Christian Community at its Best! Extend the Family!

Now, let me explain: Ramin and his dad, Hossein, (not their real names) are frequent visitors to our house and we really love them. It was Ramin’s birthday last week; he’d just turned 14 and his Dad asked if we could make him a birthday cake. You see, Hussein can’t cook cake and Ramin’s mum is thousands of miles away and so is his sister. Indeed, it’s Ramin’s first birthday away from home - a young asylum seeker.  

Ramin and his dad duly arrived with a friend, as expected. We’d cooked the tea (fish) so let’s begin. What are we waiting for, guys?

But Ramin and Hossein have also invited their friends (7). I fling open the door, “Welcome, welcome! Come and sit down at the table, everyone!” but quietly, I’m wondering, ‘how shall we feed this multitude?’ ‘They do not need to go away. ‘You give them something to eat,’ Jesus says! (Matthew 14: 16)

Josie, Izzie and Jane dash into the kitchen and augment our meagre offering of fish and rice; ‘Our food needs multiplying!’ they joke. ‘What can we find?’

The trio did us proud, really proud. Food kept arriving at the table, all sorts of things I didn’t think we had in our well-stocked pantry ... popcorn, muffins, spicy peas and more ...

Then comes the birthday cake. ‘Will it go round?’ I muse but it does, as Ramin blows the candles out twice over. Yes, we’re all having a great time, I mean a great, great time, not least Ramin and his dad. Then the singing and the bongo playing begins ...

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The party’s over now: everyone’s gone home. Some of us sit around the kitchen table, as a community family: “That’s community at its best,” comments Izzie contentedly. Yes, all mucking in, heads and hands working together, it’s amazing what we can do. You see, it’s together we can be family - not just for our house family - but to those God brings – the Ramins and Hosseins of this world.

And the miracle? - not one of physical multiplication this time but perhaps rather  the greater miracle:  people pulling together, one heart, one soul, those otherwise quite unlike each other, all together, living, working for one cause – in Christian community. Yes, together, together. What a great evening.    

Where was God in ‘Christian’ Rwanda in 1994? Two Kingdoms, Two Countries.

Rwandan Christians, Rukundo Bartholomew and Deo Seyod from ‘Disciples of Christ, Rwanda, share their thoughts:

Half a million of his countrymen and 78 members of his family slaughtered. This is Rukundo’s experience  of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Now Rwanda is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the genocide and people are asking searching questions.

 I sit up when Rukundo speaks and recently he and Deo spoke at our Jesus Army marquee event. This is the gist of Rukundo’s message:

“People in Rwanda are asking deep questions these days: ‘Where was God when people were being killed in the genocide? He did nothing! He’s not powerful! How did this terrible chain of events happen in a country which is supposedly 95% Christian? What went wrong?’

“‘Burundi, the Congo and Rwanda are 90% Christian; they are also very troubled areas. Does Christianity really have no effect on this huge area of Africa?’

“If we can carefully answer these questions and the question, ‘what really is the church?’ we can be a blessing to the church in Rwanda and the wider church.

“Missionaries brought us Catholicism and Protestantism. We have worship centres and miracle centres – but all these are not the church. Evangelists have managed to get people out of sin but haven’t taken them anywhere. We need strong, apostolic ministry to bring about God’s design in the church. 

“In past days we tried to build a local church but we remained in the Kingdom of Self. Church has to be an alternative culture, an alternative way of life, a different people – distinct from that which surrounds.”

Deo elaborated on Rukundo’s theme. Financially, he has done well working as a senior bank manager in Rwanda but has found success alone does not satisfy him – indeed, far from it. Now he has decided to move into a Christian community, the New Humanity Mission, and share his life and resources with others, including Rukundo and his family. His decision has been fired by a vision:  “God opened my eyes to see two countries.  There is the country of our natural life; there is also a spiritual country. We have to step out of the first country into the spiritual country; only then will we taste the fullness of what God has for us.”

