Publication Date: 1st March 2007
HOME
OPINION
Quite a few years ago someone introduced me to the concept of 'GOD-incidence' (as opposed to coincidence).
The idea is obviously that - as you give you life over to
God - nothing happens purely by chance. Everything is divinely ordered.
And its connection with this piece...?
The idea is obviously that - as you give you life over to
God - nothing happens purely by chance. Everything is divinely ordered.
And its connection with this piece...?
Please forgive the title of this piece. I thought quite long and hard before I ran with it. Away from the hype and soundbites of the headlines (the media seems to have already moved on), there is very real grief for those that have lost loved ones.
To reduce all that to trite wordplay would be - at the very least - grossly insensitive.
I chose these words carefully. Please bear with me. It will make sense in a minute.
To reduce all that to trite wordplay would be - at the very least - grossly insensitive.
I chose these words carefully. Please bear with me. It will make sense in a minute.
Four days ago, this piece was ready to go...
As it stood then, I suspect most people that would have read it would have gone away with a sense of discomfort at the conclusion I came to. At the time, my personal sense of frustration at
elements of complacency from the church ran quite clearly through it.
But here's where the GOD-incidence part of this kicked in. On 26th February, a day before the piece was ready, I received an email from ex-Voice journalist, now PR-company owner MARCIA DIXON, asking for any suggestions/contributions for her to pass forward to a group of church leaders meeting on March 5th at London's GLA offices to strategise how best to deal with this pressing issue.
All of a sudden, the reason why I wrote this became clear. And now, instead of you coming away from this article sharing my frustration, you'll hopefully share my sense of hope..
Why?
Well, because I'm going to be passing on a 'highlights' version of this article on to MARCIA as my suggestion regarding what the church should be doing in times like this. If you've any views
elements of complacency from the church ran quite clearly through it.
But here's where the GOD-incidence part of this kicked in. On 26th February, a day before the piece was ready, I received an email from ex-Voice journalist, now PR-company owner MARCIA DIXON, asking for any suggestions/contributions for her to pass forward to a group of church leaders meeting on March 5th at London's GLA offices to strategise how best to deal with this pressing issue.
All of a sudden, the reason why I wrote this became clear. And now, instead of you coming away from this article sharing my frustration, you'll hopefully share my sense of hope..
Why?
Well, because I'm going to be passing on a 'highlights' version of this article on to MARCIA as my suggestion regarding what the church should be doing in times like this. If you've any views
on this, I'd suggest you do the same. As usual, links at the end of the piece..
If all this still sounds a little vague right now, read the piece, it should all make sense. That's GOD-incidence at work.
Yinka Awojobi
Content Development
UK Gospel.com
If all this still sounds a little vague right now, read the piece, it should all make sense. That's GOD-incidence at work.
Yinka Awojobi
Content Development
UK Gospel.com
25th FEBRUARY, 2007...
Frustration...
The recent spate of gun crimes in the news is the perfect (and most recent) case in point.
There are scores of Black Christians (and more to the point, just Christians, full stop) working on the ground as individuals, churches, volunteer groups, charities and - from a UK Gospel.com point of view - artists. These people work in many a difficult area of social deprivation, looking to make a practical, positive impact.
However, what happens when a national exclamation on some issue goes up (add the latest panic news here...)? We organise prayer marches...
I'll pause while the weight of that statement sinks in...
There are scores of Black Christians (and more to the point, just Christians, full stop) working on the ground as individuals, churches, volunteer groups, charities and - from a UK Gospel.com point of view - artists. These people work in many a difficult area of social deprivation, looking to make a practical, positive impact.
However, what happens when a national exclamation on some issue goes up (add the latest panic news here...)? We organise prayer marches...
I'll pause while the weight of that statement sinks in...
I'm not making the following statement to be controversial (trust me, that's the last thing on my mind. I've waaaaay too much personal baggage to be pointing fingers), so let me just state for the record right from the off: I don't make the following assertion lightly.
However: I'm quite frustrated with the kind of signals were giving out as Christians at the moment.
Here's the wider context:
Like much of what goes on in most Western 21st century societies, any issue burned into the
national consciousness is - in the main - driven by media exposure, or more accurately, media
saturation with a generous sprinkling of thinly-veiled hysteria...
I might be wrong (in fact, I hope I am), but seems to me like the church - specifically the Black church - decides on high-profile responses only after the media has pressure-cooked local, regional, national or international issues (gay adoption, racism, Iran, Iraq, Make Poverty History, immigration... you get the idea) to national panic proportions.
However: I'm quite frustrated with the kind of signals were giving out as Christians at the moment.
Here's the wider context:
Like much of what goes on in most Western 21st century societies, any issue burned into the
national consciousness is - in the main - driven by media exposure, or more accurately, media
saturation with a generous sprinkling of thinly-veiled hysteria...
I might be wrong (in fact, I hope I am), but seems to me like the church - specifically the Black church - decides on high-profile responses only after the media has pressure-cooked local, regional, national or international issues (gay adoption, racism, Iran, Iraq, Make Poverty History, immigration... you get the idea) to national panic proportions.
I've waaaaay too much personal
baggage to be pointing fingers...
baggage to be pointing fingers...
I've no problem with prayer marches. As a matter of fact, as people who -
through the rending of the veil of the temple, and the presence and
person of the Holy Spirit - have direct access to the throne of grace, we
know of the power of prayer.
through the rending of the veil of the temple, and the presence and
person of the Holy Spirit - have direct access to the throne of grace, we
know of the power of prayer.
