I had better begin this reflection with a clear statement that I would be the last person to deny folk their own choice when it somes to which church they should go to attend worship.
In the book of Acts we get a tantalizing glimpse of early church life when we read in Acts 2.44 ff “44All who believed were together and had all things in common;45they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” These words have been an encouragement to church communities down the ages for the simplicity of being together, holding posessions in common, sharing what they had with those in need, being at church together, sharing meals together and being glad and generous. Of course these few words say nothing about how close the people lived to one another or the temple to which they went but I think we can safely surmise that it wasn’t far, in reasonable walking distance probably. It is relatively recently in human history that we might travel more than quite short distances to go to church. The advent of regular, reliable public transport and the motor car has given us an everyday freedom not known to previous generations. As I write the news about fuel prices puts this freedom under real threat for many people because fuel is more and more expensive and the other costs of motoring continue to rise too. In addition we are all becoming aware of the increased costs to our planet if we continue to consume limited fossil fuels at the rate we are. The greenhouse gases produced and the costs to nature of mining are before us. All these added costs mean that people are beginning to make choices to limit or at least control better their consumption, especially of fuel. In times of recession it makes economic sense to be more cautious with the accelorator pedal and plan our travel better. In my previous ministry in ‘that London’ I learnt that people don’t live in London – they live in a more localised area, for London is just too big to live in. So people in our churches their lived in Bow or Poplar or Bethnal Green or wherever and almost exclusively walked to church. Since coming out of London back to the Provinces I have been reminded how dependent we have become on our motor cars to live. In the more rural parts of our area the car has become an essential part fo life to access everything from shopping to church as so many more local provisions have closed. However I have also become incresingly aware of how many churches folk drive past to get to ‘their’ church. At our schools children and their carers are encouraged to walk to school once a week -once a week! Good grief it’s as if we have to be reminded to use our legs once in a while! Localism is becoming more and more important and I suspect it will continue to do so as we realise that simply jumping in the car to get where we want to go will become an ever increasing luxury. I am therefore calling for a ‘Walk to Church’ campaign for the Sunday of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. So that on the morning of the 22nd January 2012 every one of us attends the church nearest to us. No matter the denomination or tradition. If it doesn’t suit your usual tastes see it as an ecumenical gesture and a time to see what other churches are doing. For some it will still mean a car ride but perhaps much less miles. For others it may mark the beginning a new appreciation of local church. Wherever church is for you I want to also encourage you to ‘live local, act global’ for that is at the heart of the message of the early churches. The passion of Christ called for a radical change in relationships and lifestyles for local people – a change that was to have an effect upon the whole world. So I challenge you all to ‘Go Local on 22nd January’ and embrace your sisters in Christ who live on your door step.
Peter Powers
