Month: July 2013

The Wesley Playhouse – update Jul13

Caroline Holt, project leader at The Wesley Playhouse, will soon start training to be a Deacon in the Methodist Church. Will it affect her role at the children's play gym and fresh expression of church? She outlines the latest news.

Since The Wesley Playhouse launched in 2007, we've registered over 90,000 visits to the project. Everyone has to sign in when they come to the Playhouse; we know there will be people returning again and again so we can't say these are 'unique' visits but we also know that it's very rare for us not to have a day without welcoming newcomers here.

The pattern seems to be that when a group of people leave, usually because their children have moved on to school, then it won't be long before we see a new group arrive. We are now at the stage of welcoming in our second 'generation' of babies!

Wesley Playhouse - tableWe see between 40 and 60 people attending our Playhouse Praise gathering – our fresh expression – on the second Sunday of the month. Most of them are regular attenders and we have a really good mix of church folk and others with no link to traditional churches at all.

It's all about building relationships and I was thrilled to be asked to help to conduct the wedding of a lady who came to us right at the start of the Playhouse. Her two children are very much part of the family here too and she had wanted to be married at the venue but the Playhouse was a little too small for the size of the wedding party so the service took place at another church.

We still make ends meet, predominantly through the income generated by the play centre. We are a self-financing fresh expression and we are never going to be a drain on anyone; many new forms of church always seem to be trying to justify their existence but – as far as finance is concerned – we always break even so people can't accuse of wasting resources.

We give an assessment to the North Kirklees & Morley Methodist Circuit of £2,000 a year and we do pay our way. Once a quarter we also give up three days' income to charity because that's an additional way of giving for us; the three days we give up are Saturdays, our busiest days. It's important to look at church models which can generate income because I don't think that what we offer in new forms of church should necessarily be free. People will pay for what they value. The Wesley Playhouse facilities are slightly cheaper than other soft play centres for children; people like that but they also like the sort of community they find here and that's why they come back again and again.

Wesley Playhouse - chairsBut, and it's a big but, there is a very real danger of the Playhouse just acting as a business and being seen as a business. There is a temptation for us to open the play centre on Sundays because Saturdays are so busy and people often want to book it on Sundays; we say no because we are first and foremost a church – and I hold that we don't work on Sundays and we don't have paid-for children's parties on Sundays. That's the end of the matter.

If we gave in to that temptation we'd make about £1,000 over one weekend but we'd have lost sight of our vision and values for this place. God's honouring the Playhouse by keeping us afloat and we have found that if we honour him, he will give us everything we need.

In looking at sustainability, the trusteeship of the building and the project's management has been taken over by the Circuit. That move was prompted because there were just a few older members of the original church and they were no longer able to come along to us; we had the last of our more traditional-style services for them in August last year.

At this time of transition we have also been looking at leadership of The Wesley Playhouse because it has always been my aim to make sure that it's going to continue without me. In fact, that already happens because there are people who currently run Playhouse Praise without me being directly involved at all. It's very encouraging to know that I could step out of it now and the whole thing would keep on running because there are enough people who have caught the vision as to what it's all about. Eventually I will fade out of it here and let someone else take it on to the next stage.

Wesley Playhouse - Caroline HoltIt's important to say that we have also had a great deal of sadness mixed in with the joy of this place. A woman who was a member of the church came to work at the Playhouse and it all seemed to be fitting into place for her to take over the leadership when, in September 2012, she was diagnosed with cancer and died in February at the age of 40. She left a husband and six-year-old daughter; we not only tried to support them in their grief but also the staff, volunteers and customers affected by her death.

One week later and one of the people who helped set up the Playhouse with me had a stroke and died. I went to those two funerals within three days in what I would say was the worst week of my life. It can be easy to think when reading a brief update on the Playhouse that it's all been plain sailing but it hasn't. Far from it.

Being involved in the Playhouse has changed my outlook on many things. At one time we thought that everyone working there would be Christians but God has brought us some fantastic people who aren't Christians yet and it has been great to encounter their questions and viewpoints along the way.

