Bringing together members of Kent's religious groups to discuss faith and community.
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00:00 [Music]
00:24 Hello and welcome to Kent Faith Space.
00:27 I'm Chris Deasy, and each month we will
00:29 explore people's perspectives and
00:31 understandings of religious practices.
00:34 But first this month, we take a look at churches.
00:37 We started in Canterbury by asking people
00:40 what comes to mind when they think of church.
00:44 Well, I've got my mum's religious,
00:46 and so has one of my close friends.
00:48 So for me personally, not very much.
00:50 But for them it's very significant.
00:52 It's good for them to, you know,
00:54 practice and they enjoy it.
00:56 So if that is, if they, I can't speak English,
01:00 if that's good for them, I'm happy for them.
01:03 And, you know, that's amazing.
01:05 I feel quite excluded from church because
01:07 I grew up in a community where Christianity
01:10 was quite a big role.
01:13 And I didn't really fit in with them,
01:15 which means I didn't really fit in with the church.
01:18 Time of holidays, like Christmas and
01:22 Spring Bowl and yeah, being young as well,
01:26 I spent more time in church when I was a kid.
01:29 For me, no, my family, they grew up Catholic.
01:32 So for them it means a place for worship.
01:36 I don't really have an immediate response.
01:38 Like I don't think of anything in particular.
01:41 I mean, obviously just Christianity,
01:45 but it's kind of like so far removed from my life.
01:48 It's like, it just doesn't really come up
01:51 with any imagery.
01:52 - Personally, not very much.
01:54 - So I grew up with a Catholic mom and a Protestant dad
01:58 and my granddad was actually a Protestant preacher
02:01 in rural Mississippi.
02:03 So church, I guess, could mean a lot.
02:06 It means family, it means unison,
02:08 and I guess it just means a dedicated faith.
02:11 I think the community, especially 'cause I grew up
02:13 in a Jesuit community, it's quite loving,
02:17 but at the same time, it's interesting to see
02:20 the contrast between Christianity and different religions,
02:24 especially in the way in which they conduct their faith
02:26 and worship.
02:28 - And now joining me in the studio is the Reverend Tina Twelves
02:32 from Ashford.
02:33 Welcome, Tina.
02:35 And yeah, I'd like to know, so what do you think
02:37 is the public's reaction to what you're doing with Ignite?
02:42 - In Ashford, I think it's generally quite welcomed.
02:46 We have a fairly static, but at the same time,
02:51 transient group of people.
02:53 They're very well known to us, and many of them
02:56 are very well known to people in the town.
02:59 And we get an awful lot of support from local people,
03:04 donations, financial and material.
03:08 We get a lot of people coming to help us out.
03:11 They just drop into church when they know it's open
03:13 and say, "Can we give a hand in any way?"
03:15 And that's really wonderful and supportive,
03:18 and we feel like people accept that what we're doing
03:21 is a good thing for the town.
03:22 - Brilliant.
03:23 I know there was a range of responses.
03:26 Were there any that surprised you?
03:29 - No, not really.
03:31 I mean, I think in today's world, in England,
03:35 we live in a country where Christianity is something
03:40 that's a very fundamental part of our history,
03:42 but increasingly we find and we come across people
03:45 for whom faith is really something over there,
03:48 something that's not relevant or something
03:50 that they don't understand, and even at times
03:53 something they haven't had much contact with.
03:56 And so that is an interesting challenge for us as church.
04:00 But for me, I came to faith myself really quite late,
04:03 so I was only 40 when I came to faith.
04:06 So I do understand those people who say,
04:10 "No, don't understand what that's got to do with me,"
04:13 because I was there myself for a great part of my life,
04:16 and it's about encouraging people to explore
04:19 those different avenues in faith.
04:22 - And Tina, do you think there are any misconceptions
04:26 about what church is, you know, just reflecting
04:28 on what we were looking at in that video?
04:31 - Yes, I think when you do speak to people about church
04:35 and their memories of church, a lot of it will come from school,
04:39 and so they remember being sort of, you know,
04:41 marched through the street and then marshalled
04:43 into rows in pews and having to sit down
04:46 and be very quiet and do as they were told.
04:49 And I think church is evolving.
04:51 Church is becoming more flexible, not just in terms
04:53 of the layout of the buildings, which is something
04:56 that's very noticeable in Ashford and particularly at Ignite,
05:01 but also one of my other churches.
