THE FRITH FLYER… Christmas 2011

Dear Friends

Christmas
Greetings
from the
Friths

All Change

Christmas is about change. Just think how the arrival of that small, helpless baby changed the world. Even if you’re not a Christian, you have to admit that the events of that first Christmas had an amazing impact on the world.

Think, too, how that event which happened 2000 years ago has changed your life today. Not just from the way that Christianity has influenced the world around you, but also the changes that have taken place in your life as a result of God reaching out through Jesus.

I have to admit, I like change. I like it because it excites me. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and an optimist, which means that I’m rarely happy with the status quo and always looking for a change for the better.

God never wants us to settle for anything less than life with Him in all its fullness ... and, as we’re not perfect, it takes constant change (John Wesley called it ‘sanctification’).

Christmas reminds us that God is in the business of change. Whilst He doesn’t change, His presence challenges us to change the world and change our lives for the better. It’s hard if we don’t like change ... as we will probably struggle with seeing Him at work in our world and our lives. But if we can embrace change, or better still, encourage it ... we’re then open to the extraordinary things that God wants to do through us.

Whatever changes are happening in your life at the moment, I hope and pray that God will give you the strength and courage to embrace them and look for the new opportunities He’s got for you up ahead.

What happened to 2011?

The last most of you heard from us was when I was just about to go on sabbatical. It seems a long time ago now, as it went by very quickly. So what did I end up doing?

Spain

You may remember that we went to Spain for two weeks, to stay in a missionary's house in a small town in Southern Spain. Virtually no-one in the town spoke any English. Joanna's GCSE Spanish was tested to the limit, but we got by. Ordering octopus in a restaurant without knowing what it was was interesting. Legs everywhere! It was a good experience for us all, and a real reminder of how important it is being able to communicate in cross-cultural settings. I hadn't felt so hopeless with the language since we went to learn French in Paris in 1993. After that, we could always communicate with at least one language whilst we were overseas.

Another significant aspect of culture shock that we experienced was the Catholic tradition that is so engrained in Spanish culture. As our two weeks were just before Easter, there were nightly processions around the town with passion scenes on floats and strange costumes that looked like something out of the Spanish inquisition. All very interesting, but also quite unnerving.

Where would you start as a missionary in a place like this? Breaking into the culture seemed almost impossible. Quite a different situation from those we had experienced in our time overseas. We returned with a fresh realisation of the issues faced when you first go overseas on mission, and a respect for the family whose house we stayed in as they had worked for 13 years in that area.

Sabbatical

After we returned from Spain, I spent a bit of time thinking through what sabbatical really meant. The root of the word, Sabbath, means rest. However, digging a little deeper I discovered that the essence of sabbatical means rest from the work you normally do. Not just the tasks but the way in which you do them too. It should be a change of routine and practice, to bring a change of focus. Swapping one 'work' for another that is related to it, albeit very noble, didn't seem the right thing. I came to the conclusion that I should resist the temptation to fill the time with something, tasks or projects, that will just be a continuation of my normal life state, even if the subjects change. I tried to create a 'space' for things to happen naturally, without the pressure of needing to achieve something. That may sound like a strange thing to you, and it was to me at first, but once I got through the barrier of feeling like I needed to be doing something, it was quite releasing. Before long, I started doing things that I could choose freely and, whilst they didn't seem to produce very much, they energised me. Some things that I normally never get time for, always squeezed out for other more urgent or 'important' things.

So, what were these things? Well, I actually tried to get away from the computer as much as possible as I'm normally married to it (after Cheryl, of course). This meant that I didn't think that embarking on some long writing or research project would be such a good idea, as it would be a bit too close to what I do normally. I went walking, did some gardening, read, painted the house window frames, fixed the cars, spent more time with the family, spent more time on my model aircraft hobby and got to know the other model club members better ... a whole range of things I normally don't get much time to do. Many of these, being very practical things, were times of re-energising and re-discovery, as I'm quite a practical person. They were also quite introverted things, which again fed my natural personality. I did spend a bit of time on the projects I had vaguely planned, but only when I felt like it.

The result was I felt I gained a much better balance back to my daily life and my state of wellbeing. Cheryl will tell you that it was a bit like having the real me back again, not the one who is normally doing several things at once and always juggling responsibilities and commitments. God showed me several things along the way ... not in some dramatic spiritual revelation, but little things that I would have missed if I hadn't stopped to 'smell the roses'.

We had some ongoing issues that we hoped my sabbatical 'time out' would answer, and some things arose that we felt we needed to address. Some work related and some not. Some of the changes below are results of those thought processes.

Training and OSCAR

I felt, even before the sabbatical, that training was going to figure higher in my next season of work than before. As the sabbatical was starting I was getting several enquiries about leading the 'Serving as Senders' course that I offer. I only usually do a couple of these each year, but by the time my sabbatical came to an end, I had four booked for the Autumn (2 in Scotland!). I got the message. So, I'm concentrating a bit more on developing and delivering mission related training and this will be a bigger part of my work from now on (see upcoming events!). Where will I find the time? Well, my two OSCAR co-workers, Cheryl and Ceri, did a great job in the office during the sabbatical and they have highlighted the need for me to seek help with OSCAR's regular work so that I can have more time for training. However, OSCAR's finances have been very squeezed the last two years, so there's no way we could afford to take on anyone paid. This Autumn, I decided to try and advertise for a voluntary office assistant and a web designer ... and in the last week I have found someone for each of these positions! So between Cheryl and Adelin (the new office assistant) I'll have pretty much full-time admin help, and with Scott (the web developer) I have someone who can keep the development of OSCAR's website(s) moving forward for a while. All with little or no cost to OSCAR, which is great.

