Cobridge Community Centre
"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal."
John 12:24-25, The Message
These words of Jesus, which are so central to the ways of the Kingdom are very much on our minds at the moment. When we came here nearly four years ago we quickly saw that our local community centre was a key resource for the area and we have become very involved with it. Howard and Iona are the chair and secretary, Rich is a bar director and Carmel is a regular member of the bar staff. We’re trusted key holders and regularly give practical and moral support to Jane and Julie who run the office.
It’s been an invaluable experience, giving us profile in the community and enabling us to connect with hundreds of people. However, the centre has been struggling financially for years and recently we discovered that the financial hole it’s in is far deeper than we knew. It’s been a soul searching time, but the committee have had to decide that it is simply not viable in its current form and that it has to close.
It’s obviously been a costly decision for us in UEC as all six of the regular weekly activities we run happen at the Centre. Plus, you would not believe the amount of work this decision has entailed, especially for Iona, not to mention the emotional cost of the responsibility, the countless conversations and fielding all the well-meant ‘rescue plans’. Exhausting!
But we are excited. A few months earlier the Lord had started to prepare us, giving us the sense that he was going to shake up what we did and how we did it, though we didn’t really understand at the time what he meant. But he spoke to us recently and said: “Loosen, loosen, let go of securities, of a building. You've come here to get out of the building but everything's being done in a building. Get out into the parks and open spaces. Get community together regularly. Why do you need a building? Let go. Let go of the debt, be free.”
Helping a key local resource to die well may not sound much like mission work, but we hang on to the words of Jesus: "Unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives."
Please would you pray for us?
For Iona who is bearing the brunt of the admin – for physical / emotional strength and peace
For a good ‘death’ and a great resurrection – for people to buy the centre who will really use it to benefit Cobridge
For Jane and Julie to find new and fulfilling employment
For our team as we rethink what we do and how we do it, and what we stop doing too!
For God’s glory to be shown and his kingdom to come through even this painful process