Gypsy Church

On Tuesday, David drove us the three hours to Samokov, a small city south of Sofia. We drove through some magnificent mountain scenery to get there. He had arranged for us to meet Sacho, the pastor of one of two very active Gypsy churches.

Sacho met us on the outskirts of town and took us to his church a bright and beautifully cared for building on the edge of a Gypsy quarter which is home to about 12,000 people.

We talked for about 30 minutes and then Sacho said he would take us for a tour. Most people in the community are unemployed. When they do work, they work in construction which has been devastated by the recent economic downturn. Most of the houses are makeshift, built without proper building permits, which means they don't pay taxes, which means they don't receive city services. They do not have running water and what electricity they have comes from tapping into one main line that runs along each street.

Children have little or no schooling and so the prospects of getting ahead are very limited. Most people are born, live their entire lives and die in this community.

Sacho told us that they had begun a ministry with abandoned children, many of whom they found scavenging in the garbage dump for food. They fed them

cared for them and began to teach them to read. But contributions from both their own church and overseas supporters have dried up with economic downturn and they have had to suspend the program.

This is one of the great challenges for indigenous Bulgarian churches. After the fall of communism, money and resources flowed in from the west, creating a rush of growth and excitement. This created an unhealthy dependency culture, and churches don't believe that they can sustain many of their ministries without infusions of support from the west. As these churches mature, their challenge will be to become self-supporting, both in financial and leadership terms.

Interesting Conversations

Tony and Carol arranged for some friends to come and enjoy their hospitality during our visit. And we were given the gift of hearing about some very interesting local ministry initiatives. Graham and Jill run a week long program called Holiday at Home for the 55+ crowd. Research indicates that by next year, half of the population of the UK will fall into this demographic. This outreach offers a week long vacation with the added benefit of your own bed at night. Morning worship, activities, catered meals and day trips provide opportunities for socializing, learning and growing in faith. It also eliminates the need to find a travel companion which often keeps people from going on trips.
Carol and Alastair attend Purley Baptist Church which has forged lots of community links and are now seeing those come to fruit as the church receives the critical planning permission for a building expansion. They have been gradually buying up all the commercial space in the triangle of land on which their current building sits. One storefront centre is running as a community youth centre with computers, pool table etc. The new purpose built church will be flanked by shops, affordable housing and various ministry outreaches. The congregation incorporates newcomers very quickly and places great trust in and high expectations on people, virtually from the start. And the results: huge missional energy, 90%of membership at worship, 70% in a small group.
John, a retired high ranking police officer heads up the local chapter of Street Pastors. This national organization with 120 chapters in action and 80 coming addresses the night time economy. These are Christians reccomended by their pastors, active in a local church who go out, in Street Pastor jackets, 10 pm to 4 am. in city and town centres to hand out water, arrange cabs, give flip flops to girls who have lost their shoes, pour oil on troubled waters. The pastors receive heavy prayer back up. Local councils provide funding for consumables and violent crime drops, substantially and reliably.

Taking it easy

Since last Wednesday, we've been having an amazing and relaxing time with our friends Tony and Carol Cooper and their daughter Claire who live in a beautiful old Victorian farm house, just outside the charming village of South Nutfield in Surrey.

We met Tony and Carol two years ago in Bermuda. They are a wonderful Christian couple and fantastic hosts.

This morning we took the train into London and attended Holy Trinity Brompton Church, known around the world as the home of the Alpha course. They have four services -- 9:30, 11:30, 5 and 7. We opted for 9:30. We arrived just after 9 on a glorious summer day and we warmly welcomed by several very young people who were part of a hospitality team who provided me with my first cup of coffee.

We discovered that this was the family service that most of the young children attend. The church soon filled up with young families. There were 300-400 in attendance. Nicky Gumbel, the vicar and inspiration behind the Alpha course, welcomed everyone and prayed and then the most high energy service I've been at for a long time commenced. It was clearly geared to holding the interest of children, but with a message that parents and other adults could relate to. Nicky returned at the end to bless us on our way, and we were done in just under an hour.