Other than that, most things with OSCAR will remain the same. I'm still completely passionate and commited to the vision of OSCAR, and that's what I feel God wants me to continue to do, so that's the main thing that's not changing. I love my work and am really excited about the possibilities and opportunities that OSCAR has to make a real difference to advancing God's kingdom around the world. OSCAR provides a unique ministry and is now a major part of the support structure provided to many mission workers.

Cheryl's work at Redcliffe

We had thought for a while that Cheryl's work with Redcliffe College, as former student coordinator, was coming to an end. She felt that she had achieved all that she was able to achieve and was looking for what God had for her next. So, she made the decision to leave at the end of the last academic year (July). After my sabbatical experience, she was wanting to have a bit of 'time out' to explore what God might have for her next. Through the Autumn, she has been doing two days a week with OSCAR, but has spent the rest of the time exploring some other things too. We have both always been fully committed to Christian work, so going outside this has never really felt like an option. As with me and my sabbatical, it took Cheryl a little while to get use to much less routine and role, but as we approach Christmas she feels more optimistic about what God has for her up ahead. As for what that might be, she's still not sure ... but there are a few things simmering away (and I'm not talking about the turkey gravy!). I think you'll have to wait until the next newsletter to see how it all pans out for her.

Church

Another change that we felt we needed to make was moving churches! For a while we realised that the kids, William in particular, was losing interest and engagement with church ... not helped by the fact that there were 4 girls and no other boys in his age group. Before things got any harder, we decided to move churches over the Summer to one which has some vibrant youth work. So, we now attend St. Andrew's CofE church in Churchdown. Like our last church, it's lively, informal and modern in style, evangelical and mildly charismatic ... but with quite a few more people in the congregation, and many more people in the Youth groups. Joanna is really enjoying her youth group activities ... she already knew some of the others from her school. William takes a bit longer to make friends, but he's much happier at church generally, plus the church is along the road from his new school so there are a few others from his school in the group.

It's been an interesting transition for Cheryl and I. We're not usually just 'pew sitters' but I'm appreciating not being too busy (or too known!) at church. It's just as well because quite a few of my training events are at weekends, so I couldn't have done both. We have volunteered for some things though. Cheryl has put her name down for Prayer Ministry, she also helps with their coffee morning on Thursdays at the moment (and is getting to know people much quicker than I am!). I've put my name down for 'Music group' in the hope that I can lead worship once in a while. No-one has approached me yet!

Kids Korner

Summer was a bit of a turning point for both Joanna and William, so it was great to have a wonderful week at New Wine to start the summer holidays. Both of them thought it was the best year yet (we've been going for 7 years now!) and really enjoyed it. Joanna then went back to Soul Survivor for 5 days! She now wants to come to New Wine with me next year in the first week (whilst I'm working on the OSCAR stand) and help in the younger children's groups. Later in the summer we all had a wonderful week in West Wales, where the weather was wicked (sorry, seeing how many 'w's I could get in one sentence).

Joanna is working her way through her final GCSE year. She did some of her mock exams last week, and has more after Christmas, so it's a busy time for her. She copes very well with it all, though, and works hard. Amidst all the work, we're looking around the vast choice of sixth forms that there are in Gloucester. She wants to do A levels in Spanish, Geography, Philosophy and Ethics, and possibly Textiles ... so not all schools do that combination. It's unlikely at this point that she'll stay on at The King's School for sixth form.

William has settled well into Churchdown School. Their school's good reputation for pastoral care shone through early on when William received a postcard through the door saying that he'd got an award from the Head of Year. That set him off on the right foot, so he's been very positive about school and is even, dare I say it, enjoying himself (who ever heard of such nonsense?). He's also learning the trumpet (and enjoying that, too).

 
So as 2011 draws to a close, there's a lot going on ... and much to be thankful to God for. We're also very thankful for you, your friendship and your support through our lives. One of the things I re-discovered during my sabbatical was a real sense of that under girding support that comes from having a group of people behind us and supporting our work. We're conscious that we don't keep in touch very much, but we always appreciate the chance to re-connect with you ... so if you're ever passing near Gloucester, or if you'd like us to come and visit you, do get in touch.

 

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year

from

Mike, Cheryl,

Joanna and William Frith

Forthcoming events include:

Dec 26th to 28th - Visiting Dunstable
Dec 31st to Jan 2nd - Visiting Abingdon
Jan 8th - Preaching at The Square, Dunstable.
Jan 14th - Leading a Missionary Re-entry course in Gloucester (called 'All Change'!)
Jan 18th - Attending Missions Fair at All Nations Christian College, Ware, Herts.
Jan 25th - Leading a session on a full-time Christian worker training day at Stewardship, Loughton
Feb 25th - Leading a ‘Serving as Senders’ day in Poole, Dorset.
Mar 10th - Leading a ‘Serving as Senders’ day in Gloucester.
Mar 16th-18th - St. Andrews Church Houseparty

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