Author: Guest Blog

Hi folks, I hope you are well, if you are coming along on Sunday night, please note that we are beginning by meeting in the underpass at Cullercoats for our Advent reflection, meeting at 7.20 and then heading up to the club afterwards. 

This weeks blog is written by Naomi: 

In the film, About a Boy, Hugh Grant plays the character Will Freeman, a single bachelor with no attachments or responsibilities to look after anyone except himself. At the beginning of the film, the character talks about “all men being islands” implying that we have no need of others – we should be self-sufficient as it is ultimately less complicated than having to depend on others or have them depend on us. As the film progresses we see him become entangled, somewhat reluctantly in the lives of some other quite eccentric characters and by the end he comes to realise that whilst life may be “easier” lived independently, it is in community that we find our meaning. 

In the chapter “Calling a Friend: Congregation and Community”, Tish Harrison Warren talks about the need for community in general and also within the specific context of “the church”. Whilst there was a lot of strands to the chapter I am going to try to focus on these 2 main issues that stood out to me.

When we first went into lockdown in March 2020 there was an initial feeling of isolation as were literally cut off from seeing anyone, at least in the flesh. Whilst this was set to continue for several months, almost instantly people seemed to spring into action to support one another. Neighbourhood WhatsApp groups were created for people to remain in touch and offer practical help to those in need. Groups began to meet online so that people could stay connected. Churches quickly embraced new technology to stream live services to everyone at home. People blessed their streets with doorstop deliveries and random acts of kindness. In a time when we were required to keep apart physically we made all the more effort to support one another in whatever ways we could. As we have drifted back into “normality”, I wonder what lessons we have learned about the importance of community, of checking in with others, of going out of our way to support those around us… or, now we are free to interact have we retreated to being islands again? Personally, I find I’m really struggling with this at the moment as the demands of work and family life mean I feel like I have very little capacity for reaching out to others at the moment. After a busy week at work and negotiating my children’s increasingly hectic social lives I find it very tempting to withdraw from the world – like Will in About a Boy, it is sometimes easier to be an island, to just look after yourself and not get involved in the anyone else’s mess! And yet, I know this isn’t right – we are made to live in community with others and to “do life” with those around us.

Which leads me onto the second focus of the chapter, “The Church”. I’m hesitant to write about this as it’s a huge subject and one that is quite sensitive to a lot of people. In the chapter the author talks about the importance of remaining part of a church community. More and more people refer to their faith and walk with Jesus as being something personal to them, and therefore feel it is not necessary for them to be part of a church. As the author says:
“If we believe that church is merely a voluntary society of people with shared values, then it is entirely optional. If the church helps you with your personal relationship with God, great; if not, I know a great brunch place that’s open on Sunday.”

Just as we acknowledge the need to be part of a wider community through our jobs, social lives, health needs etc, so we are designed to be part of a faith community – the church is referred to as the body of Christ for the reason that the parts of the body depend on each other to function as a whole. The challenge here of course is that churches are full of people we often don’t like or wouldn’t choose to spend time with – people who are needy or awkward or who hold political views we vehemently disagree with! And yet as the book points out, Jesus spent his time amongst the “losers, misfits and broken” – the people the rest of the world has rejected. I am challenged by this as I sometimes see church a social “club” that I attend, and therefore when the people I find myself surrounded by aren’t “my people” it is tempting to opt out, to find something that suits me better. 

Whilst there is no doubt we are living in a time where many are questioning what church is, and what it should be, there can be no doubt of the need to continue to walk together in community with those around us. 

Questions:

• Hugh Grant – Love him or hate him?
• What was your lockdown guilty pleasure? 
• What did you find hardest about the restrictions of lockdown in relation to managing relationships with others? (e.g. job/family etc)
• What things (if any) do you miss about how you interacted with others during lockdown?
• How can we continue to promote the positive things we engaged in with our communities during lockdown whilst adjusting back to a more “normal” way of life?
• How often do you call or meet someone to just catch up? Is it something you do out of duty or is it something you look forward to? 
• What is “church” to you?
• Do you think it’s important to be part of a church community and what do you find most challenging about being part of a church community?

Guest Blog

This post is written by one of our many friends.  At BeachcomberFX we love to hear what others have to say and are always on the lookout for people who want to share their thoughts or stories with us.