It has been an emotionally tough week for me. Everything I am responsible for has put significant demands on me. There are normally one or two pressures but this last week feels like they are all pressing in at the same time. I have found myself getting frustrated in a way that I normally don't - especially towards the cyclist who ignored the red lights when people were crossing!
Some of the pressures are the result of things going well. So for example Lionhearts FC, the football club I manage for children in school years 3-9, continues to grow at a fast rate. Last weekend at our A vs B league match we had 31 boys, which means 9 boys were a sub. This puts huge pressure on the managers, Michael and I. Some boys were going to be disappointed about not playing enough of the match. Amazingly at the start of this season we were asking ourselves would we have enough for 2 teams, we now find ourselves asking if we need 3 teams for the 2012/2013 season!
In the Jericho Road Project the pressure is as a result of the huge potential of significant life change in many of the people we work with. We are working with people who are waiting to leave prison to come our housing project, we have many people keen to get key working support, as a team we have upped the expectations with a number of our residents which requires time and wisdom, many people are wanting to volunteer at the Feast, we have new people coming to Alpha this term and we are expecting the biggest ever residential trips to Chepstow in March and then Encounter Camp in June. In addition plans are progressing well for King's Debt Advice to be started again in March - more details to follow.
However last nights Feast did not present me with additional pressure despite the following incident happening. I spotted a new man at the Feast following a girl around and I am instantly involved. I find out in a short time that the background is one of previous violence between them and he was threatening the girl at the Feast. I am then trying to quickly build a rapport with the man - it's key to resolving conflict! The 3 of us agree that it would be better if we all go outside. As we go to the front of the King's building, the dispute then escalates because another former (violent) boyfriend of the girl has appeared. The 2 men that start an abusive argument because they both said they could not trust the other not to beat up the girl. So instead they threatened each other. When the police arrived both men stopped them in the middle of the street. Crazy! The situation then looked even more wild because the police car was blocking Catford Hill, buses couldn't get through, traffic backed up, horns hooted. Once the police car was moved the situation quickly calmed down!
At the end of the evening I felt like I do on many Wednesday nights, "this is why I'm alive!" I felt a level of refreshment and perspective on my week. In the book of Isaiah there is a promise that when you hear the cry of those in need, God will hear your cry!
However for the Feast team we were not surprised that this incident had happened whilst the #40days celebration at King's Church was taking place (both events take place at the same time in the same building but in different halls!) I don't think we have called the police since last February when the 40days celebrations last took place and then we called them on 3 or 4 consecutive Wednesdays. What is the reason? Well somehow when the people of King's Church gather to pray and worship it stirs up something in the lives of people at the Feast.
Let's see what happens next week, perhaps I should warn the police that King's Church is meeting to worship and pray!
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