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REACHING OUT

St. AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH NEWSLETTER Autumn 2005 No 59

WHAT ARE WE HERE FOR?

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