Category Archives: community

just get on with it!

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new construction 2I had a great day on Tuesday doing something a little different by hopping up to London Diocese. Part of my role on the MACE team in Rochester Diocese is to help people develop Fresh Expressions of church and look at how we can birth/grow/plant church in areas of new housing.

Today I met with Dr Ian Sesnan who is the Strategic Development Manager for London Diocese along with Rev Simon Rea who is the pioneering minister at St Peters, Edgeware. Both of these great men are doing amazing things and I felt that the 2 hours with them was easily equivalent to 2 weeks of research and phonecalls. They validated stuff I have been thinking and doing for some time … such as long term incarnational ministry so that we learn the ‘language’ of the area …. but I also learnt some tips for communicating and working alongside developers.

One thing I was reminded of was that the church community has a ‘right’ to be in a place and a right to speak on behalf of those she has been serving. One thing that hit me our meeting is not that there is just a need to provide community spaces in areas of new development, but that there is also a requirement to ensure the sustainability of that community space. Because, essentially, the church will never leave and not motivated by money … the church can more or less guarantee the sustainability of this space which is desperately needed.

As a bonus Ian and Simon wanted to hear about our vision for Gillingham High Street, and they were able to offer some great insights and suggestions for a way forward. One inspired comment from Ian was something like ‘taking an interim space and presence as a first step’. Sometimes maybe I have been guilty of waiting for too many boxes to be ticked rather than simply getting a space and getting on with it!

This was a great day … it got both my thinking brain and visionary brain working again …. thanks Ian and Simon for your time … much appreciated! (Now I just need to go and write up all this enthusiasm for the diocese!)

worth the risk

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mouse trapI stumbled upon this quote the other day (thanks Graham):

‘Welcoming the stranger puts oneself and one’s community at risk. At best, the stranger is disruptive, bringing strange ideas and new, even wrong, ways of doing things. At worst, the stranger is dangerous, bringing disease, dishonor or violence. Welcoming the stranger is risky: everyone will be changed, host and guest alike…. And we cannot know ahead of time what the changes will be’(Amy Oden ‘God’s Welcome: Hospitality for a Gospel- Hungry world’)

One of our values / aspirations that came clearly and strongly from our away day as the gathering was something to do with relationship, family, hospitality, welcoming … and other such terms. As a community we believe that this risky welcoming, although difficult and maybe even messy or, as Oden says ‘dangerous’, is vitally central to all that we do and all that we are.  The fact that a strong message received when talking about what we valued in the gathering was the openness and welcome to all to be participative on any level, along with the freedom to just be, leads me to believe that this is a pretty important value to us. I look forward to the discussions as we try to sum that up in one word!

It has always struck me as ‘interesting’ that to join many Christian groups today, whether that be church or whatever,  their seems to be an unwritten rule to conform to what the group is already doing, saying or believing. In some that even goes as far as wearing the same clothes, reading the same books, and going to the same events with the added inference that some Christian events are good while others are not. To suggest that the group might change to accommodate or welcome what a new person brings can often bring a look of terrified shock to those in ‘authority’, or others who are established, within the group.

But surely … if we are searching for truth together, and working out how to live as Christians in this world, we need to listen to how God is working in each of us, and listen to how God is talking to us through each other …. unless of course the group we are in has already sussed it out totally and has 100% certainty that their group and ideas is the one God given right true and correct way. But then, maybe some really do believe that they have discerned everything and have ‘arrived’. The gathering has not ‘arrived’ and we don’t believe we ever will as there will always somewhere further to go.

Welcoming the stranger is also very counter cultural, and possibly seen as a sign of madness, in a society that tells us from an early age to ‘beware of the stranger’ and realise that the stranger might be dangerous as a person who wishes to take something from you. In reality there is a safety issue that we need to consider as a community. But …. I believe we must avoid being directed too much by our fear, and be open to what the stranger may bring. If we ask God to direct our day … then we need to listen to the people God brings across our paths.

