The noticeboard outside the church has a new poster on it. Instead of advertising some upcoming event at St Anne’s, or promoting our community activities, this poster has no words. It is simply a 3-foot high photograph of the inside of church.
This is a way of turning our building ‘inside out.’ Those in the parish who are unfamiliar with St Anne’s can now see what is behind our doors. I hope it will also be a sign that, in spite of the pandemic, we continue to worship God and to pray for our community. A banner, made by our Vauxhall Tide art group, is centre stage above the altar, bearing its message to ‘Show the love.’
Turning ourselves inside out is part of the Christian calling. The joy that we experience through our personal encounter with Jesus is not something to keep to ourselves; it should spill over into the rest of our lives as we live in him and seek to share that joy with others.
At our APCM today we will be reporting on St Anne’s year in 2019. That now seems a long time ago, given the events of 2020. Our challenge, as we look to the future, will be to find new ways of turning St Anne’s inside out and sharing the joy of the gospel to our neighbourhood.
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