Success!

Well, I have officially completed my first service in Britain and my first ever Communion service! Whew! So good to get that out of the way. :) Things went smashingly. I didn't spill the "wine" or drop the bread or anything. The only problem--the bread was a half of a loaf cut from the original, and it had been sliced down the middle for easy "breaking". Not the best theological statement, but I didn't say anything. The communion steward was already nervous enough since I used the common cup instead of the shot glasses. Another funny thing, which can mean funny--ha ha, or funny-weird/interesting, I had to laugh (after I stared in disbelief) b/c there really wasn't anything to do about it--but when they put the white cloth on the altar, i got to looking at the lace around it--the pattern that had been used was that of a swastika. So all around the edge of the communion altar cloth was one swastika after another. Now, knowing that the swastika was a Christian symbol, a form of a cross, co-opted by the epitomy of evil made it a little better. Needless to say, I will be talking to somebody before the next time I do communion there.

Yesterday was a full day. In the morning (at 8:00!!) members of Trinity held a prayer breakfast. They gather once a month to pray for the community of Thorpe Marriott (where I live and where the church is located) as well as the wider world community. Then after praying for about half an hour, we had breakfast. They served "porridge" (i don't know how to spell that), which was basically oatmeal made with milk. Then, as soon as that was over, the same church hosts a "Contact Centre" where they supervise what amounts to child visitation--the parents of the children are divorced and when the parent without custody wants to see his or her child(ren), they can come to the church every other Saturday morning. There are six of these centers in Norfolk county, three or four of which are in Norwich. One guy traveled all the way from London (120ish miles) to see his kid(s) and his ex-wife never brought them. It's quite sad really.

Then, after a day of sermon finalizing and some bit of relaxing, the section held a "Faith Tea" to welcome me. A Faith Tea is basically a pot luck (covered dish for those of you in the south), but they only bring finger foods. So we had about half a dozen quiches, some sandwiches (salmon salad--ew!) and some desserts. Afterwards, I went to the children's worker's home and relaxed with her and her mum. It was a nice way to end the day.

Several of you have asked if I've been keeping up with the Katrina disaster. It's been the lead story in all the newspapers (not the tabloids) and on the BBC for pretty much the whole week. I've been very shocked by the amount of coverage its been getting. In a way, its good b/c I can keep tabs on the situation, but on the other hand, I'm a little embarrassed--one for the way its been handled, and two, how prominent the US has played in its news. The coverage lasts for a good half of the 30-minute news program. It's quite unreal. It has been good to see that churches are opening their doors and Christians opening their homes to the refugees/evacuees.

Well, thanks to those of you who have posted comments and kept in touch. I appreciate very much the support and love recieved. Blessings to you! Until next time...