Magazine for March 2009
MOVEMENT v. MONUMENT
Do you think of church as a movement? Many people have described the trajectory of a movement as follows; Man – Movement – Machine – Monument – Memory. Unless care is taken, one man’s vision can too easily slip into the mechanical processes of a machine, and whilst there is no bad thing about efficient structures or systems, they can too easily take the focus away from the vision. The movement slows down as its purpose is no longer clear, and it eventually becomes a monument, and later a memory.
The Church must constantly rediscovering her call to be and to do all God wants, at this particular time in history. This is how we follow Jesus in the world, constantly trying to help people of all ages and backgrounds connect to God. Over the past year I have been excited to see movement at St Mark’s, and I sense a growing courage amongst the young people to explore what our calling is here and now, and to pray about – and experiment with – new ways of doing outreach.
‘The Remains’ was the only group for 14-18 year olds when I arrived, and in April 2008 Steve Hood and I began CROSSroads to provide a space for young people to think about life and choices and God ,and go deeper into the Bible. This group has gone from strength to strength and we are seeing the young people grow in confidence and faith.
As a result, support for The Remains has waned, and we are currently thinking together about how we can effectively reach out to young people in this age group. Please pray and think with us as we seek God’s will for the future.
Claire Farley