Bulletin 89 Date : 5th Mar 2007
Needless Alley I crossed over the road from Birmingham Cathedral where we had just met for a gathering of Midland Missioners – a most inspiring and fruitful time. On the other side of the road was an alley way leading off towards New Street station. Its name was "Needless Alley". 
As I sat on the bus travelling home, I reflected upon this name and started to think of all the needless things we acquire as if we could not live without them. I thought of my mobile phone, my car - all the gadgets at home like a DVD player and computer. I then thought about John Wesley back in the 18th century. He had none of these things and yet achieved far more in his lifetime than I will ever do. Each journey was made on horseback or on foot. Each letter was written by hand. Each sermon was preached without a microphone. Each conversation was made face to face.
Have we got lost in the depths of "Needless Alley"? Have we surrendered the simplicity of 18th century life for a complex, technology-dependent existence which is actually robbing us of our spiritual power and effectiveness? Have we developed an attachment to the wrong things in our church life? Rev. Graham Carter (President of the Methodist Conference) said on BBC Radio Nottingham last weekend that we have been ‘too proud of our buildings” and now have a legacy of costly sites which we are unable to fill. When we think of all the time and money that is spent and the manpower expended just keeping these buildings in working order - do we apply equal effort keeping our spiritual lives in order?
So, here we are in the 21st century with the most sophisticated communication systems imaginable and yet we seem to be failing to communicate the gospel effectively to the people of this country. If we think of our church buildings as being places for worship on Sundays only, perhaps we are missing an opportunity. We need to be more creative in the way we do church. Have a look at this video clip on YouTube and see if there’s something in this for your church. |
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