Here we are with Nicky Gumbel.

Today was the start of something called Big Summer Sunday. The old church yard (cemetery) has been turned into a beautiful green space. They had bouncy castles and pedal cars and food and drinks set up for the community to come and enjoy. People from the church brought picnics and were sitting together eating.

We were recognized by a couple who sat in front of us in church. They invited us to join them. They lead a "pastorate" which is kind of a cluster group -- bigger than a small group -- of which there are several at HTB. They told us a few things that we didn't know about HTB.

As long ago as 1985, HTB began the practice of sending out teams of people to other Anglican churches that have either closed or are on the verge of closing to revitalize them. One nearby church is St. Paul's Onslow Square which is now part of a two-congregation parish with HTB. The services between the two are staggered by 30 minutes -- 9 at St. Paul's, 9:30 at HTB, etc. Nicky starts and ends each service and rides his bike back and forth between the two!!

We also learned that each service has a different focus. The 9 a.m. service at St. Paul's is quite traditional with organ and choir, in recognition of the fact that there are still many people for whom traditional worship is very nourishing. Transitioning churches need to remember that. The 7 p.m. service is where many (not all) of the younger adults attend.

HTB is now launching another revitalization initiative at a church in Brighton that seats 900+ and has about 20 in attendance. A group from HTB is committing themselves to going in and reestablishing an energetic ministry in that place.

HTB has become a kind of centre of spiritual energy through the phenomenon of the Alpha course and the other ministries that have spun off from it. There are a lot of people in my own denomination who are really suspicious of Alpha because it doesn't fit into a particular "inclusivity" ethos. But so many of the churches we've visited are infectiously welcoming because they have a passion for the Gospel of Christ who was radically welcoming. I also know that the Alpha course brought the faith of several people in my church to life. It was the first time they encountered faith as a life-transforming power and it's made a huge difference in our congregation.

Some REALLY new stuff

We were supposed to have lunch with Rev. Bonnie Appleton, who is responsible for Parish Development and Evangelism for the Diocese of Guildford, but it didn't work out. But Bonnie was good enough to send us a really helpful email about things that are going on in Guildford, plus some of her thoughts on where the Church ought to be going. Here's what she wrote (pay particular attention to the second last paragraph in bold type):

We have several really interesting fresh expressions happening in Guildford. You can see most of them on the diocesan website www.cofeguildford.org.uk (put Fresh Expressions into the search part and the list should come up.) You may want to look at some particular websites. More out of the ordinary ones are 'rezurgence' - www.rezurgence.com - more than just a website but web based and BMX bikers log in to find the next BMX competition where they meet up to pray, support and worship together. This work is now developing further with a van than is equipped with tools and leaders go round helping kids mend their bikes and do evangelism whilst they are doing this.

Songs of Rage www.songsofrage.co.uk - outreach to the music community that is turning into a Fresh Expression.

Very new is a kind of community arts and worship centre in Ash Vale where the Vicar of the local Anglican church is very arty. There's been a combination of things happening - he arrived about 18 months ago; the local Methodist Church closed and they didn't know what to do with the building and they asked Neil. He's now in the process of engaging with the community and they are putting on films for different groups - e.g. black and white old films for the elderly washed down with a cup of tea and cake, more modern stuff in the evening for the youngsters etc. They are about to start some worship there but the main concern is to engage with the wider community who love the idea. Eventually they hope to have artists in residence who will engage with the community and with worship - all very alternative! No website as yet - it's too new and the vicar is about to go on a 10 day motorbike tour with some local bikers to Uganda. They're going to film the trip and bring it back to show the community and hopefully make links.

There are a couple of café churches but they're quite different. One is basically a relaxed evening service sitting around tables with nuts and crisps on the table and the other offers food, alternative opportunities to engage with Jesus, some worship for those who want it, challenges and opportunities to pray.

