On Sunday July 7th, Hinde Street’s 11am Worship centred around the theme of community.
One of the ways in which Hinde Street aims to support the formation of community within the local area and among young Christians is through leasing our the two flats on its premises. These flats are offered to students and young professionals who are happy to take part in the community at Hinde Street by lending a helping hand at services, volunteering at Wednesday & Thursday Club, and generally making connections within the congregation. In return to this commitment, we offer subsidised rent and pastoral support.
At this Sunday’s service, occupants from one of the flats took the lead in speaking about what community means to them. We heard a reflection, a poem, and a sermon from three young individuals who each had a moving take on their experience living next door to Hinde Street. We heard about the joys and the challenges of living communally – a situation that is surely relatable to most young people currently settling into London. We were also happy hear about the things that made staying in a flatshare at Hinde Street a unique experience – and especially so about the sense of belonging our community members have been able to create through supporting and caring for each other.
Thanks to our community flatshare members for their thoughtful reflections (and to all who attended the church picnic afterward despite the weekend’s forecast!).
If you or a friend might be interested in living in a community flat, we have a vacancy coming up in September. Please contact office@hindestreet.org.uk to register your interest or keep an eye out on our socials for more information in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can read more on our Community Flatshares page.
Here are a few anonymous (and paraphrased) reflections from the rest of the congregation on this service:
“This morning’s service reminded me of experiences I’ve had of living in communities and how much they meant to me. It’s reminded me to get in touch with friends as it’s easy to ‘let things slide’, but it’s so important.”
“I really enjoyed the sermon this Sunday, and the message that the call to live together in God’s love is for all of us – whoever we are – and that we’re all welcomed to be in God’s community. It was really powerful to hear that – whoever we are, whatever we do, whoever we love, wherever we’re from, God invites us.”
“We had some great hymns today and I really enjoyed singing them. It was nice that there was a mixture with some ‘good old hymns’ and some newer ones too.”
“The speaker lives in a Christian community and she spoke about how it’s amazing and gives her so much and has transformed her move to London into something full of friendship and fellowship, but also that she recognised that the ‘minor inconveniences’ also exist – the things that annoy us about living with other people, and potentially how we annoy other people – and how we learn to live with those things because that’s just reality of living with people, but also real is that it enriches our lives. I am going to remember that as it will be helpful in my shared house!”