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agapai

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IMG_0008Agapai is the name we have chosen for our Wednesday evening get together. It is a word that is used to describe the meals and get togethers of the early church and so it seemed a fitting name.
I spoke of the changes we had made to how we worship here a few months ago. Last week we reviewed those changes and asked how we felt things were going. We also asked what we thought was good, what was frustrating and what was lacking.

Out of that process came the thought that Agapai had started to lack in its purpose. We started to meet to talk about the kind of church we wanted to be but with just a few people this became quite a draining experience and described as ‘just like work’. We made a decision that instead of talking about various formats that, instead we would be it. This resulted in last night’s Agapai having more of a purpose.

As always we met to eat. As we ate we answered two questions:
‘What has God been doing this week?’ and
‘What do you need prayer for?’
We then prayed together before simply sharing bread and wine.
On occasions we might add some kind of brief ‘thought’ into this mix.

As the evening drew to a close I reflected and had a great sense of us now starting something different on the peninsula. We have started a place to share our stories, to eat, to pray and break bread together …. that in itself is a pretty good start I think.

So …. if you live on or near the Peninsula and you are looking to join a small fledgling Christian community that is seeking to grow and be a positive influence …. then why not pay us a visit …. all are welcome!
(more details on the HT website)

Today I ate a £5 note!

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5-pound-note-series-e-2002-frontWell … ok …. I chewed up half a £5 note …. and it was yesterday!

One of the fun things I get to do as a team vicar / chaplain is lead Collective Worship (assembly to those of us from my era!) in each of the three schools in the Koinonia Federation. Yesterday was one of those CW days and the theme for this term is ‘Love’ with John 3:16 as the central verse.

I wondered what to speak about and then decided to adapt something I saw someone else do using a £5. First I asked the children who or what they loved. Then I asked what love was …. a Y2 girl answered ‘being there for someone you care about no matter what’

I thought that was a pretty cool definition of love.

I then took a nice £5 note out of my pocket and asked if anyone would like it.
Obviously all hands went up. I then ripped it in half (to gasps of shock!), screwed it up, danced on it, and finally chewed it up in my mouth (yes!!! my flipping mouth after it had been on the school hall floor!!!) to sounds of ‘eeewwww’
I then asked if anyone still wanted the £5 note. Most still did.One child got the £5 to take home … when I asked why he wanted it he said ‘well, it’s still a £5’

The more I talk to people, the more I seem to be seeing and hearing that this image of a loving God, a God that sent a son because he loved the whole of creation (humanity as well!) to save them, is being lost. The image of a ‘loving you no matter what’ God seems to be being replaced by an autocratic, rules based, angry demanding God.

That is not a god of good news.
That is a god of fear.
That is a god of oppression and hate.
Following a god like that unsurprisingly results in a ‘faith’ like this. I can’t bear to have such a sickening picture on my blog …. a faith of hate is not a faith rooted in a God of love.

So … today … in this first blog for a while … I want to leave a message that I left the school with yesterday …. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
That means God loves you and is committed to you no matter what ….
if you feel that you have been treated badly,
or you feel worthless
or you feel like you have been ripped in half
or screwed up
or chewed up and spat out;
if you feel any or all of these things,
God loves you.
Because
at the end of the day
(like that £5 note was still a £5 note)
you are still the person that God created
you are still that person that God loves
and nothing can change that.
Nothing at all.
Amen.

mission reflection

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Photo Friday: ArchitectureThere are few things that will cause me to cut into a ‘break’ or a ‘holiday’ …. but talking about, reflecting upon and asking why and how we do mission in our setting is one of those ‘few things’.

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to take part in the first Woolwich Area Catholic Anglican Missiology Symposium which was pulled together by Ian Mobsby in his role as Mission Enabler in our part of the diocese. I was not just pleased to be asked, but also excited that the diocese is putting time into this. Bishop Michael gave a good introduction on the purpose of the group and being present was inspiring.

We heard two great papers from Steve and Gareth which raises a mound of questions both within the room and, for me personally in my current setting of the Greenwich Peninsula. It raised questions of the theology of practice and , interestingly, we chatted pneumatology in our various settings. There was debate as to whether the catholic tradition had an inadequate theology here. I am not sure i agree with that statement, but it has caused to ponder that a I serve the Peninsula.

Steve and Garth’s papers can be heard here …. definitely worth listening to.

ashes and beer!

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From the AshesIt’s been a pretty busy time … a few things to update and for me to reflect on.

So we arrived at the bus stops at 730am on Ash Wednesday. We were both robed. I was a little nervous. We positioned ourselves, with our small containers of ashes and a handful of our postcards which had a lent prayer and explanation attached to them, at each of the bus stops opposite each other and waited.

We did not have to wait long until we were engaged in conversation with a variety of people. Some asked about the ‘fancy dress’ while others told us simply that they knew it was Ash Wednesday and, ‘yes please …. could you ash me and pray for me’.

