Waking up on the morning of day two, the house still filled with packing boxes everywhere, I looked out of the bedroom window to a new view realizing that this is now my mission field ... in a sleepy hollow of a village in the Oxfordshire countryside.
The challenges in this parish are not of poverty, but of wealth, not of violent crime but bored teenagers who really have nothing in the village! In the past, the village folk worked at the local brewery, ironstone quarry, railway station and farms, now only the brewery and a few farms remain. Most villagers commute to work miles away, or work from home using the wonders of the Internet. Yet there is still a strong sense of community with numerous clubs and events which brings people together.
My challenge, as the new pastor, is to integrate into that community so much that the Baptist church is fully immersed among them, building relationships and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
The manse is slowly becoming a home as more boxes are emptied. We can now see the floors and no longer have to navigate the maze of boxes. Now it's time to get to work!
