Another Place
I took today off work and went over to Sefton with Ruth and Jude to see Anthony Gormley's installation 'Another Place'. It was superb. It was low tide so all the figures could be seen and it felt quite erie. 100 figures looking out to sea as if they were waiting for something and yet so static; temporarily permanent in an ever changing landscape.
cAPS lOCK
Anyone else seen the cAPS lOCK trend going on in emerging church of late? I've seen hOME and fEAST this week alone.
OK so that's only two (!) but are there any more I've missed? Or any other trends in naming that we can spot?
OK so that's only two (!) but are there any more I've missed? Or any other trends in naming that we can spot?
Blah...Manchester
Last night's blah...manchester went really well. Andrew Jones led the evening and spoke on Aggregation: the emerging church according to manchester. The event was packed out and people were discussing the issues and seemed to be have their thinking provoked. I'm gonna blog further about the content later, thoughts etc. and have some snaps etc. but no time at the minute, maybe in suburb later. Good to see Andrew and connect with him and hear what he is up to...
hOME sweet hOME...
hOME is "a new expression of church for an emerging culture in Oxford". I'd heard about them from a mate in Oxford but only looked them up after I was purusing the Moot blog today, which has a link from Ian to their site...
They have a nice site and their work looks like an interesting take on a fresh expression. But most of all, and given the internal discussions we're having in Sanctus1 at the mo, I was interested in this - their structure:
http://www.home-online.org/index.php?page_id=navstructure&title=Overview
Fascinating and ambitious! It's the sort of thing that I'd want to know how it's developed in a year or more's time, and how it devolve in the first place... In fact just the sort of Greenbelt discussion I hanker after (getting close now!), since it's rare to get that number of emerging church communities in one place. I presume there'll be a Zoo this year - anyone know if there's any plans?
They have a nice site and their work looks like an interesting take on a fresh expression. But most of all, and given the internal discussions we're having in Sanctus1 at the mo, I was interested in this - their structure:
http://www.home-online.org/index.php?page_id=navstructure&title=Overview
Fascinating and ambitious! It's the sort of thing that I'd want to know how it's developed in a year or more's time, and how it devolve in the first place... In fact just the sort of Greenbelt discussion I hanker after (getting close now!), since it's rare to get that number of emerging church communities in one place. I presume there'll be a Zoo this year - anyone know if there's any plans?
Visions of community
This article (beware, it's a PDF) from SCM's excellent magazine Movement is a good introduction to different types of 21st century Christian communities:
Whether it’s the church, the Body of Christ or the ‘kingdom of God’, or a new network set up outside traditional structures, Christian visions of a better world are always centred on how we relate to one another in community. Deb Curnock explores how Christians are inspired to live and work together, and looks at new ways of building community in a postmodern urban society.
Church to festival
I found this article on the Greenbelt website and thought people might be interested in it - essential asking what is church and where is it going at the moment, which is quite a pertinent question for us. How to move beyond institutionalism..? Because I suppose we look at the church in Acts as a model, but that was when the church was still new - my church history is pretty limited - but they had churches in different places but one church. Now we have lots of churches in each city and it doesn't often feel like one church. How do we have diversity within the global church and still be one church?
http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/index.php?p=452
http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/index.php?p=452
Telling tales...
Dave Robertson, a performance storyteller who's worked with S1 people before, is taking up residence tonight at St Ann's, if you're interested. 7.30pm and £4.
It's as part of St Ann's In The City, their inaugral festival...
See you there?
It's as part of St Ann's In The City, their inaugral festival...
See you there?
Collective
I bloody love this site. The Beeb - if it didn't exist you'd have to invent it...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/
Sanctus1 Service: Useless Beauty
“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” An exploration of beauty and meaning in our lives.
Sunday 24th July: 8 p.m.
Sacred Trinity Church, Chapel Street, Salford.
Fundamentalists rule (but only 31% of the time)
I was a little bit startled by one of these Internet personality test deelys to discover I am 31% fundamentalist.
It's called What Is Your World View and it is here:
http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=23320
My result: I am a 'cultural creative'. I am, apparently, modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion (ha ha ha ha) but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. I am very spiritual, even if I am not religious. "Life has a meaning outside of the rational," it says. I am also Postmodernist and Existentialist.
If you attend Sanctus1 and you don't come out as a cultural creative, you may have extra biscuits next week for not being predictable, heh heh.
