Alpha meets Batman

Although easily thought of as ‘chalk and cheese’ there were a number of similarities in that both believe in the fight of good against evil, both are pulling in big crowds and both left me full of admiration for the impact they have on so many people.

There was however a significant difference in that Batman will soon be forgotten but my visit to HTB has left a permanent impression on my memory and thinking.

HTB’s excellent website offered me a number of options including a traditional Eucharist Service at their sister church, St Paul, or an informal service at Holy Trinity.

I opted for the latter as I wanted to see what they offered to families.

I was met at the door by one of a number of smiling official ‘Greeters’, who wore badges to that effect so they could be easily identified.

People who have watched the Alpha videos will be familiar with the church layout. Chairs have replaced pews, they have an upstairs balcony and towards the front have a main screen and two side screens.

The service was led by one of the team priests, supported by a four-piece band. They started with an apology. The young persons ‘Sunday School’ had been cancelled because the leaders and 1700 people from the congregation had gone on a Home Focus holiday week to Suffolk!

There were still a few left ‘at home’ as there were about 200 in the congregation. They were made up of a mix of families, teenagers and people in their 20s & 30s, with a few geriatrics like me. Feeling slightly out of place in church as an older person was a totally new experience to me !!!

The service lasted for a surprisingly long 80 minutes but was lively, fast-paced and music based. There was one traditional hymn, and a number of modern hymns that were sung with great fervor and obvious enjoyment by the congregation supported by two excellent lead singers in the band. Words of the hymns were displayed on the screens. There was a short reading from the bible and sermon based on the reading.

What did I learn from this experience?

• It is possible to get young people, families and people in the age group 20 to 40 to regularly worship and enjoy the experience.
• Christianity is very much alive in HTB and its linked churches
• All the excuses we think up for why our church is not vibrant and growing fast are just that… excuses for our inaction.
• Batman alone could not defeat the Joker, he needed a team of committed and focused people around him; cue Collaborative Ministry !!!

David Simcox