In it together

I’ve just returned from visiting 7 churches in 7 days by bike. 5 friends and I cycled from Stirling to Pitlochry then on to Fort William, Oban, Lochgilphead, Islay, Dunoon, Helensburgh and completed our ride by cycling to the Baptist Union Sports Day in Stirling. 430 miles, 5 ferry crossings, 2 islands, about 50 bananas and no punctures!

People have started to ask, how did you do it? Quite simply, we did it together. Tony was the support car driver. After every 20 miles, at the top of every major climb, at the end of the day checking us into our hostel for the night, there was Tony. He smiled, he joked, he bought bananas and when my spoke broke, he had the spare wheel to put on.

‘Dangerous Dave’ was the work horse of the group. When the wind blew Dave would move to the front and punch a hole in the air for the rest of us to slipstream. He sat out front for up to 30 minutes at a time, driving everyone forward.

Ivor was the touring novice but was full of enthusiasm for the ride. When you got to the top of the hill, Ivor congratulated you on your climb, your strength, your speed, your effort.

David, nicknamed Charlie for the ride, was ‘Mr Consistency’, a great example of solid performance day after day. David has cycle toured for years and his experience was invaluable. His steadiness controlled the enthusiast who was ready to fly up the first hill and he created a better pace to the week.

Jonathan was the coffee shop king. He made sure that we never forgot that touring is as much about the journey as the destination.

So you have guessed where I am going with this illustration. We are in it together. The body of Christ is made up of many members who all have different roles to play. Well, yes and no, depending on whether you are thinking local church or church beyond the local.

All week as we travelled we reflected on 2 Cor 8, Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthians to give to the needy Church of Jerusalem. It was an example of the church working beyond the local setting. The Corinthian Church, the Macedonian Church, the Jerusalem Church, Paul, Titus: all in it together. Words of challenge, acts of example, the ministry of sharing and of receiving: all a natural part of being in a wider body than the local church.

Within the Baptist Union we need churches that will support and serve and make the journey manageable for others. Within the Baptist Union we need people who will get out front and do the hard work of pioneering for others to follow and Prism is just one invitation to do that. There is no doubt we all need encouraging churches to cheer us on our way, excited by everything around them because it’s new and we need the people who have done it before to help our pace and preparation. And we definitely need churches to point out that it’s not all about the destination but that we are called to know life in all its fullness right now.

Is the Baptist Union of Scotland really in it together? The real test for us was not on the sunny day, where you could see for miles, it was on the stormy day when the rain fell and the wind blew for 7 hours into our faces. When one guy was blown off his bike and we were all soaked to the skin and the drivers around us were becoming increasingly dangerous. That’s when we realised we were in this together as a team. That was when it seemed so important that we helped each other make it to the finish line. (even with cold showers in the bunk house!)

Are you developing an understanding of the church beyond the local? 2 Corinthians 8 seems a good place to start.