We have experienced an amazing journey of blessings, friendships, challenges, and growth. To spend a summer in England ministering to God’s people and sharing his word has been a gift. I am grateful to my family for their patience and willingness to experience this together. I am grateful to Susan’s work for their support. I am grateful to Medina FUMC staff, leadership, and congregation for their trust and work to make the ministry exchange a reality. I am grateful to you for sharing this journey with us.
Susan and I have talked for years about the hope of one day participating in the Ministry Exchange Program. In February 2009, the idea was shared with the leadership at Medina FUMC. We applied and in January 2010, we discovered we had matched with two wonderful congregations in Sheffield, England. The rest has been documented before you. (Thanks totally to Susan’s efforts.)
As a pastor, I have grown in my understanding of who God is and how he works. My preconceived “box” of God has been broken open. I did not realize I had one. God is as active in England as he is in Tennessee as he is in every other part of the world. My concerns, my contributions are but tiny grains of sand in God’s kingdom; yet all grains are equally important in God’s eyes.
I have experienced the church community in a country where a much smaller percentage attends church, but each person that does (who I encountered) sings with deep joy, actively serves within the church, has a conviction to reach out to the community, and passionately hungers for God to be real in their life. When a worship service is over the entire congregation sits down for several minutes in quiet reflection and then stays around for 30-45 minutes for coffee, tea, biscuits, and fellowship.
I have seen a church structure where 8 churches are faithfully and cooperatively served by 4 ministers, local preachers, and circuit and local stewards with no individual church staff. There is a dependency on each other with a shared focus on worship and a commitment to mission. The churches would not have worship each week without the local preachers who have undergone extensive training and serve voluntarily. A steward or two is always present when the church doors are open and each steward has a personal investment to see that the ministry of the church is carried out.
I have seen a country whose individuals actively practice ecological and physical responsibility and personal interaction. Electric switches at the outlets are turned off after each use. Clothes are hung out to dry. Recycling is a priority. Footpaths to go to work and for pleasure are widely used by the very young and the not as young. Exercise for all ages is a priority, whether it is raining or not. Tea is more about sharing and reflecting than a hot drink and snack. We have walked to church, to church members’ homes, to town, and to the store. We have saved money by using reusable bags at the grocery, less water, and less electricity.
As a dad, I have loved spending more time with my children, especially cuddle time in the morning and wrestling in the evening. As a husband, I have had the opportunity of a lifetime to share a common love of travel with my wife. We have been to places up to 1000 years old that previously were pictures in history books or depicted on movie screens. We have walked in the footsteps of great minds (John Wesley being a personal favorite) and humble, honorable, and horrific leaders and kings. We have driven (safely!) through beautiful countryside and discovered quaint villages. We have eaten fish and chips, lots of Cadbury chocolate, and had tea, scones, and biscuits (cookies).
I did not realize how busy I would be, but from weddings to funerals, from surgeries to worships, from individual homes to English settlements, from Dad to pastor, being a part of the Chronicles of England has been a reality, a gift, and a blessing!
I now enjoy a few days of relaxing with my family on the beach on the North Sea before we head to Paris and return home to family and friends.
Peace and Grace,
Wade
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