Showing posts with label water eaton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water eaton. Show all posts
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
The Missing Cross
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Passion Sunday
The Assumption, Wavendon
I started the day with a 9:45am service at Wavendon. It's hard to believe this church is really part of Milton Keynes Deanery since Wavendon is just outside the boundaries of the city and feels like a rural parish. It would be interesting to know how many people come from the village and how many walk or drive in from the city...
It was good to meet some new people here and begin to get to know them. I was also pleased to see an old friend from Holy Cross who has moved east so there was one familiar face...
Water Eaton AGM
I managed to scoot across to Water Eaton in time to join St Frideswide for their AGM. I missed the annual meeting of parishioners but was pleased to hear that Gail and Ron have been elected as church wardens. Ron replaces Malcolm who has done such a good job steering this vibrant congregation into its current phase of growth.
I chaired (most of) the AGM which was a good experience - as it was last year. It's a good way of indicating official support and involvement while giving them space to be themselves. They're a good bunch. This LSM pilot project is going well!
All Saints AGM
I was a bit late for the All Saints' Loughton AGM but this was fine since Derek Martin was in the chair and doing a really good job. It was good to see how the AGM functioned after a year of congregational meetings supported by a servant leadership team.
I particularly enjoyed the green voting cards that members got to wave.
Although All Saints' isn't an official LSM pilot it's busy doing all the things we might expect an LSM community to do. It would be good to see them get a bit of credit for their achievements.
Memorial Service
Derek Martin was also leading a memorial service this afternoon at All Saints' and did a good job as far as I can see. Well done Derek!
Wedding Preparation
We held our second revamped Watling Valley wedding prep session at All Saints' this afternoon. It seemed to go extremely well and we had eight couples (I think).
It was good to see members of the team begin to relax and develop their presentations as they began to feel at home with the material. These sessions are improving all the time! A big win for the WVEP team!
Hospital
I finished the day with a trip into hospital to see someone who is really not well. Her grandaughter phoned me this afternoon to let me know.
Home
After a long day of work it was good to have a quick snack and watch Heston Blumenthal as a family and collapse into bed - sleep....
I started the day with a 9:45am service at Wavendon. It's hard to believe this church is really part of Milton Keynes Deanery since Wavendon is just outside the boundaries of the city and feels like a rural parish. It would be interesting to know how many people come from the village and how many walk or drive in from the city...
It was good to meet some new people here and begin to get to know them. I was also pleased to see an old friend from Holy Cross who has moved east so there was one familiar face...Water Eaton AGM
I managed to scoot across to Water Eaton in time to join St Frideswide for their AGM. I missed the annual meeting of parishioners but was pleased to hear that Gail and Ron have been elected as church wardens. Ron replaces Malcolm who has done such a good job steering this vibrant congregation into its current phase of growth.
I chaired (most of) the AGM which was a good experience - as it was last year. It's a good way of indicating official support and involvement while giving them space to be themselves. They're a good bunch. This LSM pilot project is going well!
All Saints AGM
I was a bit late for the All Saints' Loughton AGM but this was fine since Derek Martin was in the chair and doing a really good job. It was good to see how the AGM functioned after a year of congregational meetings supported by a servant leadership team.
I particularly enjoyed the green voting cards that members got to wave.
Although All Saints' isn't an official LSM pilot it's busy doing all the things we might expect an LSM community to do. It would be good to see them get a bit of credit for their achievements.
Memorial Service
Derek Martin was also leading a memorial service this afternoon at All Saints' and did a good job as far as I can see. Well done Derek!
Wedding Preparation
We held our second revamped Watling Valley wedding prep session at All Saints' this afternoon. It seemed to go extremely well and we had eight couples (I think).
It was good to see members of the team begin to relax and develop their presentations as they began to feel at home with the material. These sessions are improving all the time! A big win for the WVEP team!
Hospital
I finished the day with a trip into hospital to see someone who is really not well. Her grandaughter phoned me this afternoon to let me know.
Home
After a long day of work it was good to have a quick snack and watch Heston Blumenthal as a family and collapse into bed - sleep....
Saturday, 31 January 2009
A Tale of Two Away Days
You wait for months for an away day and two turn up at the same time! Today I attended a vision day at Christ the Sower School and an away day with St Fridewswide Water Eaton at Queensway Methodist Church. I achieved this miracle of bi-location by spending the first couple of hours with Watling Valley, the middle of the day with Water Eaton and the final couple of hours back in Watling Valley again. This proved to be a fairly good strategy since I got the general gist of the day in both places...
