Time to make a change?

Stuck in a rut? Sometimes change can be tough but the effects can also be remarkable, writes Sally Claydon

Now the older generation has sometimes been accused of resisting change – but not this wonderful group of friendly and funny OAPs.

They’d decided to move their meeting from the usual cosiness of our church lounge to the community area of the charity shop that our congregation runs in the local parade of shops. The shop has a lovely, big sunny window near a coffee machine and seating area. Their gathering was a great success including much laughter as one lady tried on various hats from the shop. An added bonus was waving to school children passing by on their way home from school.

But do you know what the most remarkable thing was? Towards the end of their time together a woman who had been browsing in the charity shop, approached the group and said that this was just the sort of thing she’d like to bring her mother to. She was given all the details, as well as a couple of cakes to take away. She was thrilled and said she’d take the cakes to her mum and tell her all about the group. 

A simple change of location to a more ‘public’ area had resulted in the opportunity for a new person to experience the friendship, and hopefully the faith, the group shares. Sometimes change can be tough but the effects can also be remarkable.

I’m lucky enough to be involved in helping churches start new GB groups, and sometimes even brand new groups have had to make changes quite early on. One group in a predominately Muslim area found that they were clashing with classes at the local mosque – and that a simple change of their meeting times meant that more girls could join the GB group. Another has been forced to change venues – which has also given them the opportunity to change the day of the week that they meet; a change that has been beneficial for the leaders and has also enabled their local network to offer greater support.

So, if you’re stuck in a rut why not make a change? It doesn’t have to be complicated – a change of venue, the day, or time that you meet could make all the difference.
 

Sally Claydon is Girls’ Brigade team leader at 1st Hawkwell group, based at Hawkwell Baptist Church, Rochford, Essex, and a GB Development Worker in London. She writes a regular column about the Girls’ Brigade for The Baptist Times.

Picture: "Options Plan A, Plan B" by Danilo Rizzuti / freedigitalphotos.net