(I am... Cultural Creative 75%; Postmodernist 69%; Existentialist 50%; Romanticist 44%; Idealist 44%; Modernist 44%; Fundamentalist 31%. I'm only Materialist 13%. That's a shame. I'd like to cover more than 13% of my body with material, but if the clothes have to come off, then the clothes have to come off... see you next week in my bikini.)
It's called What Is Your World View and it is here:
http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=23320
My result: I am a 'cultural creative'. I am, apparently, modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion (ha ha ha ha) but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. I am very spiritual, even if I am not religious. "Life has a meaning outside of the rational," it says. I am also Postmodernist and Existentialist.
If you attend Sanctus1 and you don't come out as a cultural creative, you may have extra biscuits next week for not being predictable, heh heh.
(I am... Cultural Creative 75%; Postmodernist 69%; Existentialist 50%; Romanticist 44%; Idealist 44%; Modernist 44%; Fundamentalist 31%. I'm only Materialist 13%. That's a shame. I'd like to cover more than 13% of my body with material, but if the clothes have to come off, then the clothes have to come off... see you next week in my bikini.)
St Ann's Festival
I am part of the staff team at St Anns, the city centre parish church. Next week they are having a festival - it looks fantastic.
www.stannsfestival.com
www.stannsfestival.com
It's too hot...
I know that that's a fairly trivial thing to blog about but it doesn't stop it being true. And I felt like moaning about it.
Feel better now. If not cooler.
Feel better now. If not cooler.
Women Bishops
This looks interesting...
Dispatches: Women Bishops.
8:00pm - 9:00pm
Tonight
Channel 4
"Is it Christian for women to be bishops? This July, the ruling synod of the Church of England is due to debate the issue. It is a decision that pits faith against feminism, and tradition against human rights. In this film Christina Odone, feminist, fervent Catholic and journalist, confronts the argument that could tear the Church apart."
Dispatches: Women Bishops.
8:00pm - 9:00pm
Tonight
Channel 4
"Is it Christian for women to be bishops? This July, the ruling synod of the Church of England is due to debate the issue. It is a decision that pits faith against feminism, and tradition against human rights. In this film Christina Odone, feminist, fervent Catholic and journalist, confronts the argument that could tear the Church apart."
Oh those summer nights...
There is something rather pleasant about having a barbecue on a beautiful summer evening, being able to surf the web, send emails and blog via wifi in the garden. Whilst enjoying a glass of chilled white wine and some Razorlight in the background...blizz....summer in Manchester.
Bombs and poverty
I've been pondering how to respond to the bombs of yesterday. Firstly i want to offer my prayers for those killed, injured and traumatized by the events of yesterday. I also want to join with all the other voices in condemning the bombing, a cowardly, malice act that was an insult to Islam.
I also don't want to loose the importance of 'Make Poverty History' and the G8 summit that is happening today. The events of yesterday just increased my sense of urgency about what needs to be done by the G8 leaders and by us: the citizens of those G8 countries. It is tragic that at least 50 people were killed in the bombs, it would be even more tragic if this derailed the G8 as they fight against global poverty.
Please pray for those who suffered yesterday.
Please also pray for the G8 leaders as they work to prevent the suffering of tomorrow.
I also don't want to loose the importance of 'Make Poverty History' and the G8 summit that is happening today. The events of yesterday just increased my sense of urgency about what needs to be done by the G8 leaders and by us: the citizens of those G8 countries. It is tragic that at least 50 people were killed in the bombs, it would be even more tragic if this derailed the G8 as they fight against global poverty.
Please pray for those who suffered yesterday.
Please also pray for the G8 leaders as they work to prevent the suffering of tomorrow.
Today
I spent most of today at work hoping that someone from Sanctus1 would blog or post to the list about the bombs in London but no-one has, and I suppose that could be because no-one knows what to say. I'm going to try to say something but it's difficult to know what.
I feel relieved that no-one I know was hurt, as far as I know. But it's really frightening. Matt (my husband) has gone out to work tonight as a paramedic and I think, what if there's a bomb in Manchester and he gets killed? Is this a one-off response to the G8 or is it the start of a serious terrorism campaign? Today made everyone in my office remember where they were when the bomb went off at the Arndale centre and who they knew who had a lucky escape.
On Radio 4, they talked to some muslims who remembered how they were treated with suspicion after the attacks on the world trade centre and who are frightened of returning to that climate of suspicion. I also wonder what effect this will have on our civil liberties. Is this the price to pay for a free and open society?