05:03 But also the way that we worship, you know,
05:06 we intermingle the modern and the traditional
05:10 and the things that we do.
05:12 There's a whole focus around living the gospel,
05:15 which means social action and doing things in the community
05:18 is at the core of what we are.
05:20 - Thanks, Tina.
05:21 Well, now that we have a better understanding
05:24 of some current perspectives of church,
05:26 let's change gears a little bit.
05:28 Self-reflection, quizzes, clothes bank,
05:31 enjoying a cuppa or sharing a meal.
05:34 Does this sound like a church to you?
05:37 Well, it is.
05:38 Let's take a look at Ignite with Allegra Webb.
05:43 - For many across Kent, church is about attending
05:46 religious services, sharing faith with one another
05:49 and becoming one with the local community.
05:51 However, for some, these places of worship
05:54 are a beacon of much needed support,
05:56 refuge for those who rely on their local churches
05:59 for food, clothes and a little compassion from another.
06:03 I'm in Ashford, currently attending Ignite,
06:05 a weekly meet up here at St Mary the Virgin Church,
06:08 who are taking the extra step
06:09 to take care of their local community.
06:11 - Ignite is a project that runs across the diocese of Canterbury
06:15 in a number of different locations
06:18 and it is basically a fresh expression of church.
06:22 We open here every Thursday between 11.30 and one o'clock,
06:28 although the church is open before then
06:30 if people want to come in for a warm space.
06:33 We spend our time in fellowship,
06:35 so people are greeted with coffee and tea
06:38 and then we go on to share a meal together,
06:40 after which we have a short time of worship,
06:43 which is eclectic and perhaps different
06:47 from what people might expect of church.
06:50 - It was clear that everyone attending
06:52 had helped their extended beyond the space,
06:54 with personality quizzes to find inner talents
06:57 or a range of sanitary supplies to take home.
06:59 But the Ignite attendees were not the only ones
07:01 impacted in a positive way.
07:03 The regular volunteers have also found a sense of belonging
07:06 and a new perspective on their own ways of living.
07:09 - Ignite are my family.
07:11 They are literally my family.
07:13 So, yeah, they give me purpose, they give me meaning,
07:19 so they mean a lot.
07:21 After 20 years of being told,
07:22 because I have severe anxiety and blackouts,
07:25 that I'd never actually be anyone or do anything,
07:30 I'm actually working part-time and volunteering.
07:34 And I want to prove to people that you can get better,
07:37 you can be successful,
07:39 you can actually be in five years clean of all medication,
07:44 you can achieve something with your life,
07:46 you're not just a label.
07:48 - Events like Ignite transform these places of worship
07:51 into a real sanctuary for many,
07:53 where faith becomes a foundation to help the community
07:56 and builds a pillar of compassion for those who need it.
07:59 Allegra Webb for KMTV in Ashford.
08:03 - Now, Tina, how did you get involved with Ignite?
08:08 - It very much comes with my role.
08:10 I came to the Diocese of Canterbury into Ashford
08:13 about 10 months ago, and I wear two hats.
08:17 So I have churches, a couple of churches that I look after
08:22 in Ashford, but I also have a wider role.
08:25 I have a couple of wider roles.
08:26 I have a wider role, which is as minister
08:29 to lowest income communities in Ashford.
08:32 So that's what part of my time is used.
08:35 I'm also the Bishop's Advisor for Ministry on Estates,
08:38 social housing estates.
08:40 So Ignite as a church community is very often,
08:45 obviously falls within that last bracket.
08:48 Plus the church happens to be on the doorstep,
08:51 because that's just where I live, in the middle of the town.
08:54 - What would you say that you personally get out of this?
08:57 It sounds such a rewarding venture, but what about you?
08:59 What do you get out of this?
09:01 - It's a very different way of being church.
09:07 It's a group of people who I think very much benefit.
09:12 We see the benefits for these individuals
09:15 of what we're able to do for them, both personally
09:18 and spiritually, not just materially,
09:21 not just by the fact that they're able to get the clothes,
09:24 the warm food, the companionship, but also spiritually
09:29 as people explore faith.
09:32 And that for me is wonderful, because for me,
09:36 ministry is incarnational.
