Our church - City Gate Church - has recently moved into the Brighthelm Centre, which is owned by Brighthelm United Reformed Church. So, two churches sharing a space, sharing a Sunday morning, sharing coffee time in between our services. And the two churches couldn't be more different, on the surface, anyhow. City Gate Church barely has anyone over the age of 60, and the average age of the URC's congregation must be around 80. They have an organist, hymn books and flowers. We have djembes, guitars, powerpoint and flags. Their services are pretty traditional and ordered. Our meetings are...chaotic and random! We, and our style of worship, has already been referred to as 'strange' and' peculiar'. I don't think the URC knows quite what to make of us. And perhaps vice versa. Perhaps we are all more set in our ways than we thought. Being 'united' is easier said than done.
BUT, the challenge is a good one. It's worth the effort. And this Sunday, when we joined the Brighthelm URC in their service to celebrate 25 years of the Brighthelm Centre, I for one was inspired by the faithfulness and the perseverance that the older generation has invested into making a positive impact on the community around them. Yes, they may be nearing the end of their race, but there is more to do, and much to learn from their wisdom and experience. It's a privilege to be able to walk the road together for a while. This Sunday we stood together, sang together and prayed together. We drank coffee and ate sandwiches together. And the visiting speaker said words that we ALL need to hear. He encouraged us to continue to be SALT and LIGHT - that is to say to make a difference in the world. And this isn't possible because we are particularly special in ourselves - most of us really are very ordinary. This is possible because of the One who lives in all of us, the One who is our reason for being, for gathering in the Brighthelm Centre on a Sunday morning in the first place. The One who first loved us.
BUT, the challenge is a good one. It's worth the effort. And this Sunday, when we joined the Brighthelm URC in their service to celebrate 25 years of the Brighthelm Centre, I for one was inspired by the faithfulness and the perseverance that the older generation has invested into making a positive impact on the community around them. Yes, they may be nearing the end of their race, but there is more to do, and much to learn from their wisdom and experience. It's a privilege to be able to walk the road together for a while. This Sunday we stood together, sang together and prayed together. We drank coffee and ate sandwiches together. And the visiting speaker said words that we ALL need to hear. He encouraged us to continue to be SALT and LIGHT - that is to say to make a difference in the world. And this isn't possible because we are particularly special in ourselves - most of us really are very ordinary. This is possible because of the One who lives in all of us, the One who is our reason for being, for gathering in the Brighthelm Centre on a Sunday morning in the first place. The One who first loved us.
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