Christ Church

South Manchester URC

INCH WAGGLED NORTH

In an attempt to manage a first for Crosstalk, I have combined the lead article with a puzzle. The title heading is an anagram of the content of the article. The solution is given at the bottom of this page.

Anyway, with your permission, I would like to reminisce for a moment about days gone by, about a time when telephones were all the same colour (black) and either had to be beside your front door (because that’s how far the cable ran) or were housed in little red boxes on street corners. A time when you got on buses at the back and someone would come round to collect your money only after you were comfortably seated. A time when the little pop up plastic dome with two dice, set into the middle of a game of “Frustration™” (if you remember those) was considered high-tech, when music was played on round flat pieces of vinyl of various diameters, and a time when everyone believed in God and went to church.

Did you spot the odd one out in the above list?

It is a common human failing to associate change with a deterioration of the quality of life. While it is certainly true that some changes are for the worse, it is also the case that we forgot how some things really were. I must confess I miss the old red phone boxes, and yet often fail to appreciate the convenience mobile phones have brought of being able to contact anyone, anywhere, anytime (especially in an emergency). I miss the old buses and yet take for granted the new “low floor” versions that aid travel for a wide section of the community – well you get the idea.

And what of the church in our world of today? With falling numbers of both clergy and congregations, is it the case that it has no or little part in the modern world? Well, this being a church magazine, I’m obviously heading for the answer being a resounding NO! – but before even getting to that point, it’s worth first challenging some of the assumptions that we can make about things if we are not careful.

For a start, there never was a time when everyone went to church. Certainly many more attended than do today, but it was by no means everyone. And I think it likely that a proportion of those attendees were actually church-goers rather than necessarily being Christian believers. And it’s not true that all churches were full. Many churches were built to the size they were as much as a sign of status, as to give glory to God. In fact, (and may God forgive us) on occasion, churches were built large to outdo the neighbouring denominations. And its not true that the Christian church is in decline today– for in many countries, many people hear and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ with the result that the church is bigger now than it has ever been.

For all that, it is our part to cope and adapt with the bit of the world that we find ourselves in, and it is certainly true that for us, numbers and resources are down. But even then, it is not all bad news. Certainly fewer people attend church – but if today’s church attendance is far more an act of faith than of habit than it used to be, then surely God will be able to work more effectively through those who come, even if the numbers are down. Certainly our ministerial resources are less, but surely this means that the talents and abilities of others are now more able to come to the fore – and also that the differing denominations so long sundered from each other can (and are!) now working together in ways previously unheard of.

The bottom line is that I believe God’s Church (capital C) is as alive and active as ever – but it needs to be willing to change and adapt to the circumstances that it finds itself. And that applies to us in Christ Church – possibly more so now than at any time previously given our current membership level and age profile. If ministerial resources are low, then we need to think long and hard about how we wish to “use” a minister (note the inverted commas), because one person will
not physically be able to lead all the worship, visit everyone, spend time with each and every church and community group that uses the premises, and still find time to build and grow the church. If attendance is declining, then we ought to look long and hard at patterns of worship that are designed for an attendance of hundreds. If the church is so busy maintaining the pattern of how things were that people find they have no time to be with God, then we need to somehow find a way of doing less and supporting the workers rather than draining them.

And in all this, we mustn’t forget God. If its true that God and God’s Spirit is living and active in the world, then we have God on our side, even if church and church procedure and percentage allocations and so on make us feel that God actually popped off to do something more interesting somewhere else. If what we believe about God makes any sense at all, then we have to believe that God has a plan for Christ Church. I don’t mean a diary – (you know, 2009 - get Minister, 2010 – evangelise Burnage, 2011 – build extension to cope with large numbers). God’s plan will be more concerned with who and where we should be reaching out to and how we should be spending our time – and maybe He would rather we remained a small and local church that is in touch with our community. We need to ask. We need to spend time with God, both individually and collectively, otherwise we may be in danger of never finding out.

The truth is that no church is ever perfect. In Chapters 1 –3 of Revelation, God writes through John to various churches, each of whom have their own stories and circumstances. Some have lost their first love of God, some have become mediocre, neither hot nor cold. Some have remained faithful. 2000 years later, the church is still here, and we are part of it. God wishes us not to despair but to carry on, bringing and sharing Jesus with and to the world, a world that is ever changing and ever in need of God’s love.

Makes you think really, doesn’t it?

Wishing you a joyful Christmas and New Year

David Blackburn

The anagram of “Inch Waggled North” is: The changing world