Today I had a long conversation with an older guy from India who has lived in Gillingham  since the early 1950’s. We talked about the changes he has experienced and in individual beliefs. I think we both left the conversation enriched in some way, learning something new from each other, discovering more about our creator and ourselves together. That would not have happened if we viewed each other with stranger suspicion.

I love that final thought from Oden, that ‘everyone will be changed …. ‘host and guest alike’. The alternative is a kind of static nothingness where nothing changes. I don’t want to look at myself in 5 years, or even a year, or even a month … heck I don’t really want to look at myself next week and think ‘nothings changed’. We are called to follow Christ and be transformed to be more like Christ … and it seems to be that allowing the the stranger in can be on way of allowing that Christ-likeness to happen.

After all … it is in entertaining strangers that we may actually encounter angels!
I can’t help but think, it’s worth the risk!

getting stuff done!

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cofwd2502Recently, and through a mutual friend, I discovered coFWD. I like the website and love the vision. I like the website because it is clean, but what really excites me about this place is the vision:

‘coFWD is a self managed, independent community of people united by one common purpose – getting stuff done. Venture through the doors of our old bank building at the end of Rochester High Street and you’ll find an eclectic mix of individuals from all sorts of backgrounds and disciplines.

Together we’re building a community where people are encouraged to share and develop ideas, roll up their sleeves and get plans and projects off the ground.’

Too often I seem to sit in meetings where people, including myself, talk about doing stuff, and then talk more …. and more …. but actually getting things done and working together to help each other get things done seems to be what drives the community of coFWD … and that’s an exciting thing to see! 

I am part of a group that has  something of a similar vision for Gillingham … watch this space (or get in touch if interested!)

come … because all are invited

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eucharistToday is Maundy Thursday; a day which, for me, over the last 5 or so years has been a day to contemplate, reconsider, and dwell on the whole basis of my faith. In particular on this day I am always drawn to think about what celebrating eucharist is all about.

It’s quite pertinent for me this year as I have already had a number of conversations with around a dozen people which have fallen into two broad categories; one being of whether children should be ‘allowed’ to take part, the other with (Roman) catholic friends about who should be allowed to share.

Both questions shock me really. The first really saying, ‘when do children fully understand?’ To that I answer when do any of us fully understand what God is doing in Eucharist? If, as I heard the other day, a child saying ‘..but I love Jesus just as much as anyone else…’ then surely that understanding is enough. I know that is a simplistic viewpoint, but sometimes simplicity is necessary.

The second question really makes me shiver. This question really talks about people in some form of authority making a judgement; it’s people deciding who is or is not worthy of receiving communion. I think this midset betrays a forgetfulness. A forgetfulness that is missing the fact that this is Christ’s table, and that it is Christ that invites because, actually, none of us are worthy to join Christ around his table. No human can refuse to ‘allow’ someone to come to Christ’s table for it is not us inviting others, but Christ himself.

In the gathering we have started too use this invitation which i have seen versions of flying around in various places, but this is taken from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals:

come to this table
you who have much faith
and you who would like to have more;
you who have been here often
and you who have not been for a long time;
you who have tried to follow Jesus,
and you who have failed;
come.
It is Christ who invites us to meet him here.

In his daily thought today, Richard Rohr shares:

‘The issue is not worthiness; the issue is trust and surrender. It all comes down to “confidence and love,” as Thérèse of Lisieux said.  I think that explains the joyous character with which many celebrate the Eucharist. We are pulled into immense love and joy for such constant and unearned grace. It doesn’t get any better than this!’

Today I shall be walking into the Chrism Eucharist this morning reflecting on this meal, and remembering the immense love, acceptance and grace that welcomes and draws me in … and that that welcome and grace and love is not just for a few, but for everyone.

This Easter time come … because you have a personal invite from Christ himself.

i remember …

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perichoresisTwice this week I have had the fortune to visit Moot and meet up with Ian, as my mentor, and catch up with other Moot friends.