Over 1000 people turned up in Peckham, London
at short notice on 26th February 2007 for a March
at short notice on 26th February 2007 for a March
PROACTIVITY
Stay with me for a moment, and think about this:
How much better would it be if the church knew of (and celebrated) the work of its saints already on the ground?
GREENJADE, alongside XLP, has been running its anti-weapon initiative, GUNZDOWN, in primary schools for about a year, showing kids a more excellent way, and providing practical choice where some kids - faced with overwhelming and seemingly easy negative options - would have probably assumed there was none.
Their ministry is contemporary and relevant, and the project receives the endorsement of civil servants and politicians. The evidence of their impact can be read on the message board of the GUNZDOWN website.
How much better would it be if the church knew of (and celebrated) the work of its saints already on the ground?
GREENJADE, alongside XLP, has been running its anti-weapon initiative, GUNZDOWN, in primary schools for about a year, showing kids a more excellent way, and providing practical choice where some kids - faced with overwhelming and seemingly easy negative options - would have probably assumed there was none.
Their ministry is contemporary and relevant, and the project receives the endorsement of civil servants and politicians. The evidence of their impact can be read on the message board of the GUNZDOWN website.
How much better would it be if the church knew of (and
celebrated) the work of its saints already on the ground?
celebrated) the work of its saints already on the ground?
BLESSED MAN, THE PRISON OUTREACH NETWORK and RAYMOND & CO have a prison ministry, visiting those already incarcerated and providing an avenue of hope. Again the reports that come out off the back of these efforts are hugely positive.
STREET PASTORS do the same thing, 'engaging with people on the streets to care, listen and dialogue...' (it says on their website)
I bring these areas up to illustrate the point. You can be certain there are countless more people
taking the practical gospel out in even more diverse ways to the streets up and down the country.
GEORGE LUKE recorded an audio report of the march last week (link at the end of this piece), and listening to the comments from some of the people that turned up was interesting: 'we're standing against it...', 'people are supporting...'
There wasn't much to give the the casual (or Christian) listener any impression that the church
was actually already on the ground in a concerted, organised kind of way...
STREET PASTORS do the same thing, 'engaging with people on the streets to care, listen and dialogue...' (it says on their website)
I bring these areas up to illustrate the point. You can be certain there are countless more people
taking the practical gospel out in even more diverse ways to the streets up and down the country.
GEORGE LUKE recorded an audio report of the march last week (link at the end of this piece), and listening to the comments from some of the people that turned up was interesting: 'we're standing against it...', 'people are supporting...'
There wasn't much to give the the casual (or Christian) listener any impression that the church
was actually already on the ground in a concerted, organised kind of way...
CELEBRATION...?
Let me define the context of celebration: by the church knowing of (and publicly promoting) the work of the saints, we've a great opportunity not only of witness, but of offering pragmatic solution, to the world.
That presupposes a 2-way information exchange between the ministers on the ground (artists, volunteers, professionals, everyone) and the church, such that in times like this, the church is immediately ready to draw alongside those that need, armed not only with what it is the world expects of us in the provision of prayer and hope, but delivering much more in addition.
Perhaps I'm a dreamer. Perhaps that's too much to ask...
Stay with me while I make my final point: let's return to the peak-time, national news bulletin on
That presupposes a 2-way information exchange between the ministers on the ground (artists, volunteers, professionals, everyone) and the church, such that in times like this, the church is immediately ready to draw alongside those that need, armed not only with what it is the world expects of us in the provision of prayer and hope, but delivering much more in addition.
Perhaps I'm a dreamer. Perhaps that's too much to ask...
Stay with me while I make my final point: let's return to the peak-time, national news bulletin on
...That presupposes a 2-way information
exchange between the ministers and the church...
exchange between the ministers and the church...
any channel, as they report on a march organised by those nice-but-slightly-out-of-touch-with-reality Christians, in the face of any given social issue.
How much richer, more relevant and realistic would our witness be to non-Christians (and to apathetic Christians for that matter), when we show the world that not only do we pray, but we actually engage with people, unafraid to get our hands dirty and identify with their hurt?
Not only do we pray, but we show what it is we are ALREADY DOING (and have been doing for a while) to make society a much better place...
...that ours is not reflex action in the face of the latest panicked headlines, but a considered response of our work, under Jesus, long embedded in society, and working at the points, the lives and areas where it is most needed...
Time to celebrate? Or maybe I'm just missing something...
Perhaps I better leave the final word to LES ISAAC, founder of STREET PASTORS, again from
How much richer, more relevant and realistic would our witness be to non-Christians (and to apathetic Christians for that matter), when we show the world that not only do we pray, but we actually engage with people, unafraid to get our hands dirty and identify with their hurt?
Not only do we pray, but we show what it is we are ALREADY DOING (and have been doing for a while) to make society a much better place...
...that ours is not reflex action in the face of the latest panicked headlines, but a considered response of our work, under Jesus, long embedded in society, and working at the points, the lives and areas where it is most needed...
Time to celebrate? Or maybe I'm just missing something...
Perhaps I better leave the final word to LES ISAAC, founder of STREET PASTORS, again from
GEORGE's audio report:
'...we have a lot of work to do in the long term...
When the camera's gone, and everything's gone, what we do is
going to be CRITICAL for all of us as a city to
see if we can deal with, and handle this problem...'
When the camera's gone, and everything's gone, what we do is
going to be CRITICAL for all of us as a city to
see if we can deal with, and handle this problem...'
[emphasis mine]
That's a paraphrase, by the way.
Yinka Awojobi
Content Development
UK Gospel.com
Yinka Awojobi
Content Development
UK Gospel.com
LINKS
Suggestions for Marcia Dixon? info@marciadixonpr.co.uk (by March 3rd)
HOME
