Friday December 18, 2009
Derek noted that in World War Two prison camp movies like “The Great Escape” they always need the most unlikely specialists to help them achieve their task. One man happens to be an expert forger who has accidentally memorized every watermark on Nazi credential papers. Another man had a previous job turning old newspapers into authentic-looking German officer uniforms. Yet another is an expert in engineering tunnels which happen to be dug with rusty teaspoons. Still another can make a two-seater airplane out of used pipe cleaners. Ridiculously unbelievable, said Derek. Or so he thought until he met our team.
An electrician, a heating specialist, a stage lighting engineer, a landscaping designer, a man who can unplug any drain, a fine woodworking craftsman, a sheetrock and plaster wizard, a physician-missionary-photographer, a skilled accountant, a journeyman writer, veteran tilers, skilled brick-layers, seasoned carpenters, a team of Young Turks flexible, eager, and strong who can go anywhere at anytime and do sinew-straining, spine-cracking labor with an endless supply of energy and pluck. A natural leader of a construction manager who knows them all, and places them in positions where they can shine the brightest. Unlikely? When you consider that they didn’t know each other before they began working on the project and that there was no comprehensive plan in selecting them for the task, one could say the odds were ridiculously unbelievable.
That’s how the Holy Spirit rolls.
Today was a day of Celebration. Troy Blankenship and Neil Phillips took a train down from Cardiff to tour the chapel and to rejoice with us in the good work. The tasks were relatively few in number, but each one added a surprisingly brilliant sheen and luster to all that had been done before. Outside, Steve and an increasing number of Outside Boys finished laying the bricks that walled in an Eden-like array of beautiful plants. The design which Becky Anderberg had crafted so meticulously back in Oklahoma finally arrived on a truck in the form of a twelve foot vinyl banner, and as the sun began to set, it was attached to a plywood backer and hoisted into place on the solemn gray-green stone wall under the front windows. Spotlights at the wall’s base set the scene ablaze as the night fell.
The copper plaque from the previous church, heavy with the dead weight of old tradition, was removed and a shiny gold-hued one was screwed into the wood in its place Derek even lost a little blood turning the screwdriver himself). This plaque was designed by Derek’s bosses, Peter and Mark, and praised God for the love and dedication of the 24 American workers sent by Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma in December 2009 as they remodeled the church for its new launch. We all took photos of the plaque and were moved by the sweetness of the kind gesture. Allen was grateful that Buddy wasn’t the only one who got a plaque this trip.
Inside, Ken and the Lighting Team placed stage lighting on the high copper bar suspended from the ceiling. Floodlights were set on the stage to illuminate the back wall. Lonnie put the finishing touches on the pulpit designed exactingly to fit Derek’s body specifications and placed it in its proper place. Scaffolding was dismantled, skips were removed, rental equipment was returned, floors were swept, and wood was polished.
For perhaps an hour, the team wandered around in a spirit of elation, hugging and congratulating each other on what they had all achieved, giving glory to God. Some stood or sat transfixed, staring in wonder at the total effect of the warm, intimate, and inviting mellow-bright earth tones of the Worship Center.
Eventually, the Okie-Welsh coalition broke up into clusters and grabbed the take-out food of their choice, meeting back at the Worship Center at 8:00 p.m. The Okies presented Derek with “Ignite” a Mission History of Henderson Hills, and each member of the team signed one of the tools they donated to the church. Then they settled back into the new chairs and enjoyed the first sermon preached by John Derek Rees in the Sanctuary of Capel Gomer. The service closed by Derek praying in Welsh and Allen praying in English. Everyone lingered for awhile, not wanting the spell of the entire week to be broken. Finally they slowly drifted out into the bitter night.
We knew deep within our chilled bones that what we had accomplished here was bigger than all of us. We were continually flowing in a spiritual synergy that was outside ourselves and yet radiant within us. We were uplifted by the prayers of the saints. We saw the Holy Spirit move in ways that we did not expect to see in our days.
All missions are special in their own ways, but this is one we will remember. This is one we will celebrate in our hearts for years to come.
Tomorrow, we have planned a day of relaxation and refreshment. Our Welsh friends will join us as we tour and shop the Swansea Market and as we visit the Mumbles – a touristy strip of stores that look out over a broad crescent of tidal oceanfront beach. Then at 4:00 p.m. we will depart the Dragon Hotel bound for the Bristol Airport Holiday Inn. Dinner and bed follow and then a Sunday morning shuttle to the airport bound for home.
Will the freak blizzards striking southern England and the Newark area disrupt our travels?
It doesn’t really matter. Wherever we are stranded, and whatever long delays we face, we have already bonded into a single unit. We are a family in the best and highest sense. And as a family, whatever comes our way, we will simply use it as an opportunity to spend time together and to reminisce about our time in Wales. And to celebrate.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wales December 2009 -- Conclusions
Thursday December 17, 2009
Today’s entry focuses upon putting the finishing touches upon a masterpiece. Derek and Allen yesterday brainstormed on strategies for a forthcoming mission here in July. The possibilities are exciting. But implied in that brainstorming session is that this current mission is so successful that it doesn’t need much more coordination on our parts. And this mission has been overwhelmingly successful. It has achieved all its goals and more – much more.
In terms of the morale of the team and connecting with the people of Capel Gomer, today was a conclusion. We have formed continually sweeter and deeper friendships throughout the week. We loved Elain’s servant’s heart as well as the playfully combative and acerbic façade which thinly covered her thoughtful, sweet, and loving nature. We came to treasure Iestin’s basic decency, and Allen particularly loved discussing the deep things of theology with Iestin -- that is, when Allen could keep up with him.
