Tag: Placement

  • Memories

    A topic has popped up a couple of times in conversation in the last few days – the question of ‘memory’ in the context of a congregation. The congregations in the Presbytery of Europe (in common with many of the other non-indigenous churches) tend to have a fairly high turnover of people. This can present…

  • BBQ

    It’s been a fairly busy week: a bunch of visits, lots of noisy tractors in Brussels, lots of walking around sightseeing (pictures here), preaching this morning’s sermon. So what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon after all that than at a barbeque? The St. Andrew’s, Brussels annual congregational barbeque to be precise. Well, it’s…

  • Are you lonesome tonight?

    Yesterday I moved from the apartment I was sharing in Zaventem to one in Brussels city centre. In this one, I have the place to myself so I’m not imposing on others (although I couldn’t have been made more welcome in my first digs) and it gives more space when the family come over on…

  • A grand day out

    On Wednesday I had an (eventful) trip to Amsterdam to meet up with John Cowie, the minister in the Church of Scotland there. This was part of an opportunity to get to know some of the other churches in the Presbytery of Europe and to get to understand a little of their uniquenesses and similarities.…

  • Brussels bites back

    Having had an easy introduction to Brussels, the last couple of days have ended the ‘honeymoon period’. When the Brussels transport system works, it’s very good. You can get round the city quickly, efficiently and at pretty low cost. But when it has a hiccup… On Wednesday I was travelling to Amsterdam for a visit…

  • More first impressions

    This morning was my first (proper) visit to St. Andrew’s, Brussels. I was made very welcome and was bombarded with names that I will probably forget or get mixed up, but it was nice that so many people introduced themselves to me. The service itself was an interesting ‘mix’. I think that the most striking…

  • First impressions

    Today was my first full day in Belgium and I’m pleased to say that the glorious sunny weather we’ve been having in Scotland (seriously) has followed me over here. Which was just as well as my first job/task was to negotiate my way into Brussels and get my bearings. I also had another excuse to…

  • I’m leaving on a jet plane…

    Just doing the last of my packing before heading off to the airport for my flight to Brussels. This is the first leg of my Belgian summer. The second is after I graduate on the 3rd of July. I don’t know what internet access I’ll have for the first couple of weeks, but I will…

  • Carry on regardless

    I was preaching today at my placement church and it was one of those times when you really wish it was someone else in your place. Everything started off well enough but one young lad had been brought back in from junior church by his mum a little earlier. That was fine until about 5…

  • Bruxelles

    And nothing to do with sprouts. It looks as though this is where I will be spending 12 weeks of the summer. Thanks to an exceptionally generous answer to prayer for accommodation, the last barrier to my summer placement has gone. The details have still to be finalised but I think it’s close enough to…