6 weeks into post!

Town council works in 6 week cycles, and today is the end of the first of those cycles since I've been Chair of Council and Mayor of Thornbury. So it seems like a good day to have a little reflect on what it's been like so far, and to give thanks and praise to God for some beautiful opportunities to serve Him in this role.

It certainly hasn't been a quiet start to the role! In the past 6 weeks I've met with head teachers of all the schools in Thornbury area - primary, secondary and special needs schools. I've also met with the local police, the town centre partnership committee and the chair of chamber of commerce. I've had the privilege of doing a ribbon cutting ceremony, been to a concert for Christian Aid, been to a belly-dancing and Arabian dancing fundraiser evening for JIGSAW, handed out certificates at some collaborative projects between school and local industries, been to a business forum and linked up charity and business reps who can support each other, spoken at a Rotary dinner, attended a 90th birthday party for the Queen at a primary school, stood in a stream to raise awareness for Christian Aid, been dressed up in a recycled outfit for a Trashion Show, played table tennis with some of the young people at the local youth group and supported an event for Brain Tumour Support.

Exhausted? Yes, it is a bit tiring to think it all through, but what has been the key for me in it all are the reminders at each of the events of how special it is for folks to be able to say that the Mayor turned up. I hadn't really stopped to think about this aspect before. I guess because I always know the mayor as just one of my fellow councillors, the perception of that role from outside had passed me by.

At the youth club the other evening, one of the lads stopped his 'tough' act to ask questions about the process of becoming mayor, whilst another wanted a selfie with the mayor so he could show his mum! Little things in some ways, but for these lads, the fact that the mayor was interested in their youth club clearly meant a lot.

The opportunities to network and link people together has been really wonderful. Being Mayor opens doors, and as a result I've been able to link JIGSAW up with a number of different people and projects and possible pots of money / sponsorship, that was just not happening before. God is opening doors, and using the mayoral role for so much good, and it's an honour to be part of the process.

There is still plenty to come - tomorrow I launch the Mayors Youth Awards as a vehicle to raise awareness of the many wonderful young people we have in the town doing good works. Next week we have a new town clerk starting so there will be work needed there to help her settle into her role. I'd like to initiate some sort of Asset-Based Community Development conversations to help people find positive angles to living in Thorbbury rather than getting dragged into the mire of unwanted housing developments.

And I have lots of appointments in the diary already of upcoming requests for the mayor's presence. Lots more opportunities to say a 'few words', to raise people up, to promote fabulous projects, and to link people together. Lots more opportunities to try and demonstrate God's love in practical ways, and to be ready to chat about how my faith fits in with life when the conversation turns that way (which it has done on a number of occasions already). 

But that's what I signed up for, and I have to say this is one of the best things I ever agreed to do in Thornbury. Do I wish I'd done it earlier? No, because then JIGSAW wouldn't have been ready for all the development and growth that is coming its way now through being the mayors charity. And in previous years I was working full time, so couldn't have fitted in as much mayor-ing as now. And in previous years the girls were at home and I'd have had to be a bit more restrained so as not to make their lives a misery by having their mum as the mayor. 

No, this is the right year. God always gets the timing right, and I can see in so many ways how this is the case for me at this moment.

So, thank you Lord for this wonderful opportunity to serve You in this way; praise You for all the different people, projects and places I am able to go to; and I pray that in all things I will be seen as a mayor who serves - the people, the community, and the one true God.