Just back from a hugely enjoyable evening at St Z's, namely a Jazz Concert with the rather good "Swing Museum" - 2 guitars, double bass and violin, so shades of Django Reinhardt and Stefan Grapelli. An evening of popular music (of a certain era) in a full-ish church. Not a bad way to draw the 800th birthday celebrations towards a close.
I suppose the key observation is that people don't really change. Much of the audience tonight was the Youth Fellowship.... of 60 years ago. Not good for the future of the church, but I wonder what the folks of an equivalent youth group age of today would have thought to see them mucking around, despite grey hair and all the encumbrances of age? Maybe rather how I felt at 18 to have the privilege of an evening with Dad's old uni friends and discovering to my surprise and delight that they were no different to me and my friends.
If we can find a way for those "outside" to see something of the love of the people at St. Z's we'd be half way there. I don't know where the faith of the folks is, but who apart from God really does? All I know is that I'm called to love them, to spiritually lead them, and to learn from them. The Festival Week they've put on has been excellent (with slight reservations about the scope of the publicity). They have done everything without a vicar to hold their hands, and done it very well. I'm trying very hard to not take the credit, although I'm beginning to wonder whether they think I'm just trying to be humble. But the truth is I've actually had very little to do, other than show up and show love. To tell them they matter.
And having one of the younger members (read 60-something) announce during the interval that we'd won the rugby.... well, a good evening was had by one and all! :)
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