the families of those who attend your activities week in and week out. May I say a huge thank you that like scouts (oops a second mention), you are prepared, willing, able and committed to the work of the Boys Brigade. 

My prayer for you all is that you will be richly blessed as you serve Christ and make him known in the life of the boys and young men in your companies.

Rev. Steve Christian   

Clarence Park Baptist Church