All Ages - One Church

We celebrated twenty-five years since the consecration of our building today and one of the nicest comments ever was made about the Church in that it was a great mix of all ages and everyone appeared to be ate ease with each other. This is a true observation and is one of the strengths of the Church I belong to and the people I serve.

It seems to me that so often the older folk in a church want to see growth and yet also want to see it on their terms in a sort of liturgical NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) approach. As they get older, and have more time on their hands, some of the older folk in other congregations I have known tend to get very pre-occupied with themselves and the errors and offences (real, perceived and imaginary) of others. The return to the playground is often a hallmark of older people and, as someone who ran an old-folk's lunch club once told me, the spats and falling out that happens amongst the older generation is often spiteful and frightening.

The young have much to teach as well as learn when it comes to the older folk and vice versa. Those who have years on the clock often have experienced the self-same problems, and made the self-same mistakes, as the younger members. They know what a muck-up looks and smells like because they've made a few in their time, and so they also know how to avoid, or come out relatively unscathed from, them.

All-age torture (sorry services) are something that people inflict upon congregations. This is a service whereby we talk down to the children and try to appease the grown-ups at the same time.

All-age church is a place where we speak to the child in all of us and ensure that milk and meat are both on the menu (fortunately, according to the thirty-nine articles, we are free from the dietary regulations). The older members enjoy the new songs and are as on fire as the younger. The younger members are looking to find something relevant and sustaining, so are the older members.

Age is not a source of division, attitude is, and I thank God for the people of all ages who have the right heart and attitude. May I be one of them as I get older.

Pax