So here we are at the end of week three of my amazing stay in these islands... which continue to surprise me, for good and bad. I love this picture, it was taken very late at night, around midnight and it speaks to me of calm and peace.
It's been a strange week emotionally. I have to admit I am still recovering from the referendum result, but now less the result but the aftermath... Reports of some vile racist attacks in parts of the country, people rejoicing they "have their country back" but not really knowing what that means, intolerance of those "different" to us, a political leadership in disarray, as Prime Ministers resign, and the opposition party is in meltdown, Scotland going more and more near to a second referendum vote, talk of a United Ireland, and some people who voted to leave the EU now saying they didn't REALLY want to leave it was just a protest vote, and now we seem to have a soon to be Brexit government stalling on when we start the process of leaving while the EU want us to go and go now. Meanwhile the financial markets are in a bit of a mess. One commentator said on Saturday "we have gone through a door and we don't know what is on the other side..."
It has been really interesting being part of the aftermath here. The hotel bar on Thursday was full of very affluent Brexit supporters talking in my view, in love, nonsense, while getting more and more squiffy on Pinot Grigio! I couldn't face them on Friday, so apart from walking round town in a daze a couple of times, I stayed in my room with my own thoughts! It's been really helpful to talk to Jane, who is one of the hospitality team here and loves to chat! She was very uncomfortable on Thursday night She was very uncomfortable on Thursday night as they tried to hound her about her political views and politics here. She tried to tell them the staff are not meant to discuss politics or religion! She told me later Shetland (which voted remain ) aren't really interested in what is happening in London. Their local MP and MEP are voted back each time regardless of party, because they live here and care about here and do a good job for here. The referendum was barely mentioned on the news, nor in the papers afterwards, and she did share with me a lot of the hotel chain staff here are from Europe and are now deeply worried.
I guess all of this and my ongoing reflections on what builds and
what breaks community have led me to ask how life changes when you have someone
else you care for or have responsibility for or who are part of your world. We
can all be selfish and think of our own needs. It takes time, energy and
commitment to include someone else in your thoughts and care. But the fear of
isolationism and intolerance out there is almost unbearable to think about, and
surely even though it takes some effort, working at community and being with
others will make life more whole and lovely, won't it?
Sorry, this is quite serious this week! I keep thinking of
John Donne and those words "no man is an island" - seems some of us
want to be, and to have those who might enhance the island not really be here.
It has been quite powerful this weekend here in Lerwick as the Shetland to
Bergen yacht race has been happening, to sit in cafes and on benches with
people from Norway and Denmark and Iceland. The town changed on Saturday and
felt more part of northern Europe than it did the UK.
Very interesting.
I had a conversation the other day about young people here. There
is little work for the younger generation apart from the oil industry or
fishing or perhaps inheriting a croft. Many have to leave the islands for work,
and find that very difficult and get extremely homesick. Getting on and off the
island is very expensive. Some parts of Shetland haven't changed at all and
older Shetlanders do not do change. It will be interesting to come back again
in another 20 years.
I continue to reflect on the nature of being a faith community
here. I've experienced three acts of worship this week. I got out of bed on
Wednesday morning and shared morning prayer with three others at St Magnus
Church - I returned for night prayer the next night as advertised, but no one
showed up, which was a pity. They do seem to cancel things here without telling
the outside world! There seems little concept people from outside their own
little group might just turn up. How we treat people coming into church for the
first time really does matter. If we are going to cancel something at least put
a notice up to say it is cancelled!
Yesterday morning, I drove about 30 mikes into the remote west of
the mainland which is REALLY remote - to see what it is like to drop in cold to
a small chapel in the middle of nowhere! So I arrived in Sandness.
It took me ages to find the Methodist Church, I drove up to two
other churches first! I walked in to discover a large curtain across the
middle and a lady appeared from behind the curtain, the steward, amazed I had
come! The congregation was three plus me in the end, none of who lived anywhere
near the place, two of them had come from Lerwick, like me. The preacher was
not the most inspiring in the world and it felt a long hour. There was one of
those dreadful overhead heaters on by me and it got hotter and hotter, so I was
relieved when we got to the notices and she said "service in two weeks but
can't remember who it is" and then "anyone else hot? Shall we turn
the heater off?"! The two in front of me went to sleep, the steward
opposite me kept staring out of the window, and I did find it hard to worship.
I did my own thing half way through despite the preacher keeping going, but she
wasn't really on our wavelength and it felt just hard going. And again, I came
away, despite the four people there with me being very friendly before and
afterwards asking what the church's presence really is for.
Last night, I was planned to lead the service at Westerskeld
church, a lovely refurbished one room building I found the other day in
preparation for my visit last night. There were eight in the congregation.
Again, like the three other remote chapels I have visited so far, they were
lovely, very gentle people, but unresponsive during the worship, and frankly,
they looked bored. It was another very long hour and I was taking the service!
I tried humour, chattiness, a visual aid for prayer, I got nothing back. I am
not saying they DIDN'T get anything from the service, perhaps they did, but
none of them gave me any feedback apart from thank you for coming. At the
beginning I asked Betty, the steward, who was very difficult to understand with
a very broad Shetland accent, if I just started or whether she welcomed folk.
It was 5.55. She said "You may as well start, we are all here that's
coming." Before the service when I asked how many of them there will be
she bemoaned how awful it is that people "cannot be bothered to come"
anymore. She also shared with me when the minister at Scalloway retires in 2017
there is talk there will be one minister for the whole of the islands. But I
wonder what the minister does all day here? What's on the Church Council agenda?
Again, good faithful loyal people who drove all of them to get there last
night, but what was it about, and does every preacher leave feeling absolutely
mentally drained?!!
I continue to have to be adaptable up here! The only constant is
that the winter coat is still in my case! Indeed, I've not worn my jacket much
either! My last Sunday here has started to worry me as I am planned in the
North Isles, and they keep changing my itinerary. I was told this morning to do
the trip from Lerwick to Unst with two ferries and back is a three and a half
hour round trip. I have decided to alter my hotel booking for my last few days
and move to Unst for my last four days here. I left the reception in the hotel
here investigating possibilities for me up there. That will make life much
easier no matter what time they decide to hold their services!!
The hotel I am in for a month are beginning to chat to me a lot
now. I feel like the Major on Fawlty Towers! I shared this morning I am writing
a book about community and am reflecting on a lot of stuff about how we live,
work and do God together. It's rather nice to be asked on a Monday how Sunday
went! Jane this morning said she was telling her husband about this minister
who is in who is er hum,.. "nice and gentle and very reserved." Then
she started telling me about how she is reserved and cannot do confrontation
and there was a major row amongst the staff last week and she threatened to
hand in her notice and her manager told her she was not the guilty party and
should not back down and she was not going anywhere because she is so good with
the guests...! Community breaks down anywhere! Quite why she thought she would
tell me this Lord along knows...
As I said, you have to be adaptable here all the time!
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