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| Our beautiful building! |
My time is quickly ticking by, closer and closer each day to
the final day I move back to the States. There are so many “feels” I am
experiencing, that I am shocking even myself at times with how I am reacting to
it. I have laughed, I have denied it, I have wished it would happen sooner to
get it over with, I have over thought it, and I have had many panic attacks!
I have never been good with change (says the girl living in a foreign country),
and even worse with goodbyes. So it is safe to say that August 5th
scares the living daylight out of me.
How in the world do you say goodbye to a home you can’t
imagine not living in and are not sure you when you’ll come back? How do you
leave a job you love with mentors who have become more like pseudo parents?
…Well honestly, I still don’t know! But here I am, taking it hour by hour, one
“last” at a time.
In the quiet times I find amongst this craziness that is
packing up my life and moving to a different country, I keep reflecting back on
why I love JMC so stikin’ much! So I thought, “why not procrastinate some more
and write a blog!”
Let's have a look at a standard Sunday Morning at JMC…
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| A drawing by our token young person, of the worship team. |
Do we start on time? Ha!
But really, we have to keep it
interesting.
And, saying that now, I do believe we have started on time the
last few weeks,
so maybe we are turning that around :).
We begin with a block of songs to get our hearts and minds
in worship.
Some weeks, this goes flawlessly and some weeks there are a few hiccups;
but that is a good reminder, every so often, that we don't have to be perfect.
Next comes Family News when a weird American (can’t imagine
who that is…) stands at the front and talks about the events and
news for the following weeks in the community.
This is normally a time for me to just ramble at the front and no body understands me
because of my accent....and I might speak too quickly as well
(note to self- work on slowing down when I speak).
Then the scripture is read out. This is a good way of discovering different
members in the congregation who aren’t always at the front, but are on the rota for the reading that week
(because, like all good Methodists, we run on rotas!).
Of course, we then have the Sermon.
In the Methodist
tradition, we have a different local preacher come to us each week, which keeps everyone on our
toes and the older members awake...most of the time ;).
If we have communion, that means it’s the 3rd
Sunday of the month
(or the closest Sunday to when Rev Rob is here to do it).
And then, after a final song to wrap things up, we end with the Grace.
The Grace is one of my favorites parts of the service.
It is a great way of forcing Brits to make personal eye contact while blessing
one another
(all the while they secretly hope to miss everyone else's contact
and
hiding their frustration when they unluckily catch another’s eye).
Now that the service is all through, the most important part of
the day begins with tea and coffee.
It is the time when we catch up with one
another and share, not just in worship,
but in life…plus JMC has the reputation for having the “best”
coffee in the circuit, so there is that!
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| I promise we really do love eachother! |
I know this has been a bit of a cheeky evaluation of a Sunday service, but these little quirks and random bits we don't always focus on, are the reasons why I love JMC so much! These are the bits that I might just miss the most!
So what is really so precious about JMC?
It is a family. A place, safe enough for our imperfection,
yet challenging enough to push us past them and through them. I often use the
word “quirky” because there is honestly nothing like it, almost the opposite of
“cookie cutter.” Because of our varied congregation, we pull from a wide
range/mix of worship styles. Combine that with the Methodist local preacher
circuit, bringing us a different preacher nearly every Sunday, and it is tough
to see the same service twice. One week we might resemble a traditional service
with old hymns and service readings straight from the lectionary service book;
and the very next week we might just be playing Pictionary or being asked to
nap in a sleeping bag as a visual aid to the sermon. We are constantly moving
forward, while still cherishing tradition.
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| A few of my students before they set off for summer. |
And, of course, all the love and laughter!
Laughter is a staple member of our community and cuddles are
an expected norm upon entering the foyer! But above all, for those who walk in the doors, whether for
the very first time or as a “grandparent” to the family, we are a warm and
welcoming space to be with God.
Our moto is to “Bring the Heart of God into the Heart of
Jesmond.” But I feel more like the Heart of JMC is spreading wide and far
across the world in the hearts of those who have been blessed enough to visit on a Sunday morning or even two years worth of Sunday mornings.
So today my message for Jesmond Methodist Church is Philippians
1: 3-6…
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with Joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
JMC - Jesmond Methodist Church – Work – Quirky - Strength - Love - My Family
Cheers for now
-Elie
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| Fish n' Chips on the beach with some of the Fam! |
