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September 2001
Dear Friends,
I have accepted a call to return to Wales, after nine years in
Birmingham. Leaving Birmingham was not without emotion—lots
of tears and laughter and speeches. On the last Sunday there was
feasting and we had baptisms and seven new members. Our African
members had taken over the service the week before with singing
and dancing, and the church’s Korean community (which grew
so big they started their own service in the afternoon) had feted
us the week before that. When we started in Birmingham it was
all monotonously English. Lots of things happened over the years,
but the work was pretty much done, so it was time to move on.
You may remember that when we were in Cardiff before I was serving
three churches in a large (30,000 population) community of county
council-owned homes (a "council estate," they call it
here). Now I am pastor of City United Reformed Church, smack dab
in downtown Cardiff among the banks, insurance offices, shoe shops,
galleries, restaurants, and Starbucks cafés. City Church
is an exciting place to be. It tends to be the broker for ecumenical
action not only for the downtown churches but regionally, hosting
an ecumenical programme in adult Christian education (in partnership
with and accredited by the University of Wales), Cardiff Churches’
Forum and the Churches’ Centre, a resource and training centre
for area churches. In addition to all this, it has a counseling
center, a café and a bookstore. It is a lively place. My
office is just above the café. I try, while working, to
avoid thinking about the sandwiches on sale downstairs.
The church has the feel of a Protestant cathedral. It is not
only busy, but it has the support staff to make it happen. We
have an organist on half-time appointment, for instance, probably
the best in Cardiff. He runs an amazing music program, and this
morning played the smoothest, most transcendent jazz piece on
the grand piano for the offertory. Every Sunday, members are accompanying
the hymns in string or wind ensembles. We also have a full-time
building manager, a full-time caretaker and caretaker’s assistant,
a secretary-typist. I ring the administrative office downstairs
to have Norman set up a meeting or schedule my pastoral calls,
and any time I need to get some place the caretaker will drive
me where I want to go. I also have someone who reads for me seven
hours a week. So being partially sighted is not a major handicap
for me here, despite the fact that the "membership"
of this church comes from all across Cardiff and from neighboring
towns and villages.
The membership itself, however, is not large. As a matter of
fact, this is why they wanted to call me to this church, to see
if anything in my church redevelopment kit would work here. They
have lost seventy-five percent of their membership over the last
twenty years, twenty-five percent over the last two years alone.
Granted, churches are declining all over the place, but this decline
beats the worst records, nationally, regionally and locally. So
I will be working hard, again. I see my calendar shows that I
have a meeting every night from now until the end of the month,
and most of my day time schedule is booked that far ahead as well.
Wary of another stroke, I am guarding fiercely my day off, and
Marieke and I are getting up early every morning for a seven o’clock
swim in Maindy Pool, nearby. That commitment is wonderful for
stress reduction. We are keeping to it even when I don’t
get home until past eleven the night before. The family is OK.
Marieke is looking for paid employment, and Rachel starts college
this week. James is working in Birmingham, and Tina and Mike,
in Manchester, are expecting! I’ll tell you more when I write
again. Thanks for your prayers, for your care packages (the Bells
still keep us supplied with Fanny May candies!) and your newsy
letters. I was home for three days for my mother’s eighty-fifth
birthday—you can see me in the family picture on brother
Jim’s Web site: www.beautifulview.com.
Shalom,
Tom Arthur
The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 80
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