The most rewarding 30 minutes of my week – by Stephen Kuhrt

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As a church leader, I’m incredibly fortunate to have a job that I love. After 22 years of ordained ministry, I still wake up each morning full of enthusiasm for the everyday tasks of being a vicar: planning services, writing talks, pastoral care, taking funerals and weddings, encouraging people’s gifts and leading a talented team. Its consistently challenging and immensely rewarding.

The experience of six years of efforts by my diocese to engineer my constructive dismissal (efforts now thankfully ended) has served to clarify rather than diminish my enthusiasm for ‘the day job’.

‘Tales from the Bible’

Alongside this, however, the most important and rewarding thirty minutes of my week is an area of ministry separate from my job. This is my role in a group called Tales from the Bible which is mostly attended by young adults with learning disabilities.

It is part of the overall platform Inclusive Online Activities, and takes place by Zoom each Tuesday evening. Most live in Britain but each week we also welcome people from Spain and America.

The format

The session has a simple format. Before the story, we have ten minutes of chat with those who have come about their day and what they have been up to.

Then we have a story from the Bible told in a vivid and enthusiastic manner. And after the story has finished, we split into two groups to discuss it.

The discussion is based around a set of familiar questions about where the story takes place, who is in it, what ‘the big idea’ of the story is and how this might apply to our lives. The session ends with a short prayer and often a singing of ‘Happy Birthday’ to one of the members.

Laughter and sadness

These sessions are full of laughter and fun with lots of funny comments made. The atmosphere is wonderful with a fantastic bond of friendship and community shared by those present. This is extraordinary given that most of us have never met in person!  

But it has its hardships too. During the last year, two regular members of the group have died at tragically young ages. Responding to this has been tough but all part of what makes it so immensely rewarding.

Tales has taught me a huge amount about Christian ministry. Among these lessons are:

1. Unity through service

The five of us who lead the group come from very different Christian traditions. What unites us, however, is belief that showing God’s love for the vulnerable stands at the heart of our faith in Jesus Christ. This shared conviction means that any other differences we might have in understanding our faith are transcended.

The team has an amazing bond and unity because it is built upon God’s love for ‘the least, the last and the lost’. This ensures that the different gifts and insights of each leader play their full role in building up the group.

2. The inclusivity of God’s Word

Each week we see the impact of the Bible and the way that the simple telling of its stories conveys God’s love to those present. The format of Zoom enables us to see the engagement on the faces of those present as they listen and find comfort and challenge in stories about God’s involvement with the lives of ordinary people and the transforming nature of his power.

Some of the members note down details, such as the name of the book in the Bible where the story comes from and its ‘big idea’ and are delighted to share this in the discussion afterwards. Week after week, it demonstrates that God’s Word is accessible to everyone.

3. Mutual blessing

But the most valuable lesson of Tales is that of mutual blessing. Last summer, those of us who lead the group met up and agreed that we are as blessed by anyone through these weekly meetings.

Seeing and experiencing on a weekly basis the courage, kindness, humour and earnest faith in Jesus Christ of those with so much to contend with, is utterly heart-warming and inspiring.

It is also a deep confirmation of the priority of the meek and the vulnerable within the kingdom of God – and the rich blessings that come to everyone when this finds expression in mutual sharing and inclusive community.

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As well as Tales from the Bible, Inclusive Online Activities runs weekly sessions on art, dance, music, drama, Spanish and bingo!

Stephen Kuhrt is Vicar of Christ Church, New Malden. He recently wrote Safeguarding the Institution: How the Culture of the Church of England facilitates abuse. Check out his blog Safeguarding the Institution.