Pioneer workers Anna and Owen O’Brien are setting up a new pioneer mission project in Northfield. Anna speaks on her experience of creating an ‘Eco Together’ group which is a “discussion and action group with local people in the community who care about making a difference.” Have a read below!
“A few Summer’s ago, I found myself following a man with a scythe through six feet of high vegetation in a local nature reserve. He was part of the ‘Friends of’ group who were there to make pathways through a very overgrown area. I needed to return home earlier than the others but couldn’t get out. This man offered to cut me a new path. I had no idea where I was or where I was headed and had to put my trust in this person wielding a scythe! I could have been scared. However, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me about the adventure of not knowing where I was going, and to enjoy being lost, because I could follow a new trail that God would carve out.
This is a good metaphor for the journey we are now on with the URC pioneering team. Owen and I have gone part time in our work with community organisations and are now working part time in a job share for the URC, and we are learning to follow the trail that the Holy Spirit lays out step by step. We began in October and we have found that our first few months have been characterised by a strong eco emphasis. We have started hosting an ‘Eco Together’ group (https://www.ecotogether.info/) a discussion and action group with local people in the community who care about making a difference.
Our group consists of ourselves, a school Mum and three Sudanese ladies who want to help our community. We meet monthly to discuss a topic and then choose some actions to take in between each meeting. We have organised a litter pick and are planting apple trees in local people’s gardens. We are only at the very start, but the conversations we have had with these amazing women about their difficult experiences and their faith have been precious and powerful.
Conversations with neighbours and others in community centres and gardens have led us to start a forest church type experiment in our local park. There are people who really care about the earth, who love to spend time in nature and who are sensitive to something invisible, but haven’t knowingly connected with Jesus yet. We wanted to create a space where people could open their senses and hear from God by observing nature. A group that wouldn’t be heavily led but allow people space to explore and express their discoveries. A joyful, playful, peaceful and reflective space under the trees!”
Anna O’Brien