Chapel 1.
( Larger town Chapel)
I am more convinced than ever that the gulf between what we do in church and the questions and issues that folk outside of church want to ask us about, is growing ever wider. People are hungry for spiritual connection and have deep philosophical questions on life and meaning, which we seem ill equipped to answer.
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I believe that this task is essentially relational, and it is vital for the church to continue relationships with the community, and to build upon those relationships. It will wear us out if we simply dash from one "good" plan to another trying to get it right.We must be in "it" for the long term; there is no quick fix and no easy answer.
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We need to stop fiddling around with the format of services (when to stand and when not to etc), to stop being concerned with our own comfort, and really begin to seek God for his way forward. This means that we must prayerfully and actively listen to the community. In my experience we make too many assumptions about where people are.
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All I can say to these two groups of folk is don’t give up, you have many gifts and are both serving your community in significant ways. Also, don’t feel bad about what you are not doing, but concentrate upon what you are doing well and keep on doing it. You are attracting others, and people value your community input... again we are in ti for the long term, there are no quick fixes or easy answers.
If God is for us,
who can be
against us???
