Light up the Fire

The other day members of the local Christian fellowship held a barbecue and bonfire on the beach at Railway Crossing. The fire was pretty cool (yet extremely hot at the same time!), though I did get twitchy at the 50 pallets which were used to build it - they would have made a good fence or sold to be reused (at, I believe, between £10-£25 per pallet).

Why were they doing it? Mission, outreach, breaking down barriers. There was a reasonable number of people in the village went along (free food always being a good incentive!), with a good mix of ages, though mainly children. Some of the children recognised me from assemblies, so I got chatting to them, especially when helping them to toast marshmallows without toasting my own face...that was easier said than done! But I digress.

The people who started this event moved to the village a couple of years ago. They are passionate about God, about Jesus and want to share their faith with others, as do the other members of the fellowship. As I was talking to one of them, he mused about how difficult evangelism is in this place, that you mention God and people run away. We agreed that for too long the 'main stream' churches roundabout have been preaching that people are bad, bad people and are damned if they do not repent.

But what about God's love? It's not that we disagreed that everyone falls short of God's glory, but that always telling people of God being an angry, wrathful judge will not turn people towards seeking God. It will turn them off and they may never want to know, and that would be said. I wonder if God cries when he sees people reject him because of church teaching?

They, and I, believe people need to know God loves them, God loves them no matter what they have done, no matter where they are from, no matter their background. From that, people may get into a relationship with God and know that what we say (we hope and pray) is true.

Of course, with the bonfire on the beach, taking God's love to people did remind me of the hymn Colours of day. We may not have been in a park, but we were where people where or would come to, rather than expecting them to come to us. Isn't that what church should be for, sustaining people to take the gospel message into their day-to-day lives?

Glass half full

I tend to have a glass half full attitude. I know that sometimes doesn't come across here, but I try to be optimistic. I also have a nothing ventured, nothing gained sort of mentality.

Yes, I am away from home for the summer (again), but I look at the positives of gaining valuable experience and having the chance to live in a truly beautiful area.

I have been involved with many things, both before and since I began training for ministry, where the church meets people where they are, serving their needs and commecting with their lives. That may not have led to more 'bums on seats' on a Sunday morning, but that, for me, isn't the point. It's about taking the good news of God's love to people. It's about sowing seeds. How they will be received and grow will differ, but who will sow them if not us?

So, I get a bit twitchy when I constantly hear moaning that one church or another (usually, it's a small number who do all the hard work and the moaners have little or nothing to do with the poject in my experience) is doing this or that in the schools or through holiday clubs, but there are no more coming to church. I usually refer them to the parable of the sower. But I also womder if those in the communities those churches serve pick up on the pervailing attitude of the congregation and that puts them off. It certainly would put me off.

I know it takes a lot of effort and time and, in many cases, money even to do things outwith the church's walls or over and above the Sunday service. But does God not bless a cheerful giver? Will not God, in his own way and in his own time, feed and water those seeds, so they may grow in his light and love? A light and love that only his body - the church - can take into the world.

So, wherever I am called, I pray it's to a glass half full and give it a go sort of place. After all, that's who I am and I believe that's where God is calling me.

In our joy too?

For many in our communities, the church has very little to do with their lives. It's a hard but sad fact. Yet, when sad times come, be it death or illness, a local or national tragedy, that is when people turn to the church. For prayer, for comfort, for presence. And that is only right and good, not for the church, but for the sake of those in our communities, so they may see Christ in the actions and being of those in the church during the sad, painful times in their lives.

But why only the bad times? Why not the good times - graduating, recovering from serious illness, marriage, having a child, the list goes on and on. Perhaps it is easier to approach God in pain, than in joy? Perhaps. I know of many, many people who will only pray when it's all going pear shaped, not when it's going well.

I wonder though if this could be a way of people seeing the church is with them always, not just in their pain. We want to share their joy too. Yet, the Scottish Presbyterian image is not one which lends itself to being...how can I put this? Cheerful. For many, especially of a certain generation, the Rev IM Jolly, though a caricature, was the 'face' of the Kirk. A door minister, with no sense of humour, sense of fun, who would never share a communities joy, because they would suck all happiness out of it!

I don't think there are easy answers to this. It would take a cultural shift, both in terms of the church and society, but wouldn't it be great if the church community could be part of the parish's joy and celebration?

Mission and outreach

As Christians, we are called to love God with all our hearts, souls and minds, look after the poor, orphaned and widowed (whether physically or spiritually) and to tell others of the good news of Jesus Christ.

So churches set up soup kitchens and youth clubs and playgroups etc, etc. All of these show the church in action, the church serving the needs of the community. Hopefully, this type of service comes with no strings attached. After all, Jesus healed and talked with people first, then told them to sin no more and follow him, not the other way around.

But in that outreach, it is all too easy for the church just to be another type of community service and could be seen as no different from the local village hall committee putting on these services. For me, while people should not be 'bible bashed', there has to be an understanding that those helping with the outreach are Christians and the service comes from Jesus through his church.

Having been involved in a couple of outreach programs through placements and my home church, the fact the service was coming from the church and all those serving were Christians did change people's perceptions of the service and, in some cases, the church. As those being served got to know the servers some deep theological concerns were aired, all due to people knowing we were all Christians. It's not to say we had the answers, far from it, but the people we were serving saw something in us and wanted to know more.

This is something I am wondering about for this placement. Their outreach program looks great and is really serving the community, but I wonder how it can be mission too, in a non-threatening and loving way. And I know it is something Highland Cathedral is wondering about too.

So, what is others' experience or thoughts? I have my own ideas, but want to have a rounded picture and more ideas my own theological reflection on this matter.

Reaching outwith the walls

So, on Sunday I went to the linkage of my home church. I know, I was looking for somewhere where I wouldn't be know, but they are the sort of people who are supportive and understanding that I was there to be rather than do. One of the many reasons I love those people.

So, rather than have to sit through the same service twice, while Spot was busy at our home church, I went for a bit of a walk and picked up the few odds and sorts we needed. Although the street was quietish, there were a reasonable number of people around and, as 12 o'clock approached, the numbers were growing. I suspect there were more people worshipping the god of retail between 11 and 12 on Sunday than were in all the local churches combined.

Which made me think that's exactly where the church should be. Not in the old (quite often neo-Gothic) buildings where they don't want to go, but beside people, in the real world. Being where people are, rather than expecting people to be where the church is.

I know it's idealistic and, given I am called to parish ministry, not easy to do (though, where's there's a will, there's a way!). I also know people will argue that Jesus went to the synagogue to teach. True, but it wasn't just there - he also taught were people were.

So, should the church maybe even occasionally have a service at 11 o'clock on a Sunday morning where people are. To actually have a service at the 'normal' time where people are, not for it to be an add, evening or mid-week service. Yes, there would be opposition (from church as well as non-church people), but I could argue part of the Christian calling is to do the right thing and spread the gospel in the face of opposition. (Oh, good grief, it sounds like I am an evangelist and that is a bit too much of a loaded word for my liking!).

So, there's a challenge for me. And, I would say, the whole Kirk, as it faces the many issues it will have to deal with over the next few years. But as long as God is in all the Kirk does, everything should turn out well.