From attending to Belonging to Contributing: as simple as ABC?

Over the past year over 1,300 people, who weren’t previously members of any church, joined the worshipping communities that make up the Church of England in Leicester and Leicestershire. This is great news, but it also presents a challenge.

Many of those that are new haven’t grown up with the Christian story, language, symbols or being part of any church, in any way. Added to which the experience of many is that often church communities, with their strong sense of fellowship, can be difficult places to join in their own right. How then might we help those who are new to church to become fully a part of our worshipping communities, able to contribute their gifts and grow deeper as disciples of Jesus?

We are delighted to welcome Bob Jackson to help us think further about this. Bob is the best selling author of Hope for the Church and The Road to Growth, co-author of major new welcome course, Everybody Welcome, experienced parish priest, and former Archdeacon of Walsall & Growth Officer for the Diocese of Lichfield. Whether you are a church leader, member of a church council, Churchwarden, Sidesperson, part of a welcome team, Mission Partnership Convenor, Mission Action Group member, Area Dean, archdeacon mission committee member or just interested in the topic, you are most welcome to join Bob for this special one-off gathering organised under the banner of Shaped by God: the diocesan vision for mission.

As the topic is so important, the session will run twice. Once in a slightly extended format in the morning and once in the evening on the same day:
Wednesday 13th October 2010

Extended morning session
Time: 9:30am-1:00pm (with coffee and pastries from 9:15am)
Location: St Paul’s Church, Hamble Road, Oadby, Leicester
Free parking in St. Paul’s car park

Repeated evening session
Time: 7:30-9:30pm (with coffee and pastries from 7:15pm)
Location: Emmanuel Church, Forest Road, Loughborough
Free parking in Emmanuel’s two car parks

Both sessions are free to attend, but, with demand expected to be high and limited places, book soon to avoid disappointment!).
Bookings to Carol (carol.gibbons@leccofe.org or 0116 248 7411).
For more information contact Mission Enabler, Barry Hill, barry.hill@leccofe.org or 0116 248 7435.

New Prayer Course

Jonathan Walker, a Reader in the Church of England has written a new course on prayer called Prayer Eleven for Seekers. The course is aimed at teaching individuals (or perhaps small groups) about prayer, and they can download the course for free from his website www.prayereleven.org

If you think your congregation or others might be interested in this please could you put a notice in your church notice sheet (see website) or forward them a link to this post.

Advent Video Calendar

For a free automatic Advent Video Calendar Go to www.damaris.org/advent to get Philip Yancey, Krish Kandiah, Anna Robbins, Andrew White and many others on your website through Advent.

Churches and Faith Buildings: Realising the Potential

The paper has been produced by a working group comprising officials from Her Majesty’s Treasury, Communities and Local Government, Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Defra in conjunction with representatives of the Church of England. The paper should help dioceses and similar structures in other denominations and faiths to have a better understanding of how to access resources that will enable them to engage directly at a strategic level with the local and regional structures within which funding priorities and decisions are made. In turn, these structures and funders will be better equipped to understand the important role of the C of E and faith groups in delivering public services.

A hard copy can be obtained from rebecca.payne@c-of-e.org.uk
or read the full report on:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/cathandchurchbuild/realising.doc

Rural Ministry Courses

The next Rural Ministry Course run by the Arthur Rank Centre is 3 - 5 November 2009.
More information on weblink:
www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/training/rural_ministry_training_courses/index.html

Contact email: admin@arthurrankcentre.org.uk or tel: 024 7685 3060 for more information.

Support Just Fairtrade Shop

About Just
Since 2000 the shop has been at 10 Bishop Street, Town Hall Square, Leicester city centre.
It’s open 10.00am to 5pm Monday to Saturday

In 2000 Just became a Workers Cooperative Company limited by shares and member of BAFTS, The British Association for Fair Trade Shops, as a social enterprise.

Just aims

• To get people excited by fair trade and the real difference it makes to poor communities all over the world so that they join us in making a difference.

• To sell the best range of fair trade in the Midlands, making enough profit so we can grow and do exciting things that benefit our producers in the developing world.

• To value the people of the Just community so they feel actively involved, encouraged and supported to play their full part in the work of Just.

What Just Does

• The Just shop offers customers the largest range of fair trade products in the Midlands. Just have a sale or return service for parties and events, a City Centre business delivery service for tea and coffee sales and exclusive Fair trade evenings.

• Working with LaFT, Leicester Advocating Fair Trade Just organise fun and informative events promoting fair trade to varied audiences across Leicestershire. The highlight of the year being Just’s annual fair trade fashion show each spring.

• Just provide fair trade education and training activities in a variety of settings including schools, businesses and voluntary organisations.

Conference on Rural Evangelism

Conference on Rural Evangelism – Wednesday 3^rd June, Selly Oak

at the International Mission Centre
.

