Ecumenical News and Views
across Staffordshire and the Black Country for March 2011
In these pages you will find a selection from the material I regularly receive, some of which I hope may be helpful to you, your church or your group in your mission. Generally this should be a monthly update. Do circulate any or all of this if you wish to, or submit items for it.
So why are you on this list? Because you and I have probably corresponded over matters ecumenical at some point or your details were passed to me by my predecessor, Mr Mike Topliss. If you would rather not receive this as a regular mailing, just let me know and I will remove your name from this list immediately.
Equally if you know of a colleague who would like to be included in this mailing, do pass their name on to me – with their permission!
Below, for your convenience, is an index with hyperlinks. Click on any of these to access the relevant article. Below each is another which will return you to this index.
Philip
Revd Philip Webb,
Ecumenical Mission Officer,
Staffordshire and the Black Country
Contents:
CTE invite you to take part in a health check of intermediate ecumenical life in England
Salvation Army elects new General
New Testimony website for the Midlands
New video and newsletter published by HOPE
Messy Church
Premier Christian Radio
Poverty of Ambition? Churches and a Politics of Hope
Putting your MP or Councilor on the spot
Church leaders to ask David Cameron to Pledge to Close the Gap
Repair Grants to Church Buildings
OTHER DATES AND EVENTS
CTE invite you to take part in a health check of intermediate ecumenical life in England
A major survey of the state of relations between Christian churches in the cities and counties is being undertaken by Churches Together in England (CTE). The aim is to see how well Christians are working together, whether the present inter-church structures are fit for purpose, and whether they can be supported more effectively.
The success of the survey depends on broad participation, and the Review Group is very keen to hear the views of Christians outside the current ecumenical structures as well as those already involved with the “Intermediate Bodies” (“Churches Together” organisations in between the local and the national). They are seeking the views of members of Intermediate Bodies, church leaders and representatives, Local Ecumenical Partnerships and local groups of Churches Together.
The Review Group, led by Bill Snelson, former CTE General Secretary, invites responses to a user-friendly questionnaire, through www.cte.org.uk/IBreview
If you are able to take a few minutes to visit the website and answer the questions, it would be very helpful for the review group.
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Salvation Army elects new General
The Salvation Army has announced its new world leader and the 19th General will be Canadian-born Commissioner Linda Bond. Commissioner Bond becomes the third woman and the fourth Canadian to hold the post of General of The Salvation Army since the international church and charity organisation was founded 146 years ago. The commissioner, who currently heads up the church and registered charity’s work in the Australian Eastern Territory, was elected by The High Council of The Salvation Army made up of senior leaders from around the world who met in Sunbury-on-Thames near London.
Commissioner Linda Bond (64) will have the title General-Elect until she succeeds the current world leader General Shaw Clifton, who retires at the beginning of April. Once in post as General of The Salvation Army, the commissioner will become the head of more than one million Salvationists in 123 countries. The Salvation Army also has more than 100,000 employees who between them communicate in 175 different languages.
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New Testimony website for the Midlands
The EMO had an interesting meeting recently with Veron Graham, a Salvation Army Officer who is part of a non-profit ministry called Christian Media Services. It is backed by the Evangelical Alliance and does two things:- 1) It helps churches in West Bromwich, Smethwick, Birmingham and Solihull to understand and work with the media; to get positive media coverage and respond correctly to their enquiries. 2) It carries testimonies from Christians in these areas showing how God has blessed them in many ways. Their website is www.FaithLivesInBrum.org.uk.
They are soon to upload a wonderful testimony piece from Darren Moore, a born-again Christian and former West Bromwich Albion footballer. Veron leads Christian Media Services – he is a former BBC researcher/ reporter and Birmingham Mail columnist and currently works as a Salvation Army press officer. He is always keen to encourage new ways of working together, sharing contacts, resources, etc – however God leads.
