As churches, we remind people of the greatest act

Amid the trapeze straps and sawdust of a traditional English circus, an ecumenical service took place. Nigel Stapleton of Minchinhampton Baptist Church reports

It is Sunday morning, 18 August 2024. BBC Radio Gloucester has just reminded me that the Churches Together in Minchinhampton, Amberley, Box, Avening and Cherington are meeting in Giffords Circus for “Big Top Church” on Minchinhampton Common,  next to the parish church.

As I walk across the common and turn the corner I can see the circus family vehicles, wagons and caravans surrounding the main event tent in their traditional colours of maroon and cream. It is still quiet as I enter the Big Top which is to be the venue for our Churches Together Service. Surrounding the main ring there are tiers of seating; the ring, sawdust on floor, is covered with a large maroon carpet and all around is the scenery from the performance of the night before.

Looking up, the lights shine on the central ring and in the shadows the trapeze straps can be seen hanging loose, and the pulleys and wires for other acts are all stored in place.

From 8.30am onwards there is a trickle of people from the local community and further afield walking across the common to the Big Top, walking past the banners advertising Maggie’s Cancer Charity in Cheltenham, for which we will take a retiring collection at the end of the service. Stewards are handing out order of service sheets or showing the high-tech guests the QR codes that enable them to download the service sheet on their phones.

Meanwhile, inside the tent, the worship band from the Baptist church has connected to the circus’s audio system, tuned their instruments and are playing worship songs and hymns to welcome people to the start of the 9am service.

The Baptist minister, Steve, welcomes about 170-200 people to this combined service. Hymns and songs or worship are sung where the previous night and later this morning the crowds will laugh and clap to clowns and superb acts will entertain a varied audience.

We have been here before, way back to when Nell Gifford, the founding director of Giffords Circus, was alive in 2019 and welcomed us to the Big Top. The service continues with Danny the associate Baptist minister, the Curate Coral and Rector Howard taking part. Natalie, the Priest in Charge of Amberley, Box, Avening and Cherington, speaks about thanksgiving and encourages the congregation to be a group who can express thanksgiving and recognise God’s blessings on each of us in our daily lives.

With a final hymn of praise To God be the Glory and a blessing we move out of the Big Top into the glorious morning sunshine where families are beginning to arrive for the next circus performance, clutching sweets and coffee while eagerly trying to read the programme for the performance. Relatively silently money is dropped into the collection buckets reminding us of the need that Maggie’s meets in providing support for those diagnosed with cancer.

As churches we don’t try to mimic clowns or acts, but we do remind people of the greatest act that has been performed on their behalf, in that our loving Heavenly Father gave his Son the Lord Jesus Christ to die for us and has given his Holy Spirit to guide us through life’s maze.

The short walk across to the parish church sees small groups of people from the different churches chatting on their way for coffee and croissants.

An unusual venue, but when the circus visits, they are part of our community and we theirs.

Whether in villages, small towns, or cities there may be a venue you could use to hold a service. Morning pop-up markets, pubs, shopping malls, garage forecourts or supermarket car parks – people need to know the truth about Christianity and its relevance to individuals and communities, so let us not hold back!
 

Nigel Stapleton is the community liaision at Minchinhampton Baptist Church.

Giffords Circus has shows in Marlborough, Wiltshire (until 2 September); Stratton Meadows, Cirencester (5 - 16 September); and Fennells Farm, Stroud (19 - 29 September)