I blogged a while back about a monthly youth for christ gathering well I went again this morning and it was quality. We went up a massive hill and on the top, overlooking tees-valley we shared our favourite bible mountain story. I found it a great act of worship! What is better when we got to the bottom of the hill we went for coffee and then came the good news...some guys from yarm vineyard church are setting up an alternative worshipping community called vini's in the north east-yeah!
I spoke to jon burns who seems to be heading the whole things up and it sounds quality. Friends,beer,music,god,space,mind,food,art (to quote the publicity). Sounds good to me!- especially because it seems methodist churches in our locality seem to be struggling in retaining twenties-thirties and this seems like a true alternative to sunday 'worship'.
It was good to talk with Jon and another guy called Matt about the whole emerging church thing because they were incredibly frank about the whole issue. Jon's perspective was that we are not going to be able to create a genuine expression of church for twenties and thirties without acknowledging the significance of bar culture to young adults. I totally agree but wonder how my traditional methodist church will respond when i plug this in next weeks notices?
No doubt some will presume the bar will be closed and that it'll be a good charismatic soft-rock worship knees up but those that don't will either smile at the relevance of such an expression or sigh at the compromise of the gospel. I guess some who are caught between the two will complain that having church in a bar makes it somewhat exclusive but what could be more exclusive the current ritual of sitting down and standing up at the appropriate moments, singing songs in unspoken olde english and reciting the unwritten grace at the end of every service?
As well as Jon I also spoke to Matt, who is going to be doing some acoustic guitar playing on the night. Matt was saying how even he in his trendy vineyard church finds it difficult to invite his non-believing buddiesto church and how hopefully this will change that. I hope so too... I'll let you know how it goes and to those in the area it's happening in carl's bar at tall trees in yarm, 8-11pm, may 22.
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