Jude Smith

WARNING: This post comes before 8am on a Saturday, with just one coffee in the system! Two institutions: one problem. Both the BBC and the Church of England have come in for a drubbing this week. And in what might be a stretch too far I wonder if they actually face a very similar problem. You see in both spheres- the culture in which these national bodies operate has changed. The news cycle has got faster, someone turning up with a mobile phone will break news faster than getting a TV crew there with all its health and safety checks. The BBC has tried to respond, and in the last few weeks has jumped on the speed bandwagon with pretty disastrous consequences. From allegations about abuse, to wrongly retweeted pictures from war zones, it seems to me that the BBC has lost its integrity as an unbiased news outlet because it has tried to keep up with the less accurate but quicker Skynews. I don't think we can have both. Enter the Church of England. Again the world in whic...

The sun is shining, the dust is settling. Since Tuesday there have been many emails, a number of conversations and a bit of space. I'm praying that much as the Church of England does it most Kingdom focused work out of the headlines- that there will even as I write be conversations and emails happening outside of the headlines. I'm praying that they will happen quickly; whilst some people 'won' on Tuesday, I don't think they will be feeling as secure and comfortable of the future as they need to be. I'm also praying that many of my colleagues are getting a day off. This has been an exhausting week.

There is always a risk when you say publicly that its about the day after, that you may be held to your own ideals. So here is what I will be doing today. (I know this is a quite an odd choice of picture, but happened to be on my desktop and is better than the cheesy Wednesday cartoon I found). As some of you may know, the first time I presided (led) at an Anglican communion, a male colleague (now retired) walked out. He didn't do it because I was a women, he did it around a whole host of issues of tradition and lack of communication (which had things to do with me being a woman). That did not stop it being immensely painful, with debilitating consequences for a while. This morning I will back at that church, presiding at the communion. I will also get the car MOT'd, have a meeting and do some preparatory work for Christmas services. I will read the ancient texts which remind us all that God's incarnation in this world is always unlikely and fragile and open to ...

I have drafted several blog posts about the vote around women bishops. I have saved some, deleted others and now with fourteen hours to go before the debate starts this is all I have to say. Whatever happens tomorrow, it is about what we do on Wednesday. If the measure does not pass my prayer is that I and the many other women in ordained ministry, will get up and get on with the job which God has given us now. My prayer is that almost universally, those whose authority we serve under, support the idea of women in the episcopate. May that stir us on to further acts of service, in the trust that this will come to pass. In short let us just get straight back on with the job at hand. If the measure passes then my prayer is that those who feel they cannot accept the episcopal ministry of women will wait. Legislation is fleshed out in its practice not in its words. My prayer is that churches and clergy will wait. My prayer is that they will hold the church to its word, to respe...

I'm typing away in an early morning fug: as I watch Barack Obama finish his second victory speech (possibly the best I have heard him speak for ages). Much of Europe is breathing a sigh of relief, and we are right to do that. But I am relieved on another level. With all that has gone on it is very easy to forget that Obama was elected as the first non white to hold the office of President. In 2008 that symbolism was huge. And had Obama lost last night, the symbolism would have had equal size. My prayer for Obama this term is that he knows a freedom to fight for what he believes. I pray that he will plough on, and that in ploughing on he will bring people together. My prayer is that as the Republicans regroup and reimagine what their heart is, that people will gather together around issues of justice and equality. My prayer is that he might lead the US into a brave new world where other nations may share the wealth and power. And I pray that in four years we will do mo...

I was tidying my study today, and as I hung some artwork up, I noticed a scrap of paper flailing under the whiteboard. It was my exit strategy from the job I am, a list of the things that needed to be achieved before I could move on. Without wanting to sound arrogant, they are all done. I have continuities in place, I have funding there, I have trained people. I have done what I set out to do. I have grown an indigenous lead church in a challenging estate. I have set up a relational project so in four years the church could know the names of every teenager in the estate (mental note to self, should have taught people how to learn names). I have seen people touched by God’s spirit, healed in body and in soul. This is what I came into this line of work for. I am living the dream. But it doesn’t feel like living the dream. It feels like hard, costly work. I started taking medication today for what might be a work induced stomach ulcer. Some might put it down to my drivenn...