Shouting "Grow!" at stones- A Blog

Rev'd Zoe King reflects on Mission in the Ministry Area of Barry

Yesterday in All Saints, Barry; we were shouting grow at a bag of cress seeds in order to consider fully mission. Not quite what the congregation expected for the first Sunday in Lent sermon…

Over the last few years at our Archdeacons Visitations we have all been considering mission and developing our Christian witness and ministry in each of our areas.

Mission as a word is scary for many of us, with phrases such as; have plans that are big, hairy and audacious and for many of us that is too overwhelming when maybe our faith, our worship and witness is of a quieter nature. Reticence not because of unwillingness but like Jesus in the wilderness we are in unfamiliar territory and whilst Jesus was tempted with power, glory and food our temptation comes in the form of ostrich behaviour hiding our heads away because somehow big, hairy and audacious doesn’t really sit with us comfortably.

So lets break it down a little. Look at the cress seed. Its so full of potential, like our churches full of potential but because Mission is a scary word and we retreat to the comfortable and just shout grow randomly at the stones. Take a cress seed and shout grow at it and nothing will happen it will need nourishment and somewhere to lay down roots.

That's what we need to focus on - unleashing the potential we have.

Growing cress isn’t big, hairy and audacious, but it involves effort and helping to unleash the potential of the seed. So we must stop shouting grow at our stones, or rather stop shouting grow at that which we already have done or have always done expecting change. We need to look at encouraging growth and developing the potential of new things but not being scared to step a little out of the routine we find ourselves - to resist the temptation of hiding behind our stones.

As everyone left the church with their cress seeds, asked to consider the potential they have and the church has; it felt like a step towards growth - it may be more born to mild mission planning than born to be wild but its a small step towards big, hairy and audacious and away from the temptation to keep shouting grow at stones and expecting change."