There are lots of Messy Churches springing up - but they all seem very different. I had hoped to get to the Messy Church baptism at Lightwater on Sunday but just couldn't do it in the end - same problem as you - trying to get myself into too many places at once!

I still feel that too many churchgoers are in a 'church bubble'. Many think the Church is the centre of the universe and haven't realised that most people in our country think of the Church as dying or dead and certainly on the margins of what's going on! Irrelevant - is what most would say. But trying to get long-committed Christians to recognise this and to do something about it is very very difficult. Our churches have few children and young people and we're very sparse when it comes to those in their 20s and 30s or even 40s! Those churches doing really well tend to have a lot of transfer growth (Christians from other churches) but not many conversions. I think most conversions come from the smaller churches some of whom are much more aware that they need to do evangelism - but it's too little too late. If we do evangelism at all well it is with those who used to come to church as children and dropped away. The fact that we have so few children in our churches now means that the church community now is the poorer because people tend to become more inward and backward looking without children ('the good old days' syndrome.)I wrote a dissertation last year on the importance of children to our churches now and in the future. In 1900 55% of the children in Great Britain attended a church, by 2000 only 4% of children attended a church. If we only do evangelism with those who used to come to church then in 20 or 30 years the Church in England will be on its last legs or even deceased! Dramatic I know, and I hope it won't get to that stage, but it might!What we need to learn to do in this country is engage with those who know nothing about God. This is where some of the Fresh Expressions are working out of the box.

We need to do more of this.I hope that this gives you a flavour of what's going on. Do also read my essay on the difference between a real Fresh Expression and an outreach project in an inherited church. You'll find it on the website. You'll find out what I really think from that.I hope the rest of your trip goes well.

Every blessingBonnie

Cross Cultural Mission

We met Paul Thaxter on Saturday at the Fresh Expressions vision day. I attended his workshop on how to interpret cultural contexts. Paul spent quite a few years in Pakistan as a missionary where he learned to engage culture and offer the Gospel to people in a challenging context.

Paul works for the Church Mission Society, one of these parachurch organizations that we've been finding out about in Britain that are doing amazing and creative things. The Church Mission Society had its origins in the Clapham Sect, the network of evangelical social reformers in the 19th century that were formed to work for the abolition of slavery. Paul's title is "Transcultural Mission Director" and the "foreign cultures" he deals with are often not in other countries but in the vast realms of British society that are completely untouched by the Christian message.

We had already planned to go to Oxford for a couple of days and realized to our delight that the CMS (Church Mission Society) offices are in Oxford. We agreed to meet Paul for lunch.

He's a really engaging guy, with a deep instinct for connecting with people who speak different "languages" and live and work in different places. He had said at the workshop on Saturday that Jesus was the greatest cross-cultural missionary of all time because he bridged the gap between the "culture of heaven" and the "culture of earth."

He told the following story that describes what he's about. Shortly after returning from Pakistan, he was on a train where he met three younger women. They struck up a conversation. "What do you do?" they asked. He wasn't sure how to answer because he knew that "missionary," "minister" or any other church-related descriptor would probably produce a polite response, but close the doors to genuine dialogue. So, he replied, "I help people navigate their spiritual journeys."

"That is so interesting," one of them said, and they embarked on an intense discussion of some really deep issues. When they got off the train, one of the young women said to another, "You know, we've been friends since we were 7 years old, and I've never heard you tell that story."

People are desperately hungry to explore spiritual questions and issues but the language we want to use to frame the discussion effectively closes so many doors. This was an illustration of how to use language to open doors.

What are the most important things about being missional, we asked. "It's who you will eat with," Paul replied. So much of what we've been hearing focuses on the crucial importance of table fellowship. Eating with people has implications that are evangelical (who we regard as important), ecclesiological (how we define our communities) and eschatological (prefiguring the Kingdom of God.)

