The Church and estates
The Church of England recently released a video of work in estates among the poor with a plea to come and join in with such efforts.
Here are some quotes from the video:
"Quite often, I’ve heard the phrase, 'You’re not really a normal vicar'. And I don’t go out of my way to break stereotypes. I just am who I am on this estate. But people, particularly those who’ve never been to church at all, have got a very set idea in their heads of what a vicar is, and indeed of what a Christian is. And they think you’ve got to live by this huge set of rules, and you’ve got to this and you’re never allowed to do that. We’re just there, we’re being normal, and letting people see that to have a relationship with Jesus can be a normal part of your life, can be an amazing part of your life."
"If you really want real fulfilment, where you think you’re affecting people’s lives, estate church offers that for you. What do you want from your ministry? Do you want to change lives? Do you want to affect people’s life? Do you want to bring Christ into their life? Well you’ll get every opportunity
on the estates because you're seeing people in a position where they’re crying out for help, where they’re crying out for something to make their life worthwhile and I think ministry in the estates offers that."
"Jesus came to announce good news to the poor. When people are relying on foodbanks, when the benefits are being stopped, when people are lending money to family members, and actually going without themselves, then it’s times like that that they need to hear the good news, and that there is hope. Often people in these kinds of areas need to know that they're loved, and that they’re forgiven by God rather than coming to Church and feeling we’re going to really go on about sin."
"Jesus began a movement which utterly transformed what it means to be human, and He did so from the edges, from the forgotten and from the marginalised, and the poor. If we’re serious about the renewal of Christian life in our nation we need to do what Jesus did. It’s in the edges amongst the marginalised that renewal will come. It’s so important therefore that the Church recommits itself to presence, to service to proclamation to a ministry of love on our big outer estates, it’s from there that renewal will come."
Watch this 7 minute video:
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From video by the Church of England, 06/11/2018