Dear Friends
I asked some young people what they thought about when
I said the name of their church. There
were some interesting responses including ‘the stained glass windows’, a
favourite worship song, and ‘people going up to the altar for the bread and
wine’. The last answer led us into
thinking what the Church really is – a building, what goes on in the building,
or the people who use the building as a place to meet. We went on to think about the Church as a
family. When I baptise an infant I talk
to the parents about being born physically into a family, and baptism as a
symbol of spiritual birth and being welcomed into the family of the
Church. Some families are close and meet
often, so that warm and loving relationships grow and there is always help,
support and encouragement and a deep level of commitment and sharing. Family members are there for each other and
from that secure family base each member can grow and flourish.
Other
families don’t see much of each other and members drift apart. I find that sad. The same can happen with the Church
family. There are many who belong to the
Church through baptism, yet who rarely meet with their Christian brothers and
sisters for worship and prayer. The Parish Church is there to serve people in
the community, whether or not they have any involvement in its life and
worship, but some of our smaller congregations have concerns about how much
longer they can fulfil that role. Maybe the Church of the future will be
centred on the larger towns and villages. The faithful few in small villages
might meet in one another’s homes, as happened in New Testament times. Our relationships with God and each other are
more important than buildings, and yet, if one day some small churches have to
close, I wonder how many people will regret not sharing in the life of their
Parish Church when they had the opportunity.
Staying
connected to our families provides a network of friendship and support, and the
same goes for the Church family. In our
individualistic society it is important to foster relationships and a sense of
belonging. Together as we grow in our relationships
within the Church family we can also grow closer to God, helping one another in
our quest to discover meaning and purpose for our lives. For Christians, Jesus shows us what God is
like, and demonstrates in his own life and teaching, and in his sacrificial
death, God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. As children of the same
heavenly Father it is important that we stay connected to each other. Those who are already committed to meeting
regularly would be delighted to welcome newcomers, or to welcome back members
we haven’t seen for a while.
With my love and prayers
Glynis Hetherington
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