What ACW means to me by Lucy Rycroft

After two and a half years, this is my last post for More than Writers. I've really enjoyed the challenge of coming up with monthly reflections on writing and faith, often sharing my own lessons, experiences and setbacks.

Back in March, I felt a strong call to focus on my blog (The Hope-Filled Family) full-time. Two weeks later, schools closed, lockdown began, and suddenly I was focusing on my children full-time, with precious little left over for the blog. God has been gracious and given me pieces of time, here and there, to make progress on it - but there is still a lot of work to be done, and when my kids return to school in September, I'm hoping to be able to knuckle down and really shape the blog into what I feel it needs to be.

With a growing blog comes a growing list of non-writing tasks to be done. Last week, I felt God reaffirm my call: "Just blog!" was what I sensed Him say - and I could almost hear the infuriated tone of a parent whose child is easily distracted. It's true that there are various administrative tasks I cannot shirk, if I'm to pursue this calling to be a full-time blogger - but, likewise, there are other things which are optional and which I need to lay aside for this season. Sadly, writing for More than Writers is one of them.

For this, my last post, I wanted to back out of specific writing/blogging/publishing topics, and share more generally about what the Association of Christian Writers (ACW) means to me. I will still continue to be an active member, of course, and look forward to learning from others as well as sharing from my own journey. But this final post as a More than Writers contributor seems as good a time as any to put my feelings in writing. 

So here goes: what ACW means to me.

Diversity

Theologically, ACW is incredibly diverse. Its members come from all conceivable churchmanships - Anglo-Catholic to Baptist, Pentecostal to Methodist, and everything in between (and, indeed, outside). 

In our 21st-century Western culture, we have a huge variety of churches to choose from when looking for a place to worship and belong. But for this reason, it has become important to me that I have a forum where I can regularly converse with others of different spiritual leanings. In fact, I think every Christian should belong to a para-church organisation like ACW! We learn so much from each other, breaking down barriers and preconceptions, and learning to love each other as Jesus loved us.

Just yesterday, an interesting thread about Young Earth creationism was kicked off on the Facebook group by Ruth Leigh. Reading the comments was an absolute delight: a range of opinions, expressed with humility, tenderness and respect. A discussion which might have become heated, was instead a beautiful witness to the diversity of God's people, and the complexity of a creation we won't fully understand until we meet the One who created it.

Sensitivity

Perhaps it's because we are creatives, but I've found ACW members to be extraordinarily sensitive, kind and open souls. However fixed or not people are in their particular theology, there is a genuine desire to listen to others and see the good in their experience, even when it doesn't match our own, like in the example shared above.

My first time at a local group meeting, at the start of 2019, was a special experience in this regard. I knew nobody in the room, and they were all quite a bit older than me - yet they welcomed me in, encouraged me and listened to me. There was a wonderful spirit of sensitivity towards each other and the diverse writing gifts we brought to the table.

Empathy

ACW is the kind of place where you can share pretty much ANY hardship, challenge or setback, and know that you will be greeted with compassion, listening ears, and people who can encourage you because they themselves have 'been there, worn the T-shirt'. The breadth of experience of its members really does mean that the likelihood of someone else having been in your shoes is pretty high.

Encouragement

Whether you are just starting out on your first, tentative writing for public viewing - or whether you're a multi-published author, ACW is the most encouraging group to be part of! The Facebook group is where I get my week-by-week, regular encouragement, but I also get it from Writers' Days (the Zoom ones recently have been fantastic places for enthusiasm, positivity and encouragement), in my Writers' prayer/accountability triplet (which was set up with ACW members), and the local group.

I'm sure I could go on listing all the very many positives of ACW, but I wouldn't want to make you blush. Suffice to say that as it's my last foray onto the More than Writers blog, this felt like an apt time to share these thoughts. 

And if you're not a member yet, my advice would be: join immediately!

Lucy is the author of Redeeming Advent, Deborah and Jael, and blogs at The Hope-Filled Family, which she is attempting to make a full-time, sustainable ministry - God willing! She lives in York with her church leader husband and four wild children. Writing is her happy place when they are at school. Which, so far this year, is not very much.