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Mission Vacancy Blackburn Diocese

Leader of the Parish Mission Support Department (Missioner)

We seek a person experienced in parish ministry, working with the Bishop to develop Mission Strategy and to lead a team which provides support to clergy and PCCs as they develop and implement their strategy for mission and growth.

The person will:-

• provide leadership in the development and implementation of the diocesan mission strategy

• be team leader of the Parish Mission Support Department

• have a parochial base. (House for Duty – one day a week).

The person appointed to this new and exciting post will receive the support of the Bishop’s Staff Team as she/he takes the Blackburn Diocese into its next stage of ‘Going for Growth’.

Role specification and application form available from:-

The Bishop of Lancaster
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01524 799900
Closing date for applications: 4 March 2011
Interviews: 17 March 2011
Enhanced CRB will be required.

Sharing Hope in Crisis Seminar

Cardiff
Saturday 2nd April

The aims of the seminar are to:

• Train and develop church members and those who have a ministry calling to support others i.e. Street Pastors, Chaplains 
• Develop the skills and abilities of those attending in identifying and communicating with people in need in times of crisis and excessive stress
• Inform those interested in starting a 'Community Crisis Ministry Team' in their Church in support of local communities
• Demonstrate how to share God’s hope and comfort with compassion in times of crisis and introduce delegates to the RRT ministry as RRT volunteer 'Response Chaplain/Pastors'

The Seminar will be led by Jack Munday (International Director) supported by members of the RRT UK Team:  including Mike Freeman, MBE (Rapid Response Team Manager UK)

For full details visit www.billygraham.org.uk/SHIC.

Biblefresh Latest

For the latest updates from Biblefresh click here.

 

Wanted: Unchurched Young Men!

Do you know of any genuinely unchurched young men in fresh expressions of church in your area? Norman Ivison is doing some research into what factors might make fresh expressions of church more acceptable to unchurched men aged 18-35.

He'd love to hear from you if you do at [email protected].

For the purposes if this research, unchurched means no significant experience of church either as a child or adult until they joined the fresh expression. This excludes those who have transferred from other churches or fresh expressions.

Hope News

A -Youth Director Role

From Roy Crowne:

I want to inform you of this very exciting opportunity, which would be working alongside Hope to make a real difference in the lives of thousands of young people. Following the success of Hope 08 and Youth Agencies working together alongside denominations, the Leadership Team feel it is important to appoint a Youth Director to roll out the youth strategy over the next four years, building to 2014. This will embrace the values of Hope in Words and Actions and working together in regions to deliver the agreed strategy over the next four years of mobilising young people in mission and working in partnership.

Please click here for full details.

B - Hope in Action in Leicester

If you are looking for an interesting way to get people on board with HOPE have a look at what Barry Hill did with others in Leicester:

There’s a write up of the evening at http://sbg.dioceseofleicester.com/?p=584 which hopefully gives a flavour. The aim was to get together 100 or so church leaders from across the denominations – especially the key people in each of our 62 churches together groups (about 60% were represented in the end) and give them a missional menu of possibilities around Hope, More than Gold and Biblefresh (rather than drip feeding ideas over the coming months when many are already feeling overloaded). Hope was the main focus but we also shared on MTG and Biblefresh and everyone got a goody bag with a host of DVD, leaflets, Hope books, etc.

 

Rural Churchplanters Conference

Rural Churchplanters Forum
in conjunction with Fresh Expressions

Making & Growing Disciples in the Countryside
4-5 May 2011
Bawtry Hall
Cost £85

• You have planted or are seeking to plant a fresh expression of church in a rural area
• You long to see new people becoming disciples of Jesus in the countryside
• You want to keep growing in faith and love yourself
• You want to learn and pray with other rural pioneers

If these things are true of you, “making and growing disciples in the countryside” is for you – not just a conference but a gathering for learning from each other, story-telling, and prayer. 

Our learning will be facilitated by Graham Cray (leader of national Fresh Expressions), Sally Gaze (author of Mission Shaped and Rural and leader of the Tas Valley Cell Church) and other members of the Rural Churchplanters forum.  Our hosts will be Pete and Kath Atkins (leaders of the Threshold family of churches in rural Lincolnshire).

If you would like to receive an invitation to this gathering, please contact Sally Gaze tel. 01508 470762 ([email protected])  with some brief details of the fresh expression of church which you are involved with or hoping to start.

God Debate

Resourcing Mission Bulletin

Also from Philip news of the Resourcing Mission Bulletin which is where the write up of the Toronto story first appeared.

This would be great to sign up to.

Resourcing Mission Bulletin

January 2011 issue

The (Resource) Strategy & Development Unit of the Archbishops’ Council and Church Commissioners is today publishing the second issue of the Resourcing Mission Bulletin.