Both days followed a similar basic structure, although the details varied. St Frideswide started the day with a look at what they are doing at the moment and the way their activity could be mapped to the five marks of mission. Watling Valley briefly reviewed the SHIFT and B&DC years before Nick lead us through some Building Healthy Churches material on 'the Angel of the Church'.
Watling Valley then looked at the things they have been doing well and the things they feel called to do next. In the meantime, St Frideswide were thinking of things they could do in the coming year - if time and money were no object. I particularly enjoyed the idea of demolishing the church and replacing it with a large multi-story building encorporating car parks and a swimming pool encased in an Eden Project style dome...
Both groups finished with a list of posible actions to which stickers, or sliced post-its were attached to indicate priority.
I do enjoy these kind of days, partly because of the relationships which are built up when people spend time together. I'm also convinced that there is huge value in stopping for a bit of stratgeic thought and setting a few priorities.
And the conclussions?
St Frideswide's have a new list of actions to take on, but I would be really interested in following up some conversations about discipleship both within the church and in the local community. It's good to have a lot of people who do things, but it's also important to be intentional disciples who are continually learning and growing - even if the jobs don't get done. This could be a really valuable area to explore further.
Watling Valley seemed to finish their day with a general sense that they are heading in the right dirrection - with many possible areas for development, growth and improvement. Having been part of a number of such events in the Watling Valley over the years it's really good to hear that tone of firm but self-aware confidence. My only additional comment would be that each church or community may need different input or resourcing from the Partnership as a whole if it is to bed-in significant change, grow further or tackle tricky issues. There is an important cycle to be encouraged of local becoming partnership, which supporting the local, which resources the partnership, and so on...
I leave you with a wonderful piece of art produced by Mike Geaney. I don't know what it means:
Both days followed a similar basic structure, although the details varied. St Frideswide started the day with a look at what they are doing at the moment and the way their activity could be mapped to the five marks of mission. Watling Valley briefly reviewed the SHIFT and B&DC years before Nick lead us through some Building Healthy Churches material on 'the Angel of the Church'.Watling Valley then looked at the things they have been doing well and the things they feel called to do next. In the meantime, St Frideswide were thinking of things they could do in the coming year - if time and money were no object. I particularly enjoyed the idea of demolishing the church and replacing it with a large multi-story building encorporating car parks and a swimming pool encased in an Eden Project style dome...
Both groups finished with a list of posible actions to which stickers, or sliced post-its were attached to indicate priority.
I do enjoy these kind of days, partly because of the relationships which are built up when people spend time together. I'm also convinced that there is huge value in stopping for a bit of stratgeic thought and setting a few priorities.
And the conclussions?
St Frideswide's have a new list of actions to take on, but I would be really interested in following up some conversations about discipleship both within the church and in the local community. It's good to have a lot of people who do things, but it's also important to be intentional disciples who are continually learning and growing - even if the jobs don't get done. This could be a really valuable area to explore further.
Watling Valley seemed to finish their day with a general sense that they are heading in the right dirrection - with many possible areas for development, growth and improvement. Having been part of a number of such events in the Watling Valley over the years it's really good to hear that tone of firm but self-aware confidence. My only additional comment would be that each church or community may need different input or resourcing from the Partnership as a whole if it is to bed-in significant change, grow further or tackle tricky issues. There is an important cycle to be encouraged of local becoming partnership, which supporting the local, which resources the partnership, and so on...
I leave you with a wonderful piece of art produced by Mike Geaney. I don't know what it means:
Sunday, 18 January 2009
St Frideswide's
I went to St Frideswide's in Water Eaton this morning. This was this first time that I have been able to join them on a Sunday morning.Peter Green presided and I preached.
The readings were Revelation 5:1-10 and John 1:43-end. These were great reading for thinking about the mission of Christ which was:
a) Truly local - since the incarnation implies a full immersion into the socio-economic and cultural identity of the community with whom God chooses to dwell.
b) Essential collaborative - since Jesus depends on other people both to share good news and act on his behalf.
c) Ultimately universal - since the kingdom of God stretches out through all times and places.
In other words, this was a good occasion to talk about Local Shared Ministry...
Sunday, 16 November 2008
Ecumenical Confirmation
This evening I attended the ecumenical confirmation service at the Water Eaton Church Centre.We didn't have any candidates from Watling Valley, but I was there to support Emma from St Mary's Bletchley.
Mary Cotes couldn't make it, but Geoff Colmer, who was down to preach anyway, stepped in to led the service.
Other highlights of the evening included Peter Ballantine's first baptism by immersion and Brenda Mosedale's first appearance at the front as Methodist confirming minister.The church was packed! - and the Water Eaton people did a fine job offering welcome to such a huge group of people. All in all, a good evening!
