Basic Christian Community

by
Neal CarIin
Given that the reader seeks a practical pastoral model of basic Christian community rather than a theoretical one, I have chosen to write about the two communities with which I have been involved. One in Derry / Londonderry or Doire Colmcille! The other has as its centre a farm in Dundrean near Drumhaggard (Drum -an-tsagairt) in Co. Donegal.
The Columba Community was founded in 1981 and has twenty-two members presently. Some are married, some single, some one sex and others another, of course! The community started with a ministry to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. Some ex-prisoners and relatives have become active members.
What is an active member? An active member is a person who agrees to make a commitment for six months to: (a) pray daily, (b) work for the community and (c) tithe towards the community. All this is negotiated as some are unemployed and have more time to give. Others are over-employed and have more money than time to give. Some are full time volunteers available for community work at the centres, some are paid workers with the community, e.g., the director, the administrator at the farm, and the ecumenical officer. They trust in God’s provision through the good people who provide for their needs.
MAIN WORKS
The main works of the community are counselling, teaching Christian truths on liturgical or other occasions, giving days of renewal and retreats as well as the education of our own group via seminars, guest speakers and group work.
Nowadays some individuals visit individual prisoners, since access to prisons recently has been restricted. The work of keeping two houses open to visitors and the public in general is demanding of members. Hospitality has a high priority with us as we try to follow the tradition and virtue of the Celtic/Monastic Church there.

Our basic trust comes from walking in faith and how we define community. That is a network of interpersonal relationships based on our relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Cornerstone. In the eyes of our membership, the need for listening to the Lord is basic for the communities’ survival. We just cannot afford to decide first to do, to build, to employ, etc., and then ask God’s blessing on our plans. Time, energy and money are too precious apart from the fact that we have survived without a lot of institutional support from State or Church largely in the conviction that what we do has been begun by the Lord’s inspiration. Hence the need for Christian prayer on a daily basis as well as morning and evening Prayer of the Church at home, as family and at the centres.
UNLESS THE LORD
Our philosophy is that unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it. Each step entails listening to God and to the needs of our brothers and sisters for justice and peace. As a Catholic group initially, with a growing ecumenical membership, it seems fitting that the response to the need of a centre for reconciliation with a ministry to the marginalised should come when we prayed as an ecumenical group. Four of us, another priest, myself, a minister and his wife, prayed in silence and became assured of God’s provision of a house for our work. This happened in 1980 and as the house was a bombed out site used by the police before the ‘troubles’, we spent a year renovating it. Since then the Lord has blessed the work and its people.
The small community at the farm started after an all night vigil on January 1st, 1985 and it is now a place of quiet work with two newly built hermitages where retreatants can spend a few days at a time.
Perhaps the main advantage of the modem basic Christian community is its flexibility and yet its power in initiating new projects.
In 1983 the ‘Christians Together’ movement started, again as a result of obvious needs reflected on in prayer. For the Columba Community it is one of the most prophetic works to emerge. It has brought Christians from all denominations together monthly at the city hail, the Guildhall, to worship, to discuss in small groups, to listen to speakers from various backgrounds. On one occasion some four hundred of us stood in silence outside the Guildhafl for the right to life and against the death threats and killings of civilians which took place last summer. On Good Friday a profound repentance service took place when English people, Scots Irish (Presbyterians) and Gaelic Irish (Catholics) each confessed a list of their tribe’s sins over the past four hundred years.

Four ministers and a Catholic priest that day led a silent procession from Columba House to the Guildhall carrying a large cross. The air of hate has been replaced by forgiveness by such symbolic acts in our city.
Perhaps the fact that this community continues to exist and function well without the need to spend a lot of energy running fund raisers would appeal to clergy who often inherit debts and feel overburdened with the maintenance of the parish. Some may even suspect a communist cell afoot! Worse, maybe this or such communities have been infiltrated by ‘charismatics’! God forbid!
Seriously, however, these communities demand priests who will be prepared to delegate responsibility and to trust in the charisms of the laity. The Vatican Council documents have been saying this but in truth few real parish councils exist with respectful levels of co-responsibility and to trust in the charisms of the laity. The Vatican Council documents have been saying this but in truth few real parish councils exist with respectful levels of co-responsibility and power sharing. Only where the parish priest is secure in his role as pastor. teacher and spiritual director, can he have lay involvement as it exists in a genuine Christian community. Here the administrator is a lay man or woman elected annually for a period of two successive years. With the assistance of a secretary the administrator does or delegates the practical work of the community centres.
The amount of re-education of clergy and laity necessary before the Second Vatican Council’s documents can be effectively implemented has been over-looked in the Irish Church at parish level. Hence the new Christian communities are liable to be few and need to be prepared for a long struggle. This is not a bad thing. The struggle, pain and downright injustice helps the priest empathise with the plight of many people who feel depressed, powerless and marginalised. At least, the priest or reasonably well adjusted lay person getting involved in building Christian community will know why at times he feels angry and frustrated. Also such a person has an option. It seems to me that the alienated are the very stuff necessary to build a relevant Christian community. The beicks or stones that have been fired in the furnace of suffering, pain and struggle prove good material in building alongside the Cornerstone, the Saviour, himself one rejected by the builders.
This article as you may realise, has been written at one sitting, but I dare not postpone it for another month. As in building Christian community, it seems that we need to make a start and gradually the Lord develops our understanding. ‘The Lord cannot change the direction of a mule that ain’t moving,’ an old U.S. friend of mine used to say.

Before we lose the privilege of searching together with the poor and powerless in this land, we need to begin to shed our complacency and to recognise that developing Kingdom values is more important than much of what passes for building Church. Whether we are in rural or urban situations it is important that we seek answers in prayer together with a cross section of our people. This kind of unity of Spirit and purpose is very consuming of lime and energy and beats playing bingo!
Finally may I extend a welcome to the reader to visit us at his/her convenience.