The Isaiah Community

We are diverse in a lot of ways--in terms of age, ethnicity, class, ability/disability, sexuality, and beliefs (though most of us are Christians of some description).  But we all share a deep longing for a world where the hungry are fed, where the weak are protected, and where power is used for the good of all peoples--for a world that looks like the reign of God. 

Many of us are involved in projects that try to make that vision a reality, and all of us are subject to the demands and stresses of life in a modern city.  We value time and space in the middle of the week to come together to recall who we are, and to hear who God is calling us to be;  we are sustained by prayer and silence, and--most of all--by each other’s presence. 

Our History

The Isaiah Community began in February 2010.  The Sant'Egidio Community, which started in Rome in 1968 and is now worldwide, was our inspiration.  The Community began because St John's, Waterloo identified a desire for an intentional community of people, mainly but not only Christian, committed to working for a juster, fairer society.   A very diverse core quickly developed - old and young, working and not working, business people, artists and people working in the charitable sector - committed Christians and people looking for somewhere quiet to contemplate, reflect and offer and receive support. 

Around 750,000 people go through Waterloo every evening, and so we chose 6pm on Tuesdays for our regular worship to offer a place of contemplation and prayer for commuters, people who live locally and people who come to the South Bank for recreation or work.   

We have good informal links with the Sant'Egidio Community and some of the members of the Isaiah Community are also linked with Iona, Taize and the Jellicoe Trust.  

The speakers' rota is organised by Giles Goddard.  We sometimes invite people from other organisations - for example from Crisis, Christian Aid and the probation service.  Mostly, however, the speakers are also part of the community.  They speak on recent experience - for example, on a summer voluntary placement in Rwanda or a visit to Palestine - or on something close to their heart -  for example,  food justice, meditation, Oscar Romero, or an artwork which has inspired them.  Talks usually last about seven minutes.  If you'd like to speak, please see Giles.

Worship

Our worship is simple and contemplative:  we sing together, have a reading from Isaiah and from one of the gospels, hear a talk (see below), pray for peace and justice, and have an extended period of silence together.  We keep the service short (about half an hour) so that it feels to us easily manageable;  but for many of us it is an important time of spiritual sustenance.  The service is led by different people each week;  you can learn more about how to get involved here.

Talks

The talks given each week help us focus our thoughts and grow as a community.  They are given by people both from within the community and outside;  by laypeople and clergy;  by those both firmly within the Christian tradition and by those who engage with it more tangentially.  The speakers usually share with us something of their own experience, often around the four areas that we are currently focus on (Palestine, Zimbabwe, homelessness, and criminal justice).  You can read the texts of many of our previous talks here. If you would like to give a talk please speak to Giles.

Prayer and Silence

Prayer is our starting point--a time for stillness, for listening together.  We believe that prayer changes us and changes the world;  and that through prayer, we are bound together in love.  Isaiah speaks of a God of great power and tenderness, deeply engaged in the world, who says to each one of us, “I have called you by name, you are mine.”  We pray to open our hearts to the fullness of that call.

Music

We use short, easy-to-learn chants (e.g. from Taize) alongside hymns to enhance the meditative worship, accompanied by a non-auditioning choir. We rehearse at 5.30pm before the service. There is no requirement to read music - please just come along!



Our commitment

The Community is very open, with a light structure.  On any given Tuesday there will be 20-30 of us gathered, but perhaps another 20-30 who are not able to be there.  What makes people a part of our community is simply that they want to be;  that they want to commit to:

-              coming together to pray on Tuesday evenings and, where that is not possible, praying for the community privately;
-              supporting each other as we explore what Godly living looks like in a sometimes anonymous city;
-              encouraging each other to develop hearts that listen to God’s calling for justice and peace;
-              seeking ways to live out our prayers in our lives;
-              making time to still ourselves and reflect, that we may know God more clearly.

Being an exploratory community--where do we go from here?

As a young community we are open and flexible, and constantly looking at where God is calling us to grow.   That may be in finding more focused social justice projects, or in exploring new areas of concern;  in working with other groups;  in different ways of worshiping or a new understanding of how we come together to encourage and support each other.   As new people join us, we are eager to listen to their voices and welcome their contributions to our growing sense of what the Isaiah Community is called to be.