But tonight the two cultures merged at the Christmas party the Welsh prepared for the Okies. The food was great and good Welsh fare – sandwiches, tasty desserts, Welsh cheeses, and even Laver Bread (Welsh seaweed) with cockles. The two groups physically merged into four teams competing against each other in answering a mixture of Welsh and Okie trivia questions composed by Derek, Matthew (Derek’s brother), and Allen. There was all the requisite wild shouting, hooting, cheering, debating, and laughing that you would expect from a family at a Christmas game. And a family is what we had become. After the game, Derek formally thanked us for giving him one of the finest Christmas gifts he’s ever had – a springboard to launch his new ministry. For every perfect gift, he said, comes down from the Father of Lights. The lights are indeed bright in Wales during the Advent this year.
In terms of work, the Worship Area has been completed in all its glory. Aaron and Bryan worked on the woodwork trim. The carpet was laid today and Derek was the first to step onto the completed stage – to much applause in an impromptu ceremony. Several of the men, including Danny Tengram had labored tirelessly for days trying to get the baptistery unclogged which is under the stage. Tommy Weathers finally combined with Danny and conquered the beastie, winning the cheers of their fellow laborers. Three or four Welsh people can now be baptized – the clog was the only thing holding them back. Who says hard physical labor has no spiritual consequences?
Stephen Wilson and his hard working Outside Crew (including Joshua, Blake, and Michael) finally got the dirt and the bricks they needed and erected the scaffolding in the front. By the end of the day the brick-walled garden space to the right of the entrance was completed and the black earth placed within it, yearning to nourish the greenery Steve was planning on planting there tomorrow. On the far side of the frontage, another bricked garden space was half constructed, the bricks forming a rectangle perhaps two feet tall. The Young Turks manning the scaffolding (including Gavin, Ethan, Brady, and Jonathan) were doing their high-wire acrobatics including scraping and painting the window sills, and especially important, painting the two feet tall metal “Capel Gomer” letters. The copper letters had so tarnished to a dark chlorine color that they were all but invisible against the green and gray stone of the building. Allen and Derek had lobbied for the letters to be painted a bright red. Jamie Howell (visiting for the day from Edmond, Oklahoma by way of a mission position in Cardiff, Wales), Kelly, and especially Elain were convinced that white would look best. It was an all-girls united front. Tough coalition to beat. When the scaffold boys painted one letter white and another letter red, it was obvious that white was the winner. Even Allen and Derek conceded the point, albeit grudgingly. So much for inerrant leadership. Elain did not gloat too much. Well, yes she did.
The scaffold boys eventually moved their traveling road show indoors where they worked on the inside walls and at the end of the day erected a long copper bar which will serve as a mounting platform for the stage lighting. Special honors goes to Jonathan Roth, whose inspired selection of lighting for the stairway has generated rave reviews. It looks like a series of long, thin silver rods hung as if on a descending circular stair, each with a bright glowing cube at the end. Crisp, contemporary, elegant. Special honors also go to Ethan Shuler who has acted as Allen’s personal computer Yoda. Twice the blog has been lost into the techno-void and twice Ethan’s Geordi LaForge-like skills have saved the text – or at least some of it. Without Ethan, Allen may well have slipped into e-depression.
In the Upper Room, Kory and Tim continued to create items in no time at all as if by magic. The three-section portable stage was painted black, the doorway was framed in wood and painted lemon cream color, and the coffee bar was so finished it was pressed into service during the Christmas party. In the kitchen, the Ranneys completed their tiling and the grouting of the backsplash along the sink counter, and it changed in color from a slate gray to a rich panoply of earth-toned yellows, tans, and browns. Tom King and Ken Roth continued their lighting wizardry, installing ultra-modern LED ceiling lights in the Pastor’s Office.
Caleb is a great leader. He gives the people to whom he delegates authority the freedom and flexibility to shine, and yet he holds them accountable so they can shine. He has a sweet, informal demeanor, but no doubts the “Get-Er-Done” Type A personality or the sharp teeth just behind the kind and gentle grin. Who in the world wouldn’t want Caleb to be their boss? You can’t develop the kind of love and loyalty people have for him by just handing them a monthly paycheck. His people would build a wall and then walk through it for him. Or spend their free time working for him a third of the way around the world in a country they never dreamed they would visit.
Today was the conclusion of another kind. Allen always wants to be doing evangelism on mission trips. He wants the Welsh to be drawn to Christ by the acts of love Christians perform for them. In the back of his mind, Allen had given up hope that this mission would be much of an outreach to the rank and file Welsh because of the “Construction” nature of the trip. We have spent most of our time with Christians – with each other and with Derek’s church members. Then the photographer showed up. He had most of us outside wielding various tools in front of the camera, making “Jazz Hands” and singing “Oklahoma.” David and especially Kelly Ranney starred in one series of photos, seated upon sawhorses with our construction team striking silly poses behind them. A second series of photos featured the scaffold boys leaning comically over the railings (with Jonathan’s legs dangling spastically in the air) and starred Gavin as the lead singer, leaning painfully over the edge of the railing with his torso in mid-air. He sang into the microphone of a paint brush. The final set of photos, featured Derek and two “construction” workers carrying a heavy carpet on stage in the Worship Area while Allen walked the opposite direction in the foreground carrying a hammer and – wait for it – a crude wooden cross made of two by fours. A little surrealistic. And weird. And creepy.
Later, a reporter did a phone interview with Derek, then Caleb, then Allen. The story is apparently big news in Swansea. It will be featured in the Saturday edition, which is the most popular day of the week for circulation. It seems Allen’s frustrations about limited evangelism on this trip were premature. Lots of the Welsh people will learn about the acts of love that Christians are performing for the Welsh people. We pray that they may be drawn into the church to see the craftsmanship and stay to connect with the Lord who created wood and stone and light. And them.
That indeed would be a Conclusion -- putting the finishing touches upon the masterpiece that is each man and woman, each boy and girl in Wales.
Today’s entry focuses upon putting the finishing touches upon a masterpiece. Derek and Allen yesterday brainstormed on strategies for a forthcoming mission here in July. The possibilities are exciting. But implied in that brainstorming session is that this current mission is so successful that it doesn’t need much more coordination on our parts. And this mission has been overwhelmingly successful. It has achieved all its goals and more – much more.
