| START THE WEEK | 17th Mar 2008 | Download | Email to a Friend |
BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY
On September 28th 2008 thousands of people will be inviting someone special back to church with them. (Make a note of the date now).
If you would are planning to register your church for Back to Church Sunday then CLICK HERE. Churches need to register before the beginning of May so that they can order resource packs (you will only be able to order resources through Roger Morris and not directly from the website).
See http://backtochurch.co.uk/ for more details.
Download a copy of the resources order form at www.coventrydiocese.org/upload/file/BTCS Order form08.doc. Please note that completed order forms need to be sent to Ruth Wagstaffe at Coventry Cathedral and Diocesan Offices, 1 Hill Top, Coventry, CV1 5AB or by email at ruth.wagstaffe@covcofe.org.
RADFORD SEMELE CHURCH FIRE
A medieval church in Warwickshire has been severely damaged by fire. The blaze began in the early hours of Sunday morning at St Nicholas' Church, in Radford Semele, near Leamington Spa.
Read the BBC report at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/7299456.stm
Malcolm Ward (a Reader at St Nicholas’ writes:
“Many of you will no doubt have heard through the radio and television news about the fire at St Nicholas Church, Radford Semele in the early hours of this morning.
It was our church - all that remains now is the outer shell, blackened and forlorn. We have heard conflicting reports about the safety of the structure, and we are advised that it is unsafe to pick through the debris, hopefully the valuable items in the safe will have been spared.
We managed to hold an our morning service in the Village Hall thanks to the community spirit of the village people and a sense of 'we can rise above this' from the church congregation.
The months and possibly years ahead are going to be a time of challenge and perhaps of struggle, but we have the certain assurance that, just as Easter, out of death comes a new beginning. God will be with us in our time of grieving of that we can be certain; and already we look forward to the possibilities and opportunities he may be laying out in front of us.
I would ask for your prayers at this testing time, especially for Martin our Parish Priest and Kari and Fiona our churchwardens who will bear the biggest burden, and also of course for all members of the church congregation and the village community.”
BLUECOAT CHOIR ARE TOPS
The Songs of Praise Senior School Choir of 2008 is Coventry Bluecoat CE School (Teacher: Philip Formstone). The Runners Up included Rugby School.
Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/songsofpraise/events/school_choirs/ to hear a whole song or hymn from each choir.
NEVILLE CARPMAIL
A service of celebration and thanksgiving for the life of Neville Carpmail will be held on Tuesday March 18th 2008 at 11:30am, at Foleshill Baptist Church, Broad Street, Coventry, CV6 5AZ.
BBC PASSION
There is a poster that you can print and display this Holy Week at http://www.christianity.org.uk/downloads/the_passion_rejesus_poster_A4.pdf
See also the excellent website material produced, with exclusive interviews with actors on http://www.rejesus.co.uk/passion/index.html
You can also leave a message on the BBC message board at http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thepassion/ as the producers want to hear from people discussing the Jesus of our faith. It is an amazing invitation for a public discussion.
You will also find short articles after each episode reflecting on our own Christian journey in Holy Week on www.christiantoday.com.
AWAY DAYS AND RETREATS
Helen McGowan from Divine Inspiration writes:
"We have had a good initial response by those parishes willing to offer their spaces for Parish Away Days and retreats. The following link will take you to the list: http://www.coventry.anglican.org/socialresponsibility/divineinspiration/
This will be updated regularly as more parishes sign up.
Many thanks to those who have already contributed - please make contact with us if you missed our first request and feel that your church and its facilities could accommodate groups from other parishes and be included in the Away Day list. The list contains a general overview of the facilities on offer. You can obviously find out more specific detail by getting in touch with the named contact or by looking at the website if an address is included.
Over the next few months Divine Inspiration will be putting together a database which will record the existing capacity of churches in our Diocese to build a bigger picture of the church space we have to share. It will also include thumbnail sketches of the history of our buildings and opening times."
THINKING OUT LOUD
For four years, John Bell has been a contributor to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day, attempting – as the project demands – to offer a religious perspective on matters of current social and international importance. Sometimes affirming, sometimes controversial but always contemporary, these short reflections represent the prickly interface between faith and politics from the perspective of a Christian believer.
The collected Scripts are now available as a book from Iona Books. For more details, to see sample pages or to order, go to http://www.ionabooks.com/newSite/sections/bookshop/moreinfo.asp?ID=11916
WORSHIP MATERIAL
Times and Seasons material has been published in pdf format in advance of it being produced in HTML. Material for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Passiontide, the Easter Liturgy and the Easter season (up to the Feast of Pentecost) can all be found on the Church of England website. Passiontide material is at http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/downloads/pdf/tspashw.pdf, Easter material is at http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/downloads/pdf/tseasterlit.pdf.
