Musings From The Methodist Manse

Thoughts on the recent census

Dear Friends,

So did you have fun filling in your census form on April 29th?

I found some of the questions quite hard and amusing to answer. For example, Methodist Ministers are not employed by the Methodist Church, we are technically self-employed: but since we believe that we have been called by God to ministry, I suppose that makes God my employer. So think then of the challenge of answering these questions:

How many people work for your employer?

What is your employer's main business?

Where does this take place?

I have recently started looking into my family history and have found census information to be a fascinating resource. Like following a trail back in time, I can trace where my family have lived and moved; what jobs they have done and how my roots spread across time and space. It gives me a sense of belonging.

Perhaps that is why the Bible makes such a lot of listing genealogies - somewhat tedious passages at first glance; which in older translations are a long list of who begat who! But these family trees and listings of groups, tribes and disciples is a way of rooting people and enabling the fine thread of woven history to be followed back to its source - in God, who creates and loves us - and calls us children.

Knowing who we are is important. Knowing where we have come from, can help us understand that. Seeing our future in the light of the past, may help us to heal, grow, and flourish. And finding where we belong can make all the difference to us.

Every Blessing

Revd Jackie Goddard