"LEARNING AND CARING - BOOKS GALORE"
The Alt.Worship of Rugby Methodist Church Centre in Rugby Town, England
"Nothing startling, but we reckon we've got a good thing going. Not everyone goes to the local library or bookshop, but we wanted to encourage people to read easy-access Christian books – biography, novels, some 'study' but mainly'lighter' reading, with 20% aimed at children. It cost £500 to start. We have150 books, and we keep adding – 10 books this month. By word of mouth and notices we've publicised it to groups using the premises. Our congregation browse it after services, and free-access borrowing has worked well."
E-mail contact: mailto:Linda.Sore@WestHaddon.net
Phone contact: Rev. Christine Dybdahl 01788 576929
As you can see, in Alt.Worship there's nothing complicated going on. Just a mindset that within our context we have to find creative ways to connect the "traditions" of the church and love of Jesus Christ in new and approachable ways to "seekers" and postmoderns. The churches in Britain are innovative in very ordinary ways since, unlike my context in the southeast US, they are in a post christian culture. Connecting the traditions of the church (whether it be through a church library with good Christian reads, or a room of 24 hour prayer with contemplative and interactive prayer stations) to those who have not been raised in the Christian faith is important in a place like the UK. It will be quite important, I believe, in another 25 years for us here in the SouthEast US (we're already seeing the effects of postchristian culture in other parts of the US and Canada).
Alt.Worship and Emerging Church- just a fad? I don't think so- it's a real response to the changing landscape of culture.
shalom,
jn
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