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.

The Grape Harvest is Ready: It's 5:30am ... Jesus' Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard: Matthew 20:1-16

The grape harvest is ready and the farmers are desperate to finish the picking. It’s 5:30am, the eastern sky is turning a pinkish hue and the sun is climbing behind the vine-clad hills. The market place in this small town is filling up now as the hired workers gather, hopeful of a full day’s work - if not, the kids and wife go hungry ...

Look, the strongest workers are being picked first while others wait, sitting around but still hopeful.  After three hours, one of the landowners returns; it’s a desperate situation: the sky looks threatening and the grapes must be harvested before the onset of the rains; he picks a handful of workers and they quickly exit the market place for the fields. 

Another three hours, it’s noon, and the grape grower is here again  ... he doesn’t seem fussy: the older workers are picked now; they’re slower but willing. The harvest is ready, the grapes must be picked – no time to be wasted. 

At 3.00pm the grape grower visits the market place yet again ... but now the shadows are lengthening. Again, he picks some workers and takes them away. There’s little hope now of any work but the remaining men are desperate and some sit idle waiting just in case and, to their surprise, at 5.00pm, with one hour to go before the working day is over, the farmer returns again; this one is certainly not choosy, he’ll take whoever is willing.  He’s desperate; he just wants workers in the vineyard.

It’s 6.00pm: the day is over and the hired workers line up for the foreman to give them their wages. What a surprise! This can’t be right? Everyone is being paid the same! The last are ecstatic; the first are angry but the grape grower says he is playing fair; he is giving them all the agreed wage. Do they begrudge his generosity?
 
What is Jesus saying? He’s challenging our attitudes: Don’t think you are better than anyone else, Peter, James and John, because you were the first to follow Me! You mature, long-in-the-tooth Christians! Don’t look down on your new brother or sister! God has welcomed them and loves them the same as you! He has no favourites.

Have you ever stood in that awkward place at school of team picking? You were the last to be picked? The slowest runner, the least nimble player? The marks of inferiority were branded upon you, the least, the lowest. God’s kingdom is one of equality, a brotherhood and not a hierarchy. We can never look down on anyone again; God picked us all; He loves us all the same.

Jesus is challenging our practice too: His kingdom is one of equality and sharing. The practice of the early Jerusalem church stemmed directly from the parables and teachings of Jesus: “For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts 4: 34,35)

Jesus is challenging our attitudes and practice; He is also challenging our perception of what God is like: in the person of the landowner we see a shadow of the vast mercy, grace and generosity of God.

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!

A Must-Read! Andrew Atherstone's Biography of Justin Welby.

No one can deny that the odds stacked against the Church of England are huge: declining congregations; slim representations of youth; internal divisions made very public – all earning them a none-to-be-envied public image. Surrounded by this grim backdrop, how refreshing to read Andrew Atherstone’s biography of Archbishop Justin Welby. There is light on the stage; a striking player has emerged.

What is so remarkable is Welby’s positivity in the face of almost seemingly unsurmountable odds; his buoyant vision for the church in the face of its poor public image; his hope for the re-evangelisation of the nation when it seems in many places that congregations are shrinking and losing heart; his courage in taking risks when one would think timidity would be a more fitting response to the church’s predicament; above all his simple and unwavering certainty that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, ushered in by His death and resurrection, is God’s answer to our need - when certain strands within Anglicism leave us wondering, ‘just what do they believe?’

I love Welby’s stress on ‘human flourishing;’ our mission is a holistic one and yet he would urge us never forget the most important part: announcing the Good News of God’s reconciling love. His focus is: “Churches must be Christ-centred, consciously and explicitly, full of passionate love for Jesus or they are nothing.”
 

Is it really possible for the Church of England to find unity? Will it listen to Welby’s call to find unity despite wide differences of outlook, to down weapons in the war of words and listen well to ‘opposing’ sides as brothers, not enemies and, most of all, to put on love above principles and tightly-held opinions? One can only hope.

Welby is a wide-lensed evangelical, believing in a mix of old and new forms of worship, leaning for personal inspiration on Benedictine and Ignatian spirituality, living with an open mind and a listening ear and yet, at the same time, holding to the supremacy of the Bible. 

I am deeply impressed by the man; his vision, his gift of friendship and the holding out a brotherly hand to those who would disagree with him and his clarion call for the church to express, “diversity without enmity.” 

I believe his message, embodied in his own character as much as his words, has application to other parts of the Church beyond Anglicanism.  Maybe a new era is being ushered in when the ‘peace-makers’ within the church will come to the fore, when we will listen to one another’s hearts, learn to live with differences and work together; we are after all just fellow servants.

