RURAL FX - SOUTHREPPS - MULTI-GENERATIONAL w/ CELLS

That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said,

"This place is like a desert, and it is already late.
Let the crowds leave, so they can go to the villages and buy some food."

Jesus replied, "They don't have to leave. Why don't you give them something to eat?"

But they said, "We have only five small loaves of bread and two fish."
Jesus asked his disciples to bring the food to him,
and he told the crowd to sit down on the grass.
Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish.
He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food.
Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples, and they gave it to the people.
After everyone had eaten all they wanted,
Jesus' disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftovers.

There were about five thousand men who ate, not counting the women and children.

Matthew 14:15-21

A breeze carrying a hint of sea salt, fields swaying as red poppies dance. Sheep safely grazing on verdant pastures green. Shoulder high sandstone walls embracing narrow village lanes winding among pleasant county homes. If ever Deborah & I were ever tempted to retire off-shore, it would be to a village like Southrepps.

Massive St. James Parish Church towers over the rest astride the gentle hills.

Other pilgrims before us wrote of St, James, “the mother church of the [ten] Trunch Team Ministry parishes, [as with] all the churches around here welcome pilgrims and strangers, and you go away from all of them with a warm feeling, which is exactly how it should be.”

Yet we did not arrive in the morning but rather the 4:30 pm 4ALL multi-generational worship. This Fresh Expression had been mentioned in Mission Shaped Church and also came highly recommended. They were birthed out of a felt need in the Trunch area for a more contemporary relazed expression of worship. They are now seeing a steady influx of non-churched people. In addition to Sunday services, as in Tas Valley, there is an active discipleship Cell Church structure (4 cells enfolding 50- 60 with financial givings now rivaling the morning congregation). But Cell Church is not how they describe themselves in the FX directory.

Says MSC…

‘4 All’, Southrepps, Trunch Team Ministry

When the Revd David Bartlett became Southrepps Team Vicar, he intended to heed the bishop’s advice not to change anything for a year. However, it soon became apparent that about 20 Christians from different parishes had an unmet need for contemporary worship in which their children would happily share. Some of these families had started to give up on existing church. It was decided to start a service at 4.30 p.m. [in 2002], when it would not conflict with other services in the team and would complement the existing monthly ‘Open Doors’ children’s club, held at that time. The style was informal, interactive and ended with a shared tea. Adults who attended ‘4 All’ were invited to an Alpha course or to join a cell. Just over a year after its start [2004], 70 people were involved on a regular basis. ‘4 All’ simultaneously strengthened the commitment of existing congregation members and attracted new people who would never attend a more traditional service.

Says Sally Gaze…

“The most important ingredients appeared to be love and food.”

NETWORK-FOCUSSED

[BTW: This has nothing at all to do with the Anglican Essentials Network in Canada.]

4ALL reaches out, not geographically, bounded by the parish, but through the network of the relationships its members have with others. That’s how most churches in Toronto, operate: with little knowledge of or reference to existing parish boundaries. Modern commuter life is much more transient and uni-dimensional. You “network” more with your interest groups and those of like mind than thinking of the necessity to connect to the people in our immediate neighbourhoods.

Here in the UK most parishes still concentrate within the boundaries allotted them. This works well for some and those carefully guard against intrusions. But a significant recent pastoral approved the by Synod of the CofE includes regulations for what is called Bishops Mission Orders. These will allow churches with Episcopal permission to plant across and beyond parish boundaries – even over the objection of other parishes’ incumbents.

FUN 4 ALL

Sunday night was a fun-filled, action packed, multi-generational evening with no chance to get bored!

Starting right on time, we first sang a few songs.

Oh, wait. Did I mention the part that Deborah told the rector I played the guitar?

Well, they had a spare and suddenly, I was tuning up and joining in.

“Oh. Let’s make sure we hear you," said the Rector the Rev'd David Bartlett. "Here’s a cable to plug your guitar into the PA.” Yikes.

Talk about welcoming. Be an inconspicuous observer? Forget about it!

During the service I was interviewed by the rector.

“You are from Toronto and you want to learn from us? Well that’s fantastic because it was a spark from the Toronto blessing that got me started along this road. I never went but the fire of the spirit is still burning in me. I am glad we now get to return the favour.“

Yet, there was little “Airport” in their spirituality. A few hands in the air, yes, but we have that at the Rez. Charismatic? Mildly perhaps. The emphasis was much more on enjoying the Lord together. This worship is for people of all ages. 4ALL: get it? Babies, Small children, young adults and some in their 80s.

After my interview and another song, the rector said the Bible story that night was about the feeding of the 5000 and that happened outside so outside we went onto the cool grass all 30 of us (they usually get 40 – but it was Father’s Day):

Children dashing about, and rolling around (with never a discouraging word)

Some adults happily plopping down,

Others whose older knees didn’t bend as well as they used to stood bemused in the evening wind.

All smiling.

After ten minutes of the rector interacting with great humour with both kids and adults, we went back inside for prayer – children listening, or waving flags, or climbing under pews, or colouring in the back of the church – again with blessed freedom

Then we ate – simple homemade sandwich-quarters on white bread, with cookies, instant coffee and tea (all that is called “Tea”).

Deborah and I both thought this was great! Friendly, relaxed, real, all-inclusive, the message not at all dumbed-down. [Tas Valley had less success with this format than Southrepps.] If everyone came to 4ALL there would be 60 adults present plus 40 children.

Many old Norman churches originally had no facilities at all for washrooms or children. What did they do with the kids back then? Or full bladders?

Somehow Southrepps with a Grade 2 historical listing which usually means you can’t do much to modernize or adapt them http://www.heritage.co.uk/apavilions/glstb.html had been allowed to add kitchen and washrooms to one side and a small children’s space to the other. Still, there was no way all forty (40!) children of 4ALL could ever be sent into another part of the church for their own session anywhere in that building on Sunday morning.

A TESTIMONY

We spoke to “Sharon” afterward. You could notice her way across the room – her hands in the air, face beaming with love of the Lord. Once a confirmed and militant atheist, last year someone had invited her to a 4ALL. She says she suffered through it, hating every moment – terrified to speak to anyone. But she found herself returning the next week. Then came the invitation to Alpha. Then during the Holy Spirit weekend in October all the lights came on and she was in the Kingdom.

Deborah and I have from Southrepps the remembrance of a lovely village, the relaxed “real” fun we had in the worship, and “Sharon’s” continuous Christ-inspired smile we’d both love to take home with us.

I would have had more to write on Southrepps but this was David Bartlett's fourth service of the day - and - as soon as this night's 4 ALL was over, he headed off to network with some musicians seeking a new vision. He left with high hopes that God might be part of that vision. These Fresh Expression people - they sure are highly motivated. Every one of them is a hero in my book!