Sharing Our Selves - December 1
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 5, 6; PM Psalm 10, 11; Isa. 1:21-31; 1 Thess. 2:1-12; Luke 20:9-18
Today’s Reflection
But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. –1 Thessalonians 2: 7-8
As a seminary student, looking for a place where I could fulfill our seminary’s “ministry across cultures” requirement, I came across St. Francis at The Engine Room, a brand-new church in Tottenham Hale in the Diocese of London. Though we had no prior connections, I emailed the missioner there, Father Andrew Williams, who agreed to host me and let me shadow him and his colleagues there for a couple of weeks in June 2018.
Tottenham is best known to people here in the U.S. for its football team, Tottenham Hotspur. What drew me there, though, is the fact that it is the most diverse postcode in the UK in terms of race and ethnicity. Some 180 languages are spoken in Haringey borough, where Tottenham is located. Wages there are 20 percent less than elsewhere in London, while housing costs have doubled in the past decade. Related to this, Tottenham is a community with a history of racial tensions, especially between police and residents, with race riots in 1985 and then again in 2011.
Following the 2011 incident, the London City Mission ministry decided to commit resources to the community, and eventually this became a partnership with the Diocese of London to plant a church as part of a planned residential and retail development, Tottenham Hale, with its mix of subsidized housing, student housing, standard flats, and luxury condos. The Diocese of London saw an opportunity to build a church—their first new construction in 40 years—that could embody a new model of being the church and doing life in the midst of this diverse and changing community.
The Engine Room was purpose-built to be a community centre that also is home to St. Francis Church, moving into its own space in October 2017 (after leasing other space for a few years prior). In the 10 days I spent there, The Engine Room not only held its Sunday morning Eucharistic service, but also opened its space for an after-school art workshop, ambulance cadets training for tweens and teens, Messy Play for toddlers and their parents, leadership classes for a group of young adults from Italy, family birthday parties, and a festive marriage blessing for a very extended Nigerian family. They also lease space to a nursery school and a café, realizing how these enterprises add to the life of the community.
Besides inviting people in, church members and staff are intentional in how they cultivate relationships by being out in the community. In the week I visited, The Engine Room held two “pop-up cafes” across the road in the Ferry Lane Estate, which is a public housing neighbourhood. On a Sunday afternoon, they joined with other community groups for an Eco-Fest at Ferry Lane Park, setting up a table under an open-air gazebo tent to offer homemade cake and brownies with coffee, tea, lemonade, and conversation.
These pop-ups were the way that the London City Mission and Diocese of London began their presence in Tottenham Hale, long before a dedicated Engine Room came to be. Though the Engine Room now has its own shiny, brand-new space, it is important that the Engine Room continues its tradition of taking friendship and food out into the community such as through its pop-ups at Ferry Lane Estate. These pop-ups are the essence of who St. Francis at The Engine Room is in the Tottenham Hale community.
Then, on Thursday afternoons, they bring these snacks and drinks along with board games and arts and crafts supplies to host an afterschool drop-in for primary school students and their parents. As I sat at a table sharing snacks and coloring alongside several children as they colored and made bracelets, conversation unfolded effortlessly across differences in age, nationality, religion, and ethnicity. At the counter, other volunteers offered snacks and drinks. The priest-missioner spent time with some of the parents. Being with people in the context of their community shares hospitality, builds trust, and cultivates relationships just by virtue of being consistently present.
Reading our passage for today from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians brought to mind these memories of the Engine Room. The people of St. Francis Church and the Engine Room community centre are “gentle among” their Tottenham neighbours. Like the Apostle Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy amongst the Thessalonians, they are dedicated to sharing not just the Good News of Christ, but also their very selves: “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.” When we share our time and our stories with others, friendships form, and lives change.
Questions for Self-Reflection
How do you share yourself with other people?
How is sharing yourself connected with sharing the love of Jesus?
Daily Challenge
Think of your daily routine, where you go and who you encounter in your community on a regular basis. Who do you cross paths with regularly that you could make more of an effort to get to know and share yourself with?