I write during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and one of the priorities that began to surface as a result of our last MAP (Mission Action Plan) gathering was the shared sense of calling for the churches from across Whittlesey to support each other. One observation, particularly over the Christmas period – and this has been common elsewhere – is that whilst as churches we have rightly focused on northing our own congregations back into onsite worship, we have not had the time to regroup as Churches Together. This said, some essential Churches Together work across the region in terms of Foodbanks and mental health support groups have continued. At Whittlesey I am pleased to say that Churches Together are reconvening. My personal hope is that we may at the very least be able to share news about what we are offering in terms of worship, and share opportunities about how we can support each other in our mission. There are more than enough potential converts for all of the churches in Whittlesey, and certainly no room for protectionism.
The theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity this week is ‘We have seen the star’. Personally, I have been delighted to see the theme of Epiphany continuing. All too often in Methodist circles, Epiphany is lost, buried under the (much loved) Covenant Service, and being covered under ‘Ordinary Seasons’ in our liturgical cycle. The readings that speak of Epiphany; God’s glory being revealed to us, us having a moment of realisation that we have encountered God or an understanding of how God is at work in our lives are present within our set readings, yet need drawing out.
The take-away for us as churches in Whittlesey for 2022, is that like the wise men (and wise women), we journey through the years seeking Jesus continually. In the biblical accounts. the wise ones are from a different culture and, no doubt, religion (most likely Zoroastrians from what is now Syria , Egypt or India – I’ll leave you to look that up). The are not kings – figures of power – but they are wise. The point is that God is revealed to the ‘outsiders’. We don’t really know if they knew one another when they started – but I cannot help but think they were representatives from other tribes or ‘nations’. However, by the end of the journey they must have known each other well. The point is that they journey together. And I can’t help that they must have had to support each other to survive, encounter Christ, and spread the news. And so should we as Churches Together.
Perhaps one thought is that at times we can be dismissive of meetings, and it can be disheartening when we leave a meeting thinking, ‘What did that result in?’, ‘What was the point?’ But not so here at Queen’s Street. We talked about this at our trustees meeting and felt that it was something that we could begin acting on, and whilst I have made the suggestion of a Churches Together Facebook Page, it is good to see that Churches Together is planning an AGM in February. It is heartening to know that we have had some part to play, in putting something into action. And we look forward to our next Church Gathering in February, where we draw everything together and are open about our dreams and visions for the future.