Virtual Methodist

This is the first of the poems shared on the Wonderful Wander as part of the 4 Corners Festival 2020. We started from the Dock with the inimitable Chris Bennett, and this piece was inspired by him, the vision behind The Dock chaplaincy and cafe, and the dry dock which sits alongside it, currently occupied by the SS. Nomadic, and indeed the old shipyards as a whole. It owes more than a touch to Karine Polwart's "You Can't Weld a Body."  More to follow... A place for the crafting of craft Creating from steel, boats to float afar A community wedded to welding and riveting Wedded to a past that sailed away A place for fitting out and refitting Repairing and restoring returning sons and daughters Battered by the oceans and scarred by salt seas But ships aren’t shaped to stay forever in the dock Shalom

This week has tried my "whatever is good" resolution to the limit... partly because I'm in pain, partly because I'm under pressure at the moment, and partly because of the joys of Methodist Synod. Now, at this point I will get all sorts of people berating me for my studied cynicism and negativity re Synod/conference and the like, and telling me that the freedom to engage in such meetings is a blessing that many of my brothers and sisters around the world would be glad of... And I hear that... however, I believe that there is a serious problem with how we address church business currently... It has become mechanistic and administrative rather than spirit-filled and creative. I don't blame any one person for that... All participants (and deliberate non-participants) are complicit... We both waste time on agenda points that have no relevance, whilst squeezing out room for genuine informed discussion, debate and decisions that might actually make a difference to t...