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July 2007, Page 1.
Index of articles:
by subject,
by date.
In this issue:
(July 2007)
Cooperative?
Soma,
Colossians,
Hymn.
Cooperative with God?
Want to be cooperative Apply within. |
As I write the new Co-op store is going up on the site of the old Ring-O-Bells pub. It has provoked quite a lot of comment.
First off, no, I don’t know when it will be opening.
Quite a lot of people have been disappointed about the design of the building. Some can’t see why the old one couldn’t have been kept, and just modified inside to make the new store. Some think the new building faces the wrong way. Many think it looks out of place. I guess the lesson here is that if you want to express an opinion about those sorts of questions, the planning application time was the time to do it. We British are famous for saying nothing at the time and then complaining later, aren’t we?
God: open 7 days a week |
People have wondered about the impact of the new shop, but mostly in negative ways. “It will make parking more difficult for your church.” “It will make crossing the road more dangerous.” “It will interfere with people bringing children to the school and collecting them.” “It will make more litter.” “It will mean youths sitting in the churchyard drinking alcohol.” “It will mean kids hanging around outside asking you to buy cigarettes for them.” And so on. OK, I as the vicar did object to the licensing part of the application, and I don’t deny the concern. We’ll have to see how that goes.
But I think there could be a more positive side of the development. Maybe the shop will give us the opportunity for lots more quips on our notice boards? Maybe it will bring more pedestrians to the church doors and give us a chance to open up for some new activities that they could join in with? Maybe it will help us to serve our parishioners better?
A fresh relationship |
Like it or not, the Co-op is here to stay, at least for the first few years. The pastor of Church on the Way once told me how brilliant God was in providing them with a site just next-door to a major retail development. Now God is doing the same for us. Let’s grasp the opportunities!
John Hartley