I'm looking forward to starting my training as a Deacon in September but I wish I hadn't had to become an 'official' leader in the church to actually have a voice. My work here as a lay person is testament to the fact that anybody can have a go; you don't need a vicar or a minister to follow God’s call in setting up something and helping it to grow. We have succeeded where many thought we would have failed -simply because of God's good grace.

Wesley Playhouse - cakeI've heard lots of people say that it isn't for them, that they couldn't get involved, but one way in which I'd encourage those looking to do something is to consider leaving a legacy to these new forms of church. Many of the older chapels and churches – with predominantly elderly, small congregations – are closing down because they are simply not viable any more, they are mausoleums. Legacy money could help to make something new happen in those buildings – and elsewhere – that wouldn't otherwise see the light of day. The witness will be just as valid but the way in which it is presented may be very different.

That doesn't mean there should be lots of children's play gyms everywhere. Yes, it is great to know that several others have started up across the country and I thank God for it but the last thing I'd want is for people to take it 'off the shelf' as a project for their area without thinking and praying it through. It has been said before but it needs to be said again that it's vital to find out what God wants to do in your area and then do it. What does your community need? That is one of the most important questions for people to answer. Having a Playhouse is not a recipe for success; it is one way in which God is working his purpose out – a way that was absolutely right in this context and location but it may not be right where you are.

East Worthing Café Church – update Jul13

John Beales tells how the Café Church has developed since its launch in 2009.

We have a core group of about 30 who come along week in, week out but that number can go up to 50. We had a couple more people come in as a result of our most recent fun day but, of course, the challenge is to allow the freedom for people to come and go and yet maintain contact with those who 'dip in'.

That's where Facebook has been a marvellous tool for us, social media means that we can drop them a line to let them know what we're up to or ask them how they are but it's not as intrusive as ringing them. People can feel that you're 'chasing' if you call on the phone.

I really work hard to make sure that people don't feel they have to apologise for not having been to Café Church for a while. Something that has really helped us in developing a culture of 'we're all in this together' is something called DIY Sunday which takes place once every quarter.

On a DIY Sunday I invite people to contribute something to our time together; it may be a musician who wants to play a particular worship song, it may be a poem that someone's written for the occasion, it could be a Scripture or a short talk about how the Bible has spoken to someone and changed their view on something in their life. I never set a theme, I never check what people are going to do, I just put my trust in the Lord and – every single time – it has fitted together, I just co-ordinate it. People come up to me right at the beginning of Café Church and I collate it then and there.

East Worthing Café Church - cakes

Recently we did have two people who wanted to sing the same worship song for us but that didn't matter, it was fine. It made us listen to it all the more closely! There will always be a gem in the midst of a DIY Sunday, there will always be something that speaks to all of us at Café Church and I have also seen individuals really grow in their faith as a result.

One mum and her daughter used to write poems about cats and read them to us; it would have been all too easy in another setting to say it wasn't appropriate but – in their own way – they were telling us of what was important to them. They have been with us for quite a while and those poems are now about God. 

I have seen others come through as lay leaders and it's so important to give people a chance to do these things. Jesus gives us all a chance so why are we so scared of giving others the opportunity to have a go? I think it's all about us wanting to keep control of things – even in a fresh expression of church.

The team has changed quite a bit in recent times but that's to be expected because I see it as part of my job to make disciples of people and then release them to do whatever it is they feel God is calling them to do. Other people are now coming in who may be able to help us in leadership but the underlying question is definitely one of sustainability. I'm still thinking very much about how to sustain the church as myself and my wife, Christine, are moving to Ferring, another area a bit further down the coast. It's not far at all and I'd very much like to develop a fresh expression there, there's certainly potential for that, but it's far enough to mean that we're no longer on the doorstep. Will it keep going if I'm not there? I just don't know.

Perhaps we should link in with someone else, another church in the area? We do already have close links with the local CofE church, St Stephen's and on every third week we go to their Sunday alternative worship night called REWIRE. That helps us to recharge our batteries and deepen the relationships with others in the area.

The fraternal for this part of Worthing is very good and I regularly meet with the leaders of the Anglican, Baptist and URC churches; it's good to be connected in that way. I don't hold with any comments about 'sheep-stealing' in the Christian church, it's all to do with freedom as far as I'm concerned – people don't 'belong' to me or to Café Church, they belong to God.

