Brockley Community Church
Why Brockley is becoming healthier…and ‘a place to belong.’
Anna Parnham describes their church's desire to be a church creating ways for the community to relate to them and discover healthier ways of living and being happy along the way.
‘…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power;
how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.’
Acts 10: 38
Our story begins in 2004, when a great deal of prayer and thought went into the future of our church family – specifically as a community church. For years the leaders’ vision for us had been to answer the appeal for relevance in our local area; to be an authentic presence; to engage with other community groups, and be willing to ‘scratch where the people itch.’ In the words of Howard Snyder, we wanted to be a church that thinks ‘about how to get the church into the world,’ rather than ‘how to get people into the church.’ Our emphasis shouldn’t be on ‘luring’ people into a church service, where they don’t feel at home, but on creating spaces for encounters to take place ‘out there’, where they do.
The vision - shalom
It soon became obvious that there were two effective ways to connect with our local community. First, be community ourselves, by strengthening our lives together, thereby demonstrating true community. Secondly, to actively promote a ‘wholistic’ approach to healthy living, which is more than the daily round of home-work-leisure.
It was our desire, then, to express church as community: inclusive, creative, and pervasive. We believed that God was calling us into a healthy relationship with ourselves, others and the world, so that psychologically, sociologically and environmentally, our legacy would be a positive one. Our vision has always been rooted in the biblical principle of Shalom
It was our desire, then, to express church as community: inclusive, creative, and pervasive. We believed that God was calling us into a healthy relationship with ourselves, others and the world, so that psychologically, sociologically and environmentally, our legacy would be a positive one. Our vision has always been rooted in the biblical principle of Shalom – viz, that God’s life shapes every aspect of our lives. Such a ‘wholistic’ perspective encompasses mind, body and spirit in the individual, just as it embraces all aspects of community living. This is in stark contrast with society’s patchwork of disconnected activity and isolated people. Only in the context of a healthy community can our bodies find balance with the rest of us!
'Healthy Brockley' is born...
With this in mind we initiated our programme ‘Healthy Brockley’, since we were convinced that the themes of health and relationships are fundamental to developing community. Over the next three years, several innovative activities followed…regular walks into the countryside drew neighbours and parents of school friends, church celebrations (including the Christmas Eve service, carol singing, lantern-making workshop and procession through the streets, as well as an Easter art exhibition, auction, café and treasure hunts) began to capture the creative imagination of the locals. Last Spring, a number of our church overheard members of the public affectionately commenting on our ‘egg tree’ – on which dozens of coloured cardboard Easter eggs had been hung with string by the children and their friends.
The first ‘Healthy Brockley Day’ was piloted in June 2005, where local professionals and experts in their fields were invited to run interactive stalls and workshops. Food, fun, information and a chance to network – in facilitating these health fêtes every quarter of the year, we as a church group are becoming a public health service of a more ‘wholistic’ kind. Running alongside the Healthy Brockley events and activities are a number of courses accessible for anyone in the community. These range from stress management and money management, through parenting and marriage, to happiness and well-being. This has given members of the church opportunity to offer personal expertise and has proven very popular among our neighbours. Just as we hoped, the courses are instrumental in building up organic relationships between community and church members at ‘ground level.’ Most of the courses have been run several times now, and with each time they gather interest.
Brockley deserves to be happy!
In summer 2008 we stepped out with extra daring and chose three target areas in which to make our presence known for a week: the school, the streets and the station. We named the initiative ‘Make Brockley Happy’ to reinforce our impact on the health of our community. At Brockley Primary School (our meeting place) we set up a healthy eating workshop, a pond life laboratory, a plant pot painting class, and a bird-feed making session. One little boy said to one of our volunteers as he painted his pot: ‘This is the funnest thing I’ve ever done!’ On the streets we cleared litter, and started to recognise a few kids from the school. We caught people’s eyes, we smiled, we told them we wanted to bless them. At the train station, every day at rush hour, we waited at the gates and handed out ‘Happiness Manifestos,’ ‘Make Brockley Happy’ badges, and stress management kits. There were eight of us in all, but our lack of manpower did nothing to diminish the amazement on people’s faces when we explained that Brockley deserved to be happy; that we wanted to give it reason to be so.
Now, more than ever, we are passionate about understanding our purpose as God’s people in the context of God’s world. As Synder says, ‘church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom people work to see the church change the world.’ We have things to learn from community organisations in our locality, and are continuing to partner with those who care about improving community life. Autumn 2008 brought new momentum: a new internship programme has started for the first time to boost the work of the church in exploring and testing possibilities. There are plans to distribute a community newsletter to raise the profile of our ‘Healthy Brockley’ initiatives, encouraging links between locals and offering deeper insight into what ‘wholistic health’ is about.
The Future...
Our prayer for the New Year is to see the fruit of years of sowing – years of phone calls, dreams, discussion, brainstorming, experimentation. We are challenged to think big and pray for the provision of a Healthy Brockley centre. We anticipate change in the hearts of community groups and individuals alike, greater openness and cooperation; an open door to represent Jesus in our community as he should be represented – so that Brockley really will be a place to belong.
Anna Parnham February 2009
Want to know more about Healthy Brockley?
References & Recommended reading
Howard Snyder – Liberating the Church
Tom & Christine Sine – Living on Purpose
Abigail Rian Evans – The Healing Church