Well, with a couple of Food for Thought services under our belt we can now safely say, perhaps it wasn’t such a crazy idea after all. Yes, people do indeed want to think about God, they do enjoy church in a fresh way; they do like doughnuts (we’re certain of that!) So where do we go from here. Keep doing what we’re doing I guess. Six services down the line, we’ll sit back and think… think, is it something our community wants, is it something we need? Time will tell, but so far your response has been, yes, we think it might be.
So who has come so far? People who go to church, people who don’t go to church, people who are curious, people who saw the leaflet through the door and thought, maybe… just maybe, this might have something for me. People whose friends go, people who come alone, people with children (lots of children!). People like us. Just ordinary people, enjoying some time, some food, some music and some thoughts together. We welcome suggestions, things we’ve left out or could do differently ...........but so far, you seem to like it.
“Nice relaxed atmosphere”
“Not one of my children was bored, even my 13 year old son”
“Music was nice and modern”
And it goes without saying, people liked the food!
Well, onto Food for Thought number three. Will the hall be packed out again,? Perhaps, perhaps not. But you know, numbers are not really important to us. What is important is that we’re offering choice. All Saints church is brilliant, it’s full, it’s vibrant. Along with all of our village churches it has supported our community for centuries….but it’s not for all. We at all Saints know that. We know that to offer a place for others to meet God we’ve got to get out of that building and do something new. Something in a fresh way, in a place where you feel comfortable, where you feel at home. It would be so great…..if you could come.
Susan
Thursday, 1 March 2007
Thursday, 1 February 2007
More food for thought….
By the time you read this (articles are always written a month in advance), we will be meeting to review how our first Food for Thought gathering has been received. All the months of careful thought, planning and expectation managed to culminate in a flurry of last minute panic and “Why did we ever get into this” thoughts. Why did we ever get into this? Good question! We’re a funny mix of people, I’m sure no-one would argue with you there, solicitors, housewives, artists, chemists, teachers, a mixture of ages, backgrounds and interests, so why are we meeting in the village hall on a Sunday, why at four o’clock, why aren’t we dozing under the Sunday papers after a morning of hymn singing in the beautiful, historic surroundings of all Saints church?
Actually - the answers quite simple. We know not everyone in this village, -the friends we know and love, the faces we greet – not everyone can feel comfortable in that beautiful old stone building on the hill. For some, childhood memories have removed any chance of contact with the traditional church again. For others fears of not matching up, not fitting in or simply, not identifying with the language of traditional church life has meant that, when life raises questions, the traditional church, sadly, is not always the place they turn for answers.
The Anglican church recognises this and at the turn of the millennium, began to explore new ways, new “fresher” expressions of being church. This has resulted in groups of people, all over the
Oh, and the Food thing. - doughnuts and coffee, sharing meals together, BBQs in the summer… sound good? Why not come this month and see what we mean, if there’s something you think we could do differently, let us know, we’re learning as we go
Susan
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