On Saturday a delegation from Grace Church sat in on the virtual Convention of the Diocese of Northern California. The keynote speaker was an Englishman called Michael Moynagh. He has been involved with the Church of England’s Fresh Expression movement for several years. Fresh Expression is an effort of the Church to go where people live and work and play, and to bring the gospel to them rather than simply expect people to come to the Church. I have hinted at this approach on a few occasions, primarily by introducing the principles of a process called Faithful Innovations. The premise is that God is always ahead of us in seeking people out. And while our task as believers includes being faithful in worship and gathering for learning and supporting each other in prayer and praise, we are also invited to bring God’s love within us to those places where we mingle with others beyond the Church building.
As I said on Sunday, the Holy Spirit in us makes the Church holy. We are God’s holy ones, God’s beloved, and wherever we go during the week, we are Christ’s presence in those places. When we gather in the sanctuary of the Church we create that holy space. Yes, we are surrounded by symbols of our faith, and expressions of our faith in worship and thanksgiving, and we inspire one another to keep faithful, but it is all to be strengthened to remain that holy presence in the community beyond.
Michael Moynagh said that every congregation is in its style and agenda exclusive, once we are set up as “church”. We set the time and place when our group meets, and we present a certain style in how we gather. Timing of meetings, location and ethos of our location, styles and tastes of music and worship and teaching, the agenda we propose – all are exclusive to us, and tricky to change. “We gather around God in exclusive way, this God that loves all people, and so how do we square this circle?”
One answer, Moynagh offers, is to start new congregations with times and places and agendas that fit an ever-diverse humanity. We learn to meet around common purposes – yoga groups, coffee gatherings, school events, personal interests and hobbies, and we gradually add spiritual practices to the occasions. “Let church emerge where people naturally gather. Create church in life rather than Church separate from the life people live”. He sees our holy community as a wheel in which the hub is the “parish church” and around the edge of the wheel we establish these “gathered in life” groups. All are connected by the spokes which I am supposing is ourselves.
It made me think of Faithful Innovations in which we learn to listen to the Word of God, and to each other, and most importantly to the experiences and concerns of people in our broader community, in the world. The assumption is that God is already present looking for those who seek God, and we are invited to help make that connection – spokes between the rim and the hub. To listen for people to serve. It means that we spend a lot more of our time beyond the church structure; and church gatherings (at the hub) are for checking in on our experiences.
Moynagh calls these communities gathered around the rim of God’s wheel as “soul spaces”. He testifies that relationships deepen around the regular gathering over common interest, and the opportunity for introducing spiritual practices – prayer, reflecting on a brief passage from Scripture or from an inspiring reading you may have come across, or joint actions of service – grows. Moynagh urged us not to leave it too late to reach out to the wider community. He invited us to be the brave Californians we are by reputation to other parts of the world. And to get ahead of the game.
So, in response, I invite you to a gathering in the parish hall at Grace on Saturday November 23rd, from 9-12 to explore how we can respond to the presenter’s challenge. I want to introduce again principles of Faithful Innovation, alongside those shared by the Convention speaker. Let us begin to explore how far our informal, real-life connections move us out in the community, and how we may support one another in deepening relations, and be bold to ask questions of our inner searches for meaning, purpose and fulfilment. After all, this is what Jesus says he is about – the way, the truth and the life (abundant). And, yes, we are heading into Advent and Christmas – when in fact many people are letting their minds turn to the kind of imagining that a child conjures up.
– Bishop Alan
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