Crossing the Humber Bridge

The people at St Michael’s, Little Coates were told this morning that their efforts last month for Christian Aid Week have now resulted in almost £2500 being sent.

Over £1000 had been collected door to door. This is less than last year, partly because a few reliable collectors had been away. The organiser was a little disappointed, but it didn’t seem to me to be bad given knocking on doors isn’t anyone’s favourite activity and there might only be forty people in the church on a Sunday.

But the huge fillip was that very nearly £1500 came in from taking part in the annual sponsored crossing of the Humber Bridge. This year the few who have taken part in the past suddenly gathered a group of forty-four and took a coach.

Some came from a health promotion scheme called Walk Well. It has been using St Michael’s as a base each week for guided walks along the River Freshney next door. Others came from a new Pop-In group at the church owned Little Coates Community Centre. Members of St Michael’s started this and have been staffing it.

I have the vague sense that our churches should be used by the community as much as being used for worship. I have the loose aim that our church members should be as stuck into work in the community as much as into worship in the church. These things seem good in themselves, but I also have a totally unfocused hope that ‘something’ might happen as a result. This seems to be to be just such a 'something'.

So here are a couple of the pictures they took on their way which catch quite nicely different aspects of the character of the walk.

And, although I'd like to add a link with more reflective or rigorous thinking, for the moment it seems to make more sense to leave the loose, vague, unfocused sense that the 'something' is more significant than merely having raised an extra £1500.