Horses, Introverts and Downing Street
Part of my structure of the day during lock down has been watching some or all of the Downing Street Briefing and the Press Review on BBC News 24.
At first I found the Downing Street Briefings helpful but I have become increasingly cynical about them. The antics of Dominic Cummings and the easing of lock down despite the mixed evidence about safety have led to me getting frustrated.
Have you noticed that the members of the public are NEVER allowed a follow up question and that the Press don't get a follow up if they have asked a question that is perceived to be too challenging?
The Press Review, at least, has remained interesting and at times amusing.
Last Sunday night (31st May) one of the reviewers was Tom Kerr of the Racing Post. He'd been invited because horse racing in the UK was restarting on Monday 1st June. The discussion got on to the subject of Churches and when they might re open. Tom mentioned that many Churches were doing new things, including on line services. He joked that one of the Churches in his local area had a poster outside declaring:
I think the poster was pointing out that people can now enjoy worship online without the need to interact face to face with people in Church.
I am a certified introvert. In January I attended a Myers Briggs course at Methodist Central Hall in Manchester. The course helps you to work out your personality type. One aspect of it is whether you are an Introvert or an Extrovert. I was clearly an introvert - based on my answers to various questions and the discussions we shared in.
Being an Introvert on the Myers Briggs personality test doesn't mean that you are a lonely, antisocial person who dislikes the company of others! In fact I get great pleasure from my interactions with other people. The words "quiet", "friendly" and "loyal" were used to describe my personality type according to the test. I take those words as compliments.
What being an introvert does mean is that talking to a lot of people in one go can sometimes be very demanding. This helped me to see why I sometimes feel worn out when I get back from events like Coffee mornings, where I mingle with a lot of people one after the other.
I have enjoyed the on line services that I have experienced during lockdown - especially the ones from Swan Bank, where a small number of people have taken part and I have had the chance to get to know them.
I have missed seeing people at the Churches and the relationships that we build with each other. Thankfully we have found ways to develop those relationships during the time we can't meet physically.
Possibly social distancing may help us to think more generally about the space that people need. It's lovely to be welcomed to Church and surrounded by the concern and friendship of others. It is also important to respect boundaries and to realise that not everyone needs the full on attention that others thrive on.
Corona has affected people in an unequal way - race, wealth and postcode are among the issues. The recent events in Texas have highlighted divisions that also exist in the UK. Hopefully when we return to Church after the lockdown we will have learned more about ourselves and others.
My hope is that we would be able to learn lessons from this time and be able to say:
At first I found the Downing Street Briefings helpful but I have become increasingly cynical about them. The antics of Dominic Cummings and the easing of lock down despite the mixed evidence about safety have led to me getting frustrated.
Have you noticed that the members of the public are NEVER allowed a follow up question and that the Press don't get a follow up if they have asked a question that is perceived to be too challenging?
The Press Review, at least, has remained interesting and at times amusing.
Last Sunday night (31st May) one of the reviewers was Tom Kerr of the Racing Post. He'd been invited because horse racing in the UK was restarting on Monday 1st June. The discussion got on to the subject of Churches and when they might re open. Tom mentioned that many Churches were doing new things, including on line services. He joked that one of the Churches in his local area had a poster outside declaring:
"Finally - a Church for Introverts"
I think the poster was pointing out that people can now enjoy worship online without the need to interact face to face with people in Church.
I am a certified introvert. In January I attended a Myers Briggs course at Methodist Central Hall in Manchester. The course helps you to work out your personality type. One aspect of it is whether you are an Introvert or an Extrovert. I was clearly an introvert - based on my answers to various questions and the discussions we shared in.
Being an Introvert on the Myers Briggs personality test doesn't mean that you are a lonely, antisocial person who dislikes the company of others! In fact I get great pleasure from my interactions with other people. The words "quiet", "friendly" and "loyal" were used to describe my personality type according to the test. I take those words as compliments.
What being an introvert does mean is that talking to a lot of people in one go can sometimes be very demanding. This helped me to see why I sometimes feel worn out when I get back from events like Coffee mornings, where I mingle with a lot of people one after the other.
I have enjoyed the on line services that I have experienced during lockdown - especially the ones from Swan Bank, where a small number of people have taken part and I have had the chance to get to know them.
I have missed seeing people at the Churches and the relationships that we build with each other. Thankfully we have found ways to develop those relationships during the time we can't meet physically.
Possibly social distancing may help us to think more generally about the space that people need. It's lovely to be welcomed to Church and surrounded by the concern and friendship of others. It is also important to respect boundaries and to realise that not everyone needs the full on attention that others thrive on.
Corona has affected people in an unequal way - race, wealth and postcode are among the issues. The recent events in Texas have highlighted divisions that also exist in the UK. Hopefully when we return to Church after the lockdown we will have learned more about ourselves and others.
My hope is that we would be able to learn lessons from this time and be able to say:
"Finally - a Church for Everyone"
I've also done the Myers Briggs a useful part of we did was:
ReplyDeleteImagine your dream birthday party with an infinite budget. How many people would you want to attend? Would you prefer just a quiet night in alone or with a partner, or would you rather a big bash with 100s of people?
The theory was the more people you would want the more extroverted you are.
Thanks Tom! I think I answered that question in February when I had a special birthday and just the two of us went off to Malta! Thanks for reading and commenting, see you soon
DeleteI was looking at the Myers Briggs thing yesterday. Had to one of those with work over 20 years ago.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was similar to you. He was happy at the front of church or a huge crowd, but stick him in a small group and he was genuinely shy, which not many people realised about him.
We need to think seriously about how we "do" church in the future. Our mission is to reach people for Jesus, not to fill a church building. Maybe now is the time to look at everything again. Not everybody's sabbath is on a Sunday morning in a church.
We need to listen to God's will; maybe it is a time to change?
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts Peter.
Dave
Thank you, Dave. I agree, time for a rethink of Church.Take care
Delete