Orama's Vision - Building Community

A Way of being Countercultural in a Post Modern World
By Trust Director, Geoff Stevens

While we at 'Orama find ourselves in quite a different society from that existing at the time of our founding over 35 years ago, our priorities haven't changed. Jesus still calls us to endeavour to bring into manifestation or effect God's Kingdom in our present circumstances and season.

The call is to do this without being drawn into the trap of unthinkingly trying to reactivate or transport from the past something that worked successfully in a previous time and place. The challenge is to give birth to new forms of Community appropriate and relevant to our current culture and its issues. We, with all God's people, are called to be 'societal transformers'. This begins with the restoration and transformation of individuals and their incorporation into God's redeemed community. A viable faith community must continually adapt to a changing culture in order to stay relevant, yet at the same time, remain faithful to God who birthed it rather than to the traditions of its human founders.

The Gospel call is to anticipate God's new society; a call to build corporate and individual lifestyles that help to create and fashion that new society. Thus the building of Christian community with strong communal bonds is a truly counter-cultural action that challenges the prevailing trend of social disengagement, disintegration and relational breakdown. This current loss of 'social capital' (societal and relational breakdown) along with the 'ecological crisis' are 2 of the major issues facing our post-modern civilization. Sociologists agree that the structures of society will not succumb to frontal attack by the church. The church is not called to be a lawgiver, a judge or a prophet of righteousness to the culture. There is a more effective way to transform a culture - the way of example; creating a model of the new society initiated by Christ.

The Kingdom Community is called by it's Master Jesus to be 'The Light of the World. A City set on a hill that cannot be hid.' Mat 5:14 It is to be an example to the world of a people among whom God dwells. But what is it that the world should see as it draws near the household of faith?

Jesus said "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" John 13:35 This is the ultimate evangelizing sign which implies much more that a mere word-sharing fellowship. The world should be able to see a life-sharing fellowship. We are to bear witness - a witness of what Christ is and does when he dwells among his people. God does not mean for the church to cure all the ills or solve all the problems of the world, but rather to let the world know where help and healing can be found.

'Orama's primary aim as a community is to seek to be such a model. To provide a place of restoration and healing into which people can be welcomed and received as valued guests. A community of wellness and health expressed in a balanced rhythm of worship, work, recreation, family and social life. It is my belief that the world needs new people more than renewed structures. The world has all kinds of gifts individuals but the world doesn't know yet how to live together.

Do we as God's people?   Is this a worthwhile goal?