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REACHING OUT
St. AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH NEWSLETTER
Autumn 2005 No 59
WHAT ARE WE HERE FOR?
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No, not a question about the meaning of life and
the universe, but rather what is St. Augustine's
here for? Why ask the question? Economically the
question has become an acute one as we look
ahead to 2006 knowing that we have to find
£45,000 next year just to keep going,
maintaining the ministry, i.e. the Vicar and
everything else. Of course the Church Council
could spend the next few months debating how to
raise more money but there doesn't seem to be a
lot of point if we don't know what we are here
for. As one person put it 'Why bother?' Perhaps
we aren't bothered, `Am I bothered , look at my
face, am I bothered?' Like Tate's comedy
character who is in fact very bothered, so are
we!
Whether we find £45,000 next year (more the year
after), is part of the business of running any
organization, you have to know what your purpose
is‑ What are we here for? Running jumble sales
or what? In 1999 we drew up a mission statement
which we may be need to revisit. May be its time
for a new sense of vision for St. Augustine's if
we are really bothered. Certainly that's what I
am hoping for and it is the challenge I am
presenting the regular congregation with. Why
are we here?
St. Augustine's and always has been a mission
church, originally built to serve what was then
and still is in some ways, despite all the new
houses, the poor end of town. Statistically our
parish or civil ward contains the most deprived
quintile of population in the borough, a
statistical fact. St. Augustine's mission is to
proclaim the good news of the Kingdom to the
community it serves. Who's kingdom? God's
Kingdom, a kingdom of peace, justice and love.
Whether we are a mission shaped church and can
still deliver the goods in a rapidly changing
world, some may question.
For me any question of what we are here for must
begin with a real conviction that the church is
still here to witness to the good news of the
kingdom, whether people want it or not. Jesus
witnessed to that good news not just by talking
about it but showing God's love in action,
amongst the sick and the poor, amongst the
marginalized and the rejected, the weak and the
vulnerable. Theirs is the Kingdom, and that's
where my personal mission as a parish priest
begins, trying to somehow touch people's lives
and remind them that God loves them, and that
His kingdom will come, no matter what! For some
this is news not worth knowing, for others, when
found, it's a treasure beyond price. Certainly
it’s something the parochial church council
can't budget for, but it’s no use the Vicar or
the church just going on as ever before if we
don't occasionally take stock and ask the right
quest‑ions. lf you have any comment to make, I'd
be glad to hear from you.
Your friend and priest
Father Keith
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