Categories: uncategorized
Date: 10 September 2006 07:22:33
The map also has a church on it, not one of the posh, historic ones with beautiful architecture, but one of the more rectangular "low church" types.
It is there for a variety of reasons. It is there because I happened to be born into a country where Christianity is the dominant tradition. It is there because a group of faithful people decided to build the church I currently attend, well before I was born. It is there because there is a history of religious and political dissent in the country in which I live & my denomination was born from that. It is there because I was born in a time (just) when children still tended to go to Sunday school. It is there because I happened to have elderly neighbours as a child who told my parents they felt I should go to Sunday school and were willing to take me. It is there because although my parents did not have a Christian faith they felt that their children should be informed and be able to make up their own minds. It is there because that denomination happened to be the one with the best local youth group as I grew up. It is there because of a bunch of faithful Sunday school & youth group leaders who put in loads of hard work as I grew up. It is there because my faith was encouraged as I grew up, by a range of wonderful people. It is there because my denomination has been, historically, more accepting of the role of women in leadership & so there was less conflict with my feminist principles than there may of been in other denominations as I grew up. It is there because when I moved to my current location I was welcomed into the local community of my chosen denomination. It is there because when I was ready to give up on church some people took the time to listen and encourage me to explore, pointing me in the direction of some helpful resources. It is there because it is a denomination full local congregations made up of individuals who are prepared to look beyond labels and actually focus on people. It is there because I have been socialised in to it. It is there because I have chosen to stick with it. It is there because it is my tribe. It is there because of God.