In terms of the morale of the team and connecting with the people of Capel Gomer, today was a conclusion. We have formed continually sweeter and deeper friendships throughout the week. We loved Elain’s servant’s heart as well as the playfully combative and acerbic façade which thinly covered her thoughtful, sweet, and loving nature. We came to treasure Iestin’s basic decency, and Allen particularly loved discussing the deep things of theology with Iestin -- that is, when Allen could keep up with him.
But tonight the two cultures merged at the Christmas party the Welsh prepared for the Okies. The food was great and good Welsh fare – sandwiches, tasty desserts, Welsh cheeses, and even Laver Bread (Welsh seaweed) with cockles. The two groups physically merged into four teams competing against each other in answering a mixture of Welsh and Okie trivia questions composed by Derek, Matthew (Derek’s brother), and Allen. There was all the requisite wild shouting, hooting, cheering, debating, and laughing that you would expect from a family at a Christmas game. And a family is what we had become. After the game, Derek formally thanked us for giving him one of the finest Christmas gifts he’s ever had – a springboard to launch his new ministry. For every perfect gift, he said, comes down from the Father of Lights. The lights are indeed bright in Wales during the Advent this year.
In terms of work, the Worship Area has been completed in all its glory. Aaron and Bryan worked on the woodwork trim. The carpet was laid today and Derek was the first to step onto the completed stage – to much applause in an impromptu ceremony. Several of the men, including Danny Tengram had labored tirelessly for days trying to get the baptistery unclogged which is under the stage. Tommy Weathers finally combined with Danny and conquered the beastie, winning the cheers of their fellow laborers. Three or four Welsh people can now be baptized – the clog was the only thing holding them back. Who says hard physical labor has no spiritual consequences?
Stephen Wilson and his hard working Outside Crew (including Joshua, Blake, and Michael) finally got the dirt and the bricks they needed and erected the scaffolding in the front. By the end of the day the brick-walled garden space to the right of the entrance was completed and the black earth placed within it, yearning to nourish the greenery Steve was planning on planting there tomorrow. On the far side of the frontage, another bricked garden space was half constructed, the bricks forming a rectangle perhaps two feet tall. The Young Turks manning the scaffolding (including Gavin, Ethan, Brady, and Jonathan) were doing their high-wire acrobatics including scraping and painting the window sills, and especially important, painting the two feet tall metal “Capel Gomer” letters. The copper letters had so tarnished to a dark chlorine color that they were all but invisible against the green and gray stone of the building. Allen and Derek had lobbied for the letters to be painted a bright red. Jamie Howell (visiting for the day from Edmond, Oklahoma by way of a mission position in Cardiff, Wales), Kelly, and especially Elain were convinced that white would look best. It was an all-girls united front. Tough coalition to beat. When the scaffold boys painted one letter white and another letter red, it was obvious that white was the winner. Even Allen and Derek conceded the point, albeit grudgingly. So much for inerrant leadership. Elain did not gloat too much. Well, yes she did.
The scaffold boys eventually moved their traveling road show indoors where they worked on the inside walls and at the end of the day erected a long copper bar which will serve as a mounting platform for the stage lighting. Special honors goes to Jonathan Roth, whose inspired selection of lighting for the stairway has generated rave reviews. It looks like a series of long, thin silver rods hung as if on a descending circular stair, each with a bright glowing cube at the end. Crisp, contemporary, elegant. Special honors also go to Ethan Shuler who has acted as Allen’s personal computer Yoda. Twice the blog has been lost into the techno-void and twice Ethan’s Geordi LaForge-like skills have saved the text – or at least some of it. Without Ethan, Allen may well have slipped into e-depression.
In the Upper Room, Kory and Tim continued to create items in no time at all as if by magic. The three-section portable stage was painted black, the doorway was framed in wood and painted lemon cream color, and the coffee bar was so finished it was pressed into service during the Christmas party. In the kitchen, the Ranneys completed their tiling and the grouting of the backsplash along the sink counter, and it changed in color from a slate gray to a rich panoply of earth-toned yellows, tans, and browns. Tom King and Ken Roth continued their lighting wizardry, installing ultra-modern LED ceiling lights in the Pastor’s Office.
Caleb is a great leader. He gives the people to whom he delegates authority the freedom and flexibility to shine, and yet he holds them accountable so they can shine. He has a sweet, informal demeanor, but no doubts the “Get-Er-Done” Type A personality or the sharp teeth just behind the kind and gentle grin. Who in the world wouldn’t want Caleb to be their boss? You can’t develop the kind of love and loyalty people have for him by just handing them a monthly paycheck. His people would build a wall and then walk through it for him. Or spend their free time working for him a third of the way around the world in a country they never dreamed they would visit.
Today was the conclusion of another kind. Allen always wants to be doing evangelism on mission trips. He wants the Welsh to be drawn to Christ by the acts of love Christians perform for them. In the back of his mind, Allen had given up hope that this mission would be much of an outreach to the rank and file Welsh because of the “Construction” nature of the trip. We have spent most of our time with Christians – with each other and with Derek’s church members. Then the photographer showed up. He had most of us outside wielding various tools in front of the camera, making “Jazz Hands” and singing “Oklahoma.” David and especially Kelly Ranney starred in one series of photos, seated upon sawhorses with our construction team striking silly poses behind them. A second series of photos featured the scaffold boys leaning comically over the railings (with Jonathan’s legs dangling spastically in the air) and starred Gavin as the lead singer, leaning painfully over the edge of the railing with his torso in mid-air. He sang into the microphone of a paint brush. The final set of photos, featured Derek and two “construction” workers carrying a heavy carpet on stage in the Worship Area while Allen walked the opposite direction in the foreground carrying a hammer and – wait for it – a crude wooden cross made of two by fours. A little surrealistic. And weird. And creepy.