East Worthing Café Church - pair

Worship as part of a fresh expression can be something that develops later in the life of the community but we have always incorporated sung worship into our regular programme. However we always use background visuals to the songs so that I can ask people to look out for something on the screen that relates to the theme that day, children may be asked to try and spot an animal, for instance, but I will also try and pose a question for all ages to think about.

In one of our Café sessions we would only have maybe three songs and I don't use religious language at all. We do have people who have been involved in church life before but we also have those who wouldn't have a clue what I'm talking about so I'm very careful about that.

Our Tuesday night house group has at least 12 regular members but that can go up to 16. The age range at the moment is 16 to 92. We would like to have two groups but we are looking for others to be hosts.

People do give to Café Church, our average collection is about £63 for 30-40 people though we have also had a grant from the Greenhills Trust which helps to pay for our community fun days. These are hosted by us but we don't do anything overtly evangelistic as part of them.

We will be starting our fifth year at Café Church in October and my prayer is that we can sustain our café-style church so that it can continue at East Worthing Community Centre. This would then give me the freedom to start something else.

We offer Holy Communion once a month at Café Church and in House Group; that's very important to us because we very much concentrate on teaching about the Body of Christ and having a relationship with each other in Christ. The thing we have to be vigilant about is falling back into a traditionally 'churchy' mode. For four years I think we have managed to do that and keep the whole thing fresh in its outlook but it's something we have to keep on our guard about.

Re-igniting The Salvation Army’s pioneering spirit (Andrew Vertigan)

Andrew Vertigan discusses the re-igniting of The Salvation Army's original pioneering spirit.

As William Booth looked out on the life and community of east London in the late 1800s, he recognised that he was surrounded by very real, tangible, physical needs.

He saw people who were desperate for help, people with need of the Saviour, but he also saw a disconnect between Church and those in such obvious physical and spiritual distress. He was compelled in his spirit to do something.

Based on his inherent belief that you had to meet a man's physical need before you could offer spiritual food, he birthed a Christian social action response and the future Salvation Army came into being. In today's language, Booth understood the culture and context and set his beliefs and ministry into it.

Booth encouraged his young converts to live incarnationally – not to live at a distance, or separate from, the society they wanted to reach. Instead they were to become totally immersed in it. So it was that teenagers of 17, 18, or 19 would be sent to a new place with just £5 in their pockets and a passion for Jesus, with the simple remit to transform and save the world!

This early day pioneering spirit brought about over 400 new expressions of Church within the first 20 or so years. That growth is continuing in parts of The Salvation Army, but like many churches, we face challenges in a post-Christendom world, and by moving from the mission initiative to a denomination and organisation, the dynamic growth 'flatlined' in some areas.

However, over the past two decades, this pioneering spirit has been reignited within The Salvation Army's UK Territory because of the realisation that:

  • we must fight to stem the tide of secularism and growing numbers of people who simply do not believe in God;

  • we need churches who are able to reconnect with their communities and their needs;

  • we have no other option than to rebirth, under the Holy Spirit's direction, new expressions and communities of faith.

It appears to me that, in recent years, there has been – across the Church in the UK – a growing awareness of the pioneering Spirit. As The Salvation Army is now an official partner in the Fresh Expressions movement, I believe we have much to add to this dialogue. This relationship has the potential to not only be exciting, as we journey ecumenically forward, but also creates a magnificent opportunity to encourage disciples to step out in faith and try new things.

Fresh Expressions offers us support structures through FEASTs (Fresh Expressions Area Strategy Teams) as well as wide-ranging training opportunities – things that we have been lacking and urgently need. The very nature of the partnership has also heightened our expectancy of new things and made creativity in mission very much a 'live issue' in front of our church leadership and congregations.

I believe that, in return, The Salvation Army offers a great deal to all the other partners in Fresh Expressions, including:

  • experience of social justice and action;

  • a prophetic edge with regard to community engagement issues;

  • a voice that is respected and listened to.

