Tragets, priorities, projects and people

I was at a meeting yesterday with local partner organisations from the West area of Nottingham. It was really helpful for me to get a extended view of what is going in the area and meet a few local workers and show that the church is interested in community. Yet as the meeting went on, I grew very aware that allow a lot of "good stuff" was going on, they were all targeted at certain groups or priorities and actually could be quite harmful to communities. All the projects had strings attached, funding stipulations or a certain percentage for certain groups. People were spoke of as commodities rather than as human beings who exist in community.

It has really got me thinking again about how we do mission, how we do effective mission in Aspley as a church. Projects and events are all well and good but are pointless if they are not firstly grounded in the gospel and secondly built on a foundation of relationships. Whats the point of mission without being intentional about our reasons? Are we scared that we won't get funding from people if we tell them we are Christians? Should we just do our own thing in isolation anyway?

I believe that the church needs to be more positive about it's intentions and be willing to be bold in it's mission. Yet, we need to make sure we do not alienate ourselves from reality, from other organisations, those who make decisions and of course our communities.

Matt

Easter

Miracle on the Estate
For Good Friday, the residents of Harpurhey in North Manchester - once described as the worst place to live in Britain - join forces with a poet, a composer and a director to see if they can produce their very own mediaeval mystery play, based on the story of the Flood. In so doing they uncover a deep-rooted sense of community, untapped talent and breathe 21st century life into an ancient story of sacrifice and salvation. (BBC.co.uk)

This was the best thing I watched on TV over Easter. It was brilliant and encouraging. Based on the story of Noah, the people of Harpurhey showed just how powerful God's word is. Most of the people were non-Christians but yet seemed to reflect God's heart for community! By the end of the showing of the film they had made they were embracing each other, some near to tears of what they have achieved and others had been changed by the whole experience.

It struck me as I watched, that God can do amazing things if only people let Him. Sound obvious yet we want to make it difficult. We can use the latest fashionable evangelistic tools but at the end of the day there is nothing quite like the gospel being lived out through the ones that read it.

Matt