 |
| |  |
| |  |
| |  |
| |  |
| |  |
| |  |
| |  |
| |  |
||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Editorial:
Faith in the Future? From
the director: Finding ourselves in the City Traveller,
the road is made by walking it The
Word made Flesh: A Sign and Foretaste in Limerick Comment:
The Architecture of Faith The
Word made Flesh: Down and Out in Dublin The
Word made Flesh: Cork Methodist Church, Ardfallen The
Word made Flesh: Reflections from the Maiden City Cathedral
Quarters: Interviews with Rev Dr Houston McKelvey and Very Rev Hugh
Kennedy Review:
Journey Towards Holiness Economics
and the economy: what are they for? Bible
Study: Beyond Silver Coins Reflection:
The 'F' word Review:
Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable Living Difficult
Conversations: Looking for God in the City... |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|||
|
MY EXPERIENCES as a foreigner in Nepal are mirrored in the experience of many people within churches in Ireland. In Christ Church we have an average Sunday attendance of 70-80 people but probably have at least 12 nationalities present. Less than half of the people in church on a Sunday will be from Ireland, let alone Limerick, the others coming from countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and America. These people have come to Ireland with work permits or as refugees and most have arrived since 2000. The issue of diversity is thus the biggest single issue we must seek to understand and practically deal with at this moment in time. It is not unusual for a city like Limerick to have people from overseas coming to live and work, so there have always been a few people from various countries within Christ Church. However, these have normally been from European countries or America, i.e. countries which share the same broad western culture. In the past few years, the number of people coming and the variety of cultural backgrounds has grown dramatically. A sudden influx like this affects a church quickly and dramatically. The newcomers are going through a similar process to that which I went through in Nepal. They are struggling to come to terms with and adapt to a new culture. In the church they find the same mix of joy and frustration: joy at the welcome and fellowship, but frustration with a continuing feeling of being an outsider and a longing for familiar worship. Long-term members feel that their church has changed. This is particularly marked in a small congregation, where they once knew everyone and felt comfortable but now come to church and feel they have no connection with many of the people there. Building a community with such diversity is not easy. The tension is too much for some and is resolved, for example, by setting up Black churches to provide familiar and comfortable worship styles for people, while established churches may refuse to make any accommodation to cultural diversity. In contrast, the members of Christ Church have, I believe, instinctively grasped and sought to express a vital truth: that we are one in Christ, and that any tension we may feel is secondary and must be worked through. This became part of the ethos of the church in the early 1970s when the struggling Presbyterian and Methodist churches decided that their respective traditions, buildings and hymnbooks were of secondary importance to the survival of a community of faith and decided to amalgamate. This ethos has been continued in the acceptance and welcoming of so many new people. This points to something fundamental about the nature of the church. Lesslie Newbigin often described the church as the instrument, sign and foretaste of the kingdom of God. As an instrument it is used by God in bringing the kingdom, as a sign it points beyond itself to a coming reality but as a foretaste the reality of the kingdom is experienced, in part, now. We know that part of the ultimate realisation of the kingdom will be the gathering of people from all countries and cultures under Christ’s headship. Part of the church’s missionary task is to be a sign and foretaste of this coming together in Christ in the context of a society where community is proving difficult to maintain. It is our unity in Christ that has brought such a disparate group of people together in Christ Church. Yet community cannot just be built on a shared idea, it must be expressed in practical ways. We have sought to do this in a variety of ways. We regularly try to bring people together socially and in ways that allow the expression of cultural diversity. A favourite event is when representatives of a few countries prepare traditional food and share some information about their culture. We have held seminars looking at cross-cultural issues that have been helpful in diffusing some of the misunderstandings that can arise. We have consciously sought to ensure that a wide variety of people take part in leading worship and are represented on our church council. Cultural diversity is our biggest issue. Living with diversity is ultimately rewarding for all, but fundamentally it is part of the missionary calling of the church in the world to be a sign and a foretaste of the drawing together of people from all cultures and countries in Christ. PETER MCDOWELL is a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. He is married to Åsa and has two children, Hannah (11) and Daniel (8). After serving for several years in Nepal (where he was able to indulge his joy of hill-walking) he became the minister of Christ Church Limerick in 2003. Christ Church is a multi-ethnic, united Presbyterian and Methodist congregation. |
|||
 |
|
