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 Viewpoint from Anna Heydon 13/10/2023
Anna Heydon is a Development Worker for Imagine Norfolk Together in Great Yarmouth, a joint venture between the Diocese of Norwich and the Church Urban Fund, a national organisation set up by the Church of England to combat unmet needs in communities
After 2½ years of roadworks and closures, I am eagerly anticipating the opening of Great Yarmouth’s third river crossing, Herring Bridge. It’s not just the end to the travel disruptions, or even the ease of access across the river, that I’m excited about. Although there are two bridges at the north end of the town, this new bridge is further down, linking the south end of Great Yarmouth to the north end of Gorleston. It feels in some way like a joining of communities; an opportunity for the two sides of the river to become more closely connected and integrated
 Building across society’s divides is also important. It allows us to understand and celebrate the diversity of human life and to discover the things that connect us. Bridges come in many different guises. I can think of some cafes and community meeting places which act as bridges, where people from different backgrounds feel at ease. I’ve also been to common interest groups such as choirs and sports clubs which have felt like bridges, where I have met and collaborated with people I would never have come across in other spheres of my life. These bridges are precious and we need to work to preserve and strengthen them
Tragically, churches can sometimes be seen as sources of division rather than bridges. If this is your experience of church I’m sorry. I pray that you find healing from your pain and know that God calls out to you to come to Him. Division is so far from God’s intention for His church. Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians that in the church “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. Churches are called to be communities where everyone is united by the love and forgiveness we have found in Jesus, which is open to all. The connection between us is the Saviour who spanned the gap between us and God, His cross acting as a bridge across the divide
Whoever you are, whatever you’ve been through, you are made in God’s image, loved by Him and offered forgiveness and new life through Jesus Christ. That means we are connected. Let’s find ways to walk across that bridge
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