This week WMC hosted a three day meeting of the MCSA's Young Men's Guild and welcomed some 150 YMG leaders from around our Connexion into our space. If you visited us during this time, you may have seen our halls and sanctuary beautifully set up for the meetings, and you may have been treated to some singing that just about literally lifted the roof!
The YMG is one of the uniformed organisations in our church (you will recognise the distinctive red waistcoat, white shirt and black jacket). It is not just for young men though - at a communion service during the meetings, our Bishop commented on how many of the members present were grandfathers :)
What always strikes me when I see gatherings of our church's uniformed organisations is the powerful sense of shared identity and belonging that they offer. If you are wearing a uniform, you are a member, you belong, you are at home.
In our WMC community, it is possible to be present in worship on a Sunday and yet to still feel like a visitor. Maybe we need to adopt a uniform :) or at least to be especially aware of those who are still not quite feeling at home. If you do feel at home, please keep a look out this weekend for others who are still finding their feet.