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.

In Praise of Volunteers, Your Learning, Coventry Jesus Centre

You’ve got to have a team if you really want to achieve most things in life and ours is a fine one:

Ann, the first to arrive

Monday morning ... Ann’s already here (we call her Ann-Lifted-Up as God lifts up the lowly). In fact, she’s been here since 6am and she’s no youngster; she was a cleaner in her working life and now she does it for free in her retirement. Seriously, she’s already been cleaning the loos, emptying the bins, generally making the place look smart.

Do you think it’s important? Unquestionably, yes. She’s gone by 8:30am but left her mark behind. We pray together as she goes and you know, I value her prayers highly

Matthew and Mark ... but no Luke and John

as she prays for God’s blessing on everyone that enters the Jesus Centre doors this Monday morning.


Then there’s Matt and Mark who come in at 8.00am. Matt’s already met me on the way and tells me he’s left his warm flat to come and assist. They do a great job of moving chairs and tables until the hall looks just fine, set up for the day’s classes and, meanwhile, I can get on with the photocopying. Yes, and I won't forget Pete, he's often here too.

Peter .. another noteworthy disciple

Then Jo and Betty appear. Now, they are
my assistants in the class and I couldn’t do without them. They just appear every week,  consistently, and obviously enjoy what they do; that helps. I always think, if we who lead enjoy our sessions and convey that enjoyment, the learners can’t fail to follow.

  Last of all Karen appears; she helps me in the afternoon session; she’s brilliant with the lads, flexible with a great sense of humour (definitely needed at times) and unfailing in her commitment. She’s great on the clearing up too: you know, those unwashed cups and boundless pieces of paper to tidy up; I’ve never learned to work in a tidy manner and spread out everywhere. Everyone like me needs a Karen. 

Betty and Jo

Yes, and the number is growing .... the Bablake girls, Sarah and Shirin are the most recent additions to the team!

Last but not least, Karen

John and James jostled to be first, forefront leaders. Jesus told them they’d got it all wrong. The most humble, the most servant-hearted are greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I think that of our volunteers.

Syrian Refugees: A Boy with a Gun and a Mother Bereft (Life at Coventry Jesus Centre)

Sometimes the bottom corner of a curtain is held up for a brief while and, peering through, we glimpse another world, parallel to ours, filled with scenes of horror and devastation -  humanity at its lowest ebb.

This week it’s Syria. On Wednesday morning a young Syrian came in with a friend and sat down quietly in class. We were making pancakes and got chatting; we talked trivia: lemons and pancake mix and migrated to fruits grown in Syria. He began showing me photos on his mobile of his village back home: acres of smiling vineyards and tidy olive groves; it looked a fertile, sunny place with no signs of the bloody conflict. He looked at the photos with fondness and explained that his family had a smallholding in the village.

Flicking through his pictures, we passed family members, old men dressed in traditional Syrian headgear and then ... a young and handsome dark-haired boy, no more than nine, with a cheeky, boyish grin holding - a birthday present? You would have been justified in thinking so, looking at the cheerful look on his face. Sadly, no. He was clutching a large gun.  ‘Our country’, my Syrian friend muttered and swiftly flicked onto the next picture. 

I don’t know who the boy was; I didn’t want to ask. It was a Syrian boy and his picture told a story, a story of an unfolding tragedy, a spoilt boyhood, a conflict of adults where innocents are dragged in and learn far too quickly ‘the art’ of maiming and killing. 

Syrian refugees in Egypt

The previous day I had visited our food bank and met another asylum seeker from Syria who arrived in the UK in 2011 and has not been given leave to remain; all her appeals have been refused and she thinks she may have to leave the country soon. She was in desperate need of a food parcel.  She first arrived in Norway in 2009 with her four children but two of them, aged 18 and 16, were deported to Syria. “I have no contact with my two eldest children in Syria,” she says. “Syria is a warzone. I don’t know where they are.  I went to the Red Cross and they told me that they could only help me trace them if I gained status as a UK citizen.”

I’m struck by her dignity and courage in the face of loss and in the struggle for survival. I asked her to come back when she has time and I will help her draft a letter to her MP – the least I can do. 

Sometimes we can’t do much more than listen; sometimes there are small practical ways we can help – food bank for instance – or help write a letter. I offered to pray for her; she clutched my hands; we prayed that somehow God would find some way, a miracle, in providing a safe home for her and her two remaining children and a way to finding her lost children  – and do you think her heart was in that prayer?  

Sometimes, I think, listening is one of the most important, most effective activities we can ever engage in ... followed by prayer.