A generation of men and women is passing

Often, one is encouraged by ‘local heroes’ commemorated in this paper or the dailies.

A generation of men and women is passing.

Tested by the separation and tragedy of war, they returned home to face austerity and rebuilding their lives.

More, by their leadership, they rebuilt communities.

Mostly using church premises they gave a younger generation opportunities to develop through uniformed organisations, drama groups, sports clubs, choirs, debating societies and outdoor activities.

Most neighbourhoods had access to these opportunities. They were usually open to all, self supporting and free. The cost was in time, commitment and caring by the leader.

There are few occas-ions nowadays when churches have standing room only, but commem-oration of such lives is one.

A lesson for later, individualistic generations is that everybody’s life can be enriched through social contact with people from different back-grounds.

If today’s suspicion of all forms of leadership is to be overcome, the starting point might be local communities.

Many local groups are desperately seeking a new cohort of leaders.

Yet, as the Gov-ernment’s Commission on Volunteering has found, there are millions of people giving time to good causes. Some of these people, given trust, encouragement and entitlement to fail as well as to succeed, could fill the gap.

The churches’ perennial role in leadership is summed up in a verse of Richard Gillard’s used in the Week of Prayer for Christian unity: ‘Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you; pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.’ Nigel Maxwell, Christians together in Lunesdale.