Also worth visiting is the updated and enhanced ‘Transforming Worship’ site at http://www.transformingworship.org.uk/TransformingWorship/
ARC MULTI-PARISH BENEFICE WORKSHOP
Are you faced with an increasing number of churches to care for, or are you puzzled about how to make sense of the number you have already? Whether you have a loose cluster, a parish with several churches or a benefice with several parishes, this workshop will be helpful to you.
You will find – as over 400 clergy have already found – that this 30 hour workshop is a real help, even a liberation. You will be working with no more than 15 others in an intensive process which is based on the principle that we all have experiences to share and something to learn. There is a mixture of small group work and plenary sessions, with input from workshop leaders and lots of time to have particular needs identified and met.
There are seven 90 minute sessions during the time, together with worship, sleep and good food at the comfortable Offa House, Coventry Diocesan Conference and Retreat Centre, near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
The sessions include the theory and practice of multi-church ministry, dynamics within a multi-church setting, the implications of collaborative ministry for the mission of the Church, managing pressures, and sharing and discovering solutions.
The Workshop is facilitated by Jill Hopkinson and Jeremy Martineau and run via the office of the National Rural Officer at the Arthur Rank Centre, the churches national rural resources unit in Warwickshire.
Your diocese may be able to help with the fee which is £95.
See http://www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/training/multi_church_ministry_workshops/index.html for further details.
GIFT AID
The Church of England has welcomed the transitional relief arrangement announced in the Budget for Gift Aid claims by charities over the next three years. In the Budget speech, the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, announced a transitional rate of relief of 22 per cent from 2008/09 to 2010/11. This retains an estimated £8m per year that would otherwise be income lost by Church of England parishes.
Parishes are encouraged to remove any leaflets advertising a reduction in the rate of Gift Aid, and to continue claiming at the current rate (22/78) equivalent to 28p for every £1 given under Gift Aid.
The Treasury also announced a package of measures designed to smooth the processes used for claiming Gift Aid, and auditing these claims. These include a de minimis error level below which charities making smaller claims would not be penalised for errors in record-keeping; and an adjustment to the Gift Aid claims process to allow charities to aggregate donations under £10 in claims up to a total of £500.
HOLY WEEK ON-LINE
Lifewords are hosting an online Easter Journey which you might like to follow next
week. SGM Lifewords (formerly Scripture Gift Mission) invite you to re-imagine the Easter story: SGM Lifewords will host an online reflective journey through Holy Week this Easter. Each day a new animation will be posted online at www.sgmlifewords.com/easter, and subscribers will receive an email with a link to the day’s content.
Beginning on the 17th of March with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the animations use the Bible’s life words to tell the story of the last week of Jesus’ life, through art, music and spoken word. With distinctive and striking visuals, the animations present the Easter story in an abstract, poetic way that captures the imagination and encourages personal reflection.
“SGM Lifewords didn’t want to just recount the events of Easter, we wanted to bring people into the story,” says programme developer Jeremy Williams. “Easter is a journey from hope to confusion, to despair, and back to hope. If we can enter into the emotion of Holy Week, and live through its questions one day at a time, perhaps we can gain a new appreciation for a familiar story.”
The journey begins at www.sgmlifewords.com/easter, where users can subscribe to the daily email, download supporting resources, and leave comments on the dedicated Easter blog.
The online journey is part of SGM Lifewords work in the UK to inspire churches and individual Christians to engage creatively with the Bible’s life-giving words.
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
How concerned is your church with overseas development - issues such as trade justice, international debt, unethical supermarkets and the effect of the arms trade? Churches Together in Coventry & Warwickshire - through its International Committee - has been seeking to raise awareness of these issues since 1991. But now it needs a new impetus. The issues have changed and we - and the churches - need to be aware of current needs and opportunities. It particularly wants to help churches support initiatives that do not involve a financial outlay but will help to change people’s lives.
It is therefore holding an Open Forum entitled ‘Who really is my neighbour?’ on Friday 4 April 7 30 – 9 30pm. It is inviting any one concerned with world issues to come and discuss what the International Committee could be doing to challenge the churches further.
If you, or anyone you are in contact with, would like to come, please ring Allen Edwards on 024 7667 2658 to let him know. Coffee and cake will be served!
Venue: 6 Belvedere Road, Earlsdon, Coventry CV5 6PF.
BRIAN MCLAREN
Chris Stoddard at RUN has this news of their conference:
“Brian McLaren is the keynote speaker for this year's RUN conference from June 17 – 19 and he will be joined by a superb team of contributors including Mark Greene, Gerard Kelly, Lizz Babbs, Anne Hibbert and Nick Cuthbert. As well as opening up the issues facing Believers at this time we will also be looking at practical ways we can make an impact for the Kingdom of God in our communities. We have an excellent line up of specialist seminar speakers and the conference will also have a strong emphasis on creative worship and space to just meet with God. In true RUN fashion … this event will not be boring - there’s even a pig roast!
More than this… is being held at the excellent Kingsgate Centre in Peterborough which is one of the best conference venues for this type of event that we have seen.