In all we gave ashes to just over 30 people in the hour we were there. People seemed encouraged and blessed by our presence; even people who did not wish to receive ashes or a postcard commented that they liked to see ‘the church’ out with the people. Lots of people did not wish to engage and avoided any eye contact and it was very right to respect their dignity and give space, but many also wanted to engage and ether connect or reconnect in some simple way with God, their Creator.

Wednesday morning was encouraging.
Then came Wednesday evening.

For a large part of the previous week I had posted a message asking anyone that was interested in birthing a new church on the Greenwich Peninsula to meet me at the local pub on Wednesday evening. I even blogged it here. After much prayer I felt this was right to ‘put out there’ and was convinced that, through this, I would find the first of the new people that would join us to create church here.

I arrived very confidently at 7:55pm.
I waited.
I waited more.
It seemed I waited an age so I looked at my watch and saw it was only 8:15pm.
I laughed at myself.
8:15 became 9, and 9 became 10.
No one came. No one showed up.
The good beer could only be a scuffed and scratched, rather than silver, lining on the evening.

Whenever you plan or hope to meet with people and they do not show it is hard to take. I was convinced I would meet one key person that evening … and yet the reality was I felt pretty invisible and anonymous in the pub. A few weird looks at the start (obvs I was in dog collar!) dissolved into nothingness. Even in Rochester I was sworn at or the butt of jokes ….. but here … nothing!

It felt harsh.
I wondered if I had got everything wrong.
I questioned whether what I am trying to do here is even possible.
I then I heard a memory …. a memory about presence and being present.

I had to acknowledge that I believe I have been called here by God to work with the people that are here to create something. But …. over and above that calling, God asks me to be present here. Properly present, present and available. We were present and available in the morning and people were encouraged …. I was present and available in the evening and seemingly people didn’t notice …. but it is immaterial …. it changes nothing …. present and available is what I am called to be  ….. and present and available is what I will continue to choose to be.

So I go out today …. not too sure where … but wherever …. present and available is what I will be.

 

wanna help birth a church?

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I am looking for people who are interested in birthing and developing some new form of church on the Greenwich Peninsula.
Might that be you?
If so I am going to be in The Pilot Inn tonight from 8.00pm.
Although we have a dream what the values are we have a blank canvas as to what that will look like …. sound exciting? …. intrigued …. come talk if this grabs you!

Ashes to Go

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AshestoGo2Tomorrow morning at 730 until 830am, Esther and myself from Holy Trinity Greenwich Peninsula will be robing and offering ‘ashes to go’ at the bus stop outside ‘the vicarage’. 

I’m not sure how this will go and I do not mind saying I am more than a little nervous as to the kind of reception we may receive. I hope some people will feel able to connect with something of their past. I hope some people will welcome the opportunity to pause and consider their humanity in the face of the Divine. I hope some people will be surprised to find the church at their bus stop. I hope some people find encouragement in knowing that their Creator has not forgotten them.

The palm crosses have been burned. Oil ahas been added and we will ash people at the bus stop while saying this simple prayer:

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Go in peace. Amen.

We will also give those ashed and wanting to take something away a copy of this prayer and explanation which will be attached to the back of our postcard giving details of who we are. The explanation and prayer below come from the Ashes to Go website:

Almighty and merciful God, you hate nothing you have made, and forgive the sins of all who are penitent; create in us new and contrite hearts, so that when we turn to you and confess our sins and acknowledge our need, we may receive your full and perfect forgiveness, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.

Why “Ashes to Go”?
Ashes are an ancient sign of penitence. From the Middle Ages it became the custom to begin Lent by being marked in ash with the sign of the cross. The reminder that we are dust turns our attention to the creative power of God, and God’s ability to heal the brokenness in our lives when we offer that brokenness to God. That turning to God is the work of Lent, preparation for the celebration of Easter. We’re offering ashes on the street corner today because that reminder of need, humility, and healing shouldn’t be confined to a church building.

We probably need it more when we are in the middle of our daily business! The ashes we receive here are to remind us throughout the day of our need for God, and of God’s call to us.

So …. in just around 12 hours I will be waking … and getting ready …. and becoming nervous … but then afterwards I hope to be able to say that many people felt blessed and encouraged by our presence. Being good news on The Peninsula is what we are about …. and part of that good news is serving and helping and blessing. If we achieve that as a church that would be cool! 

moving in the right direction … maybe!

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Can61c4W8AEjNNmYesterday we held our last contemplative eucharist service before we embark on the journey of Lent.

Our numbers are still relatively small but I am encouraged by three things in particular. Feedback is overwhelmingly positive with people appreciating the opportunity to still themselves and spend time just being themselves. Lots of people here work in the city and space, or the opportunity to pause, are craved for but rarely achieved.

Since moving our worship to the evening we have seen an increase of 20% of people coming. That sounds a lot grander than it is and that amounts to an extra 1.5 people ….
The most encouraging fact since the move is, however, that in 4 weeks of January we have seen 4 new people, some of whom have returned for a second time. In the 2 weeks before the change we saw no new people. I am encouraged as this tells me we are now becoming more accessible to people. I think this illustrates, albeit tentatively, that we are moving in the right direction.

