Looking forward to Celebrating Diversity

Categories: ecclesiastical-stuff

Date: 14 December 2012 11:06:00

The latest Census results which I have yet to fully examine show diversity is growing throughout the country.

According to the Guardian quick guide the figures in Milton Keynes show there has been a huge rise in the number of people over the last ten years who live here and are classified as either Black or Black British whilst there has been a significant fall in the Chinese community. Hinduism has been the biggest growing religion in the city in percentage terms whilst the largest increase in numerical terms has been amongst the Muslim community. There has also been a large growth in those who proclaim they have no religion (a 75% increase on the 2001 data). Interestingly only 3% less people than last time are describing themselves as Christian and in numerical terms whilst the increase in people saying they have no religion is a huge 33,306 the numerical fall in those describing themselves as Christian is only 4,363.

What these figures immeadiately show is that Milton Keynes has become a much more multi-cultural place in the last 10 years as it has continued to grow. They also indicate why some churches in the town may have experienced an important shift in terms of who is sitting in their congregations (and anacdotal evidence from some congregations shows it happening). Diversity of all sorts, but particularly in relation to ethnicity has become a really important issue in a number of churches over the last few years.

The Church of Christ the Cornerstone which I attend is one of the churches in the town which has already begun wrestling with the issues which emerge from the changes which the census data is talking about. This engagement with diversity is happening in a range of ways but one thing which is happening this Sunday is a special service at 10am celebrating diversity where the Rev. Rose Hudson-Wilkin will be preaching. This 13 min Greenbelt TV video (which I think was filmed at the 2011 Advent event) on the topic All Are Welcomed in Paradise gives a flavour of what she'll be talking about. If you happen to be in the area and wondering what to do on Sunday morning I'd say come and listen.