January 22nd

Last Thursday saw us at Tiny Tots Plus again. Ali was asked to man the tea and coffee station but had a few problems working out how to pour coffee, not spill the milk and chat - who said multi-tasking was a natural gift for women? Jon got his hands dirty - literally! He dived in with enthusiasm to the craft activity which was painting shakers with the children. He only managed to get one mark on his trousers...hmm, is this a new skill he has acquired?
In the afternoon Ali went to visit a couple of the older members of the congregation with Don. It was a good experience and very interesting meeting them. She enjoyed finding a bit more about them and their involvement with the church. In the evening Ali went off again to go to the mission prayer evening. She was able to find out about the different people the church support in India, Nigeria, Bolivia and the UK. It is good to know the church is committed to supporting their missionaries in prayer.
Friday we were both at Cambray for Open Church where we both had the opportunity to chat.
Sunday morning saw an early start again with Ali going along to the Gateway Fellowship again. This has been running for around 18/19 years. There was a big group of people there and it was lovely to worship with them. Ali was joined by the rest of the family for the morning service and then we went to lunch with a couple from the church. This was a great time and we chatted with another family who had also been invited. It is good to get to know people a little better each time we see them and also to share a bit more about our journey. A quick dash home via Redcliffe for a birthday party then tea and Jon was off to church again to lead the service. This went really well and he said it was good to be involved. The music was different again in both services. In the morning the Junior Choir sang a couple of songs, and both services had drums, guitars, etc. and had a much more contemporary feel.

January 17th

Sunday last started early with Ali going along to the Gateway Fellowship at 9.15am which is a service for adults with learning difficulties. One lovely chap had seen Ali with her usual hat on around Cheltenham and told everyone there she had a hat. This was funny, but only because she wasn't wearing it! It was good to use Makaton to sign the songs - one lady thought Ali had picked up the signs very quickly, but Ali told her it was because she'd been using sign for a number of years and wasn't to do with some sudden ability! The people there were really friendly and welcoming.
Following straight on was the morning service where we were interviewed by the associate pastor, Fred and given an opportunity to share a bit about ourselves, what we hope to get out of the placement and what our plans for the future are. The music for the service was provided by a piano accompanied by three violins, a cello and a guitar! Jon read the morning's reading, our first 'proper' involvement in a Cambray service.
Evening saw Ali at church again, as it was her turn to read the reading. Music this time provided by the organ and a trumpet.
Tuesday this week was a review meeting with John, Fred and Don again. Good to spend some time with them sharing about what we had been involved in. Then Jon went with John to Oxford where John is teaching a five-week course on Christ in the Psalms, once a week. This course is a one- or two-year course run by several different churches to support people interested in ministry, building upon a course already in place in one of the anglican churches in Oxford. There is one full day per week of both lectures and practical teaching and is attended by about 40 people. It was really encouaging to see not just this number of people attending, but also the commitment from various churches to work together to train possible future leaders.
Ali, meanwhile, went to the lunch club again - really nice to chat with the folks there and find out a bit more about what they get up to.