For the past couple of years they've said an attack on London was inevitable and no-one really belived them - either naievety or a sense of cynicism at the scaremongering that does go on. And now it's happened and it feels like the world has changed somewhat.
And I remember this morning coming into work with my paper and talking about the olympic bid and mocking slightly the overwhelming joy, and then at lunchtime reading my paper which celebrated that while listening to the reports on the radio about the terror and death in the same city.
So I don't really have anything to say, but I feel better for saying it.
I feel relieved that no-one I know was hurt, as far as I know. But it's really frightening. Matt (my husband) has gone out to work tonight as a paramedic and I think, what if there's a bomb in Manchester and he gets killed? Is this a one-off response to the G8 or is it the start of a serious terrorism campaign? Today made everyone in my office remember where they were when the bomb went off at the Arndale centre and who they knew who had a lucky escape.
On Radio 4, they talked to some muslims who remembered how they were treated with suspicion after the attacks on the world trade centre and who are frightened of returning to that climate of suspicion. I also wonder what effect this will have on our civil liberties. Is this the price to pay for a free and open society?
For the past couple of years they've said an attack on London was inevitable and no-one really belived them - either naievety or a sense of cynicism at the scaremongering that does go on. And now it's happened and it feels like the world has changed somewhat.
And I remember this morning coming into work with my paper and talking about the olympic bid and mocking slightly the overwhelming joy, and then at lunchtime reading my paper which celebrated that while listening to the reports on the radio about the terror and death in the same city.
So I don't really have anything to say, but I feel better for saying it.
Sanctus2nds: Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...
Sanctus2nds is an intergenerational service that Sanctus1 run every 2nd Sunday at 4 pm in Sacred Trinity.
Open to people of all ages, Sanctus2nds is a sanctuary for creativity, reflection and socialising. Sanctus2nds will feature a cafe space to refresh your body, a creative space to inspire your mind, and a prayer space to nurture your soul; building an environment to encounter Christ.
There is a service this sunday, 10th July, called "Decisions, Decisions, Decisions. Hope that you can come.
When is a Fresh Expression not a Fresh Expression?
The new archbishops initiative in evangelism is called fresh expressions. You go to the web-site and register your fresh expression on their database and hey presto - You're a fresh expression...Fresh expressions is very broad, it is not just emerging church but incorporates new monasticism, cell church, children's church etc. and this is to be commended.
I did a search yesterday in the Manchester region and there was at least one church in there that was not (IMHO) a fresh expression. It is a standard Anglican parish church. I hear that they want 10,000 fresh expressions registered in the next 5 years and i am wondering whether this quest is becoming the golden chalice and the process of discernment is suffering. I think that this is dangerous as the energy and excitement that is currently around fresh expressions could be lost as people become disillusioned and realise that in some cases we are just re-branding the same product.
Don't get me wrong, i think that fresh expressions is fantastic but I would rather see 10 authentic fresh expressions of church rather than 10,000 re-branded parish churches...
I did a search yesterday in the Manchester region and there was at least one church in there that was not (IMHO) a fresh expression. It is a standard Anglican parish church. I hear that they want 10,000 fresh expressions registered in the next 5 years and i am wondering whether this quest is becoming the golden chalice and the process of discernment is suffering. I think that this is dangerous as the energy and excitement that is currently around fresh expressions could be lost as people become disillusioned and realise that in some cases we are just re-branding the same product.
Don't get me wrong, i think that fresh expressions is fantastic but I would rather see 10 authentic fresh expressions of church rather than 10,000 re-branded parish churches...
Make Poverty History - Edinburgh
A few of us from Sanctus1 were in Edinburgh on Saturday for the Make Poverty History rally and march. It was a fantastic day: I got up at 5:45am to get the coach, followed by a few hectic hours with 225,000 other people, before getting the coach home to catch the final song of Live8 and then the England vs Aussie draw at cricket. What a day...
The was a really positive feel to the day. Loads of people from different walks of life coming together for this unique moment in human history. I really hope that it makes a difference and that the leaders of the G8 will listen.
The only slight downside was the Social Workers and Respect, who were trying to piggy back the event for their own agenda. To me it is incredibly sad that people cannot see beyond their own party politics to the bigger picture.
The was a really positive feel to the day. Loads of people from different walks of life coming together for this unique moment in human history. I really hope that it makes a difference and that the leaders of the G8 will listen.
The only slight downside was the Social Workers and Respect, who were trying to piggy back the event for their own agenda. To me it is incredibly sad that people cannot see beyond their own party politics to the bigger picture.
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