Reflecting on Deo and Rukundo’s thoughts, the words of Jesus come to mind: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." (Matthew 5: 14-15)

 Jesus calls us, as His people, to be a city on a hill and a lamp that cannot be hid. Our mission is to beam light into the dark places and see many drawn into our light. Yet, we must, as church, carry our own very distinct God-centred and God-driven culture, engaged and yet separate, identifying with but not imitating, mingling yet set apart, caring deeply for people but disdaining so much of what this world is offering them ... to use John Stott’s words, “like a lily growing in a manure heap.”* Then, in times of great adversity, as in the Rwandan genocide, people will know who the true Christians are, where to find the church (God’s gathered people) and will realise a ‘Christianised’ society is not the kingdom of God.

*The Contemporary Christian.

Flourishing Spirituality, Christian Community And A Triangle Of Love

Ideally, the local church is the haven for a flourishing spirituality. Below is an outline of my vision for the Christian community (in the wide sense of the word) to which I belong.

1.    A 24/7 network of deep/heart friendships – a triangle of love – God, me, my brother/sister. Our relationship with God and our brothers and sisters in this one big God-family is so connected that we cannot say that there is one without the other and possibly the better the ‘vertical flow’, the better the ‘horizontal’ one is also. Love for God is expressed not only in worship, prayer and praise (important as they are) but in love for the Family; indeed this continual flow of love spills out to those outside. Everyone within this flourishing society is caught up in this triangle of love.

2.    As this society takes shape, spontaneity grows; people within the group are not too over careful of behaving well in the sight of others and never causing offence; they are relaxed and comfortable together.

3.    Stemming from this – members are willing to take risks; it is a safe environment and the network of deep friendships provides a safety net within which to fall. There is a daring ‘to do’ and ‘to do different’ and ‘to do God’s new thing’. Creativity and adventure become hallmarks of this flourishing spirituality. Individuals blossom and this adds colour and spiritual richness to the whole. There is nothing drab or tired about this expression of spirituality.

4.    Within this society of flourishing spirituality, no one leader dominates; the people themselves ‘own’ the group; leaders are keen to make themselves semi-dispensable and in times of absence the group can function without them.

5.    The task of the leaders is to steer, to free others for ministry and never to ‘force’ growth or control. As skilful growers, they do their best to ensure that conditions are right for ‘the plants’ to flourish; they are unthreatened when others thrive.

6.    Leaders are quick to listen to helpful comments or grievances and issues are not left to fester; people are genuinely listened to.

7.    Immature leaders and adventurers are allowed to come to the fore and mistakes are covered with love. The whole group carry a willingness to allow the inexperienced to lead, to initiate and to make mistakes.

8.    Leadership or frontline gifts are not the only gifts valued; equally valuable to the group are the more modest and hidden gifts and those who express these are honoured.

9.    A rich variety of gifts and ministries are expressed; creativity has been allowed to blossom. Gifts don’t have to be perfect before they are appreciated.

10.    Inspiration from anyone can be gained and followed, regardless of leadership status, age or gender.

11.    Good humour, light heartedness, the ability to smile and laugh at each other without malice are integral marks of the group; joy flows in this triangle of love.

12.    Children, old people and people with learning difficulties are valued and included.

13.    At times there will be a diversity of opinion; covenant bonds are respected; people are listened to and unless the divergence of opinion is major and affects the well-being of the group, brotherly love and respect without acrimony continues.

14.    Worship is relaxed, enjoyed and varied; personal preferences of worship style are laid aside; most importantly the group carries Presence for here, ‘where brothers dwell in unity, God has commanded the blessing ..... (Psalm 133)

15.    Deep friendships are always open to others and never cliquey. New people are welcomed and struck by the warmth, outgoing love, unity and friendliness of the group.

16.    A flourishing spirituality is outward looking; the group can always see beyond itself, is open to new ideas from outside and yet sure of its own mission and is never blinkered. It can sustain varied and outgoing projects. It is able to change direction if necessary.

17.    Where there is a flourishing spirituality, members are proud and unashamed to be part of group. They carry a corporate confidence and the group grows.

And I am sure there is plenty more so do please add comments below!

Exploitation, Racism, Economic Hardship and Eastern European migrants (Life at Coventry Jesus Centre)

Sometimes one gets a feel here of the underworld of exploitation, anti-feeling and racism that immigrants from Eastern Europe sometimes face on coming to the UK.

