Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Tales of a travelling Mobster
Now that I have stopped, I have finally caught up with how I am feeling post-dissertation and pre-important meeting with the Bishop of London's Mission Fund Committee. The truth is that I came here in pain. A pain that the church treats Emerging & Fresh Expressions of Church, in my view, terribly, and thoroughly fed up having to continue being an OT when I wanted to stop 2 years ago. However, I have arrived in a city - New York, which is still visibly in pain, despite its wealth and commercialism, it has still not come to terms with Sept 11th. People continue to gather at Ground Zero, in shock and disbelief - that people would want to do such a thing to the USA. Many have no idea about the effects of American Foreign Policy!!However, on the other side, it has put my own inner pain, (economic, personal and a need for recognition for what we in Moot are doing), into perspective. I have found comfort in seeing Anglican Christians in Manhattan do extremely good pastoral work with those still traumatised, (Holy Trinity Wall Street) is next to Ground Zero. Its little second church, I think it is called St Peters is right ontop of where the 2 towers fell, and it is full of peoples drawings, sculptures and other angst driven expressions to God, which now sit in the church as an eerie transcendent moment. I have cried at what I have seen, and the pain which remains - and not just because I am over-tired with jet lag.
On the good side, I have time to think, to breathe deeply, to pray and gather who I am again. I have met up with Karen from COTA, our sister group in Seattle and sunk a few Belgian beers. So I am begining to feel better already. Most generously, I have my own apartment off Wall Street & Broadway in Lower Manhattan, and I am feeling very spoilt as it is costing me nothing, and it is a real privilege to be here. Tomorrow I mix in prayer about my future, with touristy things before I head off with the Consultation to Conneticut to what sounds an incredible retreat centre in the mountains.
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