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Friday, February 16
Thursday, February 8
Spring Report 2007
by
Steve
on Thu 08 Feb 2007 15:47 GMT
Hope 08
Last summer The President of Conference Revd Graham Carter visited NE1 with the Bishop of Durham and both said two things. Firstly, how great the event was and what a significant achievement in the North East for mission. The second thing was how grieved they were that many churches had missed out on this opportunity of what God was doing by not getting involved. Well fear not. The Hope 08 initiative is an inspiring challenge to reach out to our communities. You can learn more about it by going to the website http://www.hope08.com/Default.aspx Local details will be coming out soon, but in the mean time why not start praying, thinking and talking together with other churches in your area what you could do in your community. This is to be both a blessing and a mission opportunity. This time there will not be a team coming into help but the churches themselves making up the team. So many NE1 Partner Churches found this strategy for mission inspirational for their people and are duplicating the work of NE1 this year. For those who could not be involved last time but want to this time, why not talk to those who hosted great NE1 projects and learn from their stories. Les Nevin- Leadgate, Paul Moncaster - Stanley, Alieen Johnson - Rowlands Gill, Rob Wylie/Jona Sewell - Whitley Bay, Doris Sterling - Lumley(doris@da-group.co.uk) , Jean Hudson - Washington, Adrian Perry - Chester-le-Street, to name just a few. Fresh Expression Network - 2 Dates for your Dairy 1 - 28th April Rev Tom Stuckie 9.30 coffee, 10-3 @ Wrekenton Helping a Theological reflection upon Fresh Expressions, followed by 7pm. Contemporary worship @ St.Marks Methodist Church Preaching on "Responding to the Spirit" then on Sunday 6pm Wesley’s - tri centenary, preaching on "Mission" (Further details from Rev Tony Farah 0191 420 2828) 2 - 27th October Rev. Dr. Martyn Atkins (President of Conference) FE - Network Day helping especially Preachers and Worship Leaders to engage with Fresh Expressions 9.30 Coffee, 10 till 4 @ Bethany Christian Centre. Time To Talk of God? In the mail Circuit Superintendents and Circuit Stewards have had a brief questionnaire asking how this report has been used or how you might like to use it as well as how the DEE might assist you in your circuit/church evangelism. This is particularly important for shaping future work and to remind circuits of the opportunities available to them. In the last year this role has helped mentor and encourage small group leadership, the setting up a brand new fresh expression imitative, leading numerous groups through the Time to Talk of God report, follow up on the work of NE1 and supporting a number of circuits as they explore strategy for the future. These are just a few of the main things my time has taken me into. The role is now approximately half way into the five year appointment and it is really exciting to see what has been achieved in such a short time. If you are sat there thinking "I haven't seen any of this" then start asking the question why in your circuit and also ask what do I want to see God do?" Then you must ask how can this happen? Start making a difference. Who is God calling you to reach? How is He leading you to reach them and what are you going to establish them in? These are three fundamental questions to your strategy development for evangelism and mission. I heard this quote and include it for your thought, "The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it" Dee Hock The trouble with us we don't know how to let go of the 'old inherited ideas' many of us are doing church in a way our grandparents did and the times we live in are not the same. That frightens many of us that what is familiar to us seems no longer to be relevant to others and so decline is inevitable. A Methodist Recorder Article some weeks ago sited the number of buildings to member ratio and argued we should have only a third of what we have. Some things will be hard to let go in our minds but isn't that the message of Jesus, "if any of you want to come after me… if any wants to save their live they must first loose it… Is this not the perfect empting out in order to be filled a fresh. Let me urge you to seek a spring clear out of all that might hold you back for God and invite our Lord to sweep clean the old familiar furniture of ‘comfortability’. We serve a God of Mission who is on the move. So remember you are God's most useful gift to those around you. Take one step at a time but take that step into His future. |
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