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WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?
Four main themes this month: Digital training; performing Job; revising “Psalms as Prayer”; and reading books on the Church and the Post-Modern World.
DIGITAL TRAINING
The month started with the Premier Digital Conference on Saturday 2nd. Premier Radio puts on this conference every year, and I sign up for it each time a year in advance, it’s so good. There are two plenary sessions and four sets of workshops from which you can choose. This year I chose Facebook, Social Media in general, Instagram Stories and Podcasting. At the end of the day we had the opportunity to have a 20 minute “Digital Surgery”. I got some useful tips on how to use facebook best. And then I booked up for next year – a whole day’s training for £20!
Four days later I had some more training on social media, this time from the C of E’s digital team. Again, some useful tips, e.g. only use one hashtag if you put an ad out on Facebook – less is more.
I have been doing some thinking about how to organise my facebook posts. My pattern at the moment is:
Monday – Secret London, e.g. the amazing hidden St Mary Abchurch.
Tuesday – Films – though there were no outstanding ones this month.
Wednesday – world faiths. I did a lovely post on a Buddhist sand mandala being created in St James Piccadilly – incredibly intricate and colourful, and as soon as it is completed, it is destroyed. A spiritual lesson in creating and letting go. I asked a monk what London needed. He thought, and then said “Compassion”.
Thursday History – e.g. the founding of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Friday The Bible – lots of material there!
Today is Monday 25th and tomorrow Linda and I fly to Halifax, Canada for a family wedding. I managed to schedule a whole week’s worth of posts in an hour and a half today. If I can keep that up, I might have cracked it.
JOB
On Monday 11th The Earls Courtiers put on “The Book of Job” in St Cuthbert’s Church, with organ interludes. Tony Richardson, a professional actor, was an excellent Job, but we did not have time to go through the script beforehand and it showed. I had hoped that more people would come because I did advertise it widely and had proper printed fliers, but we got the normal two dozen people. And I had it videoed at a cost of £200, so I will have to see how I can use that. It was a very good evening and it did serve to launch the second, expanded “Book of Job for Private Reading, Group Study and Public Performance”. It also inspired me to offer it more widely, and I expect to put on an evening on ‘Job’ for the churches by Grenfell Tower, and possibly at the Greenbelt Festival.
THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Kensington is one of the LibDems’ target seats, with the ex-Tory Sam Gyimah (Pronounced Jeema) standing as the candidate. I spent a lot of one week putting leaflets through doors and once going out canvassing door-to-door. We were cheered by an Observer poll which put Conservatives at 36%, LibDems at 33% and Labour at 27%. I am now leaving the field of battle for Canada, but I will certainly do my turn on election day.
DISCOVERING PSALMS AS PRAYER
With Job and some electioneering done I felt I had a bit of breathing space to work on my early book on ‘Discovering Psalms as Prayer’. I added a chapter on “Who Wrote What When and Why? and I formed an independent book of Daily Prayers at the end which will make the book much more useable. I finally sent it off to Clare, my book designer, this morning 25th, though I still have some work to create various marketing pages at the front of the book (on Chris my publisher’s instruction).
Incidentally, I had started to think that a better title might be simply “Psalms as Prayer”, but I am now swinging back to the full “Discovering Psalms as Prayer.” What do you think? Email me at aoroland@gmail.com.
READING FOR A PUBLISHER
To get to Halifax, Linda and I have to fly to Ottawa, and then, after a 4 hour wait, back to Halifax. I am taking three books which have some bearing on my hoped-for book “Does the Church have a Future – Being Credible in a Post-Modern World”. In the Book Proposal to be seen by potential publishers I have to write a section on ‘Competitive Titles’. These are a bit hard to find. Books either talk to Christians and ignore society, or they ignore the church altogether. One book I will read is “21 Lessons for the 21st Century “ by the excellent Israeli atheist historian Hariri. I recently went into Church House Bookshop, the C of E’s flagship bookstore. I asked if they had any books about deck-chairs and icebergs. The assistants looked completely blank. I waved at all the books on liturgy and said “They’re the deckchairs. Do you have any books on the risk from icebergs, e.g. The Anglican Church in Canada will cease to exist in 20 years.” They understood, but said, no, they had nothing like that. A bit worrying!
AN ADVENT TALK
Apocalyptic!
Getting to grips with Revelation
Another “St Cuthbert’s Talk” on Monday 9th December! This time taking the traditional theme for Advent , which used to be the Four Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. So I am going to go through the Book of Revelation. I got an excellent picture of a city burning on my eventbrite page, from one of these sites which give copyright-free images. Do have a look at https://tinyurl.com/tpgsuf7
Monday 9th December at 7.00. Wine and cheese after! Come if you can.
FINALLY
God bless, and don’t let the Election get you down!
Andy