Healing Wounded Communities
About fifty Voyagers (members of the Community of Aidan and Hilda in vows) gathered this week at King's Centre, Northampton UK. Working sessions discussed reports from Guardians, Area Groups, Ministries and Trustees of the Community, and were followed up by a session on nine future pathways and by a day meeting of the Caim Council.
But the inspiring teaching sessions, woven around morning, midday, evening and night prayers were led by Rev. Dr. Russ Parker on healing wounded communities. Russ is a founder member of the Community, and God has greatly used him in many contexts - including catholic charismatic renewal, indigenous reconciliation, healing toxic churches and the ministry of blessing.
He reminded us that whereas Martin Luther taught that church and society were intrinsically on a collision course, the Old Testament Torah teaches the model that the worshipping core is meant to be a blessing to the nation. The holiness of a church leads to the healthfulness of a community. Saint Ninian founded his cell church at the equivalent to Spaghetti Junction, for the motorways of his day were the waterways. Drawing from Bonhoeffer, and Christ's Letters to the Seven Churches (Revelation 2-3) he urged that we must listen to our neighbourhoods with the ears of Christ in order to speak life-giving words to them.
An Ireland member read the Scriptures in Gaelic and a Wales member read them in Welsh. This helped us to listen with Christ's ears to the story of our lands - and we hope it may inspire members throughout the world to listen with Christ's ears to their indigenous and immigrant peoples alike.