It's also about who we are willing to pray with -- not just pray for but pray with. The church's prayers are often patronizing because while we're quite willing to pray for the poor and the marginalized, we're often not so willing to pray with them, to invite them into the task of prayer.

It's all pretty simple, he said. Jesus is the "handshake of God." As Christian leaders, we just need to do our job -- to begin with prayer, to steward the Gospel, to do what we've been called to do. Conversations like the one we had with Paul Thaxter have reinforced for me just how much we do in the church actually interferes with the Gospel. We just need to do what we've been called to to do.

Messy Church

Something we had heard about and were really anxious to see was Messy Church. It's an approach to family ministry that started in Portsmouth and has spread widely in England.

Messy Church takes place outside Sunday morning. It includes people of all ages. Most churches have it on weekdays, usually once or twice a month. They begin with crafts and other activities, followed by a time of worship for all ages and then a meal. It centres around hospitality, creativity and celebration. Typically, Messy Church will start around 4 p.m. and end by 6-6:30.

We attended Messy Church on June 21 at All Saints Lightwater, west of London. Ruth Kidd coordinates the childrens' ministry at All Saints. We arrived in time to help her with set-up. The Scripture story they were using was Philip and the Ethiopian (tactfully avoiding the inevitable question: "What's a eunuch.") So, there were long sheets of paper and plastic bins with water soluble paint the kids could step in and make footprints, an inflatable pool with water for baptism, candle making, making a chariot out of a paper cup, decorating a paper tie for Father's Day, colouring she

ets and a few other activities.

It so happened that there was a baptism on Sunday of an 8 year old boy named Jack. Martin Sheldon, the vicar, told us they'd never done a baptism at Messy Church, so didn't quite know what to expect. I think he was preparing us for the possibility that it might be, well, messy.

By the time we started at 4 p.m. there were about 40 people present, including some family members who were there for the baptism. Kids and parents/grandparents dove into the activities enthusiastically. At 5 we went into the church for the wildest baptism service I'd ever been part of. Martin did a great job adapting the liturgy so that it was family friendly, and Ruth told the story of Philip and the Ethiopian with impromptu help from kids acting out not only their roles, but the horse pulling the chariot. It was super high energy worship.

Then back to the hall for a wonderful meal of curried chicken.

Lucy Moore, the originator of Messy Church stresses that it's about mission. Messy Church has had great success in drawing in families who would not normally be at the regular Sunday service. It's for people "at the messy edges of the church," she says, "and the messy edges of life -- people the church has often overlooked."

Fresh Expressions

Fresh Expressions is the name given to a joint undertaking by the Church of England and the Methodist Church to encourage new forms of church, especially with groups not currently involved in church. It's really a coming together of about 25 years of emerging experiments in the midst of the passing of the traditional church in Britain.

The Fresh Expressions website was one of our main sources of information as we planned this trip. It both inspired us and gave us ideas of where to go and what to see.

Yesterday we went to Basingstoke, about 45 minutes west of London, for a Fresh Expressions Vision Day, put on by the Diocese of Winchester. The day was led by Zoe Hart and Steve Pittis who are both employed by the Diocese in the area of mission.

One of the things that struck us first is how vibrant evangelical Christianity still is in the Church of England. The opening worship was heart-felt and focused on the Holy Spirit. But it's evangelicalism in the warm and expansive British sense, not in the least sectarian or closed.

Too much to put into one blog posting, but here are a few highlights.

Fresh Expressions is NOT a strategy to manage the church in decline, they said, but an attempt to "catch up" to what the HOly Spirit is already doing in the church. This was illustrated by some local stories, such as "The Living Room," a church for students in Southhampton, or Legacy XS, a church for skate-boarders, or "The Tube Station," an outreach to surfers in Cornwall.

Fresh Expressions initiatives have a strong missional focus. In other words, they aren't meant to simply service the needs and wants of current members, but to reach people "off the church's radar." At the same time, Fresh Expressions values the continuing traditional forms of church in a kind of "mixed economy" approach, to quote Rowan Williams.