Monday, 10 November 2008
Local Ministry
I'm at the Local Ministry Conference in High Leigh where a variety of people have gathered from across the Anglican provinces of Britain. It's an interesting group which includes diocesan officers, local ministers - and one archdeacon.
Like most conferences, the interesting bits happen between the sessions and I was particularly interested to meet someone from Liverpool who had already read this blog. The wonders of the internet!
The first key note speaker was Ann Morisy who has been giving us a series of session which addressed issues relating to mission and the Church. She described the way that the Church functions in three domains: the foundational, the explicit and the vocational.
The explicit domain relates to the visible church and the way that this expression is managed. Although she was clear that this is an aspect of church which she loves, she also questioned the amount of time and resource that we give to it.
The foundational domain relates to the basic experience of human beings on the very edge of faith. This is where we relate to those who have no eplicit theology or belief and may encounter the divine but struggle to articulate the experience. The role of the church in this domain is not to impose its own understanding but to acompany and encourage those who are feeling the first stirings of an understanding that there is something other... In this domain, she suggested, chaplains have traditionally walked...
She discussed the concept of "church centres" where churches make their fascilities open to the community as a resource. She suggested that this "gift" has not always been helpful since there is often no attempt to build relationships or create meaning. To counter this she suggested that we explore the concept of "community chaplains" - trained volunteers who would spend time making links and befriending the groups who use "church centres". This seems a good idea. I did ask and no-one had produced any training, so this idea would need quite a bit of work... It's not a bad one though and may be worth looking at in MK. We have a variety of "community centre" churches which generate frustration, disapointment and can be a drain on resources. It strikes me that the concept of Community Chaplains could turn these places into potential community hubs...
The third domain is the vocational. This is the aspect of our life where individuals experience the discomfort of "should I? could I?" in response to need and possibility. Ann wasn't sure this had anything to do with Local Ministry but I suspect it does - local churches should be places where disciples are nurtured and groups of people challenge each other to have a go...
She also talked about communal anxiety, power, status and control - and so on... She's a great speaker and gave everyone a great deal to think about...
Beyond the talks this conference has given me an opportunity to ask some questions and find out what's going on around the CofE. It's a mixed picture... One of the questions I've been keen to ask has been about "commisioning" services for local ministry teams. There seem to be a huge variety of patterns and few commonalities. Even the names used vary dramatically! From an MK point of view, I increasingly think that we will have to create our own...
In the evening I was asked to talk about Water Eaton. It was interesting to get some feedback from proper experts which both confirmed some of my thoughts and raised some important questions.
Like most conferences, the interesting bits happen between the sessions and I was particularly interested to meet someone from Liverpool who had already read this blog. The wonders of the internet!
The first key note speaker was Ann Morisy who has been giving us a series of session which addressed issues relating to mission and the Church. She described the way that the Church functions in three domains: the foundational, the explicit and the vocational.The explicit domain relates to the visible church and the way that this expression is managed. Although she was clear that this is an aspect of church which she loves, she also questioned the amount of time and resource that we give to it.
The foundational domain relates to the basic experience of human beings on the very edge of faith. This is where we relate to those who have no eplicit theology or belief and may encounter the divine but struggle to articulate the experience. The role of the church in this domain is not to impose its own understanding but to acompany and encourage those who are feeling the first stirings of an understanding that there is something other... In this domain, she suggested, chaplains have traditionally walked...
She discussed the concept of "church centres" where churches make their fascilities open to the community as a resource. She suggested that this "gift" has not always been helpful since there is often no attempt to build relationships or create meaning. To counter this she suggested that we explore the concept of "community chaplains" - trained volunteers who would spend time making links and befriending the groups who use "church centres". This seems a good idea. I did ask and no-one had produced any training, so this idea would need quite a bit of work... It's not a bad one though and may be worth looking at in MK. We have a variety of "community centre" churches which generate frustration, disapointment and can be a drain on resources. It strikes me that the concept of Community Chaplains could turn these places into potential community hubs...
The third domain is the vocational. This is the aspect of our life where individuals experience the discomfort of "should I? could I?" in response to need and possibility. Ann wasn't sure this had anything to do with Local Ministry but I suspect it does - local churches should be places where disciples are nurtured and groups of people challenge each other to have a go...
She also talked about communal anxiety, power, status and control - and so on... She's a great speaker and gave everyone a great deal to think about...