Evangelism in rural areas is not an easy task, though both history and contemporary experience prove that, with a little careful understanding, appropriate and effective ways of sharing the gospel can be found. A day conference on June 3^rd at Selly Oak, Birmingham will be exploring what works and why. It has been organised by the Rural Evangelism Network. This is an open event but it is important to book in advance.

The Network is a national and ecumenical forum of practitioners, teachers and others drawn from the Churches and specialist mission organisations. In addition to exploring general principles there will be focus groups on various segments of the rural population such as farmers, men, and children. Other focus groups will explore fresh expressions of church in rural areas and even church planting. The programme runs from 10.00 to 4.00 and costs £25 (including lunch). There is a limited amount of overnight accommodation available on the 2^nd June for an extra £20. The venue is the International Mission Centre in Weoley Park Road, Selly Oak. Further enquiries can be made to the Rev’d Barry Osborne at 4, Clarence Street, Market Harborough, on 01858-414 930 or email ren@ruralmissions.org.uk

Or visit website: http://www.ruralmissions.org.uk

BBC LAUNCHES 'FAITH DIARY' WITH A POLL

The BBC launched its online Faith Diary on February 24th with a poll suggesting that "people don't want a secularist wipeout of religion in Britain." An extract from the findings reads: 'Almost two-thirds of those questioned said the law "should respect and be influenced by UK religious values", and a similar proportion agreed that "religion has an important role to play in public life". A significantly greater proportion of the Muslims and Hindus polled (albeit in relatively small numbers) supported a strong role in public life for the UK's essentially Christian traditional religious values. The findings illustrate the growing alliance between people of different faith groups against the rolling back of religion in general in the public arena.'

See the poll at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7783563.stm

'THE SHACK' - BOOK REVIEW

Ben Witherington has a good review of ‘The Shack'

DAMARIS: LENT & EASTER RESOURCES

A full Lent Course based on our DVD Talking About... Jesus.

Videos for each day through Holy Week - FREE for you to republish on your church website and also available for free download for any subscriber to www.toolsfortalks.com - videos will include contributions from Rob Parsons (Care for the Family), Norman Kember (Iraq hostage), Robin Oake (author of Father Forgive), Jennifer Rees Larcombe (author and speaker), Greg Haslam (Westminster Chapel), Rachel Gardner (Romance Academy).   An Easter Special edition of www.deovox.com to help guide your devotional Bible Study at Easter.

For more details on all of these see www.sourcetalk.tv/lent

SUPPORTING CHRISTIANS IN EDUCATION

Useful resource for engaging with schools – and with Education Sunday coming up in January has some good ideas for involvement.Author: Trevor Cooling with Mark Greene (LICC , September 2008)
The blurb reads:
Supporting Christians in Education is a practical tool for Church Leaders and Youthworkers to help them to envision and resource teachers, pupils, parents and governors. No other single context involves so many of us, and this highly readable but insightful book lays out a compelling vision for Christian involvement and mission in education.
The book:
• Explains the values driving education today, summarises the pressures teachers face, and explores the curriculum from a Christian perspective.
• Explores the opportunities that today’s religious diversity provides.
• Includes a large number of down-to-earth ideas on how church leaders and their communities can practically support teachers, pupils and parents.

THERE PROBABLY IS, YOU KNOW

In response to the Atheist Bus Campaign, Rev Evan Cockshaw who is a Pioneer Minister in West Brom (Lichfield Diocese) and part of the Diocesan Evangelism and Outreach Team has developed a website www.thereprobablyis.com

 

What he needs now is testimonies! He says, "The idea I had for this website was to simply provide the testimony of 100 or more Christians from all walks of life talking about why they believe in God. Not from an academic point of view so much as just honest testimony about experiences in life they've had which causes them to continue to believe in God to this day despite being intelligent and sensible people. So can we please be promoting this and asking for contributions from people finishing off the sentence "I believe in God because ..." in no more than 500 words. There is a form people can fill in on the website which will submit the contributions automatically."

 

He is also intending to produce a design for some postcards for churches to buy and hand out to people as the campaign hits their area.

Free Advent Resources

Damaris have made 24 short videos on an Advent theme (one for each day of Advent) and have decided to give them to you FREE. (Grateful thanks to WesleyOwen who have provided some funding for this, and will be publishing each video day-by-day on their website through Advent.)