Last week 4 of us got together as Ordained Pioneer Ministers to talk about stuff … spiritual reflection, funding, publicising what we are doing … and other pioneer support stuff. This group has only met once and I already love being part of it. It is so refreshing to be part of a group that is innovative and creative. I cannot put into words the relief I feel knowing that in this group I will not have to explain, again, what a pioneer is, or correct a misunderstanding of what a pioneer is (no … we are not simply good parish priests that have a bit of extra time to play and create!)

It frustrates me that I have been ordained over 4 years as an OPM and still people don’t get it …… but I guess I am partly to blame in that I am not communicating it clearly enough!

This afternoon I was at Moot again as part of a group looking at  an Acknowledged Religious Community Discernment Group. This will be a group that is a resource and support to those going down the new monastic group. I think this group will be key and beneficial to the gathering should they choose to go this way. This kind of stuff excites me and I am really pleased to be part of something like this in its beginnings.

It was great to be able to join Moot for worship for a little bit before I had to rush off for the train (Weekend engineering works always happen on a  Sunday!!!) and I finished Moot Compline on the High Speed to Strood which raised an eyebrow or two!

These last few days with two visits to Moot have really reminded me what I am about, and what I feel is at the centre of me. This thing about intentional community, echoing the trinitarian community that is God, really grabs my gut, inspires me and encourages me to keep going. The perichoresis is what it’s all about for me!  (i’m not linking to anything … look it up!) It’s a worry how quickly I forget!

beyond the edge

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I’ve had a pretty varied last few days which has left me mulling over the words of Archbishop Rowan on belonging and the history of the church being renewed from the edges rather than the middle. The audios and the videos have now been uploaded on the fresh expression website here. They are all worth taking the time to listen to.

I think I agree that the church seems to historically be renewed from the edges. As I was listening to Archbishop Rowan last week I was envisaging myself as one of those people linking with those on the edges, looking for people on the fringe to be involved in this renewing. Looking for people to ‘tap on the shoulder’ of those that think they do not belong and remind that they do.

I have wondered this week, however, whether that is the case and whether that is, in fact, my role? Do pioneers work on the edge or do pioneers need too go beyond the edge. The edge still has a recognisable boundary, a place of safety or reference. We do not know what is beyond the edge, because we don’t go beyond the edge, for then it wouldn’t be ‘the edge’.

But I wonder … I wonder whether people on the edge want to belong because they are aware that ‘belonging’ is a possibility. Beyond the edge, however, I wonder whether this is as true. I’m not sure people beyond the edge need reminding that they belong because I’m not sure that people desire to belong. I believe a number of people living  beyond the edge do not have the word ‘belong’ in their vocabulary  They do not desire to belong because they have never belonged and not aware that belonging somewhere is a possibility. Belonging has never been an experience.

As well as people working at the edge, pioneers need to be people that are inspired in going off track, into the wilderness, beyond the recognisable fringe. They need to search out those areas where there are no obviously recognisable paths. They have no need of a map as they are drawing the map as they journey, mapping out various paths and many dead ends as they travel, usually alone, into new areas. Rather than working at the edge, they are creating a new edge.

And so I wonder – are pioneers called to constantly re-create a new edge for people to move towards? As they create that new edge, how do they show belonging is a real possibility to those who have never had any concept of belonging.

I need to think about those questions a little more ….

pub theo to community

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this months pub theo contained its normal rich mix of great people and wandering discussions. We started by looking, essentially, at the celebration of Hallowe’en and how many of us, including myself, had been brought up in evangelical churches and how that influenced us, even now, as adults.

Certainly, I still have a difficulty of celebrating evil, but is what will happen tonight in parties in many homes a celebrations of evil, or is it simply an opportunity for friends and family to get together and have a party? That is a genuine question not a hidden statement, as I don’t know … my house ‘does not do Hallowe’en’. I think, though, it’s vlid to ask ‘Is any opportunity to connect with others in this disconnected world (borrowing language from my Brenee Brown post last week) always something that should be welcomed?’