Later, a reporter did a phone interview with Derek, then Caleb, then Allen. The story is apparently big news in Swansea. It will be featured in the Saturday edition, which is the most popular day of the week for circulation. It seems Allen’s frustrations about limited evangelism on this trip were premature. Lots of the Welsh people will learn about the acts of love that Christians are performing for the Welsh people. We pray that they may be drawn into the church to see the craftsmanship and stay to connect with the Lord who created wood and stone and light. And them.
That indeed would be a Conclusion -- putting the finishing touches upon the masterpiece that is each man and woman, each boy and girl in Wales.
Wales Mission December 2009 -- Crescendo
Wednesday December 16, 2009
So the big moment came today about 9:15 a.m. The two great leaders of the Welsh Baptist denomination, Peter and Mark, came to visit us at Capel Gomer. Everyone was standing tiptoe on pins and needles, except for Derek who seemed like he was rolling around in a vat of pins and needles. Would they like the work we had done? Would they see the vision that Derek had cast for us and that we had followed with such initiative and creativity? And would they officially approve of the idea of us removing the oaken pews?
Derek and Allen greeted the men on the sidewalk as the Worship Center crew quickly cleared the last items from the stage. Allen led the men on a tour, first of the outside and the foyer, then of the Worship Center, and finally of the bathrooms, kitchen, and the Vestry or “Upper Room”. In each area, they received a brief overview of what we had achieved, and then met the craftsmen who explained the fine details.
Peter’s and Mark’s demeanors quickly turned from politeness, to graciousness, to respect, to admiration, and finally to awe. A sweet humility flowed over them as they began to praise the workmanship and thank the workers. They marveled at the lighting system, they expressed delight at Buddy’s ability to begin resuscitation of the gas heater, and they became awestruck at the stage. They walked along examining the floor with smiles on their faces. They sat in the new padded chairs. And in a truly historical moment, Peter (a woodcraftsman himself) mounted a ladder and joined the construction crew, wielding and a hammer and a pair of pliers on the back wall, stage left. As they inspected the upper room, everyone poured in from their various workstations to see what the judgment might be.
By this point, the two men were almost too moved to speak. Both had been on the brink of tears a number of times. At last, Peter spoke. The speech, though impromptu, was amazingly polished. It was so eloquent that a summary cheapens it, but there were no tape recorders, so all we can do is reconstruct it as best we can.
He thanked us profusely for our investment in resources, time, talents, and spiritual gifts and that he was deeply honored to be with us this day (even though our crew of 24 crazy Americans felt that we were the ones honored that such important dignitaries would come visit us at our worksite). The Welsh Speaking Baptist churches, he said, were in a state of disheartenment. There had been no new such churches planted in Wales in 72 years. Capel Gomer was to be a new venture, a fresh breath that would perhaps lead to a second wind for the country. He said that he and Mark felt that our construction efforts were a confirmation from above that they had made the right choice in selecting Derek Rees to begin this great work, and that we could never know what an encouragement we were to them.
We applauded. Then at Caleb’s suggestion, we held hands in a circle as Derek led us in prayer. Peter and Mark chatted amicably with many of our crew, and we all went outside for pictures of them, our whole team, and those members of Capel Gomer who were present.
And what about the pews? Peter and Mark agreed wholeheartedly that the new chairs were a perfect match in their contemporary style. Derek could sell the pews! But that was just the beginning.
Peter and Mark wanted a plaque to be engraved in Welsh and placed in a position of prominence describing the contributions of Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma and the 24 Americans who served Capel Gomer on her behalf. And they wanted someone to document the achievements of the team on video (Dr. Randy Juengel volunteered to do so.) And they wanted to send reporters from the local newspaper to report the big news as a means of promoting Capel Gomer and its charismatic young pastor. And they wanted to partner with us on future ministries. And they wanted to make our work at Capel Gomer a focal point at the next National Baptist Assembly in order to encourage all the churches in Wales that God had not forgotten them, but was calling even people from across the ocean to aid and comfort and bless the brothers and sisters of Cymru – of Wales!
A “Crescendo” in music is when there is a gradual increase in force or effect, leading up to a climax. The visit of Peter and Mark was a Crescendo. It confirmed that God has anointed Derek and Capel Gomer for a great work. It reassured Allen that his calling to lead mission teams to Wales was not a mistake or a fluke. It crowned the high acheivements of our entire December Construction Mission. It gave us all a magnificent sense of relief and a delirious sense of joy.
Music is a metaphor for spiritual harmony. We have felt that spiritual harmony undergirding and flowing through all our actions here. It wasn’t necessary but it was sweet of God to give us such an obvious crescendo.
Tonight we celebrated by going to an upscale family owned Italian restaurant. But tomorrow is another working day. Pray that the music keeps flowing us along.
So the big moment came today about 9:15 a.m. The two great leaders of the Welsh Baptist denomination, Peter and Mark, came to visit us at Capel Gomer. Everyone was standing tiptoe on pins and needles, except for Derek who seemed like he was rolling around in a vat of pins and needles. Would they like the work we had done? Would they see the vision that Derek had cast for us and that we had followed with such initiative and creativity? And would they officially approve of the idea of us removing the oaken pews?
Derek and Allen greeted the men on the sidewalk as the Worship Center crew quickly cleared the last items from the stage. Allen led the men on a tour, first of the outside and the foyer, then of the Worship Center, and finally of the bathrooms, kitchen, and the Vestry or “Upper Room”. In each area, they received a brief overview of what we had achieved, and then met the craftsmen who explained the fine details.
Peter’s and Mark’s demeanors quickly turned from politeness, to graciousness, to respect, to admiration, and finally to awe. A sweet humility flowed over them as they began to praise the workmanship and thank the workers. They marveled at the lighting system, they expressed delight at Buddy’s ability to begin resuscitation of the gas heater, and they became awestruck at the stage. They walked along examining the floor with smiles on their faces. They sat in the new padded chairs. And in a truly historical moment, Peter (a woodcraftsman himself) mounted a ladder and joined the construction crew, wielding and a hammer and a pair of pliers on the back wall, stage left. As they inspected the upper room, everyone poured in from their various workstations to see what the judgment might be.
