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Via: uk.ac.southampton-institute; Wed, 27 Jan 1993 12:19:04 +0000
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Wed, 27 Jan 1993 12:20:00 GMT
From:         CAROL L <Z_STAFF_CL@SOUTHAMPTON-INSTITUTE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Prayer Request - Prayer Group

A little while ago, following a church discusion group, I asked :
> Do miracles happen ?
>
> Well what do you think ?

Some of you answered.  I am still of the opinion that they do even
if I can't define them and I can't always draw a line and say :
"That was a miracle" or "That was an unexpected but fortunate event"
Thanks for your responces.

I do know that some of these events happen in association with
prayer.

If they happen because prayer changes me, the people I pray for
(either because they know I'm praying or because somehow the
prayer has a direct effect) or because God does something, I
don't much care at the time.  The theology is about head knowing
and faith about heart knowing and when looking at a miracle, I
am interested in the latter.


Why am I writing this ?  Because my church needs a small unexpected
but fortunate event.

Ours is a praying church but in its own diverse ways.  There are
people of all sorts of backgrounds, many who have not been christians
for what they feel is a long time.  The priest is a cautious man who
works had to hold it all together.  He works a little too hard at times
trying to juggle everything and get to everything.  Sometimes it is
obvious that he is at something because he feels he should be there
rather than in bed at the end of a long day.

For anything to happen in the church life the idea has to go through
the hoops of the church council to ensure that it fits in with the
mission of the parish as it sees it. (The priest is of course their
main guide in this.)  This is all well and good but it forms a bottle
neck and so many things that are wanted by people to help them grow
as christians aren't happening.

We have been at this church over four months and got the impression
that it was a church that if something needed to happen it would.
There are willing hands and a sense of cooperation.  So when we
heard half a dozen people repeatedly saying they wanted a prayer
group we thought they were actually say "we need it but can't find
someone prepared to convene it."  My other half, having led a group
before volunteered to facilitate it. It was an informal set up
between friends and seemed quite innocent.  Infact when one of the
group asked if we should ask permission our reaction was "why ask
permission to pray?" - we saw no reason to.  This was a one off group
with no definite series of meetings, just one date to see if it was
a good idea and to try out a format thet may work for a small group
of people. I was a spur of the moment thing to see if it would evolve.
It wasn't billed as a church group even.

All seemed fine until last night.  As a matter of courtesy, we rang
the priest to tell him it was happening so he wasn't caught unawares
if someone mentioned it later.  His reaction was unexpected.  He
obviously felt that this was some subversive movement and he spent
15 mins on the phone saying groups can't meet without going through
the church council and if it was going to meet then he would have
liked to have been there to ensure that it was O.K.  It seemed
something of an over reaction.  He has now forbidden the group to
even think about another date after this meeting.  But to take
their experience to the church council to see if there should be
a properly established group with appropriate teaching first (by
the sounds of it, this means the overstreached team will be
required to sit in/lead/control it.)

Last night the penny dropped.  Now group meets without a member of the
team sitting in on them.  The discussion group that looks so promising
actually doesn't seem to have any leeway - the moment the conversation
gets to the point of talking about anything controversial and a member
of the team steers it back.  Moreover, having a member of the clergy
in a group of laity tends to make the lay members take less risks in
what they say and make less open statements.  I don't think the priest
in question realises what he does to the group dynamics of things by
being their as an "observer" or "defacto leader".

This church is ripe for growth.  Yet after last night and talking once
more with other members about similar things I realise that many of
the peopkle are finding that the church council and the team are in
danger of making people walk out in frustration.

I am a little annoyed with myself for not seeing before.  All the
signs were there.  It was just so easy to believe that this place
was as good as it appears.  There is still much to be hopeful about
but I ask your prayers for these things :

For the priest, that God may help him ease his fears of what may
happen to the church if he doesn't attend to every thing.

For the church council, that they may learn to be guided at least
as much by God as by those around them.

For the lay members of the church, that they might learn that they
are the church and not the priest.

For the group who wanted to meet for prayer but now feel accused of
being subversive.

That the group's prayer at their first (and probably only) meeting
will be answered.  They meet tommorrow (Thursday) @ 11:00 am our time
(GMT) and have decided to have as their main intention that God is
allowed to take a more active role in the life of the parish.

God Bless and thanks

Carol L
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