By Rev Terry Tennens

I am an ordained Baptist leader, married with two young boys, living in beautiful ‘Constable country’ on the Essex/Suffolk border. I Head up “Building Bridges of Hope” (www.com.org.uk) an ecumenical initiative sponsored by the Churches’ Commission on Mission in Britain and Ireland. I had the pleasure of meeting the editor of this paper at the recent conference on Evangelisation at London Colney (read article). While there, Val asked me to write something for The Voice.

My experience of working with Roman Catholics has varied. I came to Christian faith when I was 17 years of age in a Baptist Church. In my youth we had Catholic neighbours with whom I was best friends. Their Dad organised Sunday football for us as 11 year olds and as a family they were really welcoming and caring. A poignant memory is one Christmas when I was in my teens and I went with a lovely Irish step-Aunt to Christmas day worship in the Catholic Church. It left me with a warm feeling, even though the building was very dark and the air was full of incense. While I was preparing for ministry, I enjoyed sharing weekly prayer with the Anglican vicar, a Catholic priest and a Baptist minister. I couldn’t keep up with the priest in the prayers! My late father-in-law was a restored Catholic, and his late sister a lovely Christian lady, a traditional Catholic who was a beacon of light. In my last church I worked collaboratively with the Catholic priest in the next town. He was an outgoing and spiritually alive, caring, man of God. In my work with BBH, it has been a privilege to work with Catholic priests, Andrew Brookes from Scotland, Eilis O’Malley from Ireland and Philip Knights (CASE). Some of our BBH pilot projects actually include Catholics, St John’s Seminary, Wonersh for example and the Sion Community.

In all Church traditions, there are those who see Sunday worship a bit like a slot machine. “Pay your dues and you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the week”. Faith goes absent then from Monday to Saturday. I always thought this kind of thing seemed more prevalent in the Catholic Church, although nowadays people choose to belong. In any case the various presentations at the conference were truly stimulating.

• Paddy Flanagan from Dublin giving his personal story of his faith journey, and his challenging claim that the Catholic Church in Ireland had been over sacramentalised. Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but I’m sure I saw your editor nodding in agreement!
• Andrew Brookes’ analysis of church-going statistics in Scotland, a decline of 19% in 10 years and the lack of vocations. A real challenge ahead.
• Keith Barltrop’s picture of the landscape of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. And how CASE will resource and accompany the parishes.
• Bobby Siddhu sharing her struggle and learning of presence and witness in Soho Square was refreshing
• Veronica Murphy and Nicky Stevens describing the RCIA and joined up thinking of the process and connecting points of discipleship that’s crucial for all Church traditions
• Tony Pateman with a twinkle in his eye sharing the story of small communities in his parish ministry (Koinonia). This resonated with the cell church movement in the Protestant churches.

I was heartily encouraged by the delegates I met but could not help wondering how much of a spiritual desert it may be for them in their own churches! One Catholic present, told me that the walls were high in the Catholic Church to protect them, but she then added, “They also keep us from going out.”

To be among a group of enthusiastic followers of Christ, and hear of the imaginative ways in which new religious communities are sharing their faith was very good indeed. Praying together was wonderful, but not to be at the Lord’s table together was sad. Paddy from Dublin was truly gracious embracing me during the Mass with a sadness equal to mine. His Church is yet to catch up with the movement of God the Holy Spirit. Hearing of what God is up to in the Catholic tradition is expressed so well in Pope John Paul’s call for the priority of evangelisation. Amen to that! We have rediscovered the Emmaus road. Let us walk it together. We shall find ourselves in very good company. (Terry Tennens was writing in a personal capacity and not as a representative of CTBI)