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Hello everybody it’s me again! After what must be the shortest sabbatical in history I’m back by popular demand – well…er…by 2 or 3 that is! Anyway, down to business. It was good to see the church filled almost to capacity on 3oth August when Christine was inducted as minister. So many people and from so many places all coming together in solidarity with us. And yet there was something notable about that diverse gathering of people here that day. For although it was a considerable number it was actually composed of smaller groups all coming together to form an even bigger one. They came from Whitchurch, Brislington, Birmingham, Frampton Cotterell, Henleaze, Clevedon and so on. And these small groups averaged about 2 or 3 or 5 and 6 in some cases. And if each group had been given a colour that day our church would have taken on the appearance of a multi-coloured collage. And yet when you stop to think about it most of what we do in life we do in small groups whether at home, at work or at play i.e. groups of about 2 or 3. Take note the next time you’re in a restaurant that generally speaking there are rarely more than 2 or 3 people seated at a table. And it’s the same on the roads where rarely do we find more than 1 person in a car and if there is it’s unlikely to be more than 2 or 3. And it’s the same in family life, even in a large family, that we tend to relate best to no more than 2 or 3 at a time. And before you say that you have an address book full up with friends in reality we’re probably only close to about 3 or 4 of them. That may vary of course but generally speaking it is difficult to maintain a close relationship with more than 2 or 3 people at a time. And it’s the same in church where for the most part it’s the division of labour into small groups that most of the work is done. For example, and without being too specific, there are about 3 or 4 who arrange flowers, and a similar number making tea or doing cleaning; there are 2 who provide music, 2 who prepare the communion table, 2 or 3 maintaining the garden and, 5 or 6 on each of the various committees we have - and so we could go on until every member of the congregation was accounted for. And this gives a fascinating insight into the life of our church.
Now when Jesus said; “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst” this may sound like the words of a church in decline whistling in the wind trying to keep up its spirits. After all 2 or 3 isn’t a large number is it? But we would be wrong. This passage speaks of strength not weakness. For as we’ve already seen a group-size of about 2 or 3 is the one we’re best able to relate to and feel most comfortable in. And it is in groups of 2 and 3 or 5 and 6 that most of the work in our church is done before being brought before the wider fellowship for discussion. So the next time you feel small, insignificant or even at 6’s and 7’s remember that there’s strength in numbers, especially small ones, for when 2 or 3 are gathered together, or even 130 (my guesstimate for 30th August),
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