Living God's Covenant: Exploring the Issues

Current Issue:

Questions of Space

How can our two churches find ways of expressing the gospel of God’s constant love in the languages of those who have no truck with organised religion but who are, nonetheless, searching for meaning and fulfilment in their lives?

This takes the challenge to be multi-lingual into an entirely new dimension. No longer are we just concerned with talking to one another. The question is how we speak to the world.

Here is an adventure for those who will step out on the journey of faith, finding out how to provide people with the covenant space they need to find themselves, to find and cherish the true otherness of others, and to find God who is truly God – and who loves them.

One of the most significant lessons to come out of the 2006 regional workshops – both in terms of the ideas shared and the feedback generated – is the need for a shift of focus from being pre-occupied with the similarities and differences between our churches towards an awareness of the spaces between. These spaces are not ‘dead space’ – gaps to be narrowed or bridged. They are spaces in which loving relationships are lived out, where beneath all the Holy Spirit is at work. And almost always they will be places of sanctuary.

A commitment in any of the following six ‘spaces’ could in due course lead to the worthwhile investment of time, energy and love in all six and more. Each represents no more than a starting point on a journey. No church on its own could possibly do all of this but, covenanted together, the churches might in some places be in a position to make substantial changes to the quality of the lives of their communities.

SOME QUESTIONS FOR DEBATE – Your comments are welcome

A: To what extent might exploration of ‘the space between’ lead our churches towards ‘visible unity’?

B: How do spaces open up the kinds of unity that are possible?

C: What can each Church contribute to the building of a new unified community?

D: Is it possible for human communities to exist without developing spaces where people can meet and interact?

CLICK HERE for some REFLECTIONS following the conversations at the 2006 Regional Workshops

CLICK HERE for some STORIES

CLICK HERE to tell your stories and share your comments.

How can we learn to take more seriously everyone’s longing for space and for sanctuary?