09:38 It needs to be lived out and to be enabling people
09:41 to feel more loved and more secure,
09:45 but also to begin to know God and explore
09:48 what that means to them is exactly what I want
09:51 to be doing in my ministry.
09:53 - Do you have any advice for anybody else
09:55 who'd like to use their place of worship in this way?
10:00 - It does take a lot of planning.
10:02 There's a lot of things that you need to consider.
10:05 It's important that what you are doing in that community
10:08 is supported by the community, not just the worshiping community,
10:11 but the wider community around.
10:14 But it's incredibly rewarding, and I think it's very much needed,
10:20 actually, in this day and age.
10:22 And it embraces such a wide spectrum of people.
10:27 It's really a wonderful thing to be involved in.
10:31 - And there must be so many stories for people
10:34 who've come through your door.
10:36 Are there any that you'd like to share with us very briefly?
10:39 - Just before I arrived, but it is something
10:42 that we're hoping to build upon, a couple of the people at Ignite
10:46 actually asked to be baptised.
10:48 So there was a service just before last Christmas
10:52 at which two of the volunteers were baptised.
10:55 Those two volunteers, we've also been able to get some funding,
11:00 and they're now being trained as peer support workers,
11:03 volunteer peer support workers.
11:05 So they're going to be supporting those who are coming through Ignite
11:08 who are homeless or sleeping rough,
11:10 and enabling them to liaise with other agencies
11:14 to get things hopefully back on track
11:16 and also to become part of our community.
11:19 Seeing people grow in that way is absolutely wonderful.
11:23 - So you'd definitely recommend this?
11:25 - I would, yes, wholeheartedly.
11:27 And, you know, it doesn't have to happen on a Sunday.
11:30 This is a Thursday thing for us.
11:32 But, you know, do it any day of the week, why not?
11:35 - Fantastic. Well, thank you, Tina.
11:37 That's all the time we have for this first half of Kent Faithspace.
11:41 But don't go anywhere.
11:43 After the break, we'll be joined by Safiya Zastat
11:46 from Medway's Nasir Mosque
11:48 to discuss practices and modernisations of mosques.
11:52 We'll be right back after this break.
11:54 (upbeat music)
12:07 Hello and welcome back to Kent Faithspace.
12:10 In this half, we'll be looking at the evolution of religious practices
12:14 and how some are changing their approach to practices in the modern age.
12:19 Let's take a look at a church service in Winstable
12:23 that is trying to debunk some of the stereotypes
12:26 attached to Sunday services.
12:29 Runway is an informal evening service
12:31 and it offers young adults an alternative way of worshipping,
12:35 like heading to the pub for a drink after.
12:38 While some stick to religious traditions,
12:41 others are bringing in a modern twist,
12:44 as Mahima Abedin has been finding out.
12:47 - When you think of a church service,
12:49 you think of buildings, pews and long readings might come to mind.
12:53 But this service in Winstable is doing something different.
12:56 The runway service, part of St Alfred's Church,
12:59 is a worshipping community that started back in June.
13:02 Often, a church service is held in the morning,
13:05 but this one is on a Sunday evening
13:07 and includes contemporary worship songs, snacks, short talks and discussions.
13:12 - Churches that are kind of more traditional,
13:15 we've got these older buildings and pews and, you know,
13:19 they sing hymns and they've got choirs.
13:22 Actually, there's a real beauty in some of that stuff, actually.
13:26 They are amazing environments.
13:28 And for some people, like, that is great and that resonates with them,
13:32 but the reality is, like, it's not going to be a start of church for everybody.
13:37 We're really keen here at Runway to, yeah,
13:40 kind of maybe dispel some of those kind of myths
13:43 and get rid of some of those barriers.
13:45 So we wanted Runway to be a place where people could come, rest,
13:49 kind of find some peace, but also be refuelled
13:53 in order to then rise and sort of head off into our week
13:57 kind of empowered by the Holy Spirit.
13:59 - This church service today is aimed at people between the ages of 18 to 40.
14:04 Runway hosts these services once every month on a Sunday
14:08 and looks to bring people closer to God
14:10 through a more informal, relaxed way of worshipping.
14:13 Although the congregation only meets once a month,
14:16 they connect online every Wednesday evening.
14:19 Church is quite boring, especially for young people.
