ME19four: life, faith and role-playing games
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Pentecost surprises
Last Sunday we decided to do something different for Pentecost. Tea Time Worship morphed, for one Sunday only, into Cafe church. Out went the horse-shoe of chairs, in came round tables and sitting through the songs. Out went the talk, and in came interactive activity - getting the congregation to draw pictures of their houses and blu-tac them on the wall next to the street name - to try to show something about our footprint in the community. Even giving a chance to write any questions they might have which I can then pick up for future weeks and talks. Not just hot drinks at the end of the service, but at the beginning too.
It worked rather well, and the look on the face of one of the elderly regulars was priceless! "This isn't church! It's not how we do it!" But isn't that exactly the lesson of the first Pentecost - adding the breath of the Spirit and the followers of The Way into the traditional celebration?
The only difference? This year Pentecost co-incided with what the older generation would call the Whitsun Bank Holiday (and no, I've never called it that and I have nearly 4 decades under my belt!) so numbers were down. Fewer regulars and fewer young families. MLPK, like, I suspect, many other new developments, simply empties over major festivals and Bank Holidays. (Having said that, I just checked the register: I had expected the numbers be down, but looking at the records they weren't too bad, 15 over 16 and 8 below, the best for a month!)
Even so, the point remains: what's the point of celebrating the major festivals, which by now have become public holidays, if the majority of your (potential) congregation have fled? Maybe it's time to re-invent the calendar, ad do things when there is a better chance that people will actually be here? ¶ 2:38 pm 1 comments
It worked rather well, and the look on the face of one of the elderly regulars was priceless! "This isn't church! It's not how we do it!" But isn't that exactly the lesson of the first Pentecost - adding the breath of the Spirit and the followers of The Way into the traditional celebration?
The only difference? This year Pentecost co-incided with what the older generation would call the Whitsun Bank Holiday (and no, I've never called it that and I have nearly 4 decades under my belt!) so numbers were down. Fewer regulars and fewer young families. MLPK, like, I suspect, many other new developments, simply empties over major festivals and Bank Holidays. (Having said that, I just checked the register: I had expected the numbers be down, but looking at the records they weren't too bad, 15 over 16 and 8 below, the best for a month!)
Even so, the point remains: what's the point of celebrating the major festivals, which by now have become public holidays, if the majority of your (potential) congregation have fled? Maybe it's time to re-invent the calendar, ad do things when there is a better chance that people will actually be here? ¶ 2:38 pm 1 comments
What the politicians don't understand....
(Beware: this might count as a rant!)
I can't remember who it was on the Today programme this morning, George Osbourne? Anyway a Conservative wannabee minister, but he summed up a lot of what has gone wrong to my mind. Forget about the Conservatives being the new Blairites. Maybe they are, but I tend more to Old Labour and socialism, ayway. But that's not the point.
They just don't get it do they? It's not about choice. As a parent, I don't want the right to choose the best school for my children. I don't want the choice of the best hospital for my operation. NO. I just want the local one to be good! I don't want OFCOM telling me they are no longer going to regulate call charges for BT now that competition has brought things into line. I just want a reasonably priced 'phone line (or gas provider, or electricity provider, or...)
Is a good standard too much too ask? (And yes, I WOULD be willing to pay more taxes, that's what the government is for, to provide me with the services). Public services which serve the public, like public transport....
And I might as well wish for a National Trust for Churches while I'm at it... :)
(I'd like to say I feel better for that, but I'm not sure I do...) ¶ 2:03 pm 0 comments
I can't remember who it was on the Today programme this morning, George Osbourne? Anyway a Conservative wannabee minister, but he summed up a lot of what has gone wrong to my mind. Forget about the Conservatives being the new Blairites. Maybe they are, but I tend more to Old Labour and socialism, ayway. But that's not the point.
They just don't get it do they? It's not about choice. As a parent, I don't want the right to choose the best school for my children. I don't want the choice of the best hospital for my operation. NO. I just want the local one to be good! I don't want OFCOM telling me they are no longer going to regulate call charges for BT now that competition has brought things into line. I just want a reasonably priced 'phone line (or gas provider, or electricity provider, or...)
Is a good standard too much too ask? (And yes, I WOULD be willing to pay more taxes, that's what the government is for, to provide me with the services). Public services which serve the public, like public transport....
And I might as well wish for a National Trust for Churches while I'm at it... :)
(I'd like to say I feel better for that, but I'm not sure I do...) ¶ 2:03 pm 0 comments
When I survey
Not the title of the Easter hymn, but simply one of many titles I could have found for this post (and probably the safest).
I may, or may not, have mentioned recently that I needed to do a survey in MLPK about the need and desire for some sort of church/community building. The content of the questions and the strategy of sampling were broadly agreed, and two weeks or so ago the questionnaires went out.