Veron says, “The media is like money, music, etc – it is misunderstood and it isn’t good or bad but depends on what it is used for. It is useful to let those outside the Christian community know what it is doing. Testimonies are a great way to introduce the unchurched to a life of faith. It may be hard to bring a non-believer to church at first, but it’s simple to show them a website that demonstrates what Christ can add to their lives, not celebrities in London, the US, etc, but regular local people like you and I.”
cmsbrum@gmail.com Tel: 07954 572 988 & 0121 742 3866
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New video and newsletter published by HOPE
The latest Hope e-news letter is now available. If you are not registered to receive this and would like to, just go to www.hopetogether.org.uk/Group/Group.aspx?ID=133398. You might also want to visit their website and see the new DVD on the front page. There is something of interest in this edition for all of us, as the results of a recent survey were mentioned. This was carried out amongst the people on the Hope database, and a significant number indicated that one of the key issues for them is drawing together local churches. One of the great things about Hope is that it reinforces and affirms the good work already being done by local churches and indeed Churches Together groups as well as encouraging new churches to participate and those that do to take up ideas they may not have considered before.
Ian Chisnall
07976 811654
Ian.Chisnall@hopetogether.org.uk www.hopetogether.org.uk
Hope, 8a Market Place, Rugby CV21 3DU; 01788 542 782
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Messy Church
Have you got into “Messy Church” yet? Don’t dismiss this as just “the latest gimmick which will soon pass like all the others.” It is a serious attempt to address and reach a generation that is becoming increasingly rare in many of our churches. One denomination in the county where I live has just recorded a 25% reduction in membership over an 18 year period. That must not go on! The Messy Church tag line is simple and appropriate:
“Fresh Ideas for Building a Christ-centred Community”. Who couldn’t do with some of those? Find them at
http://www.messychurch.org.uk/
Every few months they send out a Messy Church Newsletter. It contains an update on all things Messy – stories, questions and answers from Messy Church leaders, resources to help support you in your ministry, as well as special offers and news of upcoming events.
To sign up to receive this, go to http://www.messychurch.org.uk/4333
If you would like some basic information about Messy Church, look at
Messy Church Basic Information Download (PDF).
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Premier Christian Radio
Premier Christian Radio is looking to promote Christian events around the country this year.
If you know of any Outreach or FREE Christian Events happening in your area, please let Premier know and they’ll do their best to plug/promote it on on-air on NATIONAL DAB RADIO.
It is all about spreading the word!!!!
Contact: Miss Hortense Julienne, Church Relations Administrator
Premier Christian Radio, 22 Chapter Street, London SW1P 4NP
Tel: 020 7316 1467, Fax: 0207 233 6706
Email: hortense.julienne@premier.org.uk.
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Poverty of Ambition? Churches and a Politics of Hope
At a recent conference at Carrs Lane United Reformed Church, Birmingham, hosted by the Joint Public Issues Team of the United Reformed Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Methodist Church, journalist and commentator Will Hutton spoke about what it means to work towards a fair society and what this may mean for taxation and media standards. Andrew Stunell MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, addressed the question of what ‘The Big Society’ means for local communities. Revd Kirsty Thorpe, Co-Moderator of the United Reformed Church, drew the conference to a close by reflecting on what it means for Churches to be committed to a politics of hope.
The conference examined how churches can engage with contemporary political issues. A particular focus was how churches can respond to the cuts announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review and how this relates to the coalition’s concept of Big Society. There were a range of workshops aimed at experienced policy professionals, enthusiasts and people who simply want to know more. Workshop topics included:
· What do our churches and politicians believe about poverty?
· Acting on debt – practical suggestions for churches
· Climate change – international agreement or technological change?
· Peacemaking – nationally, locally, internationally
· Big society – opportunity or threat?
· Practical hints for lobbying your MP
· How do I get my church interested in public issues?
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Putting your MP or Councilor on the spot
Last month a number or regional officers met in Birmingham as members of the West Midlands Region Churches Forum. After a very successful morning’s work the WMRCF secretary, Dr Colin Marsh, drew together a draft paper with a series of questions which churches and individuals might want to put to put to their local representatives before the local elections take place later in the Spring. Watch this space for more news of these!
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Church leaders to ask David Cameron to Pledge to Close the Gap
On 31 January, church leaders of all denominations gathered in Westminster and made a public Pledge: that their churches will spend the next three years working to tackle UK poverty and inequality.
