The journey to meaningful connection
From our Minister, Rev Martin Hills:
"The process of creating a safe and welcoming space for everyone can begin with simply becoming multi-voiced. In doing so, we create opportunities for more people to not only feel comfortable expressing their identity, opinions, and needs, but participate in all aspects of church life, in and out of sunday worship. We believe that this will allow us to build a stronger and more inclusive community."
In a world that is increasingly divided, the need for community is more important than ever before. The ability to come together and share our lives with others is a fundamental human need. The church has always been a community gathering space, but in recent years we have seen a decline in attendance.
There are many reasons for this decline, but one of the main reasons is that the church is not seen as an inclusive space for everyone. The process of creating a safe and welcoming space for everyone can begin with simply becoming multi-voiced. I approached our Minister Martin, to ask why he believes becoming a Multi-voiced church is the way forward for Oundle Baptist Church.
Multivoice by Rev. Martin Hills.
The words that kept coming back to me during my sabbatical were intergenerational and accessible. Words that have come to us as a church both before and during the pandemic. Words that I believe cry Gods heart for his church and should also underpin our heart for this community.
During sabbatical I discovered a book that spoke about a model of church that sought to recapture something of the model of the early church. The model of church is called ‘multi voiced church’ which feels very much like the journey we are on and resonates deeply with my soul and heart for the direction that I believe God is leading OBC.
Multi voiced church does not mean everyone talking, rather it means that all can participate, and all can have a voice. Multi voiced church is more than what we do on Sundays, it is about how we live together as a community of God’s people day by day. How we interact as leaders, how we interact across generations and socio economical backgrounds. How we relate with those of different traditions. How we conduct our Sunday services, how we conduct our prayer meetings, our church meetings.
To be multi voiced is to be church together. In many ways it takes us back to how the early church developed before church history created structures and hierarchies to control people. This is the model of church that God is calling me to lead, this is the model of church that I believe God is moving OBC to be. That is why we have had the movement towards being accessible (not lead by me) and intergenerational (picture given to others at week of prayer).
I believe that this model of multi voiced church is what God has been gently steering us to from the moment he gave us the word to build and grow.
Blog Post Title Two
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Three
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Four
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.