We have launched an innovative Sunday afternoon service here at SMC, once a month, called Click! faith through photos. Participants contribute up to two photos on a given theme each month and, when they are projected, use their pictures to say something about faith or the way they see the world. We’ve been fascinated by the sheer variety of images and depth of people’s reflection.
The format is simple:
- A month ahead, we agree a theme and provide some prompts for the next Click! service. For instance, in January, this was our theme:
‘Wintering’ (linked text Acts 27:12 – St Paul seeks a safe port to escape from the ravages of winter storms to hole up and be safe until Spring returns). People were invited to capture their images of safety, security and cosiness.
- We start the service by individually sharing our reflections on each of our pictures, without any comments at this stage from anyone else. Here is an example from a recent Click! service which took the theme, ‘All things New’ and included this picture of the Elizabeth Line:
Elizabeth Line
And here is another example from a Click! service on the theme of ‘The Journey’, which included this image of a ruined Albanian church:
- We then project a Collage of all the pictures and invite people to share anything they have newly appreciated about the theme, thanks to someone else’s photos or because they have discovered new depths in their own pictures as they talked about them. Here’s an example of a Click! Collage on the theme of ‘Wintering’ –
- Next, there is an opportunity to thank God, either out aloud or silently in our hearts, for any new insights or fresh sense of God’s presence from the pictures we’ve shared.
- Finally, we show a brief prayer on the screen to say together and then introduce the theme for the following month.
We never make comments about the technical merits or demerits of a photo – people can go to a photo club for that. It’s the quality of reflection on the pictures that matters, not technical perfection! And as people relax into the group they tend to share at ever greater depth.
Our themes so far have included: Living Water; Trees; Beautiful Brokenness; Silent Night; Wintering; Signs of the Times; Sabbath; The Journey; Holy Ground; Unity; Favourite Hymn; All Things New; Treasure in Clay Jars; The Width, Length, Height and Depth of Christ’s Love; & Light of the World.
Everyone is welcome – you don’t need to be an expert photographer or own a posh camera, a smartphone would do nicely!
If you’d like to get a taste of what the group is like, you’d be most welcome at the next meeting – on the second Sunday in each month, at 4pm, in Room 1. No need to bring your photos the first time, just yourself!