And suddenly it's THIS month...

'When are you off?' 'Oh, next month', I say cheerfully. Except all of a sudden it's this month. Much revising for the PhD viva continues alongside mission formation and preparation, and it's immensely helpful to gain insights from those on the ground. For example, Julia Edwards whose mission service is with the Pacific Conference of Churches writes about campaigning in solidarity with the people of West Papua. National Golden Jubilee celebrations for the Methodist Church in Fiji take place from 17-23 August and will be massive and deeply significant. Communications officer Revd James Bhagwan reports in The Fiji Times on the acts of reconciliation that have already been a key part of the commemorations.

I've also found myself turning over and over in my mind, the excellent first priority that the Education by Extension programme at the Pacific Theological College claims so boldly. What we're about, it says, is to train lay Christians in the Pacific, both men and women, for theologically informed service in various forms of ministry.

It's a fabulous principle: that all our 'ministries' - which can often mean our endless, unexamined, Church-related busy-ness - shouldn't escape scrutiny. The kind which helps us decide whether what we do and how we do it is credibly theological: of God (theos) and reflecting God's reasoning (logos). All manner of activity is God-inspired, so we're urged to believe, but how is that established exactly? Beyond Church walls and on a global scale, horrendous atrocities are justified in the name of the Almighty. Does that mean credible theology has been at work? Mmmm. Conclude so with caution. The more I reflect on such matters, the more I'm convinced that there's a world of difference between a mind that's uncritically indoctrinated and one that's theologically informed. I'm certainly up for a spell of mission and ministry that prioritises the latter.