Bexhill-on-Where?

by Mattie McGrath

“Are you sure this is the right street?”

"There was a slight hint of bewilderment, if not exasperation, in the driver’s voice. Poring over the map by torchlight I really wasn’t sure. The road surface had become a dirt track, there were no longer any street lights, and briars and brambles were scraping the sides of the car. The navigational skills I had learned in my police service had let me down badly.  I had obviously guided us to the one and only pocket of outback in the urban area of Bexhill-on-Sea. Thankfully, my team colleague, Allegra, proved to be an expert at reversing long distances in the dark and she got us back on the right road again, parish visiting with the Sion Community. This was my first mission with them and it proved to be as exhilarating as the seaside air of this East Sussex resort.

The task

As a team of ten lay people from different walks of life, working in pairs, we were tasked by the combined parish of St Mary Magdalene, St Martha and Our Lady of The Rosary to visit the hundreds of practicing and lapsed Catholics in the area. We managed to visit nearly 550 homes in a week. Obviously not all were in when we called but if they were out we left them prayer cards and other information about the mission, particularly about the events and services planned for the second week. The people who were home were predominantly very courteous and welcoming and it was a great privilege to share our faith with them, to pray with them, and to listen to their stories of faith, their fears and doubts, and their hopes. Our aim was to invite them to use this mission to reflect on their own journey with God and to seek a close personal encounter with Jesus, if they did not already enjoy that.

The Elderly

I had been told to expect that Bexhill would be full of elderly people. On my first day there, a man told me that the very elderly moved to Eastbourne from places like London to be near their parents in Bexhill! I think he was being a bit harsh on the town. Yes, there are many elderly and retired there (I was amazed at the great number of retired nurses I met). But it was a joy to meet the many elderly people who were strong and vibrant in their faith. Pope John Paul 2 identified the elderly as a great resource for the church in that they are the people who have the time and the wisdom to pray powerfully for the building up of the Kingdom of God.  When we put that to a delightful 98 year old lady, she replied, “I am not so sure about that. At my age, I haven’t a minute  to spare. Something I could do in a couple of minutes in my younger days now takes a couple of hours. Look at my slip over there. It only needs a couple of stitches to keep the strap on but that will take me ages.” She was thrilled when my companion, Gerda, sewed it for her. “Now I’ll definitely have to pray for you, every time I put my slip on!” she said.

The Young

On one doorstep we met a young schoolboy who greeted us in a remarkably articulate and cordial way. His mother was out, so in line with Sion Community policy we took the discussion no further with him but left some leaflets for his mum. He told us that he knew all about the mission.  He was also aware of our mini mission to the local primary school. He wished us well with the whole enterprise. The young children were a big part of the mission. Three team members spent two days in the school sharing the Gospel in a way that was relevant and joyful. The fruits of their work were evident at a presentation of the Good News of Jesus given by the children at St Mary Magdalene on the Tuesday evening. Using drama, music, song, dance, and puppets they gave a moving and colorful presentation which spoke to adult and child alike in a simple but powerful way. At first I thought “Teeny Weeny Jeany” was the lead puppet’s name but it turned out to be the name the children had given to Jean, one of the school team. It seemed that a fun time was had by all.

Those in the middle

It was hard to find working people in during the day but we did manage to make contact on our evening visits. For one overworked couple, the parish theme for the mission, “Be still and know that I am God”, was truly a God-send. Both were ill from stress and job worries. As we chatted with them they admitted that they needed to get off the treadmill. They planned to have a few days away and agreed there and then, without any pressure from us,  that they would start reading a little piece of Scripture each day using some tips that we had available in one of our leaflets.
Another couple, who had been regular Mass goers for years, admitted that they had fallen away. It had started slowly, missing Mass now and again because of commitments with the children on Sundays and their hectic lives generally. After a while they did not seem to be missed by anybody so they had never gone back. We told them that the mission might be the opportunity for them to make connection again. They were open to prayer, so there and then we offered up their needs to the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In their case, as with many others we prayed with, I noticed that they were quite moved by it all. We thank the Holy Spirit for working deeply and quietly in these situations.

Pets as Well!

I did not know that one of my partners on mission had a more than a slight aversion to dogs. So it came as quite a shock to me and the owner too, when she gave an ear-piercing scream and froze rigid in the middle of the lady’s sitting room. The culprit was a tiny canine creature not much more than ankle height. I do admit however that it had a disconcerting habit of suddenly darting from behind the couch to sniff and nibble at one’s toecaps.  In spite of the initial trauma it turned out to be a very worthwhile visit. The lady revealed that she would like to become more involved in sharing her talents with the rest of the church. So we prayed with her that she would be able to discern what God has in mind for her.

