On Wednesday 4th September a small group of
representatives from both Oadby churches attended an evening at St Martin’s
House when the Intercultural Worshipping Communities project was launched by
the Diocese. The Diocese has received some funding from the Church
Commissioners Strategic Development Fund for a 5 year project in Leicestershire.
The project is to try and help 5 core churches, of which Oadby is one, explore
what it means to be an Intercultural Worshipping Community. The project is
spearheaded by Lusa Ngoy, the Diocesan Black, Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME)
Mission and Ministry Enabler who came to preach at St Paul’s on the 15th
September. Lusa reminded us that we are all part of a big story, God’s big
story, which interweaves with the story of our own lives and the story of the
church.
Often we refer to the local church as ‘our church’. In some
ways this is good as it implies a sense of ownership, that we are fully
invested in and committed to ‘our church’. But the danger with this language is
that we forget the bigger picture, ‘our church’ existed before we did and we
hope it will continue long after we are gone. It is also important to remember
that the church is not the building; the church is the people of God gathered
together. The other important thing is that we are part of something much
bigger; our local, gathered community is a small part of a much bigger church.
For us in Oadby this includes being part of a new, enlarged Benefice with
churches in Great Glen, Burton Overy & Carlton Curlieu. It also includes
being part of a Deanery (Gartree) and a Diocese (Leicester) as well as the
Church of England and the Worldwide Anglican Communion. We have sisters and
brothers in Christ locally, nationally and internationally.
Once we have recognised that we are part of something bigger
we then need to ask why we exist as the church here in our local
community. The Anglican parish system allows for a Christian presence in every
community. The primary purpose of the church is to connect unchurched people to
Jesus. This is why we exist, to make Christ known in the world and to share his
love with all people. It was a former Archbishop William Temple who summed it
up thus, “the church is the only organisation that exists primarily for the
benefit of its non-members”.
We forget this at our peril. It is very easy to get sucked
into keeping ‘our church’ going in the way we like so that it is a nice, safe,
comfortable place for us. We have bought into the prevailing consumerist
culture where we find a church full of people like us, who act in a way that we
find acceptable thus making church a safe place that meets our needs. How far removed
we are from the early church! My favourite description of church is ‘Messy
Church’, which immediately conjures up images of the popular afternoon churches
for families with lots of craft activities. But I would love to be part of a
church that is ‘messy’ in the sense that it is mixture of very different types
of people from all cultures, nationalities, backgrounds, ages and life stories.
The thing that unites us all is our love for and need of Jesus. Together we
grow and learn as followers of Jesus and together we share Jesus with those
around us.
This is, in part, what the Intercultural
Worshipping Communities are about. It starts with lifting our gaze to recognise
that we are part of something bigger. Then being open to what we can learn from
one another. And then growing together as the family of God as we find a deep
connection, a new sense of belonging in the ever evolving story of God and of
the family of God, of which we are all a part. Keep us Lord, from being infected
with a spirit of possessiveness,
whereby we start to think
that our church, our faith,
is ours to shape in our image.
Rather, keep us always open to your Spirit,
that we may be led in your way of love,
and shaped into your image.
Amen.
