Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Faith in the Pub

Now I know that it isn't ground-breaking stuff for many folk, but we had our second "Pub Group" last night. There were seven of us altogether and to be honest, Anne and I were really quite excited and pleased with the evening. We had a good discussion across a range of topics and it was all interesting. There were a few moments where it might have got tense, but it didn't, and I think overall it was another positive step.

We also learnt a few more things. First of all, we need to go with some topics in mind. It could so easily drift into an unhelpful discussion that simply focuses on the same things month after month. Last night we talked about the Middle East. About how we felt about it, the politics and issues and the questions. We also reflected on how we can pray most effectively as the events unfold. We drifted into conversations about church and reaching our community, about men in church and about one or two others subjects that cropped up.

Secondly, where we sit is also quite important. We were in the corner furthest from the bar. That meant we had little, in fact no interaction with others beyond our group. I'm not sure quite how we address that. There aren't that many comfortable seats near the bar and I don't fancy standing up all night! We will have to think about it if we want people to be able to overhear our conversation and feel able to join in. But maybe in these initial meetings it's less of a problem while we find our feet.

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