Community

I’m not sure I can even spell this but it’s an article/blog by a