The Zimmers

The Zimmers have made a huge impact, not only in the English charts, but on just about every major news programme across the world.

Their youtube site has had more than 2million hits and, on their myspace site, they boast such friends as Lulu, Simon Cowell, Bryan Ferry and Amy Winehouse.

Some of those who took part in the recording at Abbey Road studio hadn’t left their home for a long time. In fact, one woman hadn’t left her home for 3 years until she went to London to make the video.

The show which spawned this video was a documentary on the BBC looking at the isolation of the elderly in Britain. The programme and subsequent record certainly changed that, even if for rehearsals and recording. Rather than using the money to take themselves on holiday (either collectively or individually), or doing up their homes, lifting themselves out of poverty or giving the money to their children or grandchildren, the group of 40 have decided that the money which is made will go to help support those charities working with the elderly.

What has all of this got to do with women in ministry or ministry for that matter?

Well, on seeing their websites, I had to ask myself what the potential is for our church to impact a community in this kind of way. Barring the obscenity at the end, it really does make you think, cause the mind to do flips and to ponder the ways in which ministry is done and the potential to reach out in a way that has such a major impact!