Lunch with Canon Bob

Lunch today with Canon Bob in the northern bit of Grand Rapids. The place was full of victorian (yes they still call it that) houses which are currently being regenerated. Multiple occupancies rentals are being turned back into single family homes as the professional classes move back to the city. Rather than a grand regeneration plan they have an imaginative planning department who have created planning guidelines which are bit by bit transforming the area. The other engine for regeneration is the growth of a medical centre, and research facility. It looks very pretty as I'm sure you'll agree.

The conversation was rather wonderful as we compared notes on getting things done and positve approaches to outreach. Bob's vision for St Marks was quite breath taking, just one small example of this is their Sunday morning brunch which currenly feeds over 150 people between their moring services. He talked quite a bit about George Bush's attempts to fund faith based intiatives which is faltering for two reasons: the first is that they tend to favour the bigger programmes and not to nurture the more exciting little ones and second because he has not set up partnerships rather given money to projects which has meant that many groups are attaching strings to what they offer. Also the giving of grants is in the gift of politicians rather than an independent body and so there is a a tendency for the bigger churches to use their lobbying power to get money.

As government in Britain seeks to build up the work of faith communities perhaps we need to learn from what has gone wrong in America and once again look to a more NGO / partnershi model.

Canon Bob has only been in post for one year, I hope our paths cross again.