Odd anecdote (3)

Our bags are packed and we will soon (hopefully) be in flight.  In the lull of waiting I recall another odd occasion!  Unfortunately my wife remembers more of my student experiences than I would wish.  She claims that from the viewpoint of the congregation one of the most 'worship-disturbing' of all occurred not when I was preaching but when I was playing a harmonium to accompany another student.

The congregation was a small one outside Oxford and my fellow student Colin prepared carefully the whole act of worship which he was to lead from the front.  Because they had no regular musician he was asked to bring one along.  Although I would hardly claim to be regular I agreed.

The harmonium operated by foot pedals pumping air into the pipes. If the instrument was well-worn (which was generally the case)  then both legs needed to be in continuous vigorous pumping motion, that later became the template for certain gym apparatus to trim leg muscles.  Swell boards either side of the knees controlled the volume.  Though a number of organ stops appeared to offer a range of possibilities, in most cases the variety of bearable sounds was limited with occasional notes refusing to sound at all.

On this memorable Sunday evening I seated myself on a circular leather stool having first adjusted the height.  I was aware that this gave out an extraordinarily loud squeak when I moved to pump the pedals and tended to squeal whenever I shifted weight, especially getting on and off.  I was at the front, immediately facing the preacher with my back to the the congregation.  

The first hymn alerted my wife and the preacher to the unusually noisy stool and whether I was more vigorous than past organists I do not know but the squeaks and squeals set up giggling in the ranks.  Great effort was made during the following prayer and reading to conquer the inner shaking.  I could see Colin struggling and had no idea how close Carol was to complete meltdown.  At the next hymn I tried to reduce that noise level by keeping as still as I could.  So concentrating was I on noise reduction that I completely failed to realize the congregation had finished the hymn when I launched into a further verse as people were beginning to sit down.  Unfortunately, this provided the coup de grace.  I btought my mistaken recital to a sloppy discordant end hoping for silence, the stool misbehaved in monstrous fashion as I returned to my seat.  Giggling that had been repressed by handkerchiefs and immense willpower now let rip.  Colin was creased up in mirth and Carol could no longer control herself  with tears running down her face.

I know how hard he concentrated to get through another two hymns before the end.  I really apologized knowing how miserable it is to be sabotaged as a preacher, and to have engaged in such a shameful act is a scar on my memory.

Fresh/Old look

Another advantage to seeing our New Jersey family is that Rob can bend some of his considerable IT expertise towards helping my feeble skills.  Alert readers will notice that this blog is now renamed as Michaelquicke.org and much of the material which languished (appropriate description) on my web-site of that name can now be found under the different pages in my blog.  With the loss of my main computer in Wheaton last year I also lost ability to edit these webpages. 
Rob informs me that it's quite cool to use your blog as your main web site and anyone now logging into michaelquicke.org will be re-directed here.
I have never been sure that the effort of posting is truly worthwhile.  Some of you make kind comments and surprise me mightily by mentioning you have read something or other!  As I shall share in future emails, I might still have some interesting opportunities ahead as Emeritus Professor and will value your partnership and input if these come to pass.
As a disclaimer:  much of the transferred material from my old web site is woefully out of date.  I have actually published since 2009 and (if I had the energy) there is a great deal of new oral/visual material on-line which could be added.  Anyway, at least I can access it now to try and keep more up-to-date!

Closure, Gift Card, Knoxville, New Jersey

Breathless is the word for the last two weeks!  Our 'recognition' evening left us with gargantuan feel-good.  How wonderful to close full-time working life on such a high!  Actually, several older friends have since commented how important good closure is and rather lamented what happened to them (oh dear).  We remain so grateful to all who shared with us and it took some time to read through the greetings and cards properly.  Alas, in our excitement we opened all the cards and later found a lonely gift card without a name on it!  Embarrassingly we thanked one set of friends profusely who then told us they had not given it!  So, somewhere among our generous friends there is a donor who needs to know how grateful we are (in spite of appearances)!