By this point, the two men were almost too moved to speak. Both had been on the brink of tears a number of times. At last, Peter spoke. The speech, though impromptu, was amazingly polished. It was so eloquent that a summary cheapens it, but there were no tape recorders, so all we can do is reconstruct it as best we can.
He thanked us profusely for our investment in resources, time, talents, and spiritual gifts and that he was deeply honored to be with us this day (even though our crew of 24 crazy Americans felt that we were the ones honored that such important dignitaries would come visit us at our worksite). The Welsh Speaking Baptist churches, he said, were in a state of disheartenment. There had been no new such churches planted in Wales in 72 years. Capel Gomer was to be a new venture, a fresh breath that would perhaps lead to a second wind for the country. He said that he and Mark felt that our construction efforts were a confirmation from above that they had made the right choice in selecting Derek Rees to begin this great work, and that we could never know what an encouragement we were to them.
We applauded. Then at Caleb’s suggestion, we held hands in a circle as Derek led us in prayer. Peter and Mark chatted amicably with many of our crew, and we all went outside for pictures of them, our whole team, and those members of Capel Gomer who were present.
And what about the pews? Peter and Mark agreed wholeheartedly that the new chairs were a perfect match in their contemporary style. Derek could sell the pews! But that was just the beginning.
Peter and Mark wanted a plaque to be engraved in Welsh and placed in a position of prominence describing the contributions of Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma and the 24 Americans who served Capel Gomer on her behalf. And they wanted someone to document the achievements of the team on video (Dr. Randy Juengel volunteered to do so.) And they wanted to send reporters from the local newspaper to report the big news as a means of promoting Capel Gomer and its charismatic young pastor. And they wanted to partner with us on future ministries. And they wanted to make our work at Capel Gomer a focal point at the next National Baptist Assembly in order to encourage all the churches in Wales that God had not forgotten them, but was calling even people from across the ocean to aid and comfort and bless the brothers and sisters of Cymru – of Wales!
A “Crescendo” in music is when there is a gradual increase in force or effect, leading up to a climax. The visit of Peter and Mark was a Crescendo. It confirmed that God has anointed Derek and Capel Gomer for a great work. It reassured Allen that his calling to lead mission teams to Wales was not a mistake or a fluke. It crowned the high acheivements of our entire December Construction Mission. It gave us all a magnificent sense of relief and a delirious sense of joy.
Music is a metaphor for spiritual harmony. We have felt that spiritual harmony undergirding and flowing through all our actions here. It wasn’t necessary but it was sweet of God to give us such an obvious crescendo.
Tonight we celebrated by going to an upscale family owned Italian restaurant. But tomorrow is another working day. Pray that the music keeps flowing us along.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Wales Mission December 2009 -- Comedy
Tuesday December 15th, 2009
OK so the joke goes something like this: There are these 16 Americans in the middle of the big city of Swansea, Wales, see, and they are each carrying these padded chairs on their heads walking along like in a parade. So a Welsh couple walks by and says to them (Pick One):
a) Three chairs for the Americans: Hip Hip Hooray!
b) Gotta have a sit as you are taking a walk, do ya?
c) Raiding a furniture store is it? Can you get me a sofa?
d) Taking the chair of your department out on the town, then?
e) All of the above.
It is a joke, but it really happened today. And the answer is e) -- at some point, someone said variations of all these jokes as we walked through the cold, dank streets late on a dark gray cloudy afternoon. How did we get into this comic mess?
Well it all starts with tomorrow. At 9:00 a.m. Derek's two bosses, Peter and Mark, the leaders of the Welsh Baptist Union (the equivalent of the President and Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention), are scheduled to meet with Derek and our team at Capel Gomer to assess how the Construction Mission is going. If all goes well, we hope they will give Derek permission for us to remove the pews and continue the remarkable transformation of the Worship Center. In preparation for tomorrow, we all want the Worship Center to look its best. It is not finished yet, but in two working days, the Deacon Box has been removed, the side pews have been stored away, the pulpit dismantled, and a brand new stage has been added from wall to wall. All the original oak facade has been recrafted so that it looks like it was always this way. The walls and floors have been cleaned and polished, and new padded chairs of a contemporary fashion have been placed where the first few pews stood only two days ago.
Our hope is that when the leaders enter, they will be overwhelmed by the craftsmanship, but even more by the vision of a church with the flexibility to meet the needs of people where they live.
So back to the chair parade. A few of the men stopped at intersections and sat down waiting for the light to change -- mainly for comedy's sake. We wondered if this would start a new Welsh tradition where every walker carries his own chair upon his back. Each of the chair paraders used his own techniques to transport the chairs. Stephen Wilson used the "Bullwinkle Moose" technique wearing the chair as a hat with the legs pointing skyward like two pairs of steel antlers. Allen balanced four chair backs on his own back like a quadruple-plated armadillo. Most of the others (including Joshua McCaleb, Brady Juengel, Jonathon Roth, Bryan Brewster, Aaron Peterson, Gavin Hart, Ethan Shuler, Tommy Weathers, Blake Ranney, Michael Cross, Buddy Hatchell, and Tim King) wore the chairs like titanium-spiked shoulder ribbons. Randy Juengel followed the parade flashing his camera like a papparazzi while Kelly Ranney provided running commentary -- running, that is across the street dodging cars as they sped by.
Aristotle defined "Comedy" as "that which ends happily." No matter what the Welsh Baptist leaders decide, this mission seems destined to end happily. The evening ended that way with all of us dining and laughing at the Varsity Pub, and giant room of flashy American culture, including a tacky spinning disco ball in the shape of one of a child's jacks. We were even joined for dinner by members Derek's church, Iestin, Elain, Erian, and Llinos. We bathed in the glow of light-hearted fellowship and of jobs well done.