Recently, I listened to an Eastern European young woman sharing her angst after finding work in the UK: she spoke of, “negative attitude towards me, bullying, misunderstanding at work which has left me worried and stressed. People hate you because you are not English. They want you pushed out of the job, out of the country. This experience has been very difficult for me.”

Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and Estonia all joined the EU in 2004 – giving them unrestricted access to the UK’s labour market. Citizens from Romania and Bulgarian, also members of the EU, now have unlimited access to the UK labour market too (from January 2014). Net migration to the UK from Eastern Europe EU states was almost 400,000 between 2004-2011.

Keeping an ear to the ground, there is a recurrent story: the promise of a job back home by an unscrupulous agent, arriving in the UK and finding it doesn’t exist or, if it does, wages are minimal and falling into the hands of or becoming indebted to exploiters. 

In September 2013 the BBC reported that Eastern European migrants employed in the Fens for leek picking were trapped in a widespread network of exploitation.  A four-month investigation found migrants were being forced to pay fellow countrymen bribes to get a few days' work in the field - and some were left to live on less than £1 a week.

Catalin, Vlad and Mihaela at Bright Flame

A while ago, two Romanian young men, Vlad and Catalin, turned up at Coventry Jesus Centre on a Sunday morning. They had been promised accommodation in the UK but, on arriving, found nothing; they had been conned and were facing the prospect of no income, no home. 

Fortunately, unlike so many, their story has a favourable ending; both were offered a temporary home at ‘Bright Flame,’ a Christian community house in Coventry. Both found work, decided Christian community was ‘for them’ and stayed. Vlad has since married Mihaela and ‘Bright Flame’ are finding them a brilliant addition to the community family.

Christian Community: Reflections: The Extra Mile

I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
    I will praise your name, LORD, for it is good.
Psalm 54:6 (NIV)

If you have been living in community for a while you find yourself slotting into the structure: meals, house-family meals (when we share and discuss community matters), celebration of birthdays (when we value the person whose birthday it is and bring them directional words) and gatherings (for worship and mutual inspiration). We need structure in the same way as our bodies need a skeleton!  Indeed, to be part of the community, we have to follow this structure. We sign up for it as a voluntary act but, once in, some, at least, of the structure is mandatory. 

Fair dues, no moans, this is what we signed up for.

This structure is important but it does not make community. 

Within the mandatory there must be the voluntary giving of ourselves and that’s about the choices we make; structure is an aid but it does not ensure community – far from it. The most valuable things that build community (as opposed to a hostel or paid-for living quarters) come from within, our free choices. If structure is the skeleton, our free choices are the blood, the heart, the pulse, the throbbing, pulsating life of the community. 

It’s those extra three minutes we spend listening to someone when bed is calling, it’s the text we send during the working day when we know they need encouragement, it’s the time spent with someone when there is no seeming time - and very often it is the small things that weigh; it’s what we choose to do with our (treasured!) unstructured time that often counts the most. 

The Jews of Old Testament times had plenty of structure in their lives: feast days and festivals, sacrificial offerings, Sabbath keeping, the paying of tithes and so on. The Feast of Booths when they all dwelt in home-made tents (reminiscent of their 40 years sojourn in the wilderness) for a week to celebrate the harvest sounds like pure holiday time to me - family times, no work and a lot of eating! The nation would not have survived without this structure.

Ah ... but I read with interest in the book of Exodus of free will offerings given during the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. ‘And the people continued to bring free will offering morning after morning’ (Exodus 35:29-36:5).  Above and beyond all that was required, the people spontaneously gave. It was the free will offering which brought splendour and beauty to that extraordinary tent in the wilderness.

 During the Feast of Weeks, free will offerings were accompanied by a mandatory instruction: “rejoice before the Lord your God!” (Deuteronomy 16:11) – hardly an irksome one!

 It is ‘free will offerings’ that define a community; it is the deeds that are not required that bring ‘spendour and beauty’ to it - as in the days of the tent in the wilderness; structured requirements only take us so far; performing the ‘ought’ does not bring about flourishing community but generosity does – and not just of material sharing - generosity of heart and time. 

The early church knew about the free-will offering. They shared meals and time and conversation together with ‘glad and generous hearts' (Acts 2:46).  

