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A strategy to beat Pandemic

The game of choice this year has been Pandemic, a cooperative board game where all players join together to defeat viruses outbreaks across the world. I don’t know what made us think of this, but there we are. Pandemic is a notoriously difficult cooperative game…

A strategy to beat Pandemic
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Who's afraid of the farmer?

I am not fully decided whether it is the pandemic or the predicted economic and employment turmoil that I am most concerned about.

Who's afraid of the farmer?
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God's irresistible transformation

In Acts 9 we read of Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, and his sudden and unexpected experience of being rendered blind. Done to him, it plunged him into darkness and removed from him every confidence, certainty, and comfort that he was previously used to, and made him dependent upon others.

God's irresistible transformation
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Stop the world... don't stop the world

I remember press coverage of a “private” conversation between world leaders at a G8 summit a few years back where our (then) prime minister complained about the lack of thinking time and the relentless unceasing mill of meetings and decisions. There was no opportunity to pause or reflect or to gather evidence before setting events in motion, and as the leaders talked they each revealed a longing for space to reflect and consider.

Stop the world... don't stop the world
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What if normal never was?

If you’re starting to struggle, you’re not alone. I’ve been grappling this week with feeling sad at the ministries and gatherings that have dropped away because they can’t meet, and trying to summon up the energy to make some calls to colleagues. I suspect I’m not alone in wanting things to hurry up in a return to “normal”.

What if normal never was?

Goodbye and thank you

One of the UCAN Directors – Colin Rye – stepped down from his place on the Director’s Board over the summer. For many years, as Executive Pastor at Christ Church Virginia Water Colin was an extremely active member of the UCAN network and was also on the Oversight Group, working alongside John Truscott. When Colin left church administration to work as DAI UK’s CEO & Senior Consultant, he continued as a UCAN Associate and still served on the Oversight Group. In summer 2017, when the Oversight Group transitioned to the UCAN Board of Directors, Colin became a Director and bought invaluable experience and perspective on Governance and Strategic planning into UCAN in particular.

As much as we wanted to keep Colin forever, after his retirement from DAI UK last March we knew that at some point we would have to let him go! Colin resigned from the Board in July after a thorough and careful hand over of his responsibilities. We will miss him greatly on the Board, but we wish him every success as he enters retirement and continues to be very active in his local church. I hope that you will join us in thanking Colin for all that he has done to serve UCAN so well and so faithfully and that you will pray for him, his family and his church for the next season ahead.

UCAN at New Wine

Thank you to all the UCAN members who came and supported the networking events over the two weeks of New Wine and for those who attended the seminar led by Andy Bagwell in Week 2 on ‘The Spiritual Gift of Administration’. Andy spoke about the crucial importance of this gift to the people of God and provided ways for those attending to think about how effective, creative and strategic administration can advance the Kingdom of God in their home church contexts. It was really well attended and the feedback afterwards was very positive.

It was good to meet people at the networking events who were considering joining UCAN and looking at ways to develop church administration in their contexts and we are delighted that a number of you have since signed up for UCAN – welcome!

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