And what jobs! The whole team reveres the Worship Center craftsmanship of Lonnie Hamman's heros: Aaron Peterson, Bryan Brewster, Danny Tengram, Tommy Weather, Buddy Hatchell. Their stage is so elegantly designed that the new sections flow seamlessly into the old without a flaw. Upstairs, the team of Kory Millard and Tim King quietly built another stage -- a small portable one for more intimate events. Jonathan Roth dangled on the top of a fifteen foot ladder scraping and painting for so long that he lost the feeling in his fingers. Brady Juengel actually shed blood in his pursuit of glory, leaving bright drops on the stair steps yesterday. Tom King transformed dull '50s style ceiling orbs into bright stylish 21st Century showpieces. Stephen Wilson began building the walled gardens of Babylon on the church frontage and Buddy Hatchell perhaps trumped them all -- by receiving an actual plaque of honor from the Swansea firefighter fraternity -- the very distinction they give to their most esteemed colleagues as they retire. It was a beautiful plague engraved Welsh dragons battling infernal flames. Almost as cool, they let him play with their remote controlled emergency extension ladders. What a sweet lifetime highlight for Buddy. What a happy ending of the day!
Aristotle would be proud!
OK so the joke goes something like this: There are these 16 Americans in the middle of the big city of Swansea, Wales, see, and they are each carrying these padded chairs on their heads walking along like in a parade. So a Welsh couple walks by and says to them (Pick One):
a) Three chairs for the Americans: Hip Hip Hooray!
b) Gotta have a sit as you are taking a walk, do ya?
c) Raiding a furniture store is it? Can you get me a sofa?
d) Taking the chair of your department out on the town, then?
e) All of the above.
It is a joke, but it really happened today. And the answer is e) -- at some point, someone said variations of all these jokes as we walked through the cold, dank streets late on a dark gray cloudy afternoon. How did we get into this comic mess?
Well it all starts with tomorrow. At 9:00 a.m. Derek's two bosses, Peter and Mark, the leaders of the Welsh Baptist Union (the equivalent of the President and Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention), are scheduled to meet with Derek and our team at Capel Gomer to assess how the Construction Mission is going. If all goes well, we hope they will give Derek permission for us to remove the pews and continue the remarkable transformation of the Worship Center. In preparation for tomorrow, we all want the Worship Center to look its best. It is not finished yet, but in two working days, the Deacon Box has been removed, the side pews have been stored away, the pulpit dismantled, and a brand new stage has been added from wall to wall. All the original oak facade has been recrafted so that it looks like it was always this way. The walls and floors have been cleaned and polished, and new padded chairs of a contemporary fashion have been placed where the first few pews stood only two days ago.
Our hope is that when the leaders enter, they will be overwhelmed by the craftsmanship, but even more by the vision of a church with the flexibility to meet the needs of people where they live.
So back to the chair parade. A few of the men stopped at intersections and sat down waiting for the light to change -- mainly for comedy's sake. We wondered if this would start a new Welsh tradition where every walker carries his own chair upon his back. Each of the chair paraders used his own techniques to transport the chairs. Stephen Wilson used the "Bullwinkle Moose" technique wearing the chair as a hat with the legs pointing skyward like two pairs of steel antlers. Allen balanced four chair backs on his own back like a quadruple-plated armadillo. Most of the others (including Joshua McCaleb, Brady Juengel, Jonathon Roth, Bryan Brewster, Aaron Peterson, Gavin Hart, Ethan Shuler, Tommy Weathers, Blake Ranney, Michael Cross, Buddy Hatchell, and Tim King) wore the chairs like titanium-spiked shoulder ribbons. Randy Juengel followed the parade flashing his camera like a papparazzi while Kelly Ranney provided running commentary -- running, that is across the street dodging cars as they sped by.
Aristotle defined "Comedy" as "that which ends happily." No matter what the Welsh Baptist leaders decide, this mission seems destined to end happily. The evening ended that way with all of us dining and laughing at the Varsity Pub, and giant room of flashy American culture, including a tacky spinning disco ball in the shape of one of a child's jacks. We were even joined for dinner by members Derek's church, Iestin, Elain, Erian, and Llinos. We bathed in the glow of light-hearted fellowship and of jobs well done.
And what jobs! The whole team reveres the Worship Center craftsmanship of Lonnie Hamman's heros: Aaron Peterson, Bryan Brewster, Danny Tengram, Tommy Weather, Buddy Hatchell. Their stage is so elegantly designed that the new sections flow seamlessly into the old without a flaw. Upstairs, the team of Kory Millard and Tim King quietly built another stage -- a small portable one for more intimate events. Jonathan Roth dangled on the top of a fifteen foot ladder scraping and painting for so long that he lost the feeling in his fingers. Brady Juengel actually shed blood in his pursuit of glory, leaving bright drops on the stair steps yesterday. Tom King transformed dull '50s style ceiling orbs into bright stylish 21st Century showpieces. Stephen Wilson began building the walled gardens of Babylon on the church frontage and Buddy Hatchell perhaps trumped them all -- by receiving an actual plaque of honor from the Swansea firefighter fraternity -- the very distinction they give to their most esteemed colleagues as they retire. It was a beautiful plague engraved Welsh dragons battling infernal flames. Almost as cool, they let him play with their remote controlled emergency extension ladders. What a sweet lifetime highlight for Buddy. What a happy ending of the day!
Aristotle would be proud!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Wales Mission December 2009 -- Convergence
Monday December 14th, 2009
I have monitored an ant hill for hours, watching the almost mystical machine-like precision of the ants as they went about their various tasks like cogs in a mound shaped wheel. Each had a single task it relentlessy pursued and yet not one strayed outside the strict parameters of the collective effort. Three strained together carrying a green stem. A parade of soldiers marching from the other direction never touched them. Dozens of others gravitated toward the center hole, foraging and scouting without ever crossing paths or crossing purposes. When one encountered the sudden danger of my stamped foot, the entire colony seemed to spring into action together as one as if controlled by an unseen force watching from on high. I have often wondered what it would be like to encounter the hive mind. Now I have seen it: it is the mind of Christ.
When we began our adventure we were a rag-tag band of 24 disparate individuals who did not even know each other's names. But that was a lifetime ago. That was Saturday.
