Why City Church?

What's so special about City United Reformed Church?

It was City Church's mission statement that attracted me to the church. 

City Church is an Open and Affirming Church, welcoming all people regardless of race, colour gender, age, nationality, economic circumstance, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability or emotional condition.

I remember thinking, "That's a pretty bold statement for a church to make! I wonder if it really is true?" So, I decided to attend their Sunday morning service to find out. Eight years later and I'm still attending! 

It's a nerve-racking experience attending a church for the first time, especially if it's a different denomination from what you're used to. Being a disillusioned Catholic, my first United Reformed Church service was completely alien! At City, communion happens once a month. Having come from a Catholic church this felt scandalous! I remember sitting there for a few minutes after the service finished and thinking, "Is this a real church?! How come there was no communion?" That was my first surprise.

The second was seeing such a varied community of people. Women played a full and active role in the service and the congregation had a great representation of black and minority ethnic people. I found out later that City Church is particularly supportive of asylum seekers and welcomes those seeking asylum to church services. Add to that the fact that I spotted a few familiar faces from the local gay scene and I was feeling right at home!

City Church was one of a number of churches I had visited while shopping around for a church community where I felt genuinely welcomed. I had left some churches feeling despondent when no one spoke to me the whole time I was there. Hardly a Christian welcome! At City, I was made to feel very welcome. Elders were on hand to greet people as they came in and as I was a newbie they handed me an order of service, walked me into the church and encouraged me to stay for tea and coffee after the service. If I'm honest, there was no opportunity to sneak out after as quite a few people came up to me to welcome me and find out more about why I decided to visit. 

I left that day with a big smile on face. I had finally found a church that reflected my idea of a Christian community.

City Church is very proud of its outreach work and rightly so. Everyone is welcome. That's not to say there haven't been challenges along the way. Of course there have. In the past, there have been some difficult discussions about civil partnerships and those discussions play a healthy role in keeping City Church's open and affirming mission at the heart of every discussion. 

Eight years on and I'm now an Elder. This is a role I am very proud of because it gives me an opportunity to give something back to a church community that has had such a positive impact in my own life. 

Thank goodness I had the courage to attend that first service and was made to feel so very welcome. First impressions really do make a lasting impression.

With best wishes,

Matt the Elder 

#MattTheElder

The journey of Matt the Elder

City United Reformed Church, Cardiff

Today, I was elected to be one of the Elders at City United Reformed Church, Cardiff. I have been coming to City URC for about ten years but only recently have I felt moved to stand for eldership.

This is the start of an exciting journey. Who would have thought that I would become an Elder?! I've been asked in the past to think about becoming a church elder but I didn't think it was for me. I love a night out and felt I couldn't commit to attending every Sunday morning in case I over indulged the night before! Very selfish, I know.

But the older you get the more you start rethinking your priorities. Saturday nights are far less boozy than they used to be - I cannot remember the last time I rolled out of a night club at 3am, staggering to the nearest chippy!

These days I'm more likely to spend Saturday evenings at the theatre or the cinema... or even staying in with a decent bottle of wine and good film! Those Sunday morning hangovers are few and far between, I'm glad to say.

Don't get me wrong, I still love a night out and going to church doesn't mean you have to stop enjoying a drink! But my priorities have changed and, dare I say, I'm a lot more mature than Matt the Younger!

So, after a lot of thought I decided to put myself forward for church elder. The deciding factor was my attending a church meeting at the end of last year. I've met some great people at City Church and many have become good friends. I've socialised and took part in numerous church events. But at that church meeting, hearing about future decions and the financial costs of running a church, it occurred to me how much I have taken for granted and how little I have given to City Church in return. As I left that meeting, I knew I would stand for church elder.

And here I am, an elder at City Church. How very mature of me! I'm excited about this role but also a little bit nervous. Can make a worthy contribution to its ongoing success? Am I qualified to make decisions that effect the running of the church? What gifts can I contribute to City Church? What will Elders meetings be like? Dry? Interesting? Creative?

Personally, I'm hoping they'll be more like The Barchester Chronicles or maybe The Vicar of Dibley - a mixture of intrigue and humour! Needless to say, I'll keep you updated!

Speaking of which, the reason for this blog is to chronicle my journey as church elder. The title of this blog is reference to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian whose life and theology continues to inspire me. I'll say more about Bonhoeffer in future blog posts.

Hopefully, you will find this insightful and perhaps a little bit inspiring. This is as much a journey about me as it is about the life of the very wonderful City URC Church. 

Here's to making a difference!

With best wishes,
Matt the Elder