ESD news
Welcome to the February 2012 edition of Evangelism, Spirituality & Discipleship News
The Evangelism, Spirituality and Discipleship team seeks to equip and enable people of all ages and experiences to live life to the full, faithfully following Jesus through the joys and struggles of life. The ESD team includes you too! You and your local church are a vital part of a growing discipleship movement shaped for mission. This newsletter is intended to offer stories and resources to help each of use, individually and corporately, to live out our discipleship in ways that make a positive difference to ourselves and to others in God’s world. If you would like to contribute to forthcoming editions of the ESD news, we would love to hear from you!
We are excited to report this month that the LICC Imagine pilot project with Methodist Churches in the North West has got off to a great start. Imagine encourages local churches to embrace Whole Life Discipleship as part of their ethos and culture, and we were privileged to hear some stories about how this is happening in early January. For more information on Imagine, as well as details about the Pilot Project, visit www.licc.org.uk/imagine.
We’ll also be promoting the theme of ‘Graceful Discipleship’ throughout the year, encouraging Methodists throughout the Connexion to embrace and experiment with classical spiritual practices. More information on this theme will be available in our next newsletter!
This month, we’re providing a number of resources that you’ll be able to use and adapt for Lent, a time when we’re all challenged to reflect on what it means to follow the crucified Christ.
God bless,
The ESD Team
(Jenny Ellis, Joanne Cox, Ed Mackenzie, Marion Zebedee, Graham Jones)
LENT
The Big Read 2012
Over Lent, Christians across Britain and the world will be meeting together to study the Bible and grow in faith together. The Big Read 2012 offers a variety of resources for housegroups, focusing on Tom Wright's new book, 'Lent for Everyone: Mark'. The book is available from SPCK and is accompanied by a whole host of free online resources.
The Big Read is part of the Big Bible project, an online digital community that promotes regular Bible reading and engagement with contemporary culture. It organised the successful Big Read 2011 which looked at Matthew’s Gospel.
House groups will be able to take advantage of free online study materials, including week-by-week group resources, videos and audio reflections. And the Big Bible website allows people to discuss the text with others all over the world.
The Big Read 2012 launches on Tuesday 21 February at 1.00pm with a 60 minute webinar (web seminar) with Professor Tom Wright.
For more details, including signing your church up to adopt the Big Read as your church’s lent programme, go to the Big Read 2012 website.
www.bigbible.org.uk .
TABLE TALK
Coming soon – Table Talk for Easter. Discuss with friends key issues of life, death, hope and forgiveness. www.table-talk.org.
ROOTS
There is now free material available on the ROOTS website. Their Lent Calendar is available to download, plus all-age material for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and a study on the Covenant Prayer to celebrate Methodist Covenant Sunday. Simply go to www.rootsontheweb.com
and click on the links.
PASSION PLAYS
The Passion Players Conference 14th February 2012 St Winifreds Hall, Brompton Oratory, SW7.
The purpose of the conference is to encourage & facilitate Passion Plays across the UK and is for whoever is putting on a Passion Play, or wants to help other folk to put on plays. The focus is especially on cities which don’t have an event as yet.
Delegates will be given the guest list & contact details (places are limited to 90).
Cost £45 per ticket. This includes 2 course meal, refreshments & canapés.
Email: gail@passiontrust.org to confirm your place. A donation of £45 per person is asked for, which can be given by clicking here
See www.passion-plays.org.
LENT COURSE
Dr Steven Croft (the Bishop of Sheffield) has created a 5-week Lent course entitled ‘Exploring God’s Mercy’. Using You Tube videos, podcasts and group discussions, the course could well be the most digital Lent course this year. Follow this link:
http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2011/01/‘exploring-god’s-mercy’-–-the-church’s-most-digital-lent-course.aspx
LENT BOOKS
There are also, as always, a number of Lent books available for the season. Chris Morley, a retired Methodist minister, has produced a Lent book called Tasting Life for individual or group use. For more information, visit www.tasting-life.co.uk.
Janet Morley, a freelance writer who has previously worked for the Methodist church, has also produced a series of poems for each weekday of Lent and Easter in her book entitled, The Heart’s Time, which can be ordered from www.spckpublishing.co.uk
LENT TWELVE
An exciting new Lent and Easter resource for Churches from the Church Mission Society is now available, aimed at helping churches to connect with local primary schools with the Easter story.
“Lentwelve – Transforming Mission in 2012” is a teaching and worship resource for small group leaders and clergy designed with Lent and Easter in mind. ‘Lentwelve’ aims to provide inspiration for Lent and Easter 2012 about a God who transforms us in order to transform the world, through small group discussion, mission partner stories and meals with a meaning.