I am personally living a dream. I have prayed, believed for, and dreamt for many years that mission would once more be the driver and heartbeat of our movement; that we would be in a place where creativity is not only encouraged but also resourced, a place where we see new things appearing from the ground every day as growing vibrant expressions of Christ's transforming work on earth.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

Yes Lord we do see – and are blessed to see you moving throughout this land by your Spirit.

Redeem the Commute – update Jul13

Ryan Sim is looking to start a new church in Ajax, a fast-growing suburb east of Toronto, Ontario. How are things developing in an area where over 80% of working age adults commute outside the area to work, and most have young families at home?

Concerned that busy commuters were too busy to try an event or service as their first point of contact with the gospel, I developed Redeem the Commute, a mobile app and web site with quality marriage, parenting, Christianity 101 courses and a daily discipleship challenge, all in less than 10 minutes a day.

This is no online church, however, users are encouraged to:

  • share this content with commuters, colleagues, neighbours and others they know;

  • form small group communities;

  • grow deeper in discipleship;

  • with time, come together for special events and corporate worship as Redeemer Church.

With technology as our primary medium for discipleship content, we have an abundance of statistics on hand at any time. Because we're planting a church – and not just trying to grow web site traffic – what's important is figuring out what the numbers really mean and not letting the numbers become the point of it all. We want to know the names and stories behind the numbers.

Redeem the Commute - screenshotIn saying that, things are developing well generally. We have seen the app installed on over 800 mobile devices since November 2012, most of them in our metropolitan area. That's in addition to hundreds of web and social media users a month, of whom a decent percentage remain engaged each month.

We're really encouraged by the overall numbers, but I like to use the parable of the sower to illustrate how visitor traffic is like the seeds sown. Some who've installed the app or visited the site will try it once and not return, or try it a few times and then stop. That's to be expected but the reason we sow seeds is in the hope that some will make it a regular habit, form small groups, eventually gather together as one and become followers of Jesus along the way. We are starting to hear a few stories like this, and I think we have huge potential for that to happen at a larger scale, but aren't there yet. Discipleship takes time, and our technological medium adds to that challenge.

We expected it to be challenging to reach a busy commuting population because they are barely at home and seldom look for extra events to attend that don't obviously add significant value to their lives. We would be asking them to reprioritise their schedules and lifestyles in order to hear the gospel. Instead, Redeem the Commute is about helping people hear the gospel even while they are overwhelmed by life, so a relationship with Jesus will help them reprioritize everything.

Adjusting to this way of life, as a pioneer, has been harder than I expected personally. The app was meant to be a way around that reality but it brings its own challenges; namely the anonymity of the Internet and Canadian privacy values. The neighbourhoods are very quiet during the day, and most people rush home in their cars, out again to activities, and back again for the kids' bedtime.

We are doing our best to engage with our neighbours and community, but it's a very different pace of life than we've experienced in rural, small town and urban settings. Having experienced this lifestyle first hand, I think we've made the right decision to connect with people as they commute, but it's a tough way to do ministry.

It means I continue to pour time and effort into discipling an audience I can't see, whose names I don't know, and who may or may not be local, unchurched people. It's up to them to tell me that kind of information (evangelism via technology is much like permission marketing), and it will take time to develop that kind of trust. At lunch with an Anglican priest recently, I told him that my ministry is much like preaching with a blindfold. We do miss the comfortable surroundings of an inherited church! Those who reach out first tend to be Christians already but that is no surprise – they know Redeem the Commute is part of the church 'family' and have a higher level of trust than an unchurched user.

I also haven't heard any stories of groups forming yet. I know we need to be patient, and we have a sense that the harvest will sprout from the ground all at once after a period of waiting, but we wouldn't mind a hint now and then that something is growing beneath the surface!

I've been surprised at the unexpected opportunities that have come our way. I expected the marriage, parenting and Christianity 101 courses we offer would be the 'draw' but, in fact, the most popular materials are our daily challenges focusing on different Christian themes.

These challenges were intended to be deeper content for those who were already followers of Jesus, or something people would grow into as they became disciples, but those statistics again show them to be are our top content. This means I'm putting a lot of effort into these, writing and filming them every week, which means that I have less time for other aspects of missional ministry that I'd hoped to engage in. I think it's a good sign, and the right place to put the emphasis right now, but engaging in this kind of ministry to commuters means we can't do the kind of events, ministry of presence and so on that other church plants or fresh expressions might engage in.

