Sunday Assembly – live better, help often and wonder more

 The Assembly at Conway Hall, London. Photograph: Souvid Datta for the Guardian

I want to write about Sunday Assemblies, but actually this Guardian article says it brilliantly.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/14/like-idea-church-believe-god-sunday-assembly

Sanderson is charming and convincing. He touches the mum in me. Furthermore, he is trying to make change within community and my age and experience fuels a desire to be supportive. The beard is very JCish. This man is a comedian by profession. He has a need to perform.

I also think potentially it is a movement whose time has come.  Pure, joyous relief has got to be good.  Returning to front line community work, I am in a different world from the one I faced on Marsh Farm, Luton with the Children’s Society Allder Project. https://hazeldurbridge.com/allder-project-manager/

Then it seemed that people wanted to get out of the house and meet each other. On some of the estates I work on now it is extremely difficult to get people out of their houses. They get their food delivered. Are they living their lives through the internet? I don’t know for certain. I just feel strongly that if they met other people more it may help to put a different, hopefully more positive, perspective on life.

There is also the concern that sometimes with social housing too many people with similar issues are placed together, so if they do socialise they do so around the same issues.

As a nation we do have things to celebrate. I watched the Imitation Game at the week-end and felt so sad about Turig’s persecution for his homosexuality and eventual suicide when as a nation we should have been celebrating his tremendous achievement spearheading the breaking of the Enigma code at Bletchley Park during World War 2. Thankfully, this persecution would not happen in many countries now.

How might Sunday Assembly work? Sanderson has a vision that it will offshoot in to all sorts of useful sub-groups for community, such as employment and training. This is something on all Housing Association radars. However, other practical concerns I have are:-

The amount of planning that is essential to make such events memorable and inspiring, so that a return visit is certain

The on-going need for inspirational, articulate, free speakers – where will they come from?

‘congregations’ will not enable each other in a way he envisages if there are too many ‘needy’ people and not enough with the energy/inclination to support and give

The distances vulnerable residents will be prepared to travel

Funding