Coventry Cathedral, with its thousand year history, is a fascinating setting for the first three days of my course in England on new forms of church. To visit the cathedral today is to see stark reminders of the horrors of World War II and inspiring illustrations of the power of the gospel. The historic cathedral was firebombed by the Germans in 1940, leaving only the outer walls intact. As mourning church members viewed the smoldering remains, they saw that two charred roof beams had fallen near the altar in such a way as to form a cross. The message was unavoidable. Soon after, church leaders hit upon a statement that would both guide the church in their response to the crisis and lead eventually to a worldwide ministry: “Father, forgive.” Not – “Father, forgive them” – but rather, “Father, forgive,” for the church wanted to emphasize that all need God’s forgiveness.

The spirit of reconciliation in Christ, which drove the church’s decision not to nurture hate for the destruction of their building, is now represented by the peacemaking organization, Community of the Cross of Nails, www.crossofnails.org. Coventry’s bishop, sifting through the ruins, had found three medieval nails, which he bound with string to form a cross. The cross of three nails quickly became an enduring symbol of Coventry Cathedral’s witness to God’s work of reconciliation in Christ in every sphere of life.

The church’s extraordinary response to their great loss during the war was evidence of the Holy Spirit’s profound blessing upon the church. God brought about a resurgence of faith and joy in Christ. In the 1960s many American churches met in small groups to read Fire in Coventry, the story of God relighting the fire of faith in the Coventry congregation. The story of God at work in Coventry ignited a longing for the renewal of the Holy Spirit in many of these American churches.

Today the Church of England is struggling with losses far greater than destruction of buildings. Only nine percent of the population attends church even periodically. In response the Church of England has begun a creative venture, Fresh Expressions, to plant hundreds of experimental types of churches. Coventry Cathedral www.coventrycathedral.org.uk has backed that initiative in a highly unusual move, by creating an ordained position, Canon for Mission, staffed by Yvonne Richmond, a visionary leader in the missional church movement and board member of Fresh Expressions. As the church searches for new forms of ministry to connect with a disinterested British population, the Holy Spirit’s fire still burns at Coventry.

 

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