They handed in a letter to David Cameron, expressing their commitment to Close the Gap between rich and poor, and asking about the Coalition Government’s plans to do the same. In the letter, they say:
As Christians in leadership positions within our respective denominations and organisations, we consider it is our duty to speak up on behalf of the poorest and most vulnerable – especially at a time when they are suffering the consequences of the economic crisis and public spending cuts…
We understand the many pressures you are under, and that the Coalition is committed to reducing the public deficit over the current parliament. But tackling inequality is not something that can be put off for the ‘good times.’
We would therefore like to invite you – and your fellow ministers in the Coalition Government – to make a public Pledge to take action to close the gap between rich and poor in the UK.
The Rt. Revd David Walker, Bishop of Dudley, trustee of the Church Urban Fund and one of the signatories, commented:
The God who meets us in Jesus, calls us to meet and serve each other, yet the gap between the well off and the poor has become so wide that few bridge it. Unless we work to ‘Close the Gap’, the vision of a Big Society will never get off the drawing board.
The event marks the launch of a major three-year campaign for Church Action on Poverty: Pledge to Close the Gap. They are asking churches and Christians everywhere to follow the example of these church leaders, and make their own Pledges to Close the Gap. They’ll be offering a range of simple Pledges for people to make, in three areas: Give, Act and Pray. The campaign will go live during Poverty & Homelessness Action Week, with online Pledges at www.church-poverty.org.uk, a major publicity campaign in the church press, and Pledge actions at church events throughout the year.
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Repair Grants to Church Buildings
The National Churches Trust awards grant funding to places of worship in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man for essential structural repair projects and the installation of new facilities. Repair Grants of £10,000 and above and Community Grants of between £5,000 and £25,000 are available.
Applications are accepted from listed and unlisted churches, chapels and meeting houses of any age, as long as they are open (or planning to reopen) for public worship and where the congregation is a member or associated member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
The closing date for receipt of applications for grants in 2011 is 1 September for more details go to www.nationalchurchestrust.org
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OTHER DATES AND EVENTS
Faith for the Future
A SERIES of eight district events organised by Saltbox in conjunction with Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue; Staffordshire County Council and SCIO (including local CVs). Each event aims to provide faith leaders and project workers with resources, advice and helpful contacts and are seen as being ideal for church and other faith leaders, plus others who run local faith based projects. Dates are: 10th March – The Bethel, Cheadle; 22nd March – Wade Street Church, Lichfield; 29th March – Riverside Church, Burton on Trent; 12th May – Rising Brook Church, Stafford; 17th May – St Peter’s Westland, Newcastle; 26th May – St Aidan’s Chadsmoor, Cannock; 7th June – The Church at Perton, and June 21st – St Peter’s Hawksworth, Tamworth. For registration and details contact Tel: 01782 207200 Email: Helen@saltbox.org.uk
28 February – 13 March – Fairtrade Fortnight. This year we are asked to get loud and proud and show off about Fairtrade, which offers 7.5 million people in the developing world a more secure future. Ideas and resources are available, including the Church Action Guide. Go to: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk.
1st and 15th March – Christian Discipleship in a Multi-Faith Society… The Crossing at St Paul’s, Walsall for both laity and clergy in the Lichfield Diocese led by Revd Ray Gaston of Queens College and author of A Heart Broken Open. Further details and booking forms from Revd John Barnett, Wolverhampton Episcopal Area Inter Faith Officer. Email: john.barnett@lichfield.anglican.org. Tel: 0121 530 0491
4 March – Women’s World Day of Prayer. This is about informed prayer which flows into prayerful action. After hearing the voices of our sisters, experiencing their pains with them, and feeling their hopes and fear, we are empowered to act.
The service has been written by the women of Chile. It is an appropriate theme for bread is eaten at every meal and is very much part of everyday life. The women of Chile offer what it means to them as they share this service with us.
Jean Hackett, president of the National Committee of the Women’s World Day of Prayer Movement, said:
‘This is always an exciting day as a great wave of prayer sweeps the world, beginning when the first service is held in Tonga and continuing around the world until the final service takes place, some 35 hours later, in neighbouring Western Samoa. By then the day will have been celebrated in over 170 countries and over 5,000 services will have been held in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.’