Simultaneously, while living in the after-glow, we undertook the exhausting task of emptying my store room (25 large boxes and innumerable carrier bags),  closing down my office leaving a remnant library, and filling the final boxes for removal to the UK.  It demanded a relentless pace with no breaks.  Fortunately, meal times allowed us farewells with dear friends, but each morning brought full-frontal countdown pressure until, last week, we stepped onto a plane to Knoxville, Tennessee, where I gave the Craddock Lectures at Johnson University (and preached twice to the university).  Suddenly from a freezing Chicago morning we were in the 80's, enjoying great Southern hospitality.  It was new material which brought its own pressure but after two nights we were back in bitter cold for the last gasp packing.   


A couple of days ago we completed the 850 mile road trip to see our family in New Jersey which is always wonderful as grandchildren Elliot and Sophie treat us like equals!  Tomorrow, the next lap with flight back to Cambridge demands yet more strategic packing. So, not much happening......
a big thank you to all our friends, both sides of the Atlantic who are part of our special circle who have followed our progress. 

At a finishing post

Last night's retirement occasion for Carol and me was a spectacular surprise in every way.  In the week before we had received a constant stream of apologies from friends who could not attend.  When we went into the Lindner Conference Center at 6:15 last night I was amazed to see the main conference arena set out with tables, tablecloths and flower arrangements (oh yeah!) filling the room. In front of the windows looking out onto the lake there were tables of refreshments for the multitudes.  We looked at each other amazed at the organizers' faith!   A handful of friends were there!  But, by the time we hit 7:00pm and the program started the room was amazingly full.

My two Deans called it my 'Recognition' evening and had organized a program which brought greetings and tributes, prayers and song with such warmth and over-generosity of spirit.  For me the highlights were many because everything that took place was thoughtful and kind.  Let me mention just a few (and forgive inevitable omissions):

• hospitality - so many people worked to make the center look beautiful and welcoming with staff bustling around to make everything work. 
• tributes - Lauren Visser spoke movingly for the students and beautifully not only summed up my teaching philosophy but modeled it,  while David Fitch with brilliant wit (and wildly over the top as you might expect) expressed his thoughts with seven headings including a crowd stopper of ....
• Carol.  It was so important that Carol be honored because she is vital for my ministry and right from the opening welcome from Dean Karen, and greetings from an absent President, she had deserved pride of place as the love of my life, my best friend and the most loyal co-worker imaginable.  I was thrilled about the love expressed for her throughout the evening.
• Letters from the past.  Bob Price wove together letter tributes ranging over my past ministry and surprised me by making it  42 years celebration rather than just my time at Northern.
• Ninja - Adron Robinson shared this nickname from his doctoral class, apparently given me because of my smiling delivery of comments after each of their sermons and the students' surprise to find they had somehow amidst the smiles had been critiqued with cuts to the body!  
• Emeritus Professor.  Jim Stellwagen, Chair of the Board, presented me with a plaque and I am thrilled with the honor and continuing connection.  Thank you.  
• FRIENDS'  The most wonderful aspect of all was the presence of friends from so many aspects of our lives in the US who had taken trouble to be there and joined the line to speak to us, gave us cards, wrote in a book their greetings and, collectively, gave us memories we shall always treasure.

Someone in the seminary said that this was the happiest occasion they had experienced in that Conference Center, and we certainly felt it could not have been a warmer kinder evening with so much laughter.  Our deepest thanks to everyone who contributed.