It continues to be our hope that the Bulletin will be an effective vehicle for helping to disseminate the lessons learned from existing ministry and mission, spread ideas about the opportunities for growth and, more generally, stimulate thinking on a range of resourcing issues.

The Bulletin is circulated to all bishops, deans, archdeacons, DBF chairs and secretaries, diocesan missioners, the chairs of diocesan synod houses of clergy and laity, diocesan social responsibility officers and to a number of other individuals who have asked to join the mailing list following the first issue. Please do forward this e-mail to anyone who you think would find the Bulletin of interest.

The Bulletin is published on the Church of England website. Please click here for a short summary of each article and the weblink. Alternatively, if you wish to print out all the articles at one time, you can do so by clicking here.

Readers are warmly encouraged to help make the Bulletin their own by contributing to it. If you have suggestions for material for future issues, please e-mail Catherine Dorman ([email protected]).

The Story of Toronto Diocese

Click here to download Philip James' write up of the Story of Toronto Diocese.

This is the story Jenny Andison shared with us a couple of weeks back and Philip's write up makes it more widely available.

Grow Zones

Oxford Diocese are doing some work with Grow Zones, a national community growing project resource which you may be interested in. Below is an introduction to Grow Zones.

Joining Forces To Get Your Garden Growing

Grow Zones is a community project bringing help and inspiration to your garden, wonderful food to your table and adding friendship and purpose to your life.

A Grow Zones team clubs together to share skills, tools and produce to eliminate food miles and turn gardens over to permaculture at whatever level you want – from a redesign of your whole plot to simply helping and sharing with someone else’s once or twice a year.

The project gets people growing; introduces permaculture ideas; forms community; and teams even benefit from insurance cover for their group activities. Backed up by the Grow Zones Kit you’ll have all the resources, ideas and inspiration you need to get going.

Find out more at www.growzones.com

Getting Your Community Growing

Grow Zones is a resource kit to enable groups in the community to begin to grow food along permaculture principles. The project was piloted in Bristol and, with Local Food funding, a resource kit has been developed to help a facilitator and team get organised and growing without necessarily having any expert knowledge.

It is an ideal resource for those interested in working with local communities. At the beginning the project was a way to get people growing their own food and to introduce permaculture practically, but it has proved to be an amazing community forming project too. It seems easier for people to make friends over shared work.

Insurance is even included in the kit along with beautifully designed booklets and a DVD which can be used by the facilitator to show potential participants at an introductory meeting.

To order a Grow Zones Kit and find out more visit: www.growzones.com.

“Amazingly, in less than 3 hours, the garden was transformed.”

“I just love Grow Zones. It provides enjoyment and a sense of achievement and hospitality. It’s been great fun and, for us, has been a source of encouragement and learning.”

“A wonderful time with lovely, generous friends.”

Changing the Landscape: 6th May

Talking to Strangers DVD

John Wright, a member of the National College of Evangelists has produced a DVD on evangelism entitled Talking to Strangers. It is available online at www.branchpress.com.

For more information and recommendations click here.

JustMap

A note from Adam May:

JustMap exists to put a range of Christian social projects on the map! JustMap aims to map all social action being provided by Christian groups throughout the UK. The website can be found at www.justmap.org.uk, and is a resource for Christians to serve the marginalised in their area.

JustMap also demonstrates what Christian groups are doing to serve the poor of our nation.

Click here to add your project.

All the best, 

Adam

Authentic Transformation Open Day with Alistair Petrie

Saturday 19th March 2011
10.30am - 4.30pm
Birmingham Christian Centre, Birmingham , B1 3QQ.

We would like to invite you (or any from your church/network) to attend this open day with Alistair Petrie from Partnerships Ministries (Canada) who will address some of the core issues connected with Authentic Transformation.

Alistair is in touch with locations around the world that are seeing transformation in every area of the life of a community. We have asked him not only to tell some of the stories but also teach on some of the principles and questions that arise.  

We’d like to have as much representation across the body of Christ as possible to this day. So whether you are involved in social justice, mission, evangelism, church planting, prayer, are connected with Hope Together and/or More than Gold -  you are most welcome. Do feel free to circulate around your contacts and church members.

• For all practical details please see information on our website
• Feel free to download the flyer and publicise through your networks.  
• There is a flier attached for you to forward to people in your networks. 
• Please note we only have capacity for about 600 people and everyone needs to reserve a seat before 18^th March!

Alistair is also speaking at the Transformation Ireland conference 25-26 March 2011 in Bangor www.transformations-ireland.org for those living in Ireland.

