URBANarmy

'Martin Luther King Jr. said that 11:00 on Sunday morning is "the most segregated hour in America." Not much has changed since King made that statement. But is this a bad thing?...' starts a good article in the Leadership Journal. "An Army of Ones - Does diversity in the church work?" - here - explores the pro's and con's of diversity within church and it reminded me of some thoughts that have been bouncing around my head and URBANarmy recently. The highlight of the article is from Mark Driscoll - pastor of Mars Hill Church . Driscoll contrasts a church of Babel - the first human attempt at cultural uniformity - characterised by the concept of 'hanging out with people like me because I find myself so wonderful' - and a church of Pentecost - God's attempt at kingdom unity through diversity - characterised by the concept of 'hanging out with people unlike me because God has been gracious to us all.' (Driscoll) The Babel church Dri...

I knew before he opened his mouth this was going to be nasty. He cut a line through the milling commuters looking for their platforms - making sure he was under my nose. It was his eyes that gave it away - this was going to be nasty. He had a point to make and he was going to make sure I heard him. Actually several hundred people heard him. "You lot make me ill collecting - you're not doing any good and I for one will never give to you" His words spat with venom got heads turning. Bemused commuters shot anxious looks of comfort as I withstood the onslaught, the barrage of vicious diatribe. As he runs for his train along Waterloo station- I wonder what it was The Salvation Army did wrong to him. Maybe bad connections in the past, perhaps pain for family members dealt with years gone by, perhaps he got a bad deal from a SA place in the past, perhaps he saw a perceived misuse of funds, perhaps he'd been given the sack, perhaps he'd had too much to drink. Whatever I d...

Sometimes you have a Sunday that really surprises you. Yesterday Kate led 'all-age worship' - we sang all the old harvest songs! the kids made pizza in front of everyone. What was interesting was that quarter of an hour into the service we were full. We're the kind of church that people have a liquid understanding of when the service actually starts - (in more ways than one!). Usually fairly empty at the begining but slowly filling up. We're the kind of church that is never massively full but never massively empty. But yesterday was different. 12 new people. A stack of people who haven't been to church for years decided this sunday to return - most of them didn't know about the BBQ afterwards! Chairs were found but we've only got 80! Why? I don't really want to know - just that I enjoyed it and felt blessed is enough. Too often perhaps we feel we need to chase answers - maybe there is something to be said for "Church Inexplicable". Maybe there ...

This is one for Chelsea Fans everywhere. Listen here . If you don't know who Jose Mourinho is ... it is probably a waste of time. Sorry if it has been doing the rounds but I only just found it!

"It is important that we are all together… it is the kingdom, not a ghetto we want to demonstrate.." I remember when we first arrived at Poplar and started to think about how to be multi-cultural church in a multi-cultural area. I had seen models of church that had specific services for specific national groupings. We started to explore the potential, only to be de-railed in a conversation with some of our African church members. It's a bit irritating that I can't remember who exactly wrote this. Anyway it is in the Urban Theology Reader... "The Joppa story witnesses to the new things that the spirit of God is doing in the church and the world after the coming of Christ , and the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in those empowered and called by the spirit to challenge exclusion, to transform division into communion and to draw the marginalised into the heart of the community of the people of God." Northcott, M. (ed) (1998) Urban Theology: A Reader Not...

Tonight house group, cell church whatever... read more ( here ) I guess 'cell connoisseurs' would critically evaluate as "could have gone better" . It was one of those nights when we should've just sat and drunk tea together! One of those nights when the ice-breakers... well ... didn't break much ice. One of those nights when worship felt a bit of an exercise. One of those nights when no one was really that bothered about Jonah. But that's fine... House group, cell church whatever... happened for us by just turning up. Tonight only four different nationalities! Our Sierra Leonian, Zambian, Zimbabweans, Botswanean, Congolese, Ghanian didn't make it! House group, cell church whatever happens for us because we making a conscious decision together not to sleepwalk our way to segregation . Trevor Phillips - The Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality warns that:- "we are sleepwalking our way to segregation. We are becoming strangers to each oth...

I have just watched " To end all wars " ... again. A story of the endeavour of Allied POW's building the Burmese railway in WWII. A story of building a community of faith , a community of beauty, a community of compassion, 'nourishing souls even in a place that destroyed bodies'. A story of the working our of true hope, true love, true mercy and above all grace. Yancey points out:- "Perhaps something like this was what Jesus had in mind as he turned again and again to his favourite topic: the kingdom of God. In the soil of this violent, disordered world, an alternate community may take root. It lives in hope of a day of liberation. In the meantime, it aligns itself with another world, not just spreading rumours but planting settlements-in-advance of that coming reign." He finishes off by saying:- "Taking God's assignment seriously means that I must learn to look at the world upside down, as Jesus did. Instead of seeking out people who stroke my...

Seems the first few are coming through - if you want to check it out on the google blog search - try leaving the :: out of the search!

