The Minister writes
“Community”.
Many of us look back nostalgically on a world which seems to have vanished, a time when people never locked their front doors, were always popping into their neighbours’ houses, and mucked in to help one another. I suspect that, in reality, things may not have been as ideal as we sometimes think: living so closely together can be rather claustrophobic and leave people with no privacy!
What people are remembering is, of course, a sense of community. That was not difficult to achieve when most families worked for the same few employers, watched football together every Saturday, and bumped into one another whenever they went shopping. Poverty and shared misery created particularly strong communities in areas such as the mining districts of Wales, the wool towns of Lancashire or London’s East End.
Many of the nuts and bolts which once held communities together have disappeared. The local school has amalgamated with another; the Post Office, the pub and the baker’s shop have closed; and the local “bobby” has been replaced by a “Safer Neighbourhood Team”. People now drive miles to work and move house frequently, while technology means we can ring someone up or send them an email rather than meeting face-to-face.
One of our new Government’s flagship projects is the “Big Society”, which appears to be an attempt to revive community spirit. According to the Prime Minister, this is “about a huge culture change, where people feel both free and powerful enough to help themselves and their own communities”. While this sounds laudable, many people regard the programme as little more than impressive rhetoric disguising an exercise in cost-cutting, or are wary of being pushed into volunteering against their will.
The Christian Church is one of the few institutions that still exist in many communities. It is weaker these days than it once was, and it often seems to spend more time looking in on itself than outward to the world around. Nevertheless congregations of all kinds and denominations still draw people together for both worship and social occasions, and offer a remarkable amount of service and support to their neighbours.
Naturally, churches vary. Some congregations are so close-knit that virtually every member lives within walking distance of the church building. Others are commuter churches, drawing their flock from a wide area. Our own church has always been a “gathered” congregation: in the past it seems to have drawn the leaders of business and commerce from around the town, in contrast to St. Mary-le-Tower, which had more of a “civic” function.
But times change, and I suspect that we need to alter our focus - not that we wish to drive anyone away, of course! At our church meeting last January, we made a commitment to stay on our present site and, as our “Vision Statement” declares, to “engage with the local and wider community”. This means that we must not only be a church which attracts people from a distance, but also a local congregation with links with those who live on our doorstep. Few of us actually live near to our building, so this could mean a radical shift in the way we work.
One practical outcome of that January meeting was the formation of a “Community Engagement Group”, responsible for working out our Mission. Surprisingly, quite a number of folk seem to be unaware of its existence! The Group has now defined what we consider to be our “parish”, and a map of this has been on display in church during the summer. As it meets again this month, the Group will keep seeking opportunities for our church to get involved in the community round about.
So may I end with a challenge, which is this: for us to “get involved” in any local activities that we can. Please support events organised by the new “Wash Watch” community group. Take note of the information about local charities included in our weekly notice-sheet, and any news of the area which appears in the “Evening Star”. Above all, please pray for the community around Christ Church, for it has many needs.
We must never forget that Jesus came to live in ordinary places. Through the life and witness of churches such as ours, he can still be seen to dwell in every community.
With best wishes,
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