need … what need?

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Richard makes some interesting observations here about true and perceived need by using a great illustration of how Nike excelled in the sports shoe market.

Richard suggests, and I agree, that although we know our communities need Jesus they do not realise that fact. He suggests we ask what the perceived need of the community is and look to meet that. Nike perceived the need that people need to belong and used this to take the market and I think Richard is suggesting that we find the perceived need of our community and use this to take the market for Jesus.

I am not sure that I sit comfortably with this position. If Richard is suggesting that we befriend our community and meet these needs out of a sole motivation to see conversions to Christ then I struggle with the integrity of that. In the gospels I do not see a Jesus that serves out of a motivation for people to follow him. I see a man performing miracles that help people and give them a taste of the Kingdom of God. We see many in the gospels receiving the blessings of the Kingdom but choosing not to follow Jesus … and Jesus just continues to bless, and I guess hope!

I guess I am interested in this post because of the places I currently sit, as a pioneer minister, and ‘wait with intent’, being a presence and just waiting to see what God is doing. I hope that I am awake enough to notice and be able to join in. As I sit and observe I do ask myself and God ‘what is the need here’ and wonder how we might meet such a need. My motivation, however, is to show the love of God and allow God to do the rest, rather than look for ways to jump in with Christianity.

As this post is called The Nike Effect part 1, I realise I am jumping the gun a bit in my response as I may totally have the wrong end of the stick of the motivation behind this … and so I look forward to reading the next installment.

I deny the resurrection!

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Great post here from Pete Rollins – go beyond the shock of the title and read the post to be challenged.

waiting to stdy

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Today has been a study day which has forced me to reflect on some stuff differently, and maybe even in quite a false way. In a few weeks time I need to hand in an assignment of 4000 words which is not too tall an order. I am struggling, however, to decide what to write about. The task is called the ‘critical incident’ assignment where I choose something that has happened (the critical incident) that has caused me to reflect and has challenged me in my ordained ministry.

There have been many such incidences. The way I have been received by people in the public places I inhabit. The conversations that I believe have happened purely because I am wearing a dog collar. The challenges and threats that people have fired towards me. My experience of perceptions even in the church such as needing to robe and process to read the gospel in the closing Eucharist at the diocesan conference. All of these things have been a challenge and all of them have caused me to consider the transition I am going through, or sometimes feel I am being dragged through, as I develop in and within my ordained ministry.

It’s all very strange, but the wide remit of the assignment is in itself quite a challenge. Essentially I can write about anything as long as I can show that reflection upon the incident has helped to develop a new understanding of my ordained role. The lazy part of me wants to be given an assignment title and book list so I can choose and get into it. The more adventurous side of me is looking forward to the challenge of developing a question and finding information to support and challenge my thinking.

After a rough start, and quite a lot of coffee causing me to buzz around an empty house, I think I now have an idea that I think will be fun and a challenge to explore. I think I will be considering the whole waiting thing and how that links with identity and what I feel I am called to do, and how that calling is perceived by others, even those that are closest to me. It’s annoying that by the end of my study day I actually feel like doing some study!

A big thaw?

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I’m going to be leaving for Rochester soon, but am having to miss Morning Prayer as I can’t get into my car – the doors are frozen solid. To be honest I was going to drive in later as the road to get off my estate is a shiny slippery which is making driving for my neighbours a real challenge! I am waiting for it to thaw a bit. So in good Christian style … I am letting them go before me, putting myself last, so that they can churn up the ice on the road to make it drivable.

I did consider catching a bus this morning as my car journey is only 10 minutes straight along the A2. Amazingly there is no bus that goes straight along the A2 a major road through the middle of Medway and then on to London. Apparently I have to catch a bus into Chatham bus station and then another from there to Rochester. The whole journey, from leaving my house to arriving at the cathedral, will take around 50 minutes. That is 50 minutes to do a 4 mile journey!

It is not surprising then, why so many people drive to work and ignore public transport. I can be in the cathedral 15 minutes after leaving my house if I drive, or 50 minutes (if I catch the quicker) bus. It’s a shame as I was looking forward to a bus journey and was toying with the idea of losing my ageing car and using the bus regularly. This would have helped the environment as well as my wallet … but it seems the 145 000 mile car that has done me well will have to keep going a good while yet! (before people say – yes I know cycling is an even better option, but my physio won’t allow that yet … maybe soon!)

