Saturday 17 May: Steve Chalke and Faithworks
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The Church of St John and St Luke, and Harrogate Churches Together, presented an evening of worship with Steve Chalke, writer, broadcaster and the director of Faithworks. Steve Chalke was speaking on "the Church at the Heart of the Community" at the church of St John, Bilton, Harrogate at 7:30pm on the Saturday. Map. The talk is summarised below:
Steve
Chalke interview: Jo Grande,
President of Churches Together, asked
what Steve and Faithworks were currently involved with, and their plans
for the future:
At the last election, Faithworks was working with youth and speaking out
about youth crime, drugs, medical services, health care. In response to
the speeches of the political parties, CARE said the churches were already
busy with all this. Steve wrote the book Faithworks to outline
what the church already does and can do if only the church were supported
rather than pulled apart. A copy of the book was delivered to Downing
Street. At a conference, the Prime Minister delivered Steve Chalke's talk
- he'd read the book. The Chancellor welcomed book - an opportunity to
bring the churches out off retirement.
Next year's plans are already available via the Faithworks
website. The Faithworks award for a project touching the community
amounts to £10,000. The application form can be downloaded from
Faithworks; awards include professional business planning. Steve described
this as a Christian competition. Note the closing date is Thursday 31st
July 2003 (Faithworks Award 2003, The Oasis Centre, 115 Southwark Bridge
Road, London, SE1 0AX). Faithworks are preparing for a major conference
in Eastbourne from 10 to 12 October; speakers include Rt Hon John Battle
MP, Jim Wallis, Rob Parsons, Tony Campolo Jackie Pullinger MBE.
Faithworks are constantly talking to Government, with thanks and lobbying
where needed. Faithworks is developing a set of tools and resources for
small and large groups to build cases to ensure jobs are filled with Christians.
It is a growing group with 25,000 now working together.
Steve
Chalke talk
Steve introduced himself as a Baptist pastor from Croydon (now in the
Oxford Dictionary - Croydonisation means the architectural ruin of a town
centre). He suggested that Baptist ministers are not considered Kosher
- speaking in an Anglican church tonight [albeit with a truly ecumenical
audience].
He noted that a media satirist has described him as the vicar to the nation.
Steve noted that most of this satirist's newspaper reports were less than
complimentary but he had restrained himself from reacting until one extreme
event. He felt he had to challenge the columnist, and loving his enemies
he had to let the reporter win the argument. The conversation followed
these lines: SC: "Thank you!" "For what?" SC: "Thank
you for writing about me!". "Have you ever read anything I've
ever written about you?" SC: "Yes." "Why say thank
you to me?" SC: "Well, here's the deal. You have been writing
about me for three years and you've broadcast my name to hundreds and
thousands who've never heard of me. But I've never written about you so
no-one has heard of you through me. So Thank you". After a pause
the columnist took an opportunity: "So do me a favour - take me out
to lunch!" The satirist now rings Steve Chalke up to find out his
views before printing - even if he still distorts it Steve's views.
This opening has given rise to deeper and realistic conversations; the
satirist has described the state of the church: it is not what it once
was (establishing schools, healthcare, the abolition of slavery, arts,
missionary works, being the heart of the community - not just geographically
- but socially, not just spiritually, but in every way)
Steve Chalke described the historical reasons as to why the church is
hiding in its own little corner. The enlightenment shaped and changed
our views, notably through the 17th 18th & 19th centuries. Christianity
had shaped Europe. The Enlightenment changed the "God makes it dark
and makes the trees grow and makes apples fall off trees" mindset
to "Gravity makes apples fall". As a Christian, Isaac Newton
said that 'God made a law of nature called gravity'. Others took this
further to state that God was dead or irrelevant, hence "Religion
is personal and private - you can't claim it to work". Facts were
the important issue rather than faith, values and religion. The argument
of the Enlightenment Divide "Politics and religion don't mix"
still circulates today. Mixing scientific or evolutionary theory has forced
the church to keep its views compartmentalised.
The song "Jesus bids us shine with a pure light" illustrates
the lie of the Enlightenment: the first line seduces us. "Like a
little candle burning in the night" - Jesus talked about being the
light of the world, not a little candle. "You in your small corner"
tells us to keep it to ourselves; Steve Chalke remarked that that's why
the buildings are so precious to us. "Lord we thank you that we can
come into your presence" suggests we can get out... "Now for
a time of worship" - is worship banner makers and guitars and drums?
What about the bricklayer? Whatever our life - as a banker, police lady
- our daily life should be worship.
Steve noted the importance of Isaiah 58: "Setting the oppressed free;
when you see the naked, clothe him - then will your healing appear…
if you do all these things then your light will rise in the darkness."
Our "Send revival" prayer is answered by him telling us to get
out there and be salt and light in society. Worship is what I do with
my life.
When revival breaks out you don't have to pay to get in; revival happens
when we get involved, not when we opt out - staying in our little corner.
Jesus said "Love God and your neighbour" - not just one or the
other. Does the intercessor opt out? Intimacy without involvement is a
hollow thing. Without God we're just do-gooders - no transformation or
hope. The greatest poverty today is the lack of hope and purpose;
people ask "Is their transformation?; does God believe in
me? Do I matter? Am I nothing?" Our task is not to bring compassion
or mercy - we need to bring God, that makes us distinctive.
Steve Chalke concluded with an analogy about junk food - it doesn't satisfy
us. Intimacy without involvement doesn't satisfy; that sort of Christianity
is boring. James wrote in his epistle that Faith without works is dead
- he doesn't beat about the bush. Would we watch a favourite film day
after day? It would become utterly dull unless we engage with the film.
When we meet together we must engage with one another. Church is about
what we do on the outside. How do we make our faith real and tangible?
That's how the world will know we're intimate with God.
Opportunities
to Serve
Oasis Trust are running Youth Action summer camps in 2003 sharing God's
passion in several cities across the UK - more details via July
and August Events pages.
Faithworks is an umbrella group, which seeks to enable the gospel to be seen practically at work both within the community and the nation as a whole. Its aims:
· Faithworks
exists to empower and inspire every local Church to develop its role at
the heart of community.
· Faithworks
will challenge and change the public perception of the Church by engaging
both media and government.
· Faithworks will promote Christian values within our society.
The evening is part of a Faithworks tour of the United Kingdom. The Faithworks Movement is built around ten leading organisations: CARE, Care for the Family, the Catholic Agency for Social Concern, Christian Herald, Christianity + Renewal, Moorlands College, Oasis Trust, Shaftesbury Housing Group, Stewardship Services and the YMCA.
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Steve Chalke is a regular broadcaster for television and radio, author and public speaker. Steve is the Founder of the Oasis Trust, which in turn is the Founding partner of the Faithworks Movement. The Movement now works with 10 leading Christian agency partners to act as an agent for change by empowering and inspiring local churches to rediscover their role at the hub of the community and to engage with media and government to change the public perception of Church. Steve is also the presenter of Radio 4’s ‘Changing Places’, which tells the stories of ordinary people who have worked to transform their local communities. He is the author of the Faithworks series and Founder of Parentalk. |
Last updated June 28, 2005 by Webmaster
This webpage is provided by Churches Together in Harrogate. Loving God and Neighbour - together