The First Step

Well, at last I have done it – set up a website. It’s for the church I currently serve – St Martin’s, Bedford. There are those who think we are too small and weak to continue and it would be better if we closed. I think we have something special to offer. Bedford is famous as where John Bunyan was incarcerated for his faith, and that strand of Christianity is still very strong round here. They represent an important strand within Christianity, but not the full breadth of the Christian tradition. Anglicanism, of which the Church of England is part, is meant to be a broad Church, including a variety of “flavours”. The flavour we offer needs to be offered with confidence, respecting others but able to be tasted alongside them.

Setting up a site, as with any new venture, means taking a step into the unknown. It means getting to grips with the unfamiliar – in this case html code. Doing it myself rather than paying somebody else, or even adapting what they have done, gives a simpler site – but also one that is all ours and can grow and evolve over time. That seems to me to be rather like the Christian faith. I could not take that first step until there was someone to be with me as I started writing code, just as many people need someone else to “hold their hand” when they come through the church door for the first time. It means being willing to learn from those who are more experienced, and to continue to learn and grow – also very important for a Christian.

Having made that first step there is no going back – the only way is forward to keep both faith and site fresh and relevant. None of us knows what the future will hold, but we have to go into that future and engage with it if we are to be alive.

Tags: Christianity, going public, moving forward