14:23 This is focused on young people
14:26 and it's nice to have a community of young people with the same mind,
14:30 the same ambitions and the same faith.
14:34 It's like a refresh for me.
14:36 At the end of a busy, long week, this is something that resets me,
14:40 puts me back into an equilibrium point
14:43 where my brain is ready for the new week.
14:45 - While Joel has been attending these services for two months,
14:48 others have been there from the very beginning.
14:51 Emma gives up her Sunday evening to volunteer and help run the service.
14:55 - I love it. I see old friends and get to know new friends.
14:59 It brings me closer to God and it just brings me...
15:04 It's probably very cheesy, but it just brings me a lot of joy and a lot of peace.
15:09 - While the runway service adapts and finds new ways to share its religion,
15:13 some traditions seem to never change.
15:16 Mahima Abedin for KMTV in Whitstable.
15:19 - And now joining me in the studio to discuss
15:22 how practices are evolving in other religions
15:25 is Safiyyah Zastat from Medway's Nasir Mosque.
15:29 Good to have you on the programme, Safiyyah.
15:32 - Thank you.
15:33 - As we've just seen, younger people are approaching religion
15:36 from all sorts of new directions.
15:39 Is this being reflected in the mosques?
15:42 - Yeah, I think certainly I can speak from my own experience
15:46 in the Ahmadiyya Muslim community that I belong to,
15:49 puts a lot of effort and resources into making sure that the youth enjoy
15:55 their part of their religion, understands it,
15:58 and also how it can help and benefit them in their life
16:01 because youngsters, of course, they like to see something that would benefit them.
16:07 And in the mosque, apart from the prayers,
16:10 what we try to do is we try to have discussion forums,
16:15 engagements, question-answers where young people can ask questions,
16:19 they can talk about issues they are facing,
16:22 talk about tough questions that they need answers to,
16:24 and they get that inspiration through their religion,
16:27 which is then given to them through the teachings and the trainings.
16:32 And it starts very young, and I think this is a very important point
16:36 because when you start young, with young children, they attend classes,
16:42 they're able to be part of that environment.
16:45 Parents have to be a good example, I think,
16:47 to bring them and keep them also attached to their religion,
16:50 their spiritual side of things.
16:52 And once that connection has been made from a young age,
16:55 I think it's easier for youth to remain connected to their communities,
17:00 to their faith, to their mosques, churches, whatever.
17:03 And that's what we're seeing.
17:05 Have you seen the practices evolve over the years?
17:09 Yeah, absolutely. I think you have to evolve with the time as well.
17:14 So, for example, with the age of social media,
17:16 a lot of things you can approach
17:21 and give exposure to the young people through social media.
17:24 So making videos, short videos where you explain, for example,
17:28 the teachings of Islam, certain questions,
17:31 how to combat extremism, how to be connected to your faith, how to pray.
17:38 Things like simple steps can be delivered in short videos,
17:41 which obviously is very, you know, amongst the youth.
17:46 And just very quickly, what do you personally get out of this?
17:50 Personally, I would say just satisfaction
17:53 that you are able to connect other people to God.
17:56 And I think that's the whole purpose for a Muslim.
17:59 That's the purpose that you establish a strong relationship with God.
18:03 And people have their own ways to establish.
18:05 People are on their own journey, so you have to give people time.
18:08 But if you can guide them, if you can help them in any way,
18:11 that is, I think, a satisfaction and achievement for a person.
18:15 Brilliant. Well, now, earlier in the programme,
18:18 we heard what comes to people's mind when they think of church.
18:22 But what comes to their minds when they think of mosques?
18:26 Let's take a look.
18:27 Mosque. I think of, like, another big building with a dome
18:31 and then with the mats that people pray on.
18:34 OK. That's what I think of when it comes to it.
18:37 I felt like it was a more inclusive sort of space
18:40 because, well, especially the people I grew up...
18:44 Not... Like, the people I went to school with that went to mosques and stuff,
18:48 like, when they were talking about it,
18:51 it felt like everyone that practised Islam was, like, accepted there.
19:00 Mosque. I think of Muslim or culture.
19:06 Not for me, no. But I know it's a religious place for Muslims.
19:11 I mean, yeah, not Christianity, Islam, but...
19:14 I mean, I'm not that educated on just what the practices would be in a mosque.
