As I have reflected over my first full year in Cranbrook I have much to be thankful for, most of all I have met some brilliant people, full of energy and enthusiasm. Living in a new place, with shared experiences of forming a new community seems to have removed the usual barriers to conversation and getting to know your neighbours. The usual British 'stiff upper lip' of not initiating conversation seems to have been dispelled by a shared perspective, a commonality of 'being in the same boat'. Now all jokes aside, Cranbrook is not flooded and there are no need for boats, there is largely a feeling of pulling together and when those outside make statements about the alleged flooding or stereotype our community we rise as one to tell the true story.
I have never belonged to a community like this.
Of course my job was to set up church and I am delighted to say that our spiritual garden has been started and we have a brilliant programme of events for the next four months. My problem with church (and I do have a problem) is that at its heart is a good news story of a God who loves, forgives, blesses and welcomes ALL (yes ALL) yet us in the church often act very differently, we say we want people to join us but only if they are like us, believe what we believe, use the language we use, do what we say. Shame on us. If God welcomes us so openly (ALL of us) then why does the church, so often, batten down the hatches, create umpteen rules as to who is in and who is out, why so many bollards?
The picture comes from a Tescos in Birmingham, despite what we think of Tescos they do sell things that are good, wholesome and helpful (largely!), the parking spaces here, designed to help their customers, actually do the very opposite, access is impossible to those who want to park, what was meant to be useful is anathema, a barrier, a blockage, a 'no entrance' sign.
Of course it was the Sex Pistols in the 70s who critiqued the music scene by creating music that was accessible to the masses; the punk movement argued that barriers/bollards had been erected between musicians and the ordinary people, their album 'Never mind the bollards' (well not quite!) changed the way music was made and who made it.
Maybe my job and those who have already joined me in Cranbrook is to look beyond the 'bollards', to be a movement that makes God's love accessible (isn't that what Jesus did and told his followers to do??). To tear down the walls that debar, to remove obstacles, to create opportunity for any and all. Maybe starting with a spiritual garden, without walls, was more inspired than we first thought.
If this is all true then I truly look forward to the rest of 2014.
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