Sink or Swim, Madam?

You know that feeling you get when you're chucked in at the deep end and you know it's a case of sink or swim?

I'm pleased to say I swam!

And judging by the encouraging remarks from the vicar, I swam rather well.

Week 1 of my 8 week placement at the parish church of Loughborough, All Saints with Holy Trinity began in earnest yesterday.

A quiet 9.00am Holy Communion service started the day, my duties included reading the Gospel and serving Communion.

Performing these duties regularly in my own church gives me the confidence to go to another church (whose ways and customs differ) and fit in with their own style of worship. Nods and gestures from the vicar guided me along the way and by the end of the service I felt comfortable and confident.

A baptism followed and the church packed out quite considerably. I assisted the vicar during the baptism and in the evening at Parish Communion, took on (with short notice) the role of an absent leader, when I was originally only to observe (more notches on the church leadership belt!)

I came home with a sense of real fulfilment and joy. It was a long and busy day which I enjoyed immensely. I feel I managed quite well, I didn't get flummoxed and I feel that my work was fairly free flowing and competent.

Week 2 will include introducing the confession, reading the Creed and in the evening, preaching.

Daunting as this might seem in a new, and much bigger church with higher congregational numbers, I'm looking forward to it here. I feel very blessed to have the confidence to stand up in front of a packed church, step up to the pulpit and preach. Any nerves I might feel always seem to disappear just at the right moment whenever I do preach. God has blessed me with this gift of communication for a reason, and that is, I believe, to bring God to the people and the people to God.