19:22 So I guess, like, Christianity, at least I kind of see, you know,
19:27 baptisms, that sort of thing.
19:29 A mosque, I don't...
19:31 I guess I'm curious about what the traditions are,
19:36 because I just don't really know.
19:38 Because there are mosques in London.
19:40 I'm Canterbury. There's none here yet.
19:44 So, yeah, think of London.
19:46 When I hear the word "mosque", I think of...
19:49 I think Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
19:53 It's a mosque that is kind of at the centre of a lot of tension
19:59 in Israel and Palestine,
20:01 and has seen a lot of very aggressive actions
20:06 from extreme political sides.
20:10 And because of that, it is something that's very dear to my heart.
20:13 It's something I care about a lot,
20:15 and so that's why I would say the first mosque, I think, was Al-Aqsa.
20:19 Now, we've just heard a range of thoughts and reflections
20:23 from members of the public.
20:25 Are there any that surprised you in what you just watched?
20:28 Yeah, maybe the fact that people sometimes don't know
20:31 that there is a mosque in their area.
20:34 And perhaps also this, that people don't realise
20:37 that they can go to a mosque and they will be welcomed there.
20:40 Certainly, speaking for my own community,
20:42 the mosques that we have here in Gillingham,
20:44 not far from the studios, we try to do that.
20:48 We try to encourage people to come and visit us,
20:51 have a cup of coffee.
20:52 Sometimes we arrange dinners as well,
20:54 especially during the month of Ramadan, to come, see the mosque.
20:57 We'll show you around, and if you have any questions, ask us.
21:00 We'll love to talk to you, because I think in this environment,
21:03 where we are facing challenges,
21:05 I think it's really important to reach out and talk about issues,
21:08 because people also have misconceptions,
21:11 things that they have heard from media,
21:13 and things that they need to clarify.
21:18 I think this is an opportunity for them to do.
21:20 How did you feel?
21:21 Because there were a range, in the video we just saw,
21:24 a range of perspectives.
21:25 But how did you feel watching those?
21:28 I think, generally, it's nice and positive,
21:32 because I think people are honest, and I think that's a good start.
21:36 I think we just need to take a little bit of a braver step
21:40 to reach out to people.
21:42 Obviously, if you can't go to a mosque,
21:43 you might have a Muslim colleague, Muslim friend.
21:45 You can ask about, talk about faith,
21:47 and that's how we learn from each other.
21:50 And the misconceptions, of course.
21:52 Do you feel that that's one of the most important things when it comes to mosques?
21:55 Oh, very important.
21:56 Yeah, absolutely.
21:57 Because we get a lot of people coming to the mosque,
21:59 and sometimes they would say, "Oh, we're so happy that we were able to come in and enjoy."
22:05 We didn't even know that we were allowed to come inside the mosque.
22:08 So that, plus other questions, that what's going on in the world,
22:13 and then we're able to tell them that, "Look, Islam is a peaceful religion.
22:16 It teaches peace."
22:18 And then they realise that we have so many things in common.
22:21 And a potentially sort of challenging question, in a way,
22:25 about people who are not religious or don't identify as religious,
22:29 can they still be part of the mosque's community?
22:32 Absolutely.
22:33 Absolutely, we welcome everybody,
22:35 whether they are from any other religion or from no religion.
22:39 People can come, people can have a good time.
22:42 We'll show them the mosque.
22:43 If they want to pray with us, they can pray with us.
22:45 If they just want to observe, many people just observe.
22:47 So I think when our mosque was inaugurated,
22:51 the purpose of this mosque was to - the name is Nasir Mosque.
22:56 Nasir in Arabic means helper.
22:57 So mosque is not just a place of worship, but we have coffee mornings,
23:01 we have interfaith events, we have charity events.
23:05 So it's a community centre that's supposed to bring people together.
23:10 And it's not just for Muslims, it's for the whole community.
23:13 So we try to help and contribute in the local society,
23:16 which I think is important.
23:18 Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for this month on Kent Faithspace.
23:24 A big thank you to Tina Twelves from Ashford's Ignite,
23:27 and of course to Sofiya Zastat from Medway's Nasir Mosque
23:31 for joining us and being such brilliant guests.
23:35 We hope you've enjoyed joining us this month and come back again.
23:39 But until then, that's all from us. Goodbye.
23:41 [Music]