Sometimes craftivism is aimed at big organisations, sometimes it's a tiny encouragement. Have you ever thought "bigger is better" or "I wish I had more..."? Keeping up with the Joneses is the same idea... If only we were more like the folk down the street.
And comparing ourselves, our community or our church to others can be really damaging. If we believe (and I mean really believe) that everyone is unique, then the same goes for the communities we are part of. You wouldn't use a screwdriver to hammer a nail into the wall (well once I did try, but it didn't end well!) they're, well... Different.
You wouldn't stick a tangerine in your ice cold drink, or peel a lime and pop it's segments in your mouth as part of your 5 a day... Would you? (Seriously, let me know!) But too often when things are similar we want to categorise them together and make them the same. Well it's just a small orange... But it isn't! They are related, but both are fully ripe and ready at the size they are. They also need different things for eating. You can pop a satsuma in your bag and trust it's likely to be an easy peel and a relatively mess free citrus snack. Try that with a juicing or marmalade orange and you're likely to end up cross, soggy and potentially with a sore eye where the juice got you.
For me it's the same with churches. So many small communities are expected to be like big ones, run their own building, show up for a Sunday service with an organist and preacher, keep complex accounts and charity rules, have 17 committees and run a full youth, children's and families programme... All with 12 members.
And that can lead to exhausted folk, and a sense of failure.
But small is not failed big, and it also shouldn't be expected to be the same flavour!
A group of 4 folk meeting for coffee in a cafe, chatting about their Bible reading that week and their grandkids, before heading out to litterpickthe local park... It's church.
6 people meeting in a home to pray together on a Monday night, then praying for one another each day... it's church.
A WhatsApp group of secondary school staff. Set up for Bible study, where friendships grow and prayer needs and stories of God at work are shared- you've guessed it,church.
Teens and Tweens on the way home from school, queuing up to reflect and chat, share their thanks and thinking, prayers and ponderings, a space noisy with talk and laughter, always moving, grabbing hot chocolate and and friendly word, also definitely church.
Jesus is pretty clear "when 2 or 3 are together, in my name, I am there with them" nothing about dedicated buildings, singing, or structure, community centred around Jesus, large or small, that's what matters, that's where faith is grown, God's Kingdom dreamed of, and God's love shown.