Re: Tom Bandy Reflection Part One - Palliative Care

[aleggett]

Greetings Terry and welcome to the list.   If I might make a slight correction to one of your observations. According to the National Church Life Survey the Catholic Church is in fact declinning at a more rapid rate than the UCA. (13% over the five years survey period as opposed to the UCA's 11%) This might change with the effect of resolution 84. The interesting thing I find talking with lapsed Catholics is that they have left because of the conservative nature of the church. The UCA seems to experiencing its biggest loss amongst those who can't handle the perceived liberal nature of our teachings.   Grace & Peace, Allan  ----- Original Message ----- From: Terry To: Subscribers Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2004 4:34 PM Subject: Re: Tom Bandy Reflection Part One - Palliative Care Greg,   It seemed to me at the time, from my reading of Darren's topic, that he was really on about 'Church' as an entity or organisation rather than the Message or its derivation.   Altho I must admit that re reading your posts in the light of day, rather than late at night when I am tired, has tended to clear the fog for me somewhat. I may have done you an injustice for which I humbly apologise. It looks like I confused your comments relative to the second reflection as applying to the first, hence my losing the thread.    Then, perhaps if I wasn't tired my defence mechanism may have prevented me from jumping in, rather than just lurking. Could it be Serendipity at work?   I am not sure that it is just culture, even if as you say it is old, that gets in the way. Take for example Catholics, as a group they are not declining at the same rate that we (UCA etc) are.  Yet they are firmly, if not rigidly, based on the old culture to which they appear to prefer or want.  Whilst there is so called growth in the modern or Pentecostal type types, it doesn't get sustained over a long period, just at the beginning, so that isn't the way either.   I have been an on and off UCA member for 20 years, yet I still feel even now, that as a Church we seem to want to stand for everything yet nothing.  There is no direction from above, read Assembly etc, as to what specifically we stand for other than generalisations, wanting to please everybody and ending up pleasing almost nobody.   Oops, I appear to be deviating to another track myself!   I hope you understand where I am coming from and why I feel Darren's reflections struck my chord.  BTW don't know anything about Bandy so can't contribute anything there.   However, I do agree that we are most certainly providing palliative care to something which may be better left to pass and put our efforts into raising something more along the lines of the blueprint He provided.    Peace and blessings,   Terry