Anticipating the finishing post

I interrupt the anecdotes (mercifully!) to announce a particular finishing line that I shall shortly cross.  Carol and I are returning to Northern Seminary for my official farewell (and the final emptying of my office and store room).  March 21st will mark the formal closure of 14 years' teaching at Northern.  Since 2000 when the C.W. Koller Chair of Preaching was inaugurated with me the first occupant, Carol and I have lived an exhilarating adventure. In addition to teaching which I have revelled in, and writing books which I have revelled less in (!),  we have been thrown into some amazing church experiences.  Three times I have been interim preacher in remarkably contrasting churches and each time been gifted with another wave of friends.  Lectures and conferences have taken us to well over 30 different States, as well as internationally, where again we have made lasting friendships.

The seminary is graciously setting aside an evening (March 21st)  for us to say goodbye to faculty, staff, students, neighbors, churches I have served and so many friends who have enriched our years.  The exact arrangements are a surprise but to my great joy I have just discovered is that the evening will include a Service of Thanksgiving.  Giving thanks to God is top priority!

I plan to go on with some preaching and freelance teaching commitments (so long as Carol deems me intelligible!) but this date gives opportunity for thanks as full-time work draws to a close.  Actually, two months later, May 21st marks the 42nd anniversary of my ordination and ever since 1972 I have been engaged full-time in Christian ministry.  So, a big thank-you to the Lord who has made it possible and so many of you who have shared along the way.

Odd anecdote (2)

Unfortunately, I discovered early on how easily a preacher can lead people astray.  I was student pastor at John Bunyan Baptist Church in Oxford, where frequently I had to lead the whole act of worship.

After the opening hymn there was a prayer of praise and confession.  It was the habit of this church(and I remember it being fairly common practice then) for these prayers to close with the whole congregation reciting the Lord's Prayer.  The pastor gave the lead to the familiar words.

On this occasion with a high degree of confidence and loud voice I led my people:
Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil ....

At this point I sensed the prayer was shorter than normal and the congregation was dividing - a small number were following me (though hesitantly), another group was saying something about 'Give us today our daily bread' and the majority were stabbing at words without direction. If it had been set to music there were the makings of a round as different phrases sounded over against each other.  However, it wasn't and in some panic I reached for the end:  'For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.'  The congregation avoided eye contact with me for several minutes, and I with them.

I know the Lord's Prayer can be said meaningfully together when led properly   Ever since I have taken care to keep set words like these clearly in front of me. Another learning experience!

Odd Anecdote (1)

Recently a friend passed on a collection of stories from a Church of England vicar about various happenings in his ministry.   Some of them were highly amusing and they triggered all manner of memories from my own ministry some of which should probably be kept hidden (and will be).

My students sometimes ask me what my most embarrassing preaching moment has been.  I look back to my days as a seminary student when I was chosen to preach at a large, prestigious church in the South of England. For their Annual College Day they operated a rota system between several seminaries including my Baptist one.  The lot fell on me.  I received a sheaf of instructions through the mail, giving precise service details - where I should stand and what I should say throughout the highly liturgical service.  I was also instructed to wear my gown and academic hood.

I tried not to be stressed out but I was still very inexperienced and certainly hadn't met quite so many instructions before.  Trussed up in my only dark suit, tight-fitting white shirt, gown and hood I managed to get through the service until the moment I ascended the small pulpit.  I was hit head-on by a brilliant shaft of sunlight. Able only to grimace at the sombre congregation I launched into the first sentence: 'There is one word which strikes us with so much famillach, so much framillary, so much FRAMILARRRLYUGH.' Each time I stammered it out I gave increasing emphasis and made less and less sense.  On the fourth desperate attempt I gave up all together and lamely said, 'Well, you know what I mean?'   There was not a flicker of response anywhere as the sun picked out the beads of sweat on my forehead.  I plunged onwards.  As I reached the bottom of page 1 I turned over to find page 3 upside down. Stupidly I tried to move on while surreptitiously shuffling the pages only to discover all four were out of order. Reaching the eventual sermon conclusion was a moment of sheer relief, felt even more by the congregation than for me. 

This experience was near the beginning of a long learning curve that I am still on.  However, I resolved I would never use the word 'familiarity' in the first sentence of a sermon!