READING MY PATCH Once upon a time I was a housing officer, with responsibility for several housing estates – my ‘patch’. I learned to ‘read’ my patch. I visited the area frequently, listening to and observing the physical, economic and social environments. It was always time well spent as it gave me a sense of what was ‘bubbling up’ underneath, and of the struggles, challenges, hopes and dreams of the community and its people.
I next worked in crime prevention and urban regeneration. This further honed my ability to read a ‘patch’, but I learned to pay attention to the spiritual environment too. Assessing and responding to these environments was vital if my work was to have significant transformational impact.
WHOLE-LIFE PREACHING
This ability to ‘read my patch’ became invaluable when I began preaching. Yes, I exegeted Scripture (through careful reading of the passage, use of commentaries, etc), but I also exegeted the congregation and wider community. This continues to impact my preaching, hopefully helping to avoid the real danger of a yawning chasm developing between my sermons and the daily lives of those I serve. Of course, this sort of preaching is not new. Jesus shaped his parables and stories using culturally