Full details from www.run.org.uk
HOPE 08
See resources for the Big HOPE (Lent & Easter) at http://www.hope08.com/Group/Group.aspx?id=51055
Gareth Squire writes from CEA:
“We are producing a second film of hope for the HOPEinfo.co.uk website in time for Easter. In fact, there will be FIVE new films. In collaboration with Reaching the Unchurched Network (RUN), we are featuring four films from their forthcoming iMatter DVD. This is a wonderful example of partnership in the Gospel that I hope you will support. The goal of all of this effort is of course, to enable people to engage with the hope we have in us. HOPEinfo.co.uk is already having a significant impact, with more than 200 people visiting each day. As well as the impact of the films, the website is facilitating conversations about hope and encouraging and enabling visitors to contact CEA to learn more about Jesus.
CHEYLESMORE FESTIVAL
As HOPE08 gathers momentum, a team of churches in South Coventry will be celebrating this Easter with the ‘Cheylesmore Fesitval.’ An exciting programme of live music, a free hog roast and refreshments, face painting, hair braiding, kid’s crafts, bouncy castle - all free, as well as market stalls and lots more, will see the south Coventry churches work together in a common desire to positively impact the area.
Festival organizer Joe Jamieson says, “We did a community survey a few years ago and a repeating theme was the need for greater community spirit. The 'Cheylesmore Festival' is simply a way of blessing the community with free activities, entertainment, food and refreshments. We hope in some small way this will go towards creating an atmosphere of community and belonging in Cheylesmore. We very much want this to become a regular event within the local calendar and not just a 2008 thing. I can't speak for everyone, but I believe that creating a lasting community spirit is a life-long commitment and requires different groups to work together in new ways, and perhaps even a slightly different lifestyle that is more locally based.”
The 'Cheylesmore Festival' will be held on Easter Saturday (March 22nd) on the Green at Quinton Pool, which is opposite the Daventry Road shopping parade. There will be a stage for local bands of varying styles and several marquees, broadly split between child and adult activities with refreshments.
The South Coventry Churches comprise Christ Church C of E, Kings Church Coventry, Quinton Park Baptist Church, St James Styvechale C of E, St Martin-in-the-Fields C of E, St Thomas More Catholic Church, West Orchard United Reformed Church and Woodside Avenue Methodist Church.
THE JOURNEY - THE LONG ITCHINGTON PASSION PLAY
Starting at 2 pm on Good Friday at the Long Itchington pond with the baptism of Jesus and the calling of the first disciples. Follow him through the streets - meet Zacchaeus up his tree, blind Bartimaus begging, a woman caught in adultery. Should she be stoned? Is the Pharisee right - is Jesus a trouble maker? Join the Palm Sunday procession and share the bread and wine of the last supper outside The Green Man. And then - watch as his friend betrays him and he is condemned. Will you join in as the crowds shout 'crucify'. Follow him as he carries his cross to the church and is crucified against a tree. And then come into church to find out what happens next! Everyone welcome to join in.
WELLCOSE TRUST
The Wellcose Trust are holding a Thanksgiving Service for the support and fellowship of the Housing Associations COPEC, FOCUS, MIDLAND HEART with the WELLCLOSE TRUST on Monday 21st April 2008 at 3.00 pm in St Anne's Moseley. Revd Rosemary Donovan will officiate and the preacher is the Patron, Rt Revd David Walker, Bishop of Dudley. There will be tea after the service.
The work of the Wellclose Trust was started by Fr. Joe Williamson in Stepney among
prostitutes. The house and work in Birmingham has continued for nearly 50 years. The Trust are looking to a new future and a service of thanksgiving is being offered. The service will also look to the future.
WONDERCAFE
WonderCafe is an daring effort to reach out to Canadians who don't attend church in new and exciting ways. It's an advertising campaign for The United Church of Canada, but it's more than that. The WonderCafe campaign isn't just "selling" the denomination. It's creating a new context for Canadians to talk about spirituality and faith.
See http://www.emergingspirit.ca/the_wondercafe_campaign
MANGA BIBLE
You think you know what’s in the Bible? Think again! Siku’s provocative, edgy style brings a whole new dimension to the most important book in history.
The New Testament version of The Manga Bible was published in February 2007 to huge acclaim, and pre-orders of the full Bible version are rocketing! There are now four unique editions of the Manga Bible available.
Go to www.themangabible.com to keep up-to-date with the news, read Siku’s blog, send an ecard, and enjoy the great free downloads: interviews , screensavers and a comprehensive Educational Resource for church groups and schools.
View pictures from the Bible at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2884585.ece
Have a great (Holy) week!
START THE WEEK will take a short break over Easter…
With best wishes
Roger Morris
PS: After last night’s football, I concur with St Peter (Acts 10:34)
Revd. Roger Morris
Director of the Forum for Parish Development and Evangelism
Tel: 024 7652 1326 Mobile: 07798 813178
The Coventry Diocesan Board of Finance is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England No 319482
and Charity Registered No 247828. Registered Office 1 HillTop Coventry CV1 5AB