Tuesday 24th May 2022
Back in the building
Linda Kalbskopf is on the leadership team at Sheldon Road Methodist Church and shares how the church has approached the return to the building as pandemic restrictions have eased
"When we came back to our building in September 2021 after months of church online, we saw it as an opportunity to reassess how we did things and try something different,” says Linda.
The church saw a real need to re-engage. While its online provision, consisting of a pre-recorded service followed by a Sunday afternoon Zoom chat, has been a great support to many, in many ways it was no substitute for meeting face-to-face. “For us, as I’m sure is the case for many churches, the pandemic has brought into sharp focus just how much we all need each other, from the oldest to the youngest. All of us can feel lonely. Now that we can meet together, we want to make the most of it.”
One adjustment they have made is how the seating is arranged for services. Instead of rows, there are now tables and chairs, set out in a ‘café style’. Tea and coffee is served before and after the main service to encourage a comfortable, convivial atmosphere where people can catch-up over a hot drink.
Instead of separate rotas for different activities, there are now ‘heart of house’ teams which manage the whole set-up. “These teams are made up of all different ages,” says Linda,
“Some people who are older might not feel they can move the chairs and tables, but that’s okay. They can do something else like putting the cups out. What’s important is the conversations that flow as people serve together and connect with each other.”
The café-style seating is not just designed to facilitate conversations before and after the service. Within the service itself there are opportunities to chat. “Recently we were looking at the book of James and the use of speech. There was a moment in the sermon where we paused to talk to each other about all the different ways we might communicate, whether through words or gestures,” says Linda, “These discussion prompts are designed to be open-ended so everyone feels they have something to contribute.”
Once a month, there is a service based on 'church with choices’ model. Each service has an overall theme. One group will stay in the main room for a talk, another group may go and do a craft, another group may take part in a discussion activity. At the end of the session everyone returns to the main church area and there may be feedback on what has happened in each group.
Through this model there have been opportunities for people of different ages to use their gifts and abilities. “One lady, Jan, who is in her seventies, recently led a craft that helped people explore how they could worship God during the week,” says Linda, “There were things to cut out and stick on to create a big frieze, with everyone talking about their different activities. Together we’re encouraging people to see worshipping God as not just something we do on a Sunday.”
On another occasion the discussion group, which Linda was part of, explored the stories that were important to them. “I’m a retired teacher in my early sixties. For me, it was nice to be in a group with some of the teenagers from church. Connecting with younger people, which I’ve done all my working life, it’s not going to stop just because I’m retired now.”
As with anything new, there are always challenges, and the leadership team regularly assesses how things are going. “It’s true that we’re probably at our limit of the number of chairs and tables we can fit into the space, so if more people join we’ll have to think again,” says Linda. “One person has also flagged that sometimes they don’t know where to sit. This highlights the need to be friendly and welcoming to everyone. There’s the risk that tables could get cliquey, with people gravitating to the same spots.”
Overall, Linda believes that being open to trying something new, while keeping the gospel central, has had a positive impact on church life. “As the body of Christ, we all have a role to play in building each other up. By being prepared to think outside the box, we’re seeing that happen.”
More on building a church community
Looking into our blindspots
Jamie Hill, the new Chief Executive of our sister charity Faith in Later Life, shares why building the church calls for a greater awareness of and appreciation for its oldest members
The Ministry of Coloured Envelopes
Sarah Finnie is a Church Champion with our sister charity, Faith in Later Life (FiLL). She explains how God inspired her to reach older people during the pandemic
NEW EDITION Brain and Soul Boosting
Our updated and refreshed small-group resource is designed to deliver cognitive and social stimulation for older people, including those with dementia