Going Back
Recently I took a quiet day and followed up a thought I had over a year ago, after a particularly vivid dream. I normally go up to London for one quiet day per year; this time I went to East Finchley, where I grew up, for a day of wandering and reflecting with God. It’s fourteen years since I lived nearby, and sixteen since my parents died. As you might expect with a city, much has changed, but some things are the same.
Getting the tube was a similar experience to always, only 25 minutes from Waterloo, the same as going to Woking. East Finchley is a fairly nondescript bit of north London suburbia, but there’s more of a buzz these days – it’s definitely gone up in the world a bit. It has a wholefood shop, at least eight cafes (up from one or two back in the day) and lots of nice-looking places to eat. I had a nice coffee in a trendy café (which used to be an antique shop) just a few doors down from the house I grew up in. According to the estate agents’ windows, a two-bedroom terraced house will set you back around £575,000; a four-bedroom family home something like £1.4 million and a six-bedroom semi £2.8 million! It’s no wonder people move out of London to get more for your money in the home counties.
I wandered round the High Street, took a detour to pass my parents’ last house and ended up in Cherry Tree Woods, home of much childhood dog walking. As a toddler I used to make people stay for ages to see the tube trains coming out of the tunnel here. (Something my sister still thanks me for.) It now has a nice little café, where I sat outside, did some reading and watched the world go by. I noticed again something that I observed in central London soon after the last lockdown: a stronger sense of community. Locally, Londoners seem to be more willing to talk to each other. There seem to be more notices about community groups and things to do. In lockdown we saw the local neighbourhood become more important; it seems that this is true in our cities too.
Having spent the best part of 35 years in London, it still feels like home. I love the fast pace of living, the diversity and the sense that anything goes. The built environment changes quickly – there are lots of new buildings and shops. Having chosen to live in Surrey, I appreciate the clean air, the open spaces, the high quality public services and the comparative safety. I always appreciate Woking as a lovely place to live; I won’t be moving back to the big smoke anytime soon.
As a church we are aiming to become more diverse and reflect our local community better. This autumn Tuesday Bethany Babes, our parent and toddler group, has a large proportion of parents from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Conversations often turn to God-related things – this week we talked about the wedding we’ve just had in church, and last weekend’s baptism. We compare notes on our children; leaders remembering what ours were like when they were little, and encouraging parents who are struggling with the many challenges that raising toddlers involves.
It was a strange, familiar and warm feeling to go back to where I came from, even though I wouldn’t choose to live there now. As we see changes in our church family and the way we do things, much stays the same – the warmth and kindness of the community here, our openness to different kinds of people and our hospitality. Wherever you are on your journey with God, we hope to help you to take the next step; that’s something which definitely won’t change.
