NEW WINE INTO OLD WINE SKINS
Matthew 917 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins,
or else the wineskins break, the
wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are
preserved."
Mark 222 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins;
or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins
are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."
Luke 537 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins;
or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.38
But new wine must be put into new
wineskins, and both are
preserved.39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new;
for he says, 'The old is better.' "
God is wanting to pour out His new wine into the church but
it seems the leaders want to hang on to the old wineskins that is the way it
has always been done, the old rules and
principles and are waiting for God to pour out His new wine into the wineskins
they are holding up to Him. Where is
the fresh radical thinking. The
radicals of the past.
God laid on my heart a radical view of church
which requires an hand to God and an hand to man or in the old Salvation Army
motto “Saved to Serve” i.e. worship God and practical acts of service to
men. A couple of years ago God brought
me back to Plymouth with a fresh stirring and passion to put that into practice
with a vision for a new type of church in north Plymouth. My first encounters in Plymouth were The Ark, a community project running from a school in
Widewell, a children’s work in Belliver, and the churches Carmel (now Engage) New Life
and NPCC.
THE ARK. A
community project set up by the head teacher of Widewell Primary school, mainly funded by NCF & Royal Sailors Rest
(important connection for me seeing my Navy past and my son's present involvement
although totally unknown by me at the time).
Set up following an Naval helicopter crash killing 8 marines all of whom
had children in the school. The need
therefore for counselling and pastoral support for the wives and children at
school. How that came about the head
teacher saw could only have been of God.
She also had a desire / longing for a church to operate from the school
and looking for ways to bring that about.
THE CHILDRENS WORK.
Pete and Marlene moved to a house
in Belliver 20 odd years ago whilst members of PCC. Ran a house group from their home and
started working with the children from the area. PCC pulled out of Belliver and Pete & Marlene consequently left the church but continued working with the children and now
have 40 or so children coming to 3 different clubs they run from their home
with great testimonies of how God has sustained their work. They too were looking for God to set up a
church in the area.
CARMEL. I went into
the church on the day in August 2008 that they announced they were taking over the
small AOG church in Whitleigh and 30 of them would be going over to be part of
a radical new church plant there. My
heart leaped and my spirit burned within me with a desire to be part of
it. After less than 10 weeks it became
obvious the people they had hoped would go over did not want to leave their
mother church. Whitleigh AOG was
(temporarily) closed down and everyone returned / started to go to Carmel. In April 2009 they reopened the AOG in
Whitleigh. In recent months they have
had a vision to sell the two church buildings (in Milehouse and Whitleigh) and
have one large church in Whitleigh. ( Later note. They dropped that idea, closed the AOG church and moved everyone back to Milehouse after renaming the Milehouse church "Engage. A few months later sold the building in Whitleigh)
NEW LIFE. I first
met up again with New Life in November 2008 at a Crossline training day when 13
of them were taking part in a Crossline listening course. 13 people out of a church of around 50
involved in pastoral care!! That seemed awesome. A few weeks
later I learnt New Life was moving into Widewell school with a view of starting
a radical new type of church closely linked to The Ark and the children’s work
in Belliver. Although the intention
was good and the vision God gave them is still as strong nothing further came of it. The Ark has not developed any further than
an aspiration by the project worker based at the school. Likewise the children’s work in Belliver. Shortly after New Life moved into the
school, the residents association in Belliver had a fresh burst of life and with
the incentive of £70,000’s worth of funding from a legacy which was due to be
lost if not used by the middle of 2010 is attempting to set up a community shop
in the village. Keith the pastor is awaiting the
completion of that project and the children’s work moving into the building to
provide the base from which New Life can grow.
NPCC. Have had a
tentative connection with NPCC from it’s birth in 1980’s and both my sons
being active members for 10 or 12 years.
In 2008 though the church had a totally different concept of church than
the one I have always had. We had
therefore a fundamental difference of vision regarding church. In around December 2009 at the Plymouth
Foodbank’s AGM Wendy and Mike (lead members of NPCC) gave a presentation of an
exciting new vision of project they were launching in January 2010. That again stirred an excitement in my
spirit and another confirmation of the vision God gave me in June 2008. Reach and the satellite food bank has now
been running in a small way for 10 months but a cofrontation with the minister of Central Methodist church and the manager of the Plymouth foodbank forced me to step down from the Foodbank and the lack of support from the NPCC leaders meant I was unable to become part of NPCC
Standing as it where on the outside it would seem no matter
however hard I try, I cannot get involved with or become part of any of the
churches much as my heart burns within me to do so. So I stand as it were at the door of each
knocking and asking to be let in but none will open to let me in as my
radicalness does not fit in the old wineskins of the past.
Each of the leaderships believe the old ways of doing
“church” is still the right way. That
membership requires an exclusive commitment to attend every and all meetings of
that particular body. To come into the
congregation and act, behave in a way
that does not disturb, question or challenge the status quo or upset the most
gentlest and quietest of the people there.
Over time the congregation then learns to accept then love you. Only then can you be part of the church and
the people listen to what God is saying through you and so able to be part of
what is happening. The drawback to
that old way of doing church is it is no longer working. It does not take into account what God
could be saying nor does it address the needs and hurts of my own journey.
THE OLD WAY OF DOING CHURCH IS NOT WORKING: In the last two years or so the church has
shrunk still further. Carmel
(Whitleigh) had to close down and start again. New Life’s congregation has halved and it’s
hope is on the Residents Association being successful (and welcoming) in
Belliver. Both have postponed their
visions until next year and the possible new buildings. In the meantime talking to my son John the
other day, he says that despite the size of the congregation there are few
people to do all the task / work in hand,
thus the need for several complicated rotas. Also although people say we should have
this or need that when it’s put in place very few people attend/support it. Keith says the same about New Life
WHAT GOD IS SAYING.
I am told time and time again to seek out God and listen to / do what He
is saying. Yet when I do there is no
space or vehicle for me to bring back to
the leaders what I believe He is saying to me. It would appear that God can only say what
the leaders are thinking / saying or which fits in with their concept of
church. Either that or God can not
possible say or do anything through me until I have changed and become
acceptable in their sight. Despite that
God is slowly but surely putting place,
bringing about everything I have been saying over the past few years but
either through blindness or bigoted they cannot see it.
NEEDS AND HURTS FROM MY OWN JOURNEY. It is fine to say go away and wait or come
back when you have changed. Who is to
help me to change if not the church.
If my posture, mannerism language
causes offense or upset, if no one will come
alongside and show me what is so upsetting about me and how it can be changed
how can I change. For instance Rob says
my aggression comes out of frustration and so people avoid me. Who is going to help me overcome or change that which is causing the
frustration. Without that help, the
frustration only becomes a bigger and bigger problem and people avoid me even
more.
Edward Noble
20th October 2010
That help never came and so here I am, in January 2015 still chasing the God of my youth in a church still trying to pour new wine into old oilskins
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