I was up in Abingdon last week to meet some of the team who lead Messy Church nationally and some ‘Messy Practitioners’ to discuss how the wonder that is Messy Church could be used more effectively in areas which have high levels of social or economic deprivation. It was an important day for us in London as we think about how we can work best make sure that our partnership with Messy Church benefits the whole Diocese and not just the ‘leafy suburbs’.
A really interesting part of the conversation we had was around what the Messy Church core value of ‘Hospitality’ should look like in areas where money is tight. The assumption that it is easy to make is that in a deprived we should try and make everything free and place no demands on those attending other than turning up roughly on time. As we talked we realised that this wasn’t really what hospitality is, there is more to it than that.
Theologically we began to think about how Jesus allowed a woman to pour expensive perfume on his feet and also sent his disciples out on mission with the instruction to not bring supplies but to depend on the generosity of those they went to reach. This method seems foreign to us, our instinct would be to go out with all the supplies we needed for ourselves and enough to give away to others. But part of welcoming someone is to receive what they have to bring and not to presume that just because they only have a little they would not want or be able to share it or worse to view it as inferior to what you already have.
There are lots of ways in the context of a Messy Church where you can practice this kind of ‘two way hospitality’. Creating ‘bring and share’ elements to the meals and encouraging people to join the team of helpers are just two and I’m sure you can think of some for yourself.
However to move away from Messy Church for a moment it got me thinking about what a welcome for children looks like for our churches. Children are another group that it’s easy to think have nothing much to contribute and that we should be doing everything for them. This can lead to children becoming consumers of Christianity where everything is done for them rather than participants. I wonder if the fruit of this is adults who complain about church as if they think everything should be exactly as they like it in the same way their ‘skinny chai latte with an extra shot’ is at Starbucks.
If we are to truly welcome children to our churches then we must receive their gifts also. Now you’ve heard me before discuss the need to listen to their spiritual and theological insights but it also means involving them in other areas of church life. Where appropriate it would be great to put children on as many rotas as you can; so that they grow up being used to serving in the church just like any members of the church are expected to. Their views should be listened to by the PCC and acted on or at least replied to, a children’s council is a fantastic way of doing this.
If we can welcome a child and receive their gifts then they grow up at the heart of our faith communities and that provides the best environment for children to grow in faith.