Doing ordinary things very well

I always enjoy the celebrations for St. Patrick’s Day in Downpatrick. The little church of Saul is believed to be the first Christian site established by St. Patrick around 432 AD.

Each year, there is a morning of spiritual events and a pilgrimage and a festival service in the cathedral.

I drive down early to get the bus to Saul, which is about 3 miles out of the town. After the early communion service, there is a pilgrimage to the cathedral and the pilgrims stop at various points to pray for the population of the town, its businesses, those in education and the witness of all the churches. As you walk, you naturally drop into conversation with other pilgrims and break into small groups to pray at about 4 or 5 points along the way.

This year the theme was ‘Godly Leadership’ and there was an inspiring sermon at the early communion by the director of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute,  Canon Dr. Maurice Elliott.

As we made our way along, at one point I spoke to the preacher at the festival service. He was originally from Derry and had spent much of his life as a judge in London. He was a member of staff at a big central London church called All Souls, Langham Place.

He also preached an outstanding sermon about parallels between the leadership of Patrick and Joshua from the old Testament.

Sometimes, when I hear talks about leadership, or conferences about leadership, it can feel quite overwhelming. Leaders tend to be people we think of as confident and competent and full of vision and energy. We expect a lot from them.

Think of football managers or sports coaches. If you lose 4 games on the trot as a premier league manager, the media won’t be long speculating about when you are going to get the sack. This year, Ireland lost one game in the Six Nations rugby tournament and ended up in third place. People questioned the ability of the interim caretaker coach and everyone wonders, after one loss, has the whole system failed.

As a church leader, who spends quite a bit of time doing ordinary things – preparing sermons, visiting the sick at home or in hospital, organising services for holy seasons like Lent, Holy week and Easter – in attending to the ordinary stuff, there is a tendency to compare your situation unfavourably to the churches in other places who are embarking on ambitious projects, who seem to be much more vibrant or successful at reaching various groups in society than you are.

Perhaps, that’s why I loved the talk given by David Turner QC so much. It was a throwaway line that seemed to leap into my heart with a vitality that must have come from the Holy Spirit. As he talked about Godly leadership and integrity, he heralded Patrick and Joshua as people who did ordinary things very well, and he encouraged the congregation to go away and do just that in our churches.

Sometimes I watch people, like church wardens, who meet and greet the congregation as they come into church. No matter what might be going on in their own lives, they meet and greet with a smile and a warm conversation. They pass on important messages that need to be communicated, they organise collectors, they prepare so thoroughly for the rest of the congregation coming in so they can encounter and experience God in worship.

I think of the choir who rehearse and sing at morning and evening services offering a lead along with the organist to the congregation.

I think of the select vestry or the church trustees who spend time on matters of governance ensuring activities are safely run, maintaining the church properties and making decisions about finances.

I think of glebe wardens who oversee the maintenance programme, calling in expertise at times to remove danger or future proof the safety of our buildings. They organise work parties, and volunteers turn up to do everything from gardening to clearing drains and setting out chairs.

A lot of it sounds like ordinary stuff, doesn’t it? It doesn’t sound particularly godly or significant, and yet these things are vitally important in the life of any church. There are so many hidden people who arrange flowers, visit people, prepare and teach Sunday schools and youth groups and lead organisations.

They get into the car and come and open up in all sorts of weather. They show up even when they don’t feel like it and, maybe, the words they share offer hope, or the activity they run gives people a sense of confidence or worth or the heart to keep going with the challenges they face.

That’s the beauty of doing ordinary things very well, and today, as always, I salute the many volunteers across this land who are the backbone of every church community. They make Christ known by doing ordinary things very well.

Look forward to speaking again soon.

Much love to everyone,

Jono.

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