We are always adapting our content, and looking to offer new ways for people to make themselves known through things like surveys, story requests and event polls. A few people here and there take those opportunities but we'll just keep trying new things and measuring the results. We have a live Christianity 101 course starting this autumn in partnership with a local church, and know that we will meet some of our users there.

We also adjusted our group strategy. I expected to recruit Christians to lead small groups on trains and buses but, when they were difficult to find, we opted for a more organic approach using existing friendships – and that is better anyway. Other than that, we're not making any major changes and know we need to stick with it to give time for anonymous, busy, disconnected people to open up to the gospel and to one another, eventually forming a church body.

Encouragement comes from stories of people using our content and it sparking conversations with others, or changing their way of life. We've heard a few, but admittedly I long to hear more stories like this; they keep me going and give me hope that there is potential for a fresh expression of church to form. I've also suddenly started to hear from potential team members, which is great because those people have been very hard to come by until now. So we do have hope and we do have potential, not too bad at all at this stage of our journey.

(Photos: Michael Hudson Photography)

Dissecting our missional DNA (Jo Cox)

Jo Cox explores what makes us tick.

Confession time. I briefly investigated a career move into forensic science but was put off by the lengthy training and medical degree.

However that doesn't stop me from watching the addictive US drama series, CSI:Crime Scene Investigation. CSI centres on a team of forensic investigators in Las Vegas and is billed by Channel 5 as 'Sin never sleeps. Fast-paced forensics with the heroes of the Vegas crime lab'.

There is something compelling about the forensic lessons drawn from the team's search for evidence to determine the DNA of the true participants in the crime.

It reminds me that so often in a missional posture we spend so much of our time trying to collect the evidence of our existence that we can often forget the actual DNA of what we are doing. We expend all our energies on trying to get enough money, enough people, or enough permission – so much so that we neglect to stop and reflect on what makes us church in the first place.

Our evidence, our DNA, is people. Broken, chaotic, messy, glorious, beautiful, cracked, weird, disappointing, people. In the whole of the Church we are in the business of sharing stories, telling stories and making stories. But do we spend enough time telling Jesus stories too?

Our evidence, our DNA, is part of an ecclesial tradition. We may be bruised by it, or defined by it – but our very identity is passed to us and through us through tradition. Like it or loathe it, our responsibility is to connect with the tradition and traditions of the church – both structurally and liturgically.

Our evidence, our DNA, reflects part of our context. We may be trying to change it – but the very smell, taste, feel, noise, sight of our church experiments are DNA clones of not just the current Church, but the people we are reaching. It is not going to be pristine or perfect or always know when to sit down and stand up. 

Our evidence, our DNA, is poetic. It does not fit formulas or rules or standards. It is playful and provocative and calls forth a new world order of the kingdom.

Our evidence, our DNA, is characterfulness (some may call this virtue). It's the stuff of belly laughs and snorted tears. It's the stuff of patience and prayer and kindness and smiles. It's the empty cafetiere that none wants to clean. It's the chairs that need to be put away again. It's all that washing up and tidying up after the hordes have long gone home. 

Ultimately, if our church 'experiments', communities, congregations or groups do not enable people to notice something of grace and of Jesus, then all we are doing is offering false evidence. If we are not intentional about developing new forms of Church which have the DNA of the kingdom at its heart, then we are offering false hope to a church who trusts us to be faithful to our inheritance.

The Bible has a word for false evidence. Idolatry.

Let's make sure we are gathering the right evidence, the right DNA at the heart of who we are and what we do. Let's intend on the right things being at the heart of our work, worship and life.

I fear that, all too often, the current actual evidence may tell a slightly different story.

RevCoffee

Methodist VentureFX Pioneer Minister Simon Oliver, whose ministry comes under the banner of 'RevCoffee', explains how new things are happening in Cottenham through community, creativity, Christianity and cappuccinos.

I am employed by the Cambridge Methodist Circuit to work alongside the Cottenham Community Centre (CCC) and Coffee Shop.