Our travels were remarkable mainly because everything went so flawlessly. No one was late to the airport. We all had our passports. The planes took off with minimum delays. The flights were smooth, even luxurious -- some of us even had three seats in a row upon which we could recline as we crossed the Atlantic. The bus was awaiting us upon our arrival in Bristol which was a first for us. The bus was spacious and new and the driver friendly and efficient. We even stayed a bit ahead of schedule as we toured some sites on Sunday. There were, however, a few major glitches.
First, three of us almost missed our flight From Houston to Newark. We all mistakenly assumed that We were all on the same flight which was to depart many hours later. But as a nearby gate was boarding for Newark, David and Kelly Ranney noticed that they were supposed to be on board. Right now! A panic ensued as everyone feverishly began to clamber for their boarding passes to check the gate and flight times. Of course, several of us were shopping deep in the bowels of the airport so footfalls and phone calls were cast to contact them so they could check their boarding passes. The three made their flight and were enthroned in shoeshine chairs waiting for the rest of the team as we arrived in Newark, but there were still some anxious moments.
But the anxiety only resulted in an amusing story. Less amusing, however, was the moment we all shared as we tried to pass through immigration in Bristol. We knew that we were not to mention that we were associated with a church or a mission or we would be expelled from the country. We had even been told by a seasoned Baptist missionary on the ground that with the restrictions being so tightenend by the British government and with so many of us going, that he thought at least some of might not make it through. Allen Rice was particularly worried about this and he had been for weeks.
The real trouble started when a young immigration official began interrogating Tim King trying to pressure him into admitting he was with a religious group. But Tim kept his cool. Next, the official made Allen come forward all the way from the back of the line. Perhaps five minutes of interrogation followed that would make Jack Bauer proud. But Tim and Allen were allowed to pass through, and after them, the rest of the group was permitted to pass without real comment. It was not an altogether stressless moment. But God was faithful and Tim was graceful under pressure.
We had a huge breakfast at a pub which kindly opened just for us (we were seated before the chefs arrived to work). It was an old boathouse with walls like castle fortifications and crossbeams like masts of galleons. It was truly marvelous. Frank Wheeler said he had to keep reminding himself that it was not a Disneyland version of a Welsh pub -- it was real. We spent an hour touring the great ruined monastery of Tintern Abbey, all giant gray stone and holy mists fast by the flowing Wye River which cuts through the sheer limestone cliffs of the deep Wye Valley. The structure is a monument to medieval craftsmanship and to the God they revered. We gloried in the abbey and revered Him too.
Then on to the broad-shouldered triple-moated towers of Caerphilly Castle where we ran smack-dab into a "Medieval Market" which gave the ancient site the kind of circus-like liveliness it must have had in the 1200's when it was completed. There were leaning walls, motley fools, and chainmailed knights for our wonder and amazement. Not even chill winds or a brief spitting rain could dampen the large crowd's spirits or ours.
The next stop was Swansea and the glittering Dragon Hotel where we were met by Derek Rees and his childhood friend and fellow churchman, Iestin. Derek is the 23 year old first time Baptist pastor of a new church -- the first Welsh-speaking church plant in the last 75 years of Welsh History! It is also the only Welsh-speaking evangelical church in Swansea. Ever. There were many bright introductions, animated conversations, and and even a few hugs as the team was finally completed. We ate at a brightly lit pub called Witherspoons where we were accosted and entertained by a drunken Welshman with a booming voice like a tiger's growl. Then we made our way to Capel Gomer where Derek cast his grand vision of what Capel Gomer could be as a beacon of light for Swansea and all of Wales. The team received the vision and merged it with the rainbow creativity of their spiritual gifting:
Kelly Ranney saw a small hole between the kitchen and a fellowship Hall and saw a doorway. Within 24 hours it became a doorway in large part to the leadership of Kory Millard, whose quiet demeanor was usually only broken whe he playfully denied he was a professional construction supervisor. Caleb McCaleb, Construction Team High Commander, assigned the grand task of the Worship Center to Lonnie Hamman whose intensive standards of able craftsmanship drove his team into what seemed to be an ever-increasing pace and fervor as they removed the deacon box, pulpit, and side pews and replaced them with a stage with an ornamental oak facade that made it seem like been in place since the church's foundation was founded. Randy Juengel envisioned an outdoor patio were there stood a stone landing at the base of moss-covered stairs like a bad seventies shag carpet. Tom King put in a fashionable pair of lightning bolt-shaped track lighting assemblies in the curch entryway which advanced the tone to the 21st century back from the sixties -- by which I mean the 1860's. Buddy Hatchell by faith alone willed a utilities truck to appear fifteen feet away from him so a man could consult him on the Byzantine mysteries of British gas and electrical systems. We saw a gray box-like frontage of bland charcoal concrete and Stephen Wilson envisioned the gates of Eden. Joshua McCaleb, Brady Juengel, Jonathan Roth, Blake Ranney, and Michael Cross became a blur of muscular arms and testosterone-powered legs as they lifted, carried, set down, lifted and re-carried a forest of pews and piles of bricks and lumber. Everyone soldiered on in their labors of love, growing stronger in their morale as they went and sensing that their labors of love were part of a bigger picture they could glimpse briefly out of the corners of their eyes when they stooped to catch their breaths or to munch a slice of pizza.
We began a lifetime ago as a ragtag band who did not know each other's names. In one day on the job, we moved in inexplicable harmony, sensing a direction from on high and a wondrous synergy in our spoken and especially in our unspoken actions. Like a Convergence. Like a tribe of ants emerging from the mound of faith and common experience.
I have monitored an ant hill for hours, watching the almost mystical machine-like precision of the ants as they went about their various tasks like cogs in a mound shaped wheel. Each had a single task it relentlessy pursued and yet not one strayed outside the strict parameters of the collective effort. Three strained together carrying a green stem. A parade of soldiers marching from the other direction never touched them. Dozens of others gravitated toward the center hole, foraging and scouting without ever crossing paths or crossing purposes. When one encountered the sudden danger of my stamped foot, the entire colony seemed to spring into action together as one as if controlled by an unseen force watching from on high. I have often wondered what it would be like to encounter the hive mind. Now I have seen it: it is the mind of Christ.