The discussion then moved on to other stuff which was pretty far ranging. The thing I noticed must about this pub theo event, though, is that community is growing. People who used to know each other have reconnected, people who never knew each other have become friends and people were talking about stuff outside of the pub theo event. I think pub theo has shown over the last three years that if you bring a group of people together regularly for something that is meaningful to them then community starts to grow.

I find that pretty exciting and it causes me to wonder what is it that I need to be thinking about in the Gillingham high Street area that will bring people together and that will enable community to grow … that’s not such an easy question … watch this space …

is this a community birthing?

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So pub theo happened again last night. I forget now how long we have been meeting, but it must be around 2 years. That’s a lot of theology, a lot of discussion, a lot of arguing, a lot of pulling ideas apart and rebuilding them, a lot of learning from each other, a lot of challenging, a lot of …. well a lot of good fun with a great and always changing group of people really!

Last night we touched on the rights and wrongs of freedom of speech based on Boris banning a certain bus advert. We ended up asking whether we do actually have free speech in this country and it was interesting to see a number of us disagreeing with the sentiment of the advert in question but struggling with the removal of their right to be heard.

Last night saw a lot of theological discussion as we moved on to other topics but this was interspersed by a lot of general chat around catching up with each other. I think last night may have been the first time that the theological and the catching up discussion was around a 50-50 balance. It seemed like something of community was evident and starting to grow … and I wonder if that can be the case after meeting only a few times over beer, food and talk? I guess it is a good, if not the best, way to start!

a beautiful film

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I watched Lars and the Real Girl last night; which I can best describe as a simply beautiful film.

Without giving too much of the plot away, the film is about Lars who develops a relationship with Bianca, a doll that he orders from the internet. Lars takes Bianca to parties and to church. The film outlines how the relationship develops between Lars and Bianca, but more crucially, it shows how the people of the town react and relate to the relationship.

It is the way the people of the town act towards this delusional and awkwardly shy character of Lars that I thought made this film particularly beautiful to watch. It is a great and challenging example of genuine loving community, and more than once throughout the film I wondered what would the world be like if people really could, and did, act like this.

This is not just an example of what honest loving community could look like, it is also an example of what real church could be …. actually is there a difference?

(Thanks Meghan for drawing my attention to this film … if you had not guessed, I enjoyed!)

calling … mary salome and barnabas

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Yesterday I drove Meghan and Luke back to Heathrow and waved bye as they returned to the US and COTA.

The three week placement has gone pretty quickly and as well as now considering 2 people that I did not really know before to be ‘friends’ it has been a great experience to have Meghan shadowing me for large parts of what I do in Rochester.

Over the last month or so we have chatted a lot and it has been really enlightening to hear another pioneers perspective and observations on what I am doing. We have not always agreed about stuff but the time has, I think, been beneficial and challenging in a  positive way for both of us.

For myself it has been really valuable to have someone alongside to share ideas and seek feedback from. In many ways Meghan has fulfilled a ‘St. Mary Salome’ type role for me: a character that is believed to have been the person that was asking Jesus questions and challenging … maybe asking ‘why do you do this and not this?’ (there’s a bit of poetic licence there as we really know very little about Mary Salome). In other words Meghan’s comments and questions have required me to think about what I do, to remind myself what I am about, and to challenge me to remember what it is that I am trying to achieve. It is also good to hear how a fellow person views and experiences the same situation.

As I said, it has been great having Meghan around. It has supported in my mind the belief that I need two other people to join with me on this journey.

For sometime now in my weekly prayer emails I have been asking my friends to join me in praying for two other people to join me on my travels. I believe these two people  may best described as a Mary Salome and a Barnabas character: one remembered for their questioning ability, and the other for their encouragement. So … I’m still on the look out for these 2 people. If you are the praying kind … please join me in asking that I may find them soon.