So today’s blog actually covers a bit of yesterday too. I got too caught up writing about the Circles program to mention something from earlier in the day.
So briefly. Yesterday lunch time Tom and I drove 5 miles or so down the road to the small town of Davidson. We’d been invited by a church member to join her for lunch on the campus of Davidson College. (That’s university to us Brits.)
Davidson has a student population of around 2,000 and it specialises in “the liberal arts”. The campus is very beautiful and the facilities available to the students are first rate. We were shown the 4 indoor tennis courts (and met the tennis coach who complimented us on Andy Murray’s win.) Then there were the basketball courts which can be turned into a single basketball arena seating 6,000. And the full size pool together with plenty of outdoor tennis courts and an American football field right at the centre of the campus.
We met our friend in the Union building that houses the offices of student support, a cafeteria, a post office and (most impressive of all) a 600 seat theatre. The quality of the theatre can be summed up by the fact that the Royal Shakespeare Company held a season here about 10 years ago. Tom was saying that Keele University has nothing like that and, as he is now closely involved with the drama society there, he was very envious.
So on to today. I know I keep saying about the kindness of people at Fairview UMC but we had another prime example today. Having heard that Tom and I play golf (well attempt to play golf is perhaps more accurate) a church member offered to take Tom out this morning.
Just after 9am, Tom was picked up by the gentleman who said that it was all going to be relaxed. They’d hit a few balls on the driving range and then maybe have a practice round followed by lunch.
About 3pm Tom was brought back and he was grinning like a Cheshire cat. The course they’d gone to was the Trump National Charlotte http://www.trumpnationalcharlotte.com/ Tom had a great time. The gentleman had been very relaxed about play. And if a ball went off the fairway into rough they picked it and placed it. It was just a fun time. And then, as if this wasn’t generous enough, Tom was presented with a club polo shirt.
Meanwhile I was meeting the chairman of the church finance committee, talking about Vacation Bible School and finishing preparation for this Sunday. Oh and coming home to the ironing while Tom went out with the young adult group from church.
Unlike a number of Methodist churches I know, Fairview’s “income” comes mainly from the congregation. They have very few paying lettings and in fact most of the lettings are free to users. So a very different set up to us and the numbers were very different too. But the church runs a tight ship that is clear. Like us they encourage people to give to the church through bank standing order though a good number of people still give cash or cheques. But the finance man said to me that in all seriousness they had had a discussion about whether to have some kind of debit / credit card machine in the foyer as many people are so used to using card payments. (I told him how colleagues who had been to Korea said that in the Methodist Churches there, there are ATMs!)
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