Chris Hinton asks a great question in the comments recently. "Do you think the existing church can be salvaged? Or do we need a whole new start?" It made me think of a quote that I can't remember from who "if the church is the bride of Christ she's a bit of a minger ...!" I'm not sure that is true...!? I'm sure if we let church do what church does best, and be church, we wouldn't be looking around for the new bride, our eyes wouldn't be wandering - the problem is that I suspect that we don't know what the church does best. We spend copious amount of time reading books, going to conferences, blogging, talking about our preconceived ideas of what the church should do best but have been too busy to notice that the bride we are 'showing to the world' is not having any transformational impact on the world, we haven't noticed that the bride we are 'showing to the world' is too busy preening herself, we haven't noticed ...

Just a thought to try. It seems that daily there are salvationist blogging - if we title a blog entry as above we could link together through a google search. Could be a good way of linking up - or you could leave me there by myself - a real Billy no mates! Get "Salvation Army grid::blog" in the title - spread the word and lets see how many sally's blog! ---- Sorry to any baptist, CofE, Methodists etc... and anyone else who feel left out in this parochial exercise.

"so your atheism is founded more on the institution of what Christianity has become through the years rather than the message and values of Jesus...?" This conversation has been going on some years. It started in our parent and toddler group. Trevor had proclaimed his atheism to which Kate replied "wow it must take a lot of faith to be an atheist...?" Ever since there has been open, honest healthy dialogue. (one here ). Trevor looks at me and replies... "Well if we all got back to the message and values of Jesus we'd be a lot better off ... but problem is you can't say that the church has done a great job with the message..." "What's the message you've heard then Trev?" I enquire - thinking this is interesting from someone who describes himself as 'unashamably atheist' . "you've got it wrong...you've got it wrong...we've got it right and if you don't agree to what we think we're going to kill you.....

The Ashes series is over and for the first time since I was 21 England have got one over Austrailia in the cricket (read here ). Ashes series after ashes series have left their mark on me - especially when you have so many aussie friends. What a summer - but like Kate said - it hardly changes your life, it hardly means you wake up different tomorrow!? What must it be to have no soul!!

I'm about to give the Technorati web finder a go and for my profile I need up to twenty words to become my Technorati Tags in order to capture the essence of URBANarmy. I thought it was going to be easy to find twenty words. Not so! I started with Urban; Urban Ministry; Urban Theology; Urban Church; Salvation; Salvation Army..... If anyone wants to chip in. What words best describe URBANarmy? Please leave a comment. --- tagging .

It is easy to sit here all cosy and judgemental but I still look on with shock at those left behind to weather Katrina. There were those no doubt who wanted to take their chances. There were those no doubt that didn't imagine that it was going to be so bad. There were those no doubt who didn't want to leave. But there were those that were scared and wanted to get out but couldn't. There were those without the means to get out but couldn't, those with no option, no choice - so they were left behind. I looked out at our congregation on Sunday and wondered how many would be left behind? This week I have looked out on our community and wondered how many would be left behind? The queue in the post office, the kids in the park, those waiting for a train, the bus and it struck me that it doesnt take a catastrophic hurricane to leave people behind. Our society leaves people behind daily. Let's face it even our churches are prone to leaving people behind (see here ). Before...

Sunday finished in the same way it started. Bethan my nine-year old daughter with a tear in her eye told me she'd let God down. "I can't help it Dad, she gets on my nerves and I know I should have been nicer!" Comfort is a year younger and has just started to come with her mother to church. As she has settled she has grown out of the shy little girl into a very forceful and attention seeking little girl. Quite hard to handle for adults let alone a nine-year old. We talk about it and even though the task will be difficult Bethan resolves to try better, to try and be patient to try and be tolerant to keep Comfort included. Seven hours later in walks Mr Singh. Mr Singh often walks in and a pattern is emerging. We've helped him in the past and will continue to help. But the reality is that he doesn't want help. His wife throws him out because I suspect he is violent then he wants convenient accommodation. He says he is sleeping on the streets - all evidence says...

I ran through the grounds. I was late. The sole mournful bell calling was weakening coming to its end. I ran past the pigs, sheep, and goats. Chickens and geese looked on. I opened the huge heavy oak panelled doors of Quarr Abbey and walked into a different world quietly creaking the door closed. I felt the beauty in the coolness, shafts of sunlight spilt through the high windows accentuated by the incense rising slowly to the heights of the abbey. Monks suitable attired in monk gear! Sang their Gregorian chants filling the acoustics of the abbey. The Abbot hardly visible through the ever-increasing incense held the Gospel high above his head. This was dramatic stuff I felt drawn further and further into the mystery of God. But the drama was only just beginning. There was a community of late comers me included sat near the back. The door creaked and in walked a family. Mum Dad and four impeccably dressed kinds. The two older girls knew the drill – genuflected admirably. The two younge...