Almost since leaving Theological College, which was a Christian Learning Community, I have been engaged by the idea of living in a Christian Community.
Over time the idea has become more or less focused, more or less specific, more or less Franciscan or Benedictine or simply a loose gathering of individuals reflecting their identity, particularity, differences and forming a community in which the basis of living a just life can be expressed.
As the prophet says: be fair, just, merciful and walk humbly with your God.
My days of useful, working, stipendiary ministry managed to end without my ever realising the vision of life in community.
My last job, as non-stipendiary, house for duty, assistant curate was, nevertheless the happiest period of ministry that I experienced, exactly because I now realise, I was a part of an active christian community based on the Church in the village where I lived.
When my day job finished abruptly the support that I received from the community was both life affirming and renewing.
So here is my job application.
I don't need much. A Church where worship can be offered and where the wider community can join in the worship. A house in which a group of people, individuals and couples can live in community ideally under the same roof. (Tragically of course so many of the rambling old Vicarages have been sold off by the Church of England).
A rule of life. This might not be too demanding or controlling, a simple commitment to being fair, being just in our dealings with others (both within and outwith the community), shewing mercy and walking humbly with our god.
I recently heard a Bishop speaking about Vincent de Paul. He outlined the five principles of Simplicity, Humility, Meekness, Mortification and Zeal.
Having offered an extreme and complex dissertation about simplicity, he embarked on a discussion of humility with a complete lack of the virtue he was describing, I left before I heard his exhortation on Meekness.
But Vincent de Paul's life was a life spent growing into the virtues he promoted and his legacy is worth acknowledging and honouring in any Christian Community especially one established as a way of life, that as the Marriage Service states: All should uphold and honour.
Over the years many people have tried to live in Christian Community, there have been failures as well as successes.
In the 17th century a humble, Anglican religious community was founded in the village of Little Gidding.
Nicholas Ferrar was joined by his brother John and his sister Susanna and her family.
Given the nature of the times the community was never a formal religious community, there was no official rule, no vows were required and no enclosure.
The Ferrar family lived according to High Church Principles and the Book of Common Prayer, their social outreach was limited to the health and education of local children and bookbinding.
The community continues to be honoured both by the memory and gifts of T S Eliot and the Friends of Little Gidding.
I have held retreats at Little Gidding based on the pattern of daily worship as found in the Book of Common Prayer and recreating the ideal of community living, albeit over a short period of time.
As T S Eliot has it in his poem of the same name:
'We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time'.
In the Diocese into which I have retired there is much made about Mission Communities and Clergy are being recruited as Mission Community Leaders. A hermeneutic of these words or this phrase or concept sheds very little light on their purpose.
What is Mission? Outreach? Extension? A statement of purpose? Promotion of (Christian) values?
The word is open to interpretation, your idea is as good as mine, so whatever I say is Mission is Mission according to me.
Community? Is this what in Old Speak we called a Parish? As when George Herbert rang his bell and the whole parish rested on their forks and spades and said evening prayer with him? Or is it simply an interest group? Is it a form of social media enterprise along the lines of FaceBook, Instagram, Whatsapp which are sometimes thought of as communities?
And how is leadership exercised in such a setting or in such a concept? As I recall a friend of mine who was a Diocesan Missioner, produced headed notepaper stating leader of mission in the diocese of .... , to which the Bishop's response was, 'I thought that was my job?'.
So what would a small new locality based community look like? How would the members be recruited? Would it have influence on the growth and enrichment of church life?
There is, it seems to me only one way to find out.
My vision would be for a group of people possibly with a shared occupational interest in common, living together, sharing the day to day duties of the household, following their own work and leisure pursuits, having time for retreat as well engagement with others, both in and outwith the community.
Their common life bound by four simple activities:
A weekly community meal.
Sharing in Worthship.
Reading and studying together.
Sharing in a common household account to which each contributes proportionally to income.
Over time the idea has become more or less focused, more or less specific, more or less Franciscan or Benedictine or simply a loose gathering of individuals reflecting their identity, particularity, differences and forming a community in which the basis of living a just life can be expressed.
As the prophet says: be fair, just, merciful and walk humbly with your God.
My days of useful, working, stipendiary ministry managed to end without my ever realising the vision of life in community.
My last job, as non-stipendiary, house for duty, assistant curate was, nevertheless the happiest period of ministry that I experienced, exactly because I now realise, I was a part of an active christian community based on the Church in the village where I lived.
When my day job finished abruptly the support that I received from the community was both life affirming and renewing.
So here is my job application.
I don't need much. A Church where worship can be offered and where the wider community can join in the worship. A house in which a group of people, individuals and couples can live in community ideally under the same roof. (Tragically of course so many of the rambling old Vicarages have been sold off by the Church of England).
A rule of life. This might not be too demanding or controlling, a simple commitment to being fair, being just in our dealings with others (both within and outwith the community), shewing mercy and walking humbly with our god.
I recently heard a Bishop speaking about Vincent de Paul. He outlined the five principles of Simplicity, Humility, Meekness, Mortification and Zeal.
Having offered an extreme and complex dissertation about simplicity, he embarked on a discussion of humility with a complete lack of the virtue he was describing, I left before I heard his exhortation on Meekness.
But Vincent de Paul's life was a life spent growing into the virtues he promoted and his legacy is worth acknowledging and honouring in any Christian Community especially one established as a way of life, that as the Marriage Service states: All should uphold and honour.
Over the years many people have tried to live in Christian Community, there have been failures as well as successes.
In the 17th century a humble, Anglican religious community was founded in the village of Little Gidding.
Nicholas Ferrar was joined by his brother John and his sister Susanna and her family.
Given the nature of the times the community was never a formal religious community, there was no official rule, no vows were required and no enclosure.
The Ferrar family lived according to High Church Principles and the Book of Common Prayer, their social outreach was limited to the health and education of local children and bookbinding.
The community continues to be honoured both by the memory and gifts of T S Eliot and the Friends of Little Gidding.
I have held retreats at Little Gidding based on the pattern of daily worship as found in the Book of Common Prayer and recreating the ideal of community living, albeit over a short period of time.
As T S Eliot has it in his poem of the same name:
'We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time'.
In the Diocese into which I have retired there is much made about Mission Communities and Clergy are being recruited as Mission Community Leaders. A hermeneutic of these words or this phrase or concept sheds very little light on their purpose.
What is Mission? Outreach? Extension? A statement of purpose? Promotion of (Christian) values?
The word is open to interpretation, your idea is as good as mine, so whatever I say is Mission is Mission according to me.
Community? Is this what in Old Speak we called a Parish? As when George Herbert rang his bell and the whole parish rested on their forks and spades and said evening prayer with him? Or is it simply an interest group? Is it a form of social media enterprise along the lines of FaceBook, Instagram, Whatsapp which are sometimes thought of as communities?
And how is leadership exercised in such a setting or in such a concept? As I recall a friend of mine who was a Diocesan Missioner, produced headed notepaper stating leader of mission in the diocese of .... , to which the Bishop's response was, 'I thought that was my job?'.
So what would a small new locality based community look like? How would the members be recruited? Would it have influence on the growth and enrichment of church life?
There is, it seems to me only one way to find out.
My vision would be for a group of people possibly with a shared occupational interest in common, living together, sharing the day to day duties of the household, following their own work and leisure pursuits, having time for retreat as well engagement with others, both in and outwith the community.
Their common life bound by four simple activities:
A weekly community meal.
Sharing in Worthship.
Reading and studying together.
Sharing in a common household account to which each contributes proportionally to income.
