Multiply UK Leaders Conference (MUKL) 2014

Trapped by my now-officially more prominent role in Multiply, I ended up on the planning team for MUKL.  And anyway, they met in my office.  So I was ahead of the game when we sounded out Kings Church Medway if they'd act as hosts, and delighted that they readily agreed. 

The shift of the venue to Kent raised a challenge for folks who customarily like to attend but who live north of Watford.  Even the Northamptonshire Church contingent would have to leave at 7am.   Claire was quick to spot my dilemma; "You and Mary must stay overnight with us at River."   Great - we took the invitation to extend the weekend to spend Sunday morning with the Coventry saints.  But others didn't cope so well, and Hannah had to cancel the comfortable coach we booked in favour of two minibuses (ah - economy). 

Ed (also co-opted, like me), Iain and Pastor Andrew, who was over from Uganda for two weeks' 'Leadership Hosting', visited Kings Church in September to cover the practical issues.  Desmond, new Chair of Multiply International Exec, had had to cancel his return travel plans to Sierra Leone and so agreed to head up the morning teaching.

Steven had attended last year, and was keen to come with us, and Jamie was up for it too.  So, Friday teatime and evening found us comfortably spread around River's lounge appreciating the local saints, and abundance of chocolate.  I heard Andy Lantsbery come home at 1am after he'd been evangelising in Birmingham, even though he was our early morning driver.  Hardcore.

Kings Church were on a high.  They'd just started to move into their new community house bang opposite the church and next door to their Caring Hands outreach ministry and initial shared house premises.  "The church is winning," was the spirit.  Their community contingent is now about 60 strong, and circumstances around the property auction and free remodelling of their grounds indeed speak of the Lord's favour.  During the lunch break we had a guided tour.

Kings Church leader Mat Guest led the afternoon session, complete with a great band arrangement of Hillsongs 'Oceans'.  Mat made the hard-to-argue-with statement: "You must change, that's the start of the church changing, and we impact change on the world, by which the church grows (with new people)".   Whew; so why do we hunker down in our holy huddles?

Of course in all the buzz, we were late leaving.  And our foursome were similarly late arriving at Kings House, (in the middle of their Saturday evening get-together).  Sunday morning at Coventry Jesus Centre followed the format of their monthly evening celebration, with full band and baptisms.  Their faith is on a rising trajectory, too.  Yes, Christians are winning.

The Big Pick

Sheffield Praise Day - the whole Church celebrating indoors; the Big Pick - out in creation enjoying the massive fruit harvest.  It may seem crazy to drive from Sheffield to Northampton just to pick apples, but that's only part of the purpose.  (Even when the sixth core value I've adopted is: "earn all you can; save all you can; and spend nowt.")  This was a 'Zion' occasion, the community heart of the Church.

Monday afternoon 11 August found a national leaders' event in progress at Cornhill.  There was a sudden intense hailstorm.  It dimpled the skin on the nearby apple crop, and wrote £20,000 off its market value.  However, we have a second product string to our New Creation Farm bow, which is pure apple juice.

 If we could get the crop harvested and sent for pressing we'd save some of the lost revenue.  So, picking wasn't the "treat 'em like eggs" procedure that I recall from several other years.  We had big crates to fill, and you could throw down the picked apples in handfuls.

The sun was glorious, but the unusually warm October was giving way to something more average.  And the orchard fields were muddy!  We'd brought along Nkakasang from Botswana and her friend - suitably togged up - and a bunch of Eritreans.   Titus was delighted to find that the fruit at the treetops also needing picking, and spent much of the time swinging from branch to branch.

We broke for a tea break in the grading shed yard, where a phalax of barbecues and trestle tables were being laid out for the bring-and-share lunch later.  Then we crossed to fields near the rail line.  I hadn't been to these rows for some years, when I remember they were planted with soft fruits like blackcurrant.  In between I caught up with Ralph about a trip to visit Sokie in Malaysia, and tackled Huw, our caretaker Apostolic Leader, about another key leaders meeting in Sheffield.

Jimmie Norden (of Zambia fame) had borrowed a drone to do some overhead videoing. (You can catch the whole production at http://jesus.org.uk/videos/special-short/new-creation-farm-view-above).  Then the call was, "Lunch time!", and the tractors came to cart away our efforts.  No-one seemed in a hurry to rush home.  After, Andy Lantsbery, the fruit 'manager', told me we'd lifted 30 tons.  It's an interesting life we've chosen.