Sanctus

Wednesday evenings at 7:30, a group of people gather at the Nexus Art Cafe in Manchester for a community time called Sanctus. Last night there were about 15 people, everybody except us in their 20s or 30s. Cris Acher, a Methodist minister and one of the staff, started with a candle lighting and prayer. There was food provided and everybody was asked to sit in tables of four. The theme was based on an exhibition of photographs about the plight of African migrants in France. The tables were asked to discuss some questions around immigration and how Christians should respond to situations like that illustrated in the pictures.

At my table (Paul's) were Claire who works for a Christian marketing company, Lynn an accountant and Steven, who I think is a teacher. They talked about British government policy on immigration and the popular impression that immigrants are taking British jobs and sponging off British social services and how unfair that is.

Everybody at my table had come out of either a mainline or evangelical church experience but found it irrelevant and un-nurturing. They all liked Sanctus because of the freedom to be themselves and say what they think.

I was really surprised when it came to the feedback time. There was no simplistic falling in line with a radical "no borders" attitude towards immigration. One man argued forcefully that it's not only unfair to Britain but also to immigrants when communities are flooded with newcomers who overwhelm the infrastructure of services.

I threw in my two cents worth, that Christianity has been regrounding itself in the reality of Jesus who was a refugee, a stranger, a wanderer and who was killed as a political offender. Whatever response we have to the strangers in our midst has to start with this astonishing fact -- the our faith is in someone who took this form of existence.

We closed by reading a prayer for justice -- and then went off to a local pub.

Personally, I think I would need more intentional Christian formation than was offered at Sanctus. But those who were there really felt that it was offering them a place to express their Christian faith that traditional church life just didn't offer.