Levens Park

28 November Friday – Walk round Levens park.

The day was crisp as we met by the back entrance to the park. A baby was put in his backpack and the dog called – then we were off. We met a man who looked very interested in the trees – not sure what he was doing, but only a handful of other people came our way. We explored the park further today – the children that sometimes come being at school, and the toddlers not coming – infact only 2 adults, both Christians, but the discussion was deeper than usual.

We explored the nature of the church – a natural discussion – a topic that affected the lives of those present. Some of the conversation was very personal, and other parts more general. We spoke of the way in which the parish system of one minister in one church had worked during Christendom, but that the Anglican church is now beginning to model itself on the Methodist circuit system as they have a reduced number of ministers – yet this system is not as effective now – and the Methodists are facing the prospect of even fewer ordained ministers.

It led to the discussion focusing on what the role of church is, and what the role of a Christian is – is Christianity about social action, evangelism, is it a personal faith – where the minister ‘does’ the church stuff and the rest follow on, attending services and doing good deeds.

The discussion that occurred during this glorious walk was both ecclesiological and missiological. We were concerned with the structures of the inherited church – how these are changing and the effects on church life and the role of ministers.

It was a missiological discussion as we were concerned with how we are called to make disciples of Christ - and how this is changing with the change in culture and society. In effect, we were wondering if the structures of the inherited church can allow missiology to take place with any great effect.

Much of the discussion was of a personal nature – about where we find ourselves within the inherited church, our frustrations and expectations. It was a walk where we were able to reflect on where God was taking us. Which path we were following. It was challenging, as we didn’t agree with each other on lots of issues, but encouraging that we are not alone in our struggles.

The walk took us along a river, and we saw a herd of goats, and lots of deer - I took pictures and when I discover how to put them on the blog I will – it was an enriching time, both in being part of the nature that God has created, and in our discussions and deliberations, that energised us for our daily walk with God. We finished back at the cars with flasks of tea/coffee and biscuits.
It was perhaps the first time that I thought our walks could become part of a church life – though not in the way I originally thought – but as part of something else – meeting up for lunch, time for the children to play together, worship and fellowship as part of our daily lives.