Just got in from a breakfast meeting with Trafford Council leaders and some of the key Churches in Trafford. We were presenting some of the exciting things happening around the country with Hope 08. Hope 08 is a national initiative encouraging Churches "to do more", "do it together" and "do it in word and deed" over the course of the next year. Susan Leiper at ABC is co-ordinating our response as a local Church.
The exciting thing was to meet with the Council Leaders from all parties and hear how warmly they speak about the contribution Churches make in Trafford. We are by far the largest single voluntary organisation, running schools, helping families, supporting people through life's struggles. We own and maintain hundreds of buildings and on the whole do not rely on outside funding. The aim of the meeting was to consult with Trafford before Hope 08 gets underway to ask them if they felt the Church could serve and partner with Trafford on any specific projects. A number of ideas were raised and they will be taken further over the next few weeks.
Two things struck me at the meeting from a couple of comments made after I gave the preentation. Susan Williams the leader of the council thanked Rev Phil Rawlings (St Brides, Old Trafford) for his introduction to the breakfast where he shared on behalf of the Churches, appreciation and thanks to the Council for all their hard work and service. She was deeply touched that someone simply said thank you. We need to say thank you to people more often, particularly those who often get overlooked and takne for granted. It is one the easiest things to say and yet so often we forget to say it.
The other comment came from Dave McNulty (Chief Exec)who said that the Churches work was very impressive but he challenged us to become more strategic in our activity. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the Church seems at times to be less than the sum of its part. We do a lot of good things but often alone, without co-operation and without reference to the bigger picture. He was inviting us into the bigger picture to play our part in the vision for Trafford.
Over 200 years ago the Churches got their act together and worked for the abolition of slavery, working with secular organisations and under the leadership of Wilberforce. Its time to get our act together again for the benefit of the people of our borough and the extension of the kingdom of God.
