Church Out Loud - Revisited

I wrote this poem last year:

There is river, it's under the sky

There is a people, they're under the sun

There are blooms, reaching up to the light

There is new life, unique and abundant

There is a fragrance, beguiling with truth

There is a harvest, it's ready and ripe

There is a shadow, it has no substance

There is a door, it's swinging open

There is no checkpoint, no border control

Time to come up for air

Time to do church out loud

Time for being on purpose

Together, moving together

The church is not a speakeasy! We aren't hiding moonshine under the floorboards. You don't need a secret password to get in. There's no warning system so we can hurriedly pack away incriminating evidence and speed dignitaries out the back door before the police arrive to cart us away. Yet that is almost how I act! Perhaps because our church meets in a basement space... you know I love you, Cornerstone!

Bromley High Street, Good Friday Service, 19 April 2019

The Good Friday walk of witness is always a highlight for me each Easter. There's so much I love about being together with worshipers from different churches in Bromley, outdoors in fresh air and British weather. The glorious sunshine last year made it especially enjoyable. I love having the Salvation Army brass band playing traditional hymns. It's always great to see church leaders from other churches sharing a different part of the Easter story. I'm so proud of our Bromley Town Chaplain Agnita Oyawale for being the glue between the church and commerce communities, holding the event together. The first couple of years I participated, it felt a little intimidating to be on public display. A little awkward expressing my private faith life in view of strangers. But the challenge was to do just that, do what I would normally be doing in a church building for many years in contemplation, inspiration and joy just exactly the same, but outside! How I missed it this year in our new locked-down normal.

There's another event I have been attending regularly for some years now. I cannot recommend this highly enough. It's 24 hours of worship over 3 days in a giant marquee in a field on the Wiston Estate in East Sussex. It's called David's Tent and is literally as described by them 'non stop unbridled worship'. Here, I let my hair down. Here, I let myself roar. Here, I encounter.

David's Tent 28 to 31 August 2019

This event has transformed who I am as a worshipper. It's a time set apart, a dedicated venue for worship, praise and prayer. Fields, campsites, fellowship... and always a journey into God's heart. I never leave the same as I arrived! It's so freeing, but a discipline aswell. It takes commitment to press in for that length of time and prioritise worship above all else. By the time you've been there for five hours, you never want to leave! Heaven surely will be a party just like this?!

It looks possible that this event will take place this summer, although it hasn't been cancelled yet! Watch and pray on this space:

Our desire is to be able to gather together at the end of August and lift up a mighty roar of praise to God. How wonderful would that be?! Our current plan is to continue in faith towards that goal, but to adapt to any future changes that may come about in the coming weeks. As such, event tickets are still on sale HERE. (In the situation that we need to postpone the event to 2021, all tickets will be transferred to the new event at the same equivalent ticket levels).

I didn't expect to experience the life of David's Tent on Bromley High Street last year. We were absolutely touching the same part of heaven in the concrete jungle that we touch in the great outdoors. I often separate out the two existences and hadn't considered the possibility that they are one. I must be guilty of compartmentalising these two realms. How very wrong! It's the same heavens we are under. The same Jesus-loving community. The same Spirit alive in worship.

So it's made me dream. Of church done out loud. Of not inviting people to take a risk and come in to my bunker where I hide out protected from the rest of the world, but of going out to the open air. It has made me dream of demonstrating the true brotherly affection we have in the body of Christ for one another by just doing it 'out here' and not 'in there'. Dreaming of doing the full range of church, loving, laughing, crying, helping, praying, freeing, singing in front of those who do not believe. Who haven't entered in. Who can't envisage it. Who don't have a frame of reference. Who haven't watched Songs of Praise for years. Who assume they already know the entirety of who we are, what we think or what we do. It has made me dream of being my whole self in all its contradictory, messy, well-intentioned zeal and hopefulness. So I would love to hear from you if you're also dreaming of a little Church Out Loud this summer, under whatever restrictions or limitations are still in place on group gatherings, it seems so possible to still be able to play around with church out loud! Let's just get together, worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth and see what happens!

Eden Restored, Revelation 22: 1-5

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever."

Churchill Gardens, Bromley

I have imagined this river. I imagined it to be flowing only through the sacred places. But it's not. It's flowing right through our city streets. If all that is required is come to the river to worship, then we should go, worship where there is life.

"The buildings may be closed, but the Church is alive!"