London waiting

It is a bizarre thing to watch London wake up.

Paddington station, in all its bustle and busy-ness, stands eerily empty in the early hours of the first train departures. What will become a haven of commuters and tourists, a constant flow of people gathered and sent across the furthest reaches of the South and West of the uk, starts its new day in a civilised silence.

People wait.

Coffee is ground.

The sky, ink black for the journey in, begins to be tinted with purple and promise.

What has become a haven for the heathrow arrivals, and shelter for westminster's hidden homeless, once again begins to breath and sigh under the weight of the arterial flow of people minding the gap or merely passing through.

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Partners

The church of Pakistan partners meeting is just over. Bishops and reps of the 8 dioceses met with 10 European partners. We looked at our response to the recent disastrous floods affecting 6 million people (please see the update on the Methodist website, things are really bad). We committed to further action against the blasphemy laws which are misused against Christians and Muslims with appalling consequences including beatings, deaths and assassinations. Once you are accused, however unjustly, you have to go into hiding. Theological education is to be developed and ideas were shared, also a request for British ministers and theologians to give a little time to teach in Pakistan. Anyone out there due a sabbatical?
Much more too. A great opportunity to maximise the effect of partners' support through cooperation and consistency. Now ten hours on the road, next stop Peshawar.
Steve

Guards

Interesting thought, I have been in Lahore for three days and every meeting or service has been under armed guard. Normal life here. Steve

Some basics

At a meeting of Nat Council Churches. In this Islamic state 5% belong to minority faiths. Half of them are Christian, half of those are Protestants. In a population of 190m that is still a lot of people, but while there is protection in the constitution there is much hatred. The chief minister of the Punjab was assassinated for wanting to change the blasphemy laws, so abused against Christians. His murderer was sentenced last week and there have been many large demonstrations since demanding his release as a hero. Steve

Pakistan

In welcoming guests the Moderator said, 'Pakistan is getting worse each month and each week.'
He reminisced about the time before the 'militarisation of religion' when people 'trusted and believed each other'. He sees no way out until the problem of Israel and its neighbours is resolved. 'The war drums need to be silenced now by common and combined efforts.' The WCC General Secretary responded by saying that we have a calling to carry the cross together, especially when it is heavy. Steve

New cathedral!

The central Methodist church in Raiwind, Lahore, has been transformed into a cathedral and is dedicated today. The General Secretary of the WCC takes part. Steve

Women

The woman with the perfume in Mark 14 risked violence so Synod members in their morning Bible study groups discussed gender violence today. My group found the classroom display very relevant. It includes words of Kofi Annan, 'there is no tool of development more effective than the empowerment of women.'
Words and liturgy speak powerfully of equality here, but only 20% of synod is female. Steve