We were to meet more dogs that very evening. The next one was much larger but not as mobile as the first, so we coped fairly well once the owner had assured it that we were not a threat. This family also asked for prayer and when I had finished praying the lady of the house queried why I hadn’t included the dog which was a “bit under the weather at the moment”. We put that matter right before we left.

Opposition?

I found little or no outright opposition to the Gospel during the week. One man lambasted Mike and me for believing in “fairy tales”. We just sat and listened until he got it all off his chest. He confided that he had been a believer in his early days but that he had been betrayed badly by someone close. That person, he said, professed to be Christian but, in his view, had acted in a very un-Christian way. We sensed that he mellowed towards the end of our visit. He told us he was sorry for “having a go” at us and we parted on amicable terms. He promised to give the mission literature to a family member whom he knew had faith. I pray that he will look through it himself and that God will draw him through the barrier of hurt back to Himself.

I thought one lady was not on our wavelength at first but it turned out that she was a bit hard of hearing. She admitted as much and told us to speak up. I think we overdid it somewhat because at one point she said, “You don’t have to shout, you know”. She went on to say a beautiful prayer for us which she had learnt by heart. Like many we met during the week she was a great encouragement to us.
Faith Sharing.

This was a vital part of the mission. After Communion at each Mass during the week, a team member shared something of their journey of faith with the congregation. One team member started by saying “I often went to churches when I was young”. I was thinking to myself, “What is so special about that?”, when he added “to rob them”. That was enough to jolt me to attention and I suspect it had the same effect on others in the congregation. He then gave account of how he had come to know Jesus through his experience in prison. It was only later that he had learned how his mother had been persevering in prayer for him. Each member of the team had a story to tell of their walk with God and each was different. Faith sharing was not confined to the Mass setting. I had the opportunity to work with nearly all the team members during our visits and it was amazing to see how the Holy Spirit moved , bringing just the right team member with the right  testimony of faith and the right life experience into contact with parishioners with similar life experiences. Thus the thread of the Gospel message could be weaved through the shared patterns of experience. Everyone on the team had the opportunity at one time or another to share how they had first become aware of God’s infinite love for them as an individual.

Hospitality

The fact that our Visiting Team Leader, Cathy, had worked hard with Fathers Chris and Thomas and the parish organisers to prepare for the mission was very evident. The parish census and the relevant maps made the visiting schedule that much easier. The visiting served to point out any amendments that are required. There was a ready supply of parishioners to act as our hosts and as far as feeding and accommodation was concerned we got five-star treatment. Even on the house visits people tried to press gallons of tea and all kinds of goodies on us. We always declined graciously but on one occasion I succumbed. A very generous Irish lady insisted I must have a bag of bananas, assuring me they would be very good for my varicose veins! I have concluded that mission can be quite fattening. When Jesus sent out the seventy two to evangelise (Luke 10) he told them “... stay in that house eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.” In that spirit, we were more than amply provided for at St. Mary Magdalene and in our hosts’ homes.

Prayer and Worship

An important feature of the week was the time given by the team to prayer and worship. Team members took it in turn to lead the team sessions, which included morning, afternoon and evening prayer; exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, adoration, Scripture reflection, singing and extempore prayer. We also joined in the Masses and other services arranged by the churches. It was comforting to know that we were going out to evangelise in the power of The Spirit buoyed up and encouraged by prayer.

Thanks

They were long days and most evenings we came back from our visits quite tired. But that was more than compensated for by what we had seen God doing throughout the day. Many of those we met were looking for a sign of hope in what they perceived as a very troubled and stormy world. It is sometimes difficult to find the right words but we trust that the Lord gave us the ones that reflected the Gospel of hope. Many acknowledged that they were the better for seeing and hearing us and they encouraged us on our way. Some were so pleased that they gave us names of other people they knew who would benefit from a visit. Again in Luke 10, the seventy two disciples returned from their mission with joy. I can honestly say that I also returned home from Bexhill with joy in my heart and a prayer that God would really bless the team going there for the second week to help the parish with new expressions of liturgy, prayer, worship and celebration. I enjoyed it so much that I am really looking forward to two more missions later this year.

It is heartening for me to see messages of gratitude from the parish to the Sion Community:  “Thank you so much. You have made a tremendous impact on all those you have visited and in your praying for our parish, community and town”; “Thank you for a spiritual uplift”; “Your words have struck me and given me much hope and light.”

I would also like to thank the Sion Community for allowing me to go on mission with them. I was very impressed with the thoroughness and professionalism of Cathy, our team leader, and to all the team for their willingness and patience in “showing me the ropes”.  I saw love, humility and harmony in action and it was all underpinned by prayer and an emphasis on our own personal relationship with our Lord.

Mattie McGrath
Bedford
10th March 2008