The 5 questions asked whether a dedicated centre for Christian Worship would be helpful, whether additional community facilities would be useful as part of it, whether people would be willing to make a financial contribution, ideas for a suitable place, and because other local ministers asked, whether local churches met the respondents "spiritual needs." For each there were "Yes", "No" and "Don't Know" tickboxes, with space for additional comments.
174 were delivered over the 100 or so streets, using a systematic sample, going to the same house numbers on each street. Although I'm not totally sure of the total number of letterboxes in MLPK that represents somewhere between five and ten percent of all households. That makes it a pretty good sample rate if my memory is correct.
Ten points for questionnaire return were provided, in schools, gym, pub, coffee shop, doctors' surgery, supermarket, community hall, golf club as well as the vicarage. Just about anywhere that anyone in MLPK might reasonably visit in a normal fortnight.
I have only two collection boxes left to bring in (from the schools) - and I already know the sort of number of responses in one of them.
Given that, and knowing that a response of about 30% is generally regarded as a good one (53 of the questionnaires distributed), how many do you think I've got back?
100?
75?
Taking my cue from Abraham (Genesis 18) how many do you think?
50?
45?
40?
30?
20?
10?
The Answer....
... wait for it...
2.
That's right: 2.
1.15% of the total survey.
I had expected to be disappointed. I had expected to not reach a significant threshold. But 2! And, of course, to add insult to injury the one location I'd suspected might return the most response (the temple to bodily perfection) can't find the return box. In other words whoever I spoke to either couldn't care less or didn't have the authority to give me permission to install the box in the first place.
I don't know whether to cry, seethe, rant or just despair at the minute.
Am I living in Sodom? (Possibly). Apathy City? (Absolutely)
I already knew that the Church of England, even Christian faith, is of marginal value here in MLPK, and nationally I suspect, but any illusions I had have been blown away again.
So, if you responded, thank you. Oh, and by the way, to say to the question "Do you feel the local churches meet your spiritual needs?" that you "have not explored them" is more telling than you think. MLPK in a nutshell. A practical statement that says "we have no spiritual needs, thank you."
In the week after Pentecost I'm sorely tempted to ask God to let the fire fall, and the fire of Genesis 19) not the fire of the Spirit.
In the mean time maybe I need to find another job. Door to door double-glazing sales, perhaps?
Meanwhile I'll take my cue from The Animals:
¶ 1:08 pm 2 comments
I may, or may not, have mentioned recently that I needed to do a survey in MLPK about the need and desire for some sort of church/community building. The content of the questions and the strategy of sampling were broadly agreed, and two weeks or so ago the questionnaires went out.
The 5 questions asked whether a dedicated centre for Christian Worship would be helpful, whether additional community facilities would be useful as part of it, whether people would be willing to make a financial contribution, ideas for a suitable place, and because other local ministers asked, whether local churches met the respondents "spiritual needs." For each there were "Yes", "No" and "Don't Know" tickboxes, with space for additional comments.
174 were delivered over the 100 or so streets, using a systematic sample, going to the same house numbers on each street. Although I'm not totally sure of the total number of letterboxes in MLPK that represents somewhere between five and ten percent of all households. That makes it a pretty good sample rate if my memory is correct.
Ten points for questionnaire return were provided, in schools, gym, pub, coffee shop, doctors' surgery, supermarket, community hall, golf club as well as the vicarage. Just about anywhere that anyone in MLPK might reasonably visit in a normal fortnight.
I have only two collection boxes left to bring in (from the schools) - and I already know the sort of number of responses in one of them.
Given that, and knowing that a response of about 30% is generally regarded as a good one (53 of the questionnaires distributed), how many do you think I've got back?
100?
75?
Taking my cue from Abraham (Genesis 18) how many do you think?
50?
45?
40?
30?
20?
10?
The Answer....
... wait for it...
2.
That's right: 2.
1.15% of the total survey.
I had expected to be disappointed. I had expected to not reach a significant threshold. But 2! And, of course, to add insult to injury the one location I'd suspected might return the most response (the temple to bodily perfection) can't find the return box. In other words whoever I spoke to either couldn't care less or didn't have the authority to give me permission to install the box in the first place.
I don't know whether to cry, seethe, rant or just despair at the minute.
Am I living in Sodom? (Possibly). Apathy City? (Absolutely)
I already knew that the Church of England, even Christian faith, is of marginal value here in MLPK, and nationally I suspect, but any illusions I had have been blown away again.
So, if you responded, thank you. Oh, and by the way, to say to the question "Do you feel the local churches meet your spiritual needs?" that you "have not explored them" is more telling than you think. MLPK in a nutshell. A practical statement that says "we have no spiritual needs, thank you."
In the week after Pentecost I'm sorely tempted to ask God to let the fire fall, and the fire of Genesis 19) not the fire of the Spirit.
In the mean time maybe I need to find another job. Door to door double-glazing sales, perhaps?
Meanwhile I'll take my cue from The Animals:
¶ 1:08 pm 2 comments