When we began our adventure we were a rag-tag band of 24 disparate individuals who did not even know each other's names. But that was a lifetime ago. That was Saturday.
Our travels were remarkable mainly because everything went so flawlessly. No one was late to the airport. We all had our passports. The planes took off with minimum delays. The flights were smooth, even luxurious -- some of us even had three seats in a row upon which we could recline as we crossed the Atlantic. The bus was awaiting us upon our arrival in Bristol which was a first for us. The bus was spacious and new and the driver friendly and efficient. We even stayed a bit ahead of schedule as we toured some sites on Sunday. There were, however, a few major glitches.
First, three of us almost missed our flight From Houston to Newark. We all mistakenly assumed that We were all on the same flight which was to depart many hours later. But as a nearby gate was boarding for Newark, David and Kelly Ranney noticed that they were supposed to be on board. Right now! A panic ensued as everyone feverishly began to clamber for their boarding passes to check the gate and flight times. Of course, several of us were shopping deep in the bowels of the airport so footfalls and phone calls were cast to contact them so they could check their boarding passes. The three made their flight and were enthroned in shoeshine chairs waiting for the rest of the team as we arrived in Newark, but there were still some anxious moments.
But the anxiety only resulted in an amusing story. Less amusing, however, was the moment we all shared as we tried to pass through immigration in Bristol. We knew that we were not to mention that we were associated with a church or a mission or we would be expelled from the country. We had even been told by a seasoned Baptist missionary on the ground that with the restrictions being so tightenend by the British government and with so many of us going, that he thought at least some of might not make it through. Allen Rice was particularly worried about this and he had been for weeks.
The real trouble started when a young immigration official began interrogating Tim King trying to pressure him into admitting he was with a religious group. But Tim kept his cool. Next, the official made Allen come forward all the way from the back of the line. Perhaps five minutes of interrogation followed that would make Jack Bauer proud. But Tim and Allen were allowed to pass through, and after them, the rest of the group was permitted to pass without real comment. It was not an altogether stressless moment. But God was faithful and Tim was graceful under pressure.
We had a huge breakfast at a pub which kindly opened just for us (we were seated before the chefs arrived to work). It was an old boathouse with walls like castle fortifications and crossbeams like masts of galleons. It was truly marvelous. Frank Wheeler said he had to keep reminding himself that it was not a Disneyland version of a Welsh pub -- it was real. We spent an hour touring the great ruined monastery of Tintern Abbey, all giant gray stone and holy mists fast by the flowing Wye River which cuts through the sheer limestone cliffs of the deep Wye Valley. The structure is a monument to medieval craftsmanship and to the God they revered. We gloried in the abbey and revered Him too.
Then on to the broad-shouldered triple-moated towers of Caerphilly Castle where we ran smack-dab into a "Medieval Market" which gave the ancient site the kind of circus-like liveliness it must have had in the 1200's when it was completed. There were leaning walls, motley fools, and chainmailed knights for our wonder and amazement. Not even chill winds or a brief spitting rain could dampen the large crowd's spirits or ours.
The next stop was Swansea and the glittering Dragon Hotel where we were met by Derek Rees and his childhood friend and fellow churchman, Iestin. Derek is the 23 year old first time Baptist pastor of a new church -- the first Welsh-speaking church plant in the last 75 years of Welsh History! It is also the only Welsh-speaking evangelical church in Swansea. Ever. There were many bright introductions, animated conversations, and and even a few hugs as the team was finally completed. We ate at a brightly lit pub called Witherspoons where we were accosted and entertained by a drunken Welshman with a booming voice like a tiger's growl. Then we made our way to Capel Gomer where Derek cast his grand vision of what Capel Gomer could be as a beacon of light for Swansea and all of Wales. The team received the vision and merged it with the rainbow creativity of their spiritual gifting:
Kelly Ranney saw a small hole between the kitchen and a fellowship Hall and saw a doorway. Within 24 hours it became a doorway in large part to the leadership of Kory Millard, whose quiet demeanor was usually only broken whe he playfully denied he was a professional construction supervisor. Caleb McCaleb, Construction Team High Commander, assigned the grand task of the Worship Center to Lonnie Hamman whose intensive standards of able craftsmanship drove his team into what seemed to be an ever-increasing pace and fervor as they removed the deacon box, pulpit, and side pews and replaced them with a stage with an ornamental oak facade that made it seem like been in place since the church's foundation was founded. Randy Juengel envisioned an outdoor patio were there stood a stone landing at the base of moss-covered stairs like a bad seventies shag carpet. Tom King put in a fashionable pair of lightning bolt-shaped track lighting assemblies in the curch entryway which advanced the tone to the 21st century back from the sixties -- by which I mean the 1860's. Buddy Hatchell by faith alone willed a utilities truck to appear fifteen feet away from him so a man could consult him on the Byzantine mysteries of British gas and electrical systems. We saw a gray box-like frontage of bland charcoal concrete and Stephen Wilson envisioned the gates of Eden. Joshua McCaleb, Brady Juengel, Jonathan Roth, Blake Ranney, and Michael Cross became a blur of muscular arms and testosterone-powered legs as they lifted, carried, set down, lifted and re-carried a forest of pews and piles of bricks and lumber. Everyone soldiered on in their labors of love, growing stronger in their morale as they went and sensing that their labors of love were part of a bigger picture they could glimpse briefly out of the corners of their eyes when they stooped to catch their breaths or to munch a slice of pizza.
We began a lifetime ago as a ragtag band who did not know each other's names. In one day on the job, we moved in inexplicable harmony, sensing a direction from on high and a wondrous synergy in our spoken and especially in our unspoken actions. Like a Convergence. Like a tribe of ants emerging from the mound of faith and common experience.
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