The Centre and Coffee Shop came into existence when, after many years of faithful worship and service, Cottenham Methodist Church closed down in November 2007. The day after its final service a public meeting was held to explore the possibilities of how the building might be used as a community resource.

The CCC was formed, much hard work and fund raising was carried out, and in February 2011 the beautiful Coffee Shop was opened. It is no longer a church, but I am privileged to be a part of the Community Centre team. I was appointed as part of the VentureFX scheme to work alongside the CCC with young adults and families in Cottenham, a vibrant village of about 7,000 people just outside Cambridge.

RevCoffee - counterAt the heart of my role lies a conviction that being a welcome, accepting, incarnational Christian presence in the community is key to contemporary ministry. So I spend a great deal of time simply hanging out in the coffee shop, sometimes working behind the counter, sometimes tapping away on my laptop, and often just meeting friends old and new.

Out of these relationships, and my connections with other community groups and churches in the village, I try to find fresh ways of exploring issues of life, meaning and faith. People are interested in looking at such issues but often feel alienated, disconnected or simply uninterested in traditional Church, or are just too busy with the chaos and demands of life to find the time and space in their schedules.

We now have quite a few initiatives and projects going on in and around the Community Centre and Coffee Shop; my wife and toddler are very involved in many of these groups. My approach is to be as collaborative as possible, so everything has been set up as a result of prayerfully listening to what people might be interested in, and in partnership with others (sometimes Christians, sometimes those who don't usually have anything to do with traditional church). These initiatives include:

  • Arts Night: A small group of young-ish poets, musicians, storytellers, comedians, singers, photographers and artists get together on the second Sunday of the month. It is a mostly musical group and we have also had some great poetry from Larkin, Yeats and our own members, short stories and photography. Each month has a theme (eg war and peace, parenthood, love, death, resurrection) and we share original and borrowed material and attempt collaborate in creating new works, as well as putting on quality performances. And we always have some really interesting conversations exploring issues of life and faith from a variety of perspectives.

  • Film Club: A fun, new group where people of all beliefs and none come together to watch a movie, eat popcorn and then explore the existential and spiritual issues that come out of it.

  • Dad's Play: We have a large (70-plus on the books) group of dads and male carers/guardians of under-5s who meet informally in the back hall of the Cottenham Community Centre Coffee Shop. The kids get the chance to play together while the men get a chance to eat bacon sandwiches and drink good coffee. We also have regular curry nights – although the children aren't invited to this!

  • RevCoffee - logoMarriage and Parenting Courses. We have run a number of these courses in the Coffee Shop.

  • Daily Prayer: This takes place from 8:30 – 8:45 am, Sunday to Friday at the Coffee Shop. It is often just a couple of adults and my two-year-old, but others often pop in, have a natter and occasionally join us or ask for prayer.

  • Football Plus+: A group young and not-so-young men play football on the first and third Sundays of the month, and a small group of us are exploring the possibility of using of the fourth Sunday to talk football, life and faith over a couple of beers (or lemonades).

  • the Roost: this is new all-age event which we have been experimenting with over the last few months on Sunday afternoons and which officially 'launches' in September. It is a relaxed group which includes arts, craft, conversation, messy play, videos, the Sunday papers, music, poetry, coffee, flapjack and more to give people the opportunity to have fun together, create community and to explore different issues from a Christian perspective.

All of our activities aim to be open and accessible to all, and to give people the opportunity to develop meaningful community and consider the possibility of faith. All beliefs and viewpoints are valued, and seen as equal conversation partners as we try to make sense of life together. Everything is done in very low key and simple ways and – as I have already said – relationships take precedence over activities.

My ultimate hope is that through one or more of our initiatives people are given the opportunity to have a meaningful encounter with Jesus Christ and to explore what that might mean for them.

I take the Methodist and Fresh Expressions commitment to ecumenism very seriously, and have found it very encouraging to work alongside the Baptist Church, The Salvation Army, All Saints Parish Church and Christians Together in Cottenham as we seek to develop our ministries in collaboration.

It is not always easy, but it is a wonderful role and a rewarding project, and I feel very grateful to God and to the Methodist Church for allowing me to be a part of it!