Summer Breaks

Summers are a bit of a mixture in the life of a church. A lot of regular activities take a break, but it is often a time when more weddings and baptisms happen. 

I remember a wise old priest once telling a group of us that taking a break was never a negative thing, but should be seen as a positive step. We all need space to rest physically, but we also need time and space to turn down the noise in our minds. The busy nature of life can fill all of our waking time with tasks and information that we never get time to reflect and take stock.

The Old Testament made taking a day off a legal and sacred requirement for the people of Israel. Put like that, it can seem rather old fashioned and strict. Behind it was a good principle; that we all need a break and we’re not very good at doing it unless we are told to.

We may not all be able to afford or manage exotic holidays, but I hope this summer provides time and space for all of us to find rest and refreshment.

Bank Holiday Relocations

I was looking at the latest proposals about moving the May Day Bank Holiday to the autumn. In a year like 2011, when Easter falls late in April, we do end up with bank holiday congestion - Good Friday, Easter Monday and the May Day holiday all occurring within a couple of weeks, with another at the end of May. Contrast that with the long haul from August to Christmas (or New Year to Easter) and you can see the point. May Day has long-established traditions, but in the last century became associated with the political left, so I am sure there are plenty of Conservative politicians who would like to see the end of it.

One proposal is to move to St George's Day in England (Apr 23) and St David's Day (March 1) in Wales. That doesn't really solve the congestion issue. Another is to go for an autumn slot. Trafalgar Day is one candidate (Oct 21) which seems a sure-fire way of upsetting our French and Spanish partners in the EU. In many countries, All Saints Day (Nov 1) is a bank holiday, but that might seem a bit too Christian for some - although Hallowe'en would probably command popular support. We'll probably end up with the last Monday in October to coincide with half-term week.

Unions point out that Britain is quite stingy with its public holidays, so they would go for a "both-and" approach. I suspect in these austere times that isn't going to happen.

Related articles

• Plan to move May holiday unveiled (bbc.co.uk)

A Blogger catch-up

Taking a week's holiday seems to have taken me out of the pattern of blogging at all. As I'm taking a few minutes out, it seemed a good moment to catch up a bit.

Not wanting to bore you with too much holiday stuff, but we spent a week in the middle of Lincolnshire doing very little except being looked after at our favourite guest house. One brilliant experience was watching the (surprisingly good) Toy Story 3 at the Kinema in the Woods at Woodhall Spa. In the middle of the picture, there was an intermission, and out of the floor came the Compton Organ. Not an original fitting, apparently, but enhance the sense of being in an historic building (it's been a cinema since 1922). However, we had to miss Woodhall's worm-charming festival, which was probably just as well.

I have also missed out on blogging about Rev when it was still current. It was, at last, a series which took comedy about clergy and the church into new and edgy territory. Dibley and Derek Nimmo were never like this as Rev captured something much more authentic. They got so much right - the vicarage itself, complete with 1980s kitchen cupboards and left-over washing-up, the topical issues, the ecclesiastical terminology, and even the 'types' in congregation bore a striking resemblance to some people I have known.

It also managed to capture experiences using situations that would never quite happen, but which carried the same feelings. The Archdeacon with his black cab was a brilliant way of picturing of what has been a very real experience for some people I have known. What was remarkable was how respectful it was of Adam's prayers and how painfully it depicted his breakdown. And most churches have a Colin. Good reviews on Bishop Alan's blog and also Steve Tilley's.

Meanwhile now I'm back this month seems busier than almost any other - weddings, baptisms and holiday club are filling up the space pretty thoroughly, along with not a few other concerns. And in the midst of all this, tragedies of landslides and flooding remind us of the consequences of climate change, and the urgency to address it. Why not visit the Disasters Emergency Committee website if you haven't already donated.

OK, that's everything bubbling at the top of my brain at the moment. Hopefully I'll be a slightly more regular visitor to my own blog in the coming days!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Worm charming festival fails to catch a single specimen (telegraph.co.uk)
• Rev: The vicars' verdict (guardian.co.uk)
• Rev 'rather good' says Archbishop of Canterbury (guardian.co.uk)
• Rev - some observations (stevetilley.blogspot.com)

It isn't decided yet

And that's only the football. I'm looking forward to the last home league match at Christie Park on Saturday. Morecambe play promotion rivals Aldershot and one point would be enough to guarantee the Shrimps make the League 1 play-offs, which is quite an achievement for a club still fairly new to the League. It's great that the final match will have a cup-final feel. Morecambe are one of three Lancashire seaside towns with serious promotion hopes. Blackpool play Forest for a chance of Premiership football next season, and a bit further down the football hierarchy, Fleetwood are in the Blue Square North play-off final. Sadly Lancaster City FC lost their final to Colwyn Bay, having finished over 20 points ahead of them in the League.

Given the season has been full of surprises (who's have guessed Spurs 4th and Fulham in a European final?) I wouldn't want to make any firm predictions, but wouldn't it be great for the Shrimps to start their first season at the new stadium in League 1? I hope they make it.

This morning I also heard an item on the potential for the great British seaside to have a good season with the recession (not to mention volcanic ash) limiting people's ambitions to travel abroad. The reporter was in Skegness, which was the nearest seaside to where I grew up in Nottingham. When I was a kid, I remember Skeggy and Mablethorpe were full of Nottingham people, the shops sold the Nottingham Evening Post and the pubs sold Nottingham beer. In the same way, I gather that Morecambe was the resort of choice for some northern cities and towns, especially Bradford. Hopefully this trend for domestic holidays might bring new money, jobs and prosperity here this year.