URBANarmy

Ephesians 2 10 – I don’t want to question God’s workmanship but I wrestle with the question is the work that he has prepared for us to do a simple case of coming up with the latest trendiest way of presenting church. Finding the latest worship styles and music – is that it? Finding the latest courses that are a sure fire way of winning the world for JC – is that it? Become a seeker-sensitive; purpose driven church – is that all there is to it? And all this time there are people who are broken that the church should be reaching out to – not in some trendy patronising way – but in a way that is real, solid. To my everlasting shame I will always be reminded of the woman who lived across the road to our church. Rose who was 94 was dying when her neighbour came to us for help. Hardly coherent but adamant that she was not going to hospital. I rang her doctor to tell him that she was dying and incredulously was asked what the symptoms were – “umm not breathing!” Then I looked closer, ...

M.Riddell (1998) Threshold of the Future: Reforming the Church in the Post-Christian West. SPCK "Vision is a romantic and oft-abused term. Its discontinuity with the present is useful to a wide range of people who wish to pursue their own ends, and have others follow them. Simply because such charismatic leaders speak in terms of vision', does not make their proposals genuinely so. Discerning the validity of vision is no easy task, except in retrospect." Graceway An example of a church used by Riddell say "We’re committed to mission those respects the fact that evangelism is a process and involves more than saving the soul."

I was involved in an interesting dialogue regarding packaging, brands etc.. today. It stimulated the beginning of an unconnected muse or two! As a cheese lover I like my real authentic cheese to be packaged in waxed paper not Clingfilm! It allows the cheese to be at its best. The packaging is not pretty, not eye catching but it performs a function. The product is the focus not the packaging. The church shows an unhealthy pre-occupation with packaging. Perhaps there’s packaging and then there’s packaging. I wonder if grace could be the gospel’s packaging. It shouldn’t be eye-catching but it should perform a function - that of demonstrating the Kingdom and reveal Jesus and the true hope and liberation he represents. As soon as the packaging becomes something to big up the product – we’ve got problems. As soon as the packaging becomes the focus it makes the product insignificant. As soon as the packaging becomes the centre of attention we become victims of spin. Then we wond...

A Spirituality for Mission What is needed is the forging of a new and vibrant spirituality which is adequate to the call to mission in the new millennium. While drawing from the deep wells of Christian tradition, this spirituality will need to be responsive to engagement with contemporary Western culture. It will be a missionary spirituality, in terms of promoting and maintaining the divine journey toward the other. If it is to be adequate to this task, it will need to be earthed, conversant with human suffering, attainable within the complexities of life, holistic, creative, communal and contextual. While there may be many expressions of such spirituality, they will need to contain many of these qualities. M.Riddell (1998) Threshold of the Future: Reforming the Church in the Post-Christian West. SPCK

It’s unmistakable, the toot of the underground train whistling at the same piece of track. The last time I heard it was summer, hot and humid. It is so recognisable that while visiting an elderly member of our congregation my mind is drawn to one of those special days in ministry…. ….We pull up outside the multi-storey flats in the mini-bus. The Points is one of London’s worst estates in the poorest area in the UK. Stolen burnt out cars. Graffiti. Drug debris. Abandoned tyres all paint the picture. Richard – our community worker – and I pick our way through broken glass and worse and make our way up the 19 floors to flat 79. We’re helping a young family move. Winston makes us a cup of tea and introduces us to his wife and 8 month old baby. I look around. The flat even in this heat is damp. The baby smiles through a mask of half dried breakfast. “Thanks for helping we can’t even afford the bus fare to get the stuff out of this hole”. The mini-bus is full. We take the first l...

Can it be that the church is pre-occupied with what we look like as opposed what we are like...? This caught my eye in some recent reading If there's one thing retailers are good at, it's packaging. The reality is pretty boxes add eye-catching displays sell products. The question is can we deliver what we promise? Or have we focused on the box to the exclusion of what's inside? Just what is it that we're selling anyway? What is the "one thing" when it comes to mission? What does it mean to move away from a retail mindset and instead function as a wholesaler? How has the obsession with packaging and branding affected the church? Retailers specialize in off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all solutions. They give you all the pieces they think you need-plus complete instructions all in one convenient package. Wholesalers, don’t worry about how pretty the box looks when they’re selling to their customers. The shift from retailer to wholesaler in mission is abou...

I watched them disappear across the A13, over the pedestrian barriers and into their estate. From the shadows of the Alps to the shadows of the more familiar skyline of Canary Wharf. The lads had returned. The outrageously large rucksacks disappeared throught the early morning half light and they were back on their estate. For a week we had shared a youth hostel in La Clusaz and we learnt to ski, we learnt to appreciate the top of the world. We shared food together, laughs together, frustrations together, fear together. It was good to be there when one by one they got it. This wasn't about ski-ing, this was about sharing an experience of a life-time together. Thanks to them all for letting me be part of it.