Our defining moments as communities are when we give what is not required, love when it is not our duty, give when it is not owed. I think this is what Jesus called, ‘the extra mile’ (Matthew 5:41).

Christian Community, Chapattis and an Unlikely Challenge

There are many advantages of living in Christian community: one of them is this: we, as a community, can take in and assist people in a way that we just couldn’t on our own.

Sarah (not her real name) is an asylum seeker who is staying at our house. She comes from, indeed is fleeing from, a place where it is shameful for women to be seen on the streets or in shops on their own. And, here she is, in the UK, alone and with a small child. For people like her, our streets and public areas can seem very frightening places; things we think nothing of - a trip to the supermarket or a ride on the bus – can be a scary ordeal. 

Sarah is staying for a few months with us before she goes to live in her own place. She is excited about that prospect but, as yet, unprepared - and that’s our job. One of us is teaching her how to do the washing (she comes from a privileged background where these things are often done for you). Another is taking her out on the bus to give her confidence to travel on her own. I am teaching her how to shop.

However, none of us can teach her how to cook chapattis. Today she is cooking for us – yum, something to look forward to when I get home!

This week she has reached two milestones: a lone bus trip (you should have seen the pleasure on her face when she returned) and a trip to the post office (where she went to the counter to have two parcels weighed and posted).

It’s a journey towards independence which she is making and she’s learning it in what may seem an unlikely place – Christian community.

Christian community is not about hanging onto people; it's about releasing people to be, well, their best, whatever that may be. Maybe, in a few months, we won’t see much of Sarah – she will have moved on. But, we’ve seen her on her way and hopefully what she has learned will affect the rest of her life. It will all have been worth it; we will have done something together, something actually very special, something that  I could never had done on my own.

Only for the Adventurous: Whistle-stop Evangelism

2013: New year, new adventures - so we (5 of us) decided to begin a few hours early. Last night’s late hours and this morning’s early ones saw us venture out onto the Foleshill Road, in Coventry, down the dark back alleyway to the ‘Stag and Pheasant’ on Lockhurst Lane. We didn’t exactly creep in quietly by the back door; our pockets were stuffed with chocolate bars to give out and that we did as well as delivering sprinklings of prayers to those who said they wanted it. We then moved onto the ten pin bowling alley at Walsgrave. Some seemed rather taken aback as we sang to them, ‘we love you (their name) deep down in our hearts’ but there were smiles and ‘thank yous’ before we sped on to Spon Lane in central Coventry to snatch the last few minutes of 2012 and the first of 2013.

We went to the ‘Old Windmill’ pub and I don’t know how many kisses and ‘happy new years’ we got between us. The gig was in full swing and I spied an empty seat by two middle-aged women (I bet they wondered what I was doing there in my Jesus Army jacket) but we got chatting and found out one was a vicar! An unlikely meeting, I guess, but despite the thud, thudding of the electric guitars within a few feet of our ears, we managed to have a fragmented conversation about Christian community and Jesus Centres.

A good start to a new year, I would say; exciting, even exhilarating, hanging hard on God, enjoying the daring together and the team dynamics. May it be a year when we continue to run into and with God’s opportunities. Movements that are tame, attract, if any, the tame but adventure, adventure, adventurous living attracts the adventurous and how we more than need those in the church.

2013: end as you began! May we collect a crowd of God-mad, holy adventurers this year – and some, at least, from the most unlikely places.

Unwanted generation

“I feel wanted!” Those words are the best I’ve heard for a long time. “I feel wanted.” It’s sort of music to my ears, my spirit.  I’ve gone over those words a few times in my head and fed with joy upon them: “I feel wanted.”

Me thinks we’ve just got to be doing something right at Promise* for a homeless 21 year old, thrown out of home by mum, to come and stay with us and say that.

It’s not what we’ve said because we haven’t really said anything very much.

Wanted, wanted, wanted. Just imagine how many more unwanted people can come and stay amongst God’s people and say, ‘I feel wanted. I’ve found family.’

You know, this is what pleases God. He loves our worship, He loves our praise and He loves it when He knows He can send the unwanted to us and they will feel wanted. And we know, He will, in His time, send us more!

* a Christian community house in Coventry where I live.