Church and Countryside
Kingdom in the Building the
countryside (That’s someone else’s job!)
It is a fact that the greater part of Sussex is rural; we have some of the best countryside in England on our doorstep. And, for many people, the village church is an essential part of the rural scene. However, there are a lot of people who regard the village church as something historical or, maybe, just a tourist attraction or example of ancient architecture.
A church is much more than a building; the local church is the worshipping community of God, the Body of Christ in your village. Perhaps it is time that we put more effort into reversing that wrong idea that ‘the village church’ is nothing more than an interesting old building and helped people in our villages to build a better relationship with God.
This is very easy to write but can be a daunting task to a small rural congregation but can we afford not to do it? The Church and Countryside group of the diocese is organising a conference which is aimed at helping rural churches to build the Kingdom and work towards a positive and exciting future. The thought of “Kingdom-building” may fill some people with horror – that sounds a lot like knocking on doors and asking ‘are you saved’? Yukkk!!
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Building the Kingdom is, actually, about following the example of Jesus; think about how He did it during His earthly ministry – He simply met people where they were and engaged them in conversation. Jesus went to the people and, through his stories and his example, helped people to find God for themselves. This is ‘building the Kingdom’; showing people that God cares about them and wants them as his friends and companions.
The conference in May will have as its main speakers the Bishop of Shrewsbury and Barry Osbourne of the Rural Evangelism Network. Both are experienced in rural ministry and in helping you to find new ways in which your church can engage with people in your parish and build the Kingdom in your village.
Each of our churches has been asked to prepare a Mission Action Plan – or MAP. The challenge is to use your MAP to plot your particular route in kingdom-building. The Conference will give you ideas and inspiration and help you find the building-blocks that you need to reach out to those who do not know God and build the Kingdom – don’t miss it, sign up now!!
CHURCH AND COUNTRYSIDE
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