The resources are FREE and can be downloaded from the CMS website at www.cms-uk.org/lent
FURTHER RESOURCES & EVENTS
BIG LUNCH
Queen’s Big Jubilee Lunch
This is going to be big! A Big Jubilee Lunch on 3rd June in fact. By the 6th of Feb (the actual Accession day of our Queen) the whole range of resources, provided by HOPE partner organisations, will be available on the HOPE website. Everything you need to make your Diamond Jubilee celebrations a success - including videos, games, leaflets, the Grace, lesson plans and dramas. As the Big Jubilee Lunch resource page builds, find out how easy it is to hold a Big Lunch by watching this Big Lunch video clip.
See the vimeo of HOPE’s promotion of the Big Lunch:
http://vimeo.com/35584836
THE OLYMPICS
The Presidents of the Churches together in England have released a statement explaining how churches are working together to find practical ways of serving the project of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including through More than Gold (www.morethangold.org.uk).
To read the statement click here .
MORE THAN GOLD TRAINING DAYS
The Executive Committee of More than Gold is made up of an amazing breadth of denominational representatives from 7th Day Adventist to Coptic Orthodox. Most of the larger member churches of CTE are round the table and in attendance.
The suggestion of both the vision casting 'On your marks' tour last Autumn and the 'Get set' training days planned for this spring have come as a request of the churches. It is not that MTG are acting apart from the churches, but in response to their request. The Executive are now encouraging attendance to make the best possible opportunity the 2012 Games afford.
For more information, please contact Jim Currin on jim.currin@cte.org.uk.
COACHING COURSE
A practical two-day coaching course will be run by Fresh Expressions from the 21st-22nd March in Northampton. Graham Horsley will lead the course, with Bob and Mary Hopkins hosting. For costs and further details, visit http://freshexpressions.org.uk/coaching.
ECG EVENT
‘Equipping, Calling, Going’ – book now for the ECG Event, which will take place 10-15 April 2012 at the Scarborough Spa Conference Venue. Click here to book and for information http://www.ecgevent.org.uk/. See Stephen Lindridge on vimeo describing the vision and excitement around the event, here also.
EXPLORING EVANGELISM
The Cliff Festival, taking place 1st to 4th June, will be focussing on evangelism in the life of the local church and across the world. To book please call 01246 584200.
CELL UK
On Saturday 4 February 2012 there is a fantastic opportunity to hear David and Heather Robertson on our ‘Refreshed to make a difference’ training day at The Oval, Harpenden.
At only £25 per person for a whole day's training, this provides excellent value for anybody in your church who would like to come!
Why not book online now by following this link http://celluk.org.uk/training/events/, or print off the attached booking form on http://celluk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Refreshed-Feb-2012.pdf,
Also planned are some leaders’ days to take place on weekdays, the first of these is on Thursday 23 February 2012, on The Power of Participation.
FRESH! PUBLICATION
A new publication on an introduction to fresh expressions of church and pioneer ministry ‘Fresh!’ is being published by SCM Press in March 2012. Written by David Goodhew, Michael Volland and our very own Andrew Roberts; the book is available at a pre-publication price of £15 including P&P (normally £20 + P&P) until 15th February 2012 by telephoning 01603 785925 or email orders@norwichbooksandmusic.co.uk quoting the reference FRESH12.
Interested in Community Arts?
PLANS for a major arts festival in East London to coincide with next year’s London Olympics are launched today by faith-based arts group Reaching Beyond. An innovative programme of visual arts and community involvement will culminate with an exciting exhibition at Bow Road Methodist church between July 23 – September 2.
Further information about all the key elements of Reaching Beyond can be found on the website: www.reachingbeyond.co.uk
Email inquiries: Info@reachingbeyond.co.uk
The Rev Moore (chair of Reaching Beyond steering group) 01908 665364 or 07773275963
The Rev Phil Summers (superintendent of the Tower Hamlets Methodist churches): 020 8980 5278
John Singleton: Media requests for image reproductions, features etc 07805802364
GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER
The Methodist Church is supporting the Global Day of Prayer London which takes places Saturday, September 29th, 2012, when Christians from around the country will come together to pray at Wembley Stadium. There are also a series of ‘Nights of Prayer’ taking place throughout the year. If interested in finding out more, visit www.gdoplondon.com.
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We end this month's newsletter with an interesting story in so many ways and which could perhaps encourage us as we reach out to our friends and neighbours.
A mother who works 60 hours a week wonders if going to church could help her cope
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/15/mariella-frostrup-mother-frustrated-church
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