We found plenty to inspire and challenge us when we visited an all female community house in Leeds on Saturday.
Although the six university students perhaps saw us as 'community experts' because we've lived in community with the Jesus army for many years, I've no doubt that we learnt more from them than they did from us.
The Broody Babes
I knew before we arrived that the six girls who lived there didn't take themselves too seriously!
Their name 'The Broody Babes' was no doubt derived from their address on 'Brudenell Mount' but I must admit that I did enjoy telling friends (several times throughout the week) that I was off to visit the Broody Babes on Saturday. "You're off to where?!?!?!"
But don't let the slightly humorous (albeit unofficial) house name deceive you into thinking that the members of the community are glib, shallow or irreverent. They had a depth of devotion and a seriousness of commitment (as well as a good sense of humour) that meant their fledgling community was warm and attractive.
A simple love for God
What impressed me the most was their simple love for God and their simple love for one another. That's it. Surely the only ingredients any community needs. Everything else was born out of that.
Sure, they were different to us. They all had their own rooms. We don't. They had a telly in the lounge. We don't. They had a bottle of wine on the shelf. We don't (we hide it under the bed (joke)).
But, like us, they had certain values that set the direction for everything else they did.
1. Hospitality to everyone
The main thrust of their vision was hospitality.
They noticed that Jesus seemed to eat with people . . . a lot! So they follow his example, regularly inviting friends, neighbours and colleagues around for meals and involving them in their shared life.
They also hosted a city-wide 24/7 prayer event. This lasted for two weeks and carried on throughout the night. It meant that strangers were arriving at 3 in the morning to pray in their lounge downstairs while the girls were asleep upstairs!
2. Humility
Their humility was obvious, not only in the fact that they were astounded that anyone should travel up from Coventry to learn from them!
They have a policy of saying 'yes'. It's their default position.
"Can you give me a lift?" Yes!
"Can you help me with something?" Yes!
"Can I come round for dinner tonight?" Yes!
"Would you mind if I brought a friend?" Yes! I mean no!
How liberating! They are servants of one another, servants of the wider church and servants of the city.
They have a community blog to which they all contribute. However, the posts are anonymous. I guess it guards against the dangers of self-promotion, pride and "Ooh! Look at me!"
Some of them are in an 'accountability partnership'. They get together for an hour each week to share their hearts and confess their weaknesses.
One of the girls said that she finds it difficult to discipline herself to spend time in prayer on her own, so one of the others reminds her to do so regularly.
"Have you prayed today?"
"No"
"Well you'd better go and pray then"
"OK. See yer later!"
It's not new or original but it's an example of how they are willing to let others speak into their lives.
They all admitted though that they find confrontation difficult. That's one thing we do have in common with them!
3. Generosity
They're students. They don't have loads of spare cash, so how can they express generosity?
Well, if you're going to be generous to others, you're probably going to have to go without something yourself. So, they've all decided not to buy any new clothes for a year (I gather that's pretty tough for girls! Personally, I need to give myself the opposite discipline and get some new clothes instead of wearing shabby jeans and the same old hoodie all the time . . . but that's a different story!)
4. Community
They eat together. They pray together. They make decisions together. They reach out to others together. That's community.
They believe that people are more important than mobile phones (heretics!) Listening to people is one of the 'languages of love'. This means that if someone is absorbed in Facebook when they should be engaging with others in the room, they can easily say "Put your phone away" without causing offence.
They get together every morning (well, nearly every morning) to pray. They also spend an hour on Saturday mornings 'soaking' in the presence of God.
They've made space for God. He's central. He fuels their love and mission. They're fruitful.
And finally . . .
It was tempting, as the "community experts" (*cough) to give them some advice. "Do be careful who you invite round. Don't wear yourself out. Don't let people take advantage."
Of course, it's right for the older generation (yes, I'm 40 now!) to offer wisdom and support to new pioneers, like these.
But they're on an adventure. They're exploring. They're hearing God and responding. They're discovering and working it out for themselves.
Hey, that's how the we started wasn't it?