Best wishes

Jane

Jane Holloway on behalf of the World Prayer Centre Team 

Update on msm

mission shaped ministry

The Fresh Expressions course mission shaped ministry is now firmly established as a major provider of lay and ordained leadership training in a mission shaped church. msm has been presented 62 times across the UK with nearly 2,200 participants. Last year msm went international with a first course in Canada. This year Australia and the US will join the growing learning community with New Zealand set to join the party next year.

In response to critique, feedback and experience the course materials were significantly revised in 2010 and given a fresh new look. Cris Acher, Ian Adams, Mark Berry, Jo Cox, Ben Edson, Olive Fleming Drane, Tony Hardy, Freddy Hedley, Ruth Poch and Sue Wallace all contributed to the revision process. The revised materials have been well received.

mission-shaped ministry is a gem of a resource for anyone involved in reaching beyond the church walls with the good news. With great content, creatively presented, it is an almost essential tool for anyone engaged in pioneering ministry or thinking about fresh ways of being church. I’ve done the course myself and regularly recommend it to others.                                                    Ian Bell, Coordinator, VentureFX

Plans are developing well for new courses in 2011. New centres include Birmingham and Aberdeen. An increasing number of Anglican Dioceses, Methodist Districts and URC Synods are joining in the msm journey. To find out more or to enquire about how msm could be offered in your area please visit www.freshexpressions.org.uk/missionshapedministry or email [email protected].

Andrew Roberts
Director of Training
Fresh Expressions

Regeneration Youth Summit

A message from Mark Russell. Please pass this on to any young people/youth workers who may be interested as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is 9.00am this Wednesday:

Dear friend

We want to tell you about the Regeneration Youth Summit happening March 3rd in Sheffield.

Regeneration is being led by young people aged 15-21 and offers them a unique opportunity to meet with bishops on their terms. Throughout the day they will seek to make the future generation a priority for the Church of England and discuss in small groups how the church can better equip, resource and reach young people in the UK.

The youngest member of General Synod, Sam Follett, 20, will be leading the event with the help of five other young people and Church Army’s Chief Executive, Mark Russell. Both the Archbishops of York and Canterbury will be part of the day along with 30+ bishops.

Regeneration is being sponsored by Church Army with the support of The Archbishop of York Youth Trust. It was the brainchild of Mark Russell who is urging the church to put young people at the top of its agenda.

He said: “The church is wrinkling and shrinking; we are neither reaching nor discipling young people in significant numbers. The Church of England in many places has an average age of over 60, and the missing generations see the church as irrelevant and sidelined. I passionately believe the Christian message has something powerful to speak into young people's lives."

We are looking for around 150 young people to attend the event, if you know some aged 15-21 years old please direct them to www.regenerationsummit.org where they can apply to attend. The deadline for booking is 9.00am Wednesday 16th February. We will be covering travel and they will be provided lunch at the event. We want young people who are passionate about Jesus and willing to share their ideas about how to make Him known to other young people in our nation.

We believe that God wants to do something significant through this event and would love you to support it!

Yours in Christ,

Mark Russell
CEO – Church Army

St John’s Extension Studies

Do pass on details of these courses to those you know who may be interested:

Interested in training in Pastoral Counselling? Not enough time? Why not try part-time study or distance learning?

Postgraduate Diploma/MA in Pastoral Counselling
A unique part time programme in a residential learning environment, integrating professional counselling training with a Gestalt approach to counselling theory and Christian spirituality. It is designed for people working in the caring professions, clergy, church pastoral workers, and those considering a career in pastoral counselling.

The course is validated by the University of Chester and can be taken over 3 or 4 years as part of a progression to professional accreditation. Each year consists of 20 residential days with extensive theoretical and practical work in between. Students will be given the opportunity to extend their studies to an MA as well as working towards professional BACP accreditation.

Some lay workers and clergy may wish to take Stage 1 as a stand-alone year as part of their own personal and professional development in pastoral care and counselling skills.

Open Days: Wednesday 23 March 2011, Friday 13 May or Wednesday 15 June 2011

Further details from St John’s Extension Studies
Karen Morral: [email protected]
0115 925 1117 

 

Counselling Skills for Pastoral Care
An introductory but substantial programme which many people involved in pastoral care in churches have found useful. This course is often taken by students progressing to the Postgraduate Diploma/MA or can count towards our Certificate in Christian Studies.

Starts September and concludes with a further residential April 2012.

No interview necessary but please apply now to secure your place.

Further details from St John’s Extension Studies
Teresa Harrison-Withe [email protected]
0115 925 1117
St John’s Extension Studies, Chilwell Lane, Nottingham NH9 3RL
Or: http://www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk/pastoral-care-and-counselling/

CHRISM Weekend

Last chance to book. Details below:

Lent Resource from York Courses