We were impressed by the theological grounding. Fresh Expressions reimagines church in differing cultural forms because God takes culture seriously. A key text is Eugene Peterson's translation of John 1:14: "The Word became flesh and moved into the neighbourhood."

Church has three basic orientations in our culture. First, attractional -- "Come and join us." This still works for some, but fewer all the time.

Second is "Engaged" -- "Go and then come." Go out and build relationships with people who can then be drawn into the church.

Third is "Emerging" -- "Go and stay." This is the cutting edge of Fresh Expression, developing church in places and among people who are currently beyond the bounds of any discernable church.

Steve described 7 Core Values that undergird Fresh Expressions:
* They are mission shaped communities.
* They involve creative experimentation and overcoming fear of failure and risk.
* They are culturally relevant and culturally engaged.
* They bring about transformation in people.
* They make disciples.
* They require sacrifice.
* They promote unity in the midst of diversity.

It's estimated that about a third of Anglican Churches in Britian have begun some kind of fresh expression, and there are around 160 Fresh Expression initiatives in the Methodist Church.

One of the real blessings of this trip is the number of amazing people we have met, people who are passionate for the Gospel, many of them in denominational positions of leadership. I had a fantastic conversation with Paul Thaxter who is the Transcultural Mission Director for the Church Mission Society. He knows an amazing amount about how to engage with different cutlures. We're going to have lunch with him on Monday in Oxford.

Open to the Community

I'm sitting in the spacious (and today, at least, sun-drenched!) atrium of Stopsley Baptist Church in Luton, north of London. It's set up with plenty of room for gathering and welcoming. There's the Lounge Cafe where you can buy snacks, drinks and light lunches. To my right is a large children's centre where parents and tots gather on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for "Hullabaloo" -- a play group staffed by volunteers. Today there is also a well baby clinic being held in the church.

What's striking me is just the level of activity and energy on a Tuesday morning. Toddlers and babies are laughing and crying, parents are coming and going, people are sitting on the comfortable couches and around tables in the cafe area, sharing conversation and cup of tea.

We spent some time this morning with Dave Shaw who is the pastoral care pastor at Stopsley. A social worker by training, Dave is responsible for nurturing and encouraging people from cradle to grave. He coordinates parenting courses, pre-marriage and marriage enrichment, as well as care for the elderly and dying. "I have the best job in the world," he told us.

Stopsley has built a reputation in Luton as a community that can be trusted to do high quality work with people of all ages. But that's clearly no accident. I'm getting a sense of a congregation that has very intentionally turned itself out towards towards the community, with a genuine care for people regardless of whether they ever show up at church.

Putting it All Together

We've been to a lot of conferences in our time, but these four days in Sheffield have pulled it all together. St. Thomas is grounded in such a clear sense of mission and church, a vision that is shared and repeated constantly.

There are a few really key ideas that have stuck with us. They read the whole Bible through the twin themes of Covenant and Kingdom. God desires to enter into relationship with us, and to participate in God's mission in the world.

Covenant and Kingdom are proclaimed as Invitation and Challenge. People are invited to enter into a relationship with the living God -- but, here's the difference from most traditional churches -- they are challenged to follow the mission God has for each individual. Many churches are high on invitation (covenant) but low on challenge (kingdom.) This produces what Mike Breen calls "Cozy Church."

Organizationally, St. Thomas follows the principle of "low control, high accountability." People are always being released into ministry, the result being that there is an explosion of growth in new missional communities with youth, families, the marginalized, and other groups that you don't see very often in churches. Leaders are all in accountability relationships that keep them focused on what they have undertaken.

By contrast, the traditional church is into "high control, low accountability." There are lots of layers of permission-giving and permission-withholding, lots of micromanaging, but no one is really accountable for their actions, except paid staff.

I'm glad I'm not coming straight home and back to work. I think I need to let the Holy Spirit work in me for the next few weeks to digest what I experienced and guide me in how to respond.