Placement, vocation and study

As part of my vocation exploration, I have recently started an eight week placement at a church about half an hour from where I live. As I work full-time, this is primarily Sunday's and one or two evenings. The idea is to gain more experience of a more evangelical worship style and also to get some experience of doing, "stuff," at the front. Now I already do some, "stuff," like readings and interercessions, but there is always the added dimension in your home church of being known and so doing anything else carries baggage in all sorts of ways.

So to try these and other things somewhere else can be very helpful. In the first half of the placement I've read at early and evening Sunday worship and been to a leadership team discussion about holiness which was enjoyable and humbling to be part of. Over the next four weeks I'll be leaving the comfort zone so leading evening worship, going to a healing service, leading intercessions and then preach a homily in the final week.

Now I've only ever led one service of more that half-a-dozen folks (that was an adapted morning prayer a few months ago) so this will be an interesting experience. I've also never preached before so that will be another new experience.

Later this week, I'll also be starting back at theology college as an independent student. This term it's worship and the word or preaching and liturgy, which may prove very helpful on the placement.

All of this is going to be rather hard work and yet while not relaxed about it, I feel comfortable that this is the right path.

Finally, the other week I led evening prayer in church, where one other person came. In that space, in the north aisle with a candle and the rest of the church in darkness, the other person said at the end that they felt unable to pray alone and said, "thank you for helping me pray," at that moment it felt like I had been in the right place at the right time.