I spent most of last week at Baptist Hui related things including a day with some other like minded Baptist pastors at Little River; a day with other chaplains in the Baptist movement and then 3 days at the Hui itself at Rangiora Baptist Church. I thought I’d share a few of my reflections.
- There were heaps of volunteers from Rangiora Baptist who contributed to making the event run smoothly. My standout were the lovely older men who oversaw the parking/security in hi-vis vests at the gate. Some of the days started at 7am and didn’t finish until after 9.30pm and they were there before and after these times. They were friendly and welcoming and up for a bit of banter. Some of the volunteers took annual leave from their jobs to volunteer.
- This is a bit silly but they had 3 hand cream options in the bathrooms (not sure about the male ones 😉) but it was lovely and my hands appreciated it.
- A whole room of people singing worship songs with a full band and great gusto can be a little overwhelming. (this would have been a highlight for some people – see the next point!)
- The process of ‘discerning the mind of Christ together’ is a particularity of our Baptist movement. It can sometimes be a rough and take a long time especially with human egos in the mix. I do like it when we listen to all the voices (but there are often loud and verbose ones). It is a challenge to be in spaces with people who have vastly different opinions to me!
- Often what is seen on the outside is a little different and a lot less nuanced than what is happening behind the scenes. There was a controversial opinion piece on the Baptist App that caused a lot of responses. It was interesting to hear the perspective of the National Strategy Centre in their decision to publish and all the work they were doing working alongside the people involved. It’s easy to judge from the outside.
- It is fun to go to Hui as a team. I loved being with Steph, Fern and Rachelle and catching up with Rod Robson, Colin Wood, Pete and Joyce Majendie, Linz Bade, Jody Kilpatrick and Daphne Marsden and many others. It is a great opportunity to get a picture of our wider movement. As I said on Sunday with the disastrous election results from the USA coming in, it was good to lament and connect with others who are working and praying for peace and justice.
- There is work happening on the Baptist App to be able to use it as a communication tool within churches which may mean that we don’t need to use Facebook which I know some Ilamites will be excited about.
- Overall, it was a positive and inspiring time and I’ve come away with some ideas and thinking to do. Progress was made on the serious misconduct policies and planning reparations for the results of the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care that hopefully will go some way to redress past abuse and protect people in the future.
- God is a lot bigger and more mysterious than I can even begin to imagine – we are all held in the love of God.
Feel free to ask me (or Rachelle, Fern or Steph) for more thoughts.
Take care
Helen