|
| Christian news worldwide |
 Home |
 Archives |
 Subscriptions |
 Adverts |
 Find a church |
 About us |
 Contact us |
 Site Map |
 PrintableVersion Reach the lost estates of BritainJen Baxter went to a conference which sought to help Christians living and working on estatesTwenty per cent of Britain's population lives on housing estates - almost ten million people. Yet these areas are little impacted by churches. The Living in Estates Conference was designed 'to refresh and encourage those already engaged in this mission field and to inspire and advise those thinking about making the move'. It is the latter group that I fall into. I currently live in a typical Sheffield terrace in an area surrounded by students. But in summer 2004, I'm hoping to move to the Manor estate - on the south-east side of Sheffield's inner city - with The Crowded House. The Crowded House is a church-planting network that is hoping to plant a number of household churches on the Manor estate in the near future. Currently the team comprises three people who are committed to moving there next summer. The conference was organised by Anthony Collins Solicitors - a Christian firm based in Birmingham - and attended by about 300 people living, or interested in living, in Britain's estates. The day started with an address by Bishop John Sentamu, who highlighted the real need for Christians to be living in estates. He reminded us that God chose a stable, not a palace, for Jesus to be born in. He emphasised that it is not schemes or projects that the church is involved with that are of prime importance, but it is the quality of people's life together that is the key to revealing Christ to others. His challenge was whether or not people could see Christ through our lives. God's reputationThe first seminar I attended was Engaging in the Community (Social Action). The challenge set out was to 'raise the reputation of God' on the estates that we're living or working on by ensuring that the church is the first place (as opposed to the last) people turn to for help. We looked at the profile of a classic estate and thought about the major issues that should be addressed by the church. The importance of getting involved with locally run projects, as opposed to setting up and duplicating schemes, was stressed. As the title of the seminar suggests, strong emphasis was placed on the need for social action. This was something that was reiterated throughout the day and my one concern was that this was at the cost of neglecting the importance of God's Word. A second seminar discussed the practicalities of setting up a social action project. One of the highlights for me was talking with a solicitor who lives with his family on an estate in Birmingham. One of the challenges for him and his wife was in their decision to send their children to the local school. This is often a major obstacle to Christians moving onto such estates, but it has in fact resulted in many local young people getting involved with the church. A warning highlighted by the seminar entitled 'Estate living: alternative lifestyles in estate living' was the danger of neglecting to keep the gospel central. The seminar was a reminder that living on estates can, at times, be very difficult and can cause people to become disillusioned with the church. The warning was: to stay focused on the gospel and nothing else. Bob Holman's last speaking engagement before he retires encouraged us to follow the example of Jesus in serving those in greatest need. Bob has spent the last 16 years living and working on the Easterhouse estate in Glasgow. Tough timesHe stressed the importance of living in situ for at least ten years and recounted stories and testimonies of individuals he'd had contact with over the years. He was also very honest and spoke of times that he'd found tough and when he'd had the desire to give up. What he spoke of, though, was a call to persevere, especially during the tough times. What challenged me is that there are individuals and groups out there living on some of Britain's most difficult estates and among some of the most marginalised and disadvantaged people. These are the kind of people that Jesus himself loved to spend time with. The challenge to evangelical churches who rightly place the gospel at the very heart of their identity is that all too often they remain in the relative security and comfort of their middle class suburbs. Jen Baxter
|
|
