Redefining church

The Rev Dr Richard Frazer underlines the importance of broadening models of church.

MY mum would be 100 years old this year if she were still with us. She was a great knitter and, as we grew up, we only wore jumpers she had made. The other day I was rummaging through my cupboard and came across a beautiful jumper, the last one she had knitted for me. Putting it on again felt like one of her wonderful, comforting hugs, something I still miss.

My mother made all her own clothes too. She was always elegant and beautifully turned out. As a wee boy, I remember standing over her as she worked at her old Singer sewing machine. The bobbin would whizz on its spindle and I was always curious about the name of the thread she used, ‘Dorcas’. The same name appeared on the blue tins of pins she always had to hand.

It was only much later I realised the Biblical connection. Dorcas was a member of the first century Christian community at Joppa. You can read about her in Acts 9: 36-42. Dorcas was her Greek name, in Aramaic it was Tabitha, which means gazelle. Dorcas devoted her life to the poor and made clothes for them. I imagine her as an elegant woman, dressed in lovely clothes that she had made herself. The Christian community was devastated when she passed and they summoned Simon Peter as they grieved.

“ In these lean times for institutional religion, discerning where the Spirit is alive is vital. Our models of church need to broaden.

At our Grassmarket Community Project in Edinburgh, we have a couple of sewing groups. One makes gift items from the Greyfriars Tartan we designed many years ago, including Greyfriars Bobby dog coats in honour of the famous dog! The other is a ‘Make and Mend’ group, upcycling threadbare clothes and making new outfits. Many of the people involved in these projects do not have much. Some have struggled with their mental health and other challenges.

I think of Dorcas making clothes, no doubt with others in a small group, laughing and chatting together as they sewed. There must be similarities with our groups here in Edinburgh. We do not hear that Dorcas was a preacher or an evangelist. What it was about her that made her so beloved? I think it is obvious, even from those few verses in the book of Acts. I often wonder what it is that makes us Christian. Some people will say that we must come to a ‘saving knowledge of Christ’. Others tell us that they will ‘know we are Christians by our love’. St Paul indicates there are ‘varieties of gifts’. Do we fully recognise this in the church?

Our sewing groups include people who want to do some creative work together, rescuing clothes from the bin and making wonderful items for sale. They also find a sense of purpose and belonging as an antidote to the isolated lives some have lived. The sense of love is strong and people care deeply for all the members of our community in the midst of all the challenges that they face. People have sometimes said to me: ‘This is all very well, but it is not mission, it is not church’. Yet, when a member of our community passes, people come together to grieve and pray.

In these lean times for institutional religion, discerning where the Spirit is alive is vital. Our models of church need to broaden. The story of Dorcas and our sewing groups are helping us redefine church, and moving us to places where the Spirit fills people with hope and love for one another. The Spirit is alive and summoning the church to join in. ¤

The Rev Dr Richard Frazer is minister at Edinburgh: Greyfriars.