Stretching from Peru to Antarctica, the Republic of Chile occupies a long, narrow strip of land 2,640 miles long and 110 miles wide. It is a land of incredible contrasts. It also has the highest incidence of domestic violence in Latin America and most women suffer from discrimination in some form or other. Equal opportunities are being pursued. Although organised and led by women, this is essentially a day of prayer for everybody as we demonstrate our solidarity with our sisters and brothers in other countries and all are welcome to attend. Further information and resources, together with details of services in your area, can be found on the WWDP website at www.wwdp-natcomm.org
5 March – St John’s Church, Waterloo Road, London SE1 8TY – ‘End of the Age of Thorns: Surviving Consumerism’ This is Christian Ecology Link‟s annual conference and all are invited to attend. Come and explore spiritual roots for a new economics, for our own humanity and all life on Earth. Engage with Peter Owen Jones on a new relationship with money and how we can challenge the consumerist age we live in. Take part in a seminar on green economics led by Tim Cooper, and join in workshop discussions. For full details and a booking form, go to: http://www.christian-ecology.org.uk/thorns/
9th March to 15th April – Lichfield Cathedral’s King James Bible Exhibition … The Chapter House, Lichfield Cathedral. An extensive programme of events to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. See www.lichfield-cathedral.org for full details.
12th March
FAITH AND FINANCE: A Conversation.
Representatives of Faith Groups will speak and answer questions on the highly topical subject of money and the attitude of their own Faith tradition,
at Boley Park Community Hall, Lichfield, on Saturday March 12, 10am to 12.30 pm
Organised by Lichfield Inter-faith Forum
Easter from the Scottish Churches: This year’s Easter Resource is available from the ACTS website www.acts-scotland.org The link to the resource can be found under Latest Updates on the right hand side of the Home Page with the title ‘Through the Week’ the title of this year’s resource.
Prepared by Rev John Butterfield of the Methodist Church, the inspiration for this year’s theme comes from ‘Matthew’ and offers a meditation for each day from Palm Sunday to Easter Day.
21-27 March – Climate Change Week. Climate Week offers an annual opportunity to renew our commitment to combat climate change. It is for everyone wanting to do their bit to protect our planet and create a secure future, and BUGB is glad to support it. Climate Week will shine a spotlight on the many positive steps already being taken in workplaces and communities across Britain. The power of these real, practical examples – the small improvements and the big innovations – will then inspire millions more people. For more information go to: http://www.climateweek.com/
5th June: The Big Lunch
The Big Lunch is back with a bang! This years’ event is taking place on Sunday 5th June so now’s the time to start planning. The 2011 Big Lunch website will go live soon so that you can be the first to register your event and get a handy Organiser’s Pack in the post. The packs will give you everything that you need to start planning your event, from invites and recipe ideas to badges and balloons.
In the meantime, please email or phone 0845 850 8181 if you have any questions, or if you’d like to find out about opportunities to talk about your Big Lunch in the press.
If you intend to hold a big event with over 50 people and you’d like to apply for some funding to help make it possible, the Big Lottery Fund Awards for All scheme could be just what you need. Small grants are given out throughout the year to help people make a difference to their community.
There are certain requirements that you have to meet in order to apply – you must be a community or not-for-profit group, a Parish or Town Council, a Health body or a school – and to get funding in time for your Big Lunch, you need to get your application in soon. It would be a good activity for a Churches Together group or LEP. It’s best to look at the website for further details or call 0845 4 10 20 30.
Public Issues Calendar
Make a note of key public issues dates for the churches in 2011. Visit their online calendar – www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/jpitcalendar.htm
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Glossary of abbreviations used in this and other mailings:
EMO – Ecumenical Mission Officer (Equivalent to the County Ecumenical Officer in other regions) E-mail Revd Philip Webb on clasp.bcce@btinternet.com
CTE – Churches Together in England – the umbrella body co-ordinating and encouraging inter-church work in England. See www.churches-together.org.uk
CTBI – Churches Together in Britain and Ireland www.ctbi.org.uk
CLASP – Churches Linked Across Staffordshire and the Potteries – The regional “Sponsoring Body” that encourages inter-church work throughout this area. See www.clasptogether.org.uk
BCCE – Black Country Churches Engaged – The regional “Sponsoring Body” that encourages inter-church work throughout the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. See www.bcce.org.uk
LEP – Local Ecumenical Partnership – a local partnership supported by two or more different denominations working in covenant with each other.
Visit: www.rejesus.co.uk
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