Sharing the same air space, albeit merely appearing in the same city on the same day, as the Archbishop of Canterbury, will probably never happen to me again and I shall bask in reflected glory for quite some time. We had both been invited (the Archbishop and I) to contribute to the Diocese of Exeter’s 1100th birthday celebrations, he (Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury – did I mention it?) to speak in the Cathedral and lead a communion service and I to share some thoughts on Messy Church. I expect he (the Archbishop, in case you’d forgotten) regretted not being able to come to my talk, being busy with his own at the time.
I was deeply flattered that some forty people either preferred to hear about Messy Church or weren’t organised enough to get tickets for the Archbishop in time. We may not have had his archepiscopal presence, but we did have a group of deaf people and two interpreters who womanfully signed their way through my distressingly slangy and informal presentation and interpreted for the questions and comments that the deaf people contributed. They certainly had contributions to make when the question was asked, ‘When have you ever felt welcome or unwelcome?’
We have so much to do as a church to make every single person genuinely welcome, whether deaf, hearing, able, differently able, messy or high-powered… Actually, wouldn’t it be hard to welcome an archbishop to Messy Church?
You may also like
Getting ready for launch
21st Apr 2025As we prepare for the launch of Messy Momentum, our new project that seeks to find innovative ways to engage young people that have grown through Messy Church to continue their faith journey, we thought it would be a good idea to describe the journey the BRF Ministries Messy Church team have been on to get to this point.
Peace and reconciliation
8th Apr 2025Messy Cathedral 2025 at St Paul’s Cathedral provided an opportunity to explore the theme of Peace and Reconciliation, especially as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day on May 8th.
Super storytelling with Superbook Academy
25th Mar 2025Messy Church is a place where people of all ages encounter Jesus in a creative, welcoming, and engaging environment. We love to explore the Bible story through our activities, but when it comes to storytelling during the celebration, we know that some team members quiver at the thought of delivering a captivating Bible story, that engages both adults, young children and every age in between.
Feed the Birds!
4th Mar 2025Consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Luke 12:24 (NIV). I was inspired after our Messy Church Goes Wild session, ‘Wild on the Wing’, to dig into the Messy Church value of ‘hospitality’ and see if I could welcome more birds into my suburban London garden.