You can preview some at www.damaris.org/advent where you will also see how anyone can freely view them and republish them online - this is ideal for personal blogs and church websites during advent any subscriber to www.toolsfortalks.com can freely download high resolution versions to show in meetings or events

And it doesn't stop there! We have also created an Advent Service resource pack which contains exciting all-age friendly activities for advent services - built around our downloadable advent videos. This resource pack and associated powerpoints is totally free for anyone to download - at www.damaris.org/advent

Recommended Reading

These books now available from Christian Resources:

SOUL PURPOSE by J. John at £8.99 aims to lead the reader from a prayer of commitment into the heart of Christian life. “He offers clarity to the journey of transformation which all of us are on. In his own unique style he tackles: How the Bible is relevant to the 21st century; Why and how we pray; Why Christians face difficulties and how to cope with them; and Going to church and loving it”.

BREAKOUT £8.99….”an amazing story of growth through mission-shaped communities. Written by Mark Stibbe and Andrew Williams we have here a proof that it is possible to move from being drawn to one place to ‘going out’, not individually but as a church fellowship. BREAKOUT is the story of one church’s move from a ‘come to us’ to a ‘we go to them’ model of mission”.

Contact: Peter Hebden, Christian Resources. 10 Bishop Street. Leicester,
LE1 6AF T: 0116 285 4499 E: enquiries@christianresourcesleicester.com

GROWING WOMEN LEADERS: nurturing women’s leaders in the Church

Revd Rosie Ward, Leadership Development Adviser at CPAS (The Church Pastoral Aid Society based in Warwick) has written a highly acclaimed new book ‘Growing Women Leaders: nurturing women’s leaders in the Church’. (Published Sep08, £8.99).

Christina Reece of the Archbishop’s Council says of Rosie’s book “An impressive summary of biblical and historical information and an insightful analysis of the issues surrounding women and leadership. Every church leader – and aspiring leader – should read this book.’

Visit the CPAS Women In Leadership blog HERE.

Two new mission booklets from ReSource

From ReSource: We are finding increasingly that we are being invited to provide support and training for mission. To help meet this need we have just published two new ReSource booklets by Roger Morgan. Roger has for years been involved in mission and evangelism, working amongst university students, for a time with Daniel Cozens and Through Faith Missions, and latterly in his own parishes of St Columba’s Corby and then Holy Trinity Leicester. Roger has now joined the ReSource team as a strategist and specialist missioner.

The first booklet, Stay Evangelism, is written to encourage ordinary Christians to develop a transparent and friendly lifestyle which makes it possible to share their faith unthreateningly and in a servant-hearted way with others. The second, Decision, is for those who are thinking of making a step of commitment, and is ideal for use with Alpha or in the context of parish missions and outreach events.

Stay Evangelism costs £3; Decision is £2 or £10 for a pack of 10. Both are available through www.resource-arm.net.

Faith In Action - the church has left the building

Over in Portsmouth diocese Tim Jessiman is trialling the US programme "Faith in action" www.putyourfaithinaction.org

Tim writes:
I contacted Faith In Action after finding them on the web with a view to purchasing one of their Campaign Kits. This is sometimes also known as "Don't go to church Sunday". They very kindly gifted me a Kit. (Normally $50)
Faith in Action is a 4-week, church-wide campaign that creates in your congregation an outward focus and a heart to serve. Faith in Action culminates in a Sunday when regular services are cancellaed and the entire congregation engages in service projects in, and with, the community.

Faith in action is ...
. 28 Daily Devotionals
. 4 weeks of small groups
. 4 sermons/services
. 1 Cancelled worship service replaced by a day of community service, ending with an evening celebration

Transform your congretation, Reach your community, Help you church touch the world.
Well worth a look.

More info from Tim at tim.jessiman@ntlworld.com

The Welland Transport & Accessibility (WTAG) Grant

*Of interest to Parishes in Melton and Harborough*
Further to a meeting between our Director of Parish Funding & Fundraising, Andrew Nutter and a representative from WTAG, we have just been informed that there is grant money available - and Parishes in the Boroughs of Melton & Harborough are eligible. The money WTAG has originates from East Midlands Development Agency (emda)
and is available up to next March, so applicants do still have some time.
Please go to the following link to read more:-
http://www.leicester.anglican.org/diocesan-info/subsite/stewardship-and-fundraising.aspx
and check the relevant “Word” documents :- Information Pack, Guidance Notes and Application Form.

Church Tourism Funding

Is your church on the tourist trail? Funding is currently available.
Might your church be able to benefit from church tourism and associated funding.
Go to the following links to see if you could apply for the current funding:-
CLICK HERE
and for LeicesterShire Promotions recent presentation on church tourism:-
CLICK HERE
Cartoon from www.cartoonchurch.com

Back To Church Sunday Training Opportunities

A session providing further resources for Back to Church Sunday including top tips for welcoming newcomers, engagement with newcomers on the day and what sort of follow-up to offer.
Training Courses would be held on Tuesday, 8 July 2008, 10am – 12noon at Church House and Tuesday, 9 September 2008, 7.30pm – 9.30pm at Christ the King, Beaumont Leys.