Last night we considered the transfiguration and what that said to us today. The discussion after the homily seemed to engage lots of peoples thinking and I sensed there was a real powerful sense of joy and wonder as we gathered around the table to receive bread and wine.

I am convinced that we are doing here at 18:01 is what people are looking for …. I just ned to be able to find these people ….. so I still am looking for a core team of people …. they must be out there somewhere!

walking for change

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12642677_947115258675954_1567955323478933877_nToday I walked around the Peninsula with Alastair, who is on placement with the East Greenwich Team Ministry prior to him training for ordination. We chatted and prayed as we walked around the new buildings.

As we embark on something new here as the church on the Peninsula, prayer walking is, to me, a necessary pre-requisite. This is how I started things in Rochester and then again in Gillingham. I don’t know why … sometimes it makes no sense … because, after all, God knows everything and knows what I will pray about …. but for some reason, i know that without prayer things do not seem to happen. With prayer things do seem to happen! Simples!

For me, today was a big encouragement. I often walk around the Peninsula as the ‘parish priest’ but walking around with a like minded person today seemed more intentional and focussed.

As I walk, I guess I am looking for people who are interested in joining me on this weird journey of trying to birth and grow a new way of being church here on the Peninsula. I am convinced there are people here who have a faith and are interested in being part of developing something new.

Please pray I may find some of those people soon.

a start ….

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balcony view .JPGLiving on the Greenwich Peninsula is a fairly unique experience to many. People live in close proximity and yet I can go for days without seeing anyone from my block of apartments. At 1801 last night someone that moved into the village at the end of December described her experience of living here as being anonymous.

One of the strengths of living in a  place like the Peninsula is that people want to work and do build community together. There is a very strong residents committee on the Greenwich Millennium Village which I have been both invited and pleased to be a part of.

At the start of the year we were all profoundly affected by a death of a resident who was run over by a bus. For years the residents committee has been asking for the roads to be safer. The residents have pulled together and launched an amazing campaign for the roads around the village to be safer …. you could support this by signing here.

The residents committee live here and care about the place we live and show that by being willing to make time to work together. At last Thursday’s residents meeting we were able to build on this by starting our survey of residents views. This is going to be something that is going to be a priority for me and the people of HT for the next few weeks. Why? Well … as Holy Trinity part of our reason for being here is to be ‘good news’, to help and be a blessing to the community. Surveys can take a long time and cost a lot in finance and time to carry out and so this is a way we can be of help. The surveys, which are anonymous, and whatever we learn will be shared with the residents committee and other agencies that are seeking to work together here.

Meeting people on Thursday was an incredible encouragement. Everyone has views and wants to share them. They wish to share them because they passionately care about the place that they live in. After a lot of research and talking to various agencies I found Livability to be very helpful in getting us to think about what to ask.

So … on our survey we are asking three simple questions:
What do you like about living on The Peninsula?
What frustrates you about living here?
What do you think is lacking here?

After just 30 surveys it would be premature to say we have any understanding of views and a lot more residents need to be spoken with. It is, however, a good start and I was really encouraged by the helpful and engaging response from people.

Over the next few weeks I and a little team hope to have many more interactions with people with those three questions. When we have got a good sample and heard lots of voices I hope we are then able to engage in way that will be both a blessing and authentic …. watch this space!

 

Ideas and food = agapai

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FullSizeRenderOne of the new things we have started as a church community is meeting to eat together on a Wednesday night. This has started as a way to discuss what kind of church we want to be. I’ve guided us in this exploration by using an ‘ideas tree’ as seen in the photo by asking people to write what we want more of and what we want less of …. e.g. more hospitality or less formality.

After filling the tree with post it note ideas we then looked for patterns in our thoughts and, thankfully, found some. The next couple of weeks have been focussed on taking a ‘more of’ idea such as community engagement or hospitality and then chatting through ideas of what that means and how we can do it in the context and restrictions of our lives.

This week we had a good strong direct conversation about the reality of our situation as a church and the reality  of our ability to develop things in the midst of a busy city life.

The task is not an easy one!

A result of that honest discussion is that the Wednesday evening meal will be ‘tweeked’ a little. Rather than talking about what sort of church we want to be every week we are going to see what alternating a discussion with a check in, eat and pray for each other would look like. I other words we will alternate between talking church and being church …. although I know we are being church when we talk church as well …. but i think you get my drift!

Although the conversation was tough, even awkward at times, it was good and needed. I firmly believe that if a group of people are seeking to birth something new then honesty needs paramount in discussions. The fact we jumped to honesty rather than stay in politeness so soon is a real encouragement to me. It’s an encouragement because it means people care.

So … this Wednesday we will eat, talk, hear each others stories and pray together ….. so if you are on The Peninsula and fancy eating with a group of people that want to birth a church and bless this community ….. then join us. I just ask that you let us know you are coming so we can cater correctly.

We call this event agapai – a word used by the early Christians derived from agape (meaning God’s love) to describe ‘love feasts’ when they got together to eat and pray together as well as share bread and wine as part of the meal. The name seemed to fit a little with what we are trying to do here.