Bus slogans

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Maggie points to this bus sign generator, which is quite fun.

It’s snowing!

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the view from my house … and still the snow falls!

what would I have said?

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Candlemas today where we remember Jesus being presented at the temple on the 40th day of his birth, and also the time when we remember the purification of Mary after giving birth.

At Evensong today this was marked by a candlelit procession to the crib which was censed with myrrh. The lights in the crib were turned off and the candles blown out as we turned away from the crib to look at the cross. It was quite a poignant moment as we reminded ourselves of where the journey is now going as travel towards Easter.

I have enjoyed today, but I still wonder what it is all about as it does not fit with my pioneering remit, although today does leave me with a question. At Evensong we also say the Nunc Dimittis, or rather I listen to the choir as they sing it:

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace : according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen : thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared : before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles : and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

As I listened to those familiar words it suddenly dawned on me that we were remembering the first time these words were said. That led me to wonder what I would say. If I was there, when the Christ infant was presented in the temple, what would I have said? How would I have felt? It’s actually too amazing to even think of!

intelligent waiting

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Following my Primal Vision post I was encouraged again to see this on TSK’s blog. The newspaper reports are from 1955 and outline how the Rev Tony Reid was given freedom to do missional works in the pubs of Soho and is reported under a title of ‘The Church must come to the people.’

It’s amazingly encouraging to read of something like this. I am finding the isolation of pioneering is really starting to bite. Quite often I think I am alone in truly understanding what I am doing. Actually, that is not true – actually most of the time I do not think even I am understanding at all what I am trying to achieve. Most days I act out of obedience to what I think God is asking me to – and I’m only human so could be so so wrong! To see and read of someone else ‘going there’ in a very different time before me is strangely encouraging!

I smile as the reporter tries to work out this mission in his report … the second page of the report (which you can see on TSK) asks:

‘but the problem I was trying to work out in the Soho club, whilst the father was talking quiet practical Christian love and faith over the whisky glasses was: Can you relate the Christian faith to a mambo in a basement dance hall? Can you take a Christian mission into a night club, a public house, a tenement with bedraggled washing on the area landing and haunted by hungry cats?’

Can we indeed? The answer is ‘yes we can’ and actually it’s not a choice of ‘can we’, ‘must we’ or even ‘we need to in order to survive’. We are called to imitate Jesus and the example he set us – the gospels show that it was in these places with the people that he was found. These are the places where love is needed and where love needs to be shown.

Interestingly this reporter seems to come from an age before the press were cynical and looking to knock or belittle. He goes out of his way to support the Rev Tony Reid by stating: ‘what is nonsense is to suggest, as has been suggested, that this is a con-man mission …they are a group of sincere people who have a questioning and intelligent approach to Christianity.’

It’s a shame that those intelligent Christians today, such as Mark, are not treated with the same level of openness, honesty and integrity.

As I said to read and hear of Rev Tony Reid is encouraging – it does not take away the feelings of isolation or misunderstanding, but its great to read of such mission that I can relate to – I’ve love to know if Tony Reid is still alive because it would be amazing to chat with him.

Surprises by God again!

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I went to a meeting last night that I was not really looking forward to but was surprised that I actually enjoyed the meeting.

The meeting was the Dickens Christmas Festival Wash Up meeting run by the council for all people involved in the festival (traders etc. ) to come to. I assumed this would be one of those dreary meetings where people would moan at the council about this, that and the other. I went in place of someone but was quite surprised by the meeting itself.

There was some moaning as you would expect, but the overwhelming majority of the time was spent in positive dialogue revolving around making a good event even better. I was also surprised by how much the cathedral is respected by the council and people and has a key role in such events.

After the meeting I got chatting to a great gentleman about his involvement with the festival and he may even have partly convinced me to think about a costume for further Dickens events in Rochester – maybe a Victorian priest – now I’ve started dressing up and do so when the majority of people are in civvies in the congregation it does make a lot of sense to dress up Dickensian style when hundreds of others are …. maybe!

I have returned home energised by the meeting. I guess I had forgotten how much I enjoy this kind of local authority/community gathering uniting around a common purpose and seeking a good way forward. It was great to be thinking in that way and in those circles again.

Election success!

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Congratulations to my boss, The Very Revd Adrian Newman, Dean of Rochester, on his appointment as a Church Commissioner as outlined on this press release from the Church of England here.

He’s a top bloke!