Beyond the talks this conference has given me an opportunity to ask some questions and find out what's going on around the CofE. It's a mixed picture... One of the questions I've been keen to ask has been about "commisioning" services for local ministry teams. There seem to be a huge variety of patterns and few commonalities. Even the names used vary dramatically! From an MK point of view, I increasingly think that we will have to create our own...
In the evening I was asked to talk about Water Eaton. It was interesting to get some feedback from proper experts which both confirmed some of my thoughts and raised some important questions.
Sunday, 19 October 2008
St Frideswide's Day
After my trip to Woughton I dropped in on St Frideswide who were celebrating their patronal festival. I was there long enough to say grace for them and cook up a few new plans...I said grace but had to leave before the eating began...
Monday, 6 October 2008
LSM in Water Eaton
Andrew Gear and I met with the people of St Frideswide, Water Eaton, this morning for a six month review of their LSM project. We were delighted that around twenty people turned up and there was a great deal of excitement and buzz. We spent some time reflecting on what has gone well and on what challenges the congregation still faces. We then attempted to set some priorities for the coming year.
It was a very encouraging morning. It's clear that St Frideswide has grown in depth and in numbers during the past eighteen months as it has transitioned from a "priest led" parish to a "ministering community". There is a lot of energy and confidence in the community which is wonderful to see. Peter and Wendy, the asociate priests, are also keen to say that they feel welcomed and relaxed and free to be priests rather than burdened by heavy expectations.
This is the first review of one of our LSM pilots and it confirms what I have come to believe - that local ministry flourishes when space is created.
Well done St Frideswide's!
It was a very encouraging morning. It's clear that St Frideswide has grown in depth and in numbers during the past eighteen months as it has transitioned from a "priest led" parish to a "ministering community". There is a lot of energy and confidence in the community which is wonderful to see. Peter and Wendy, the asociate priests, are also keen to say that they feel welcomed and relaxed and free to be priests rather than burdened by heavy expectations.
This is the first review of one of our LSM pilots and it confirms what I have come to believe - that local ministry flourishes when space is created.
Well done St Frideswide's!
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Water Eaton and their mission to the seaside
Back in June I told you about the good people of Water Eaton and their wonderful trip to the seaside to deliver balaclavas to sailors. Here are some of the pictures:
Here they all are with their chosen mode of transport: the Dons tour bus!
Here's our Development Chaplain demonstrating how clergy motivate their congregations for mission!
The people of Water Eaton are "on a Mission". I'm not sure why they needed the stretched limo...
The Sailors Church - where they worshipped together.
All in all a good day!
Here they all are with their chosen mode of transport: the Dons tour bus!
Here's our Development Chaplain demonstrating how clergy motivate their congregations for mission!
The people of Water Eaton are "on a Mission". I'm not sure why they needed the stretched limo...
The Sailors Church - where they worshipped together.
All in all a good day!
Thursday, 28 August 2008
New Socks
These socks were a present from the girls who went shopping today. Aren't I lucky!The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that this picture is a weather forecast for Milton Keynes. Apparently there will be sunshine in Bletchley but cloud in Water Eaton...
Thursday, 14 February 2008
Valentine's Day
I always buy cards for the girls, but often wonder what people think when I buy three Valentine's cards. Perhaps they would really wonder if I bought them with a clerical shirt on.
This year, I noticed one high street shop sold cards addressed to "my daughter" so my worries are over!
Although this could be a day for flowers and cards and chocolates and all the rest... there'll be limited time for that in our house. I spent the morning in Great Missenden with the Bishop and the wardens from Water Eaton. It was a great meeting and we've made a lot of progress - although I do now need to attend their AGPM - on a Sunday Morning...
Back to Milton Keynes, I popped into Killkenny where I was expecting to celebrate communion. They were expecting a singer, who was half an hour late. We had a nice time chatting and singing along to old songs. I left before the real entertainment began...
So it was four pm before I even started my own work for Thursday. I'll get a bit done while the girls are out, and then it'll be time for my evening meeting...
This year, I noticed one high street shop sold cards addressed to "my daughter" so my worries are over!
Although this could be a day for flowers and cards and chocolates and all the rest... there'll be limited time for that in our house. I spent the morning in Great Missenden with the Bishop and the wardens from Water Eaton. It was a great meeting and we've made a lot of progress - although I do now need to attend their AGPM - on a Sunday Morning...
Back to Milton Keynes, I popped into Killkenny where I was expecting to celebrate communion. They were expecting a singer, who was half an hour late. We had a nice time chatting and singing along to old songs. I left before the real entertainment began...
So it was four pm before I even started my own work for Thursday. I'll get a bit done while the girls are out, and then it'll be time for my evening meeting...
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