THE LEAD LIGHT: First Reflections on my trip to London
The following is the weekly Happenings email lead article that was sent to the St. Ed's Community.
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What a trip it was! I had so much fun in Ireland and in England. I am deeply moved by what the Church of England in London is accomplishing. They have made a concerted effort to move from a mindset of scarcity and managing decline to a mindset of abundance. One could say they are telling Alleluia stories in every corner of the city.
I have a ton of ideas that are percolating in my mind and in my heart for how we can continue to deepen our relationship with God as a community of faith in the place we are. But before we dive into those things, I want you all to know how deeply grateful I am for your own spiritual depth and your willingness to share the story of how God is at work in your lives. The students I was with, mostly clergy types, do not have the joy of hearing the stories of faith their members have, and were quite surprised about the things I shared about you all and your own willingness to share faith stories that have impacted your lives.
The telling of personal and communal stories is at the heart of the growth the Diocese of London is experiencing. I could see that clearly. There was even one church that specifically asked the question of the congregations, one a little bigger than ours at around 45-50 people on a Sunday, “How did you see God at work in the past week?” I am not above asking this very question before we do our Birthday/Anniversary/Traveler prayer.
Discovering how God is at work in our own lives, and in the lives of the community around us is vital to deepening our faith, expanding our spiritual center and coming to follow Jesus as disciples. I left London feeling confident that our story telling, begun with the Alleluia Booklet this past Easter season, is a key to growing and becoming a congregation that looks first at how God is calling us in the world, before we decide how to believe as a Christian.
The phrase “Belonging before belief” has a particular poignance in London, and while there are a number of ways for people to engage in the faith the Church of England professes, their entrance into a faith community is vital not as someone who will follow rules, but simply as someone who is trying to understand what God and Jesus and the Spirit are all about, both in their personal lives and in the community around them.
The other thing that blew me away was how hospitable each church we entered truly was. Every church had people at the door welcoming new and old members into the building. Most of them had a bowl of treats that they would hand out as people walked in. Some of you might be imagining a group of young 20- somethings doing this, and that was true at two of the churches we attended. Every other church however, had women who were well north of 70 years old pouring tea, water and coffee and shaking the hands of each person who walked in the doors. It was amazing.
Hospitality was core, but I want to note, coffee hour at each church I attended on the Sunday, and I attended three, coffee hour consisted of water, tea and coffee. That was it. No treats, no food, no cheese, no cakes, nothing. The coffee hour was about fellowship and connecting with neighbors and planning out the week. Three churches is a small sample size, and I will say the many others who welcomed us throughout the week always had chocolate croissants and fruit for everyone, along with, you guessed it, water, tea and coffee.
I am looking forward to sharing the story of my trip and even more excited about sharing the ideas that I have floating around in my head. It was energizing and hope filled. I return to you fully focused on a mindset of abundance, an asset mindset and a mindset of growth. These three mindsets I hope will begin to infiltrate you and your own faith as we look at what comes next here at St Ed’s.
Be well,
Aron
I have a ton of ideas that are percolating in my mind and in my heart for how we can continue to deepen our relationship with God as a community of faith in the place we are. But before we dive into those things, I want you all to know how deeply grateful I am for your own spiritual depth and your willingness to share the story of how God is at work in your lives. The students I was with, mostly clergy types, do not have the joy of hearing the stories of faith their members have, and were quite surprised about the things I shared about you all and your own willingness to share faith stories that have impacted your lives.
The telling of personal and communal stories is at the heart of the growth the Diocese of London is experiencing. I could see that clearly. There was even one church that specifically asked the question of the congregations, one a little bigger than ours at around 45-50 people on a Sunday, “How did you see God at work in the past week?” I am not above asking this very question before we do our Birthday/Anniversary/Traveler prayer.
Discovering how God is at work in our own lives, and in the lives of the community around us is vital to deepening our faith, expanding our spiritual center and coming to follow Jesus as disciples. I left London feeling confident that our story telling, begun with the Alleluia Booklet this past Easter season, is a key to growing and becoming a congregation that looks first at how God is calling us in the world, before we decide how to believe as a Christian.
The phrase “Belonging before belief” has a particular poignance in London, and while there are a number of ways for people to engage in the faith the Church of England professes, their entrance into a faith community is vital not as someone who will follow rules, but simply as someone who is trying to understand what God and Jesus and the Spirit are all about, both in their personal lives and in the community around them.
The other thing that blew me away was how hospitable each church we entered truly was. Every church had people at the door welcoming new and old members into the building. Most of them had a bowl of treats that they would hand out as people walked in. Some of you might be imagining a group of young 20- somethings doing this, and that was true at two of the churches we attended. Every other church however, had women who were well north of 70 years old pouring tea, water and coffee and shaking the hands of each person who walked in the doors. It was amazing.
Hospitality was core, but I want to note, coffee hour at each church I attended on the Sunday, and I attended three, coffee hour consisted of water, tea and coffee. That was it. No treats, no food, no cheese, no cakes, nothing. The coffee hour was about fellowship and connecting with neighbors and planning out the week. Three churches is a small sample size, and I will say the many others who welcomed us throughout the week always had chocolate croissants and fruit for everyone, along with, you guessed it, water, tea and coffee.
I am looking forward to sharing the story of my trip and even more excited about sharing the ideas that I have floating around in my head. It was energizing and hope filled. I return to you fully focused on a mindset of abundance, an asset mindset and a mindset of growth. These three mindsets I hope will begin to infiltrate you and your own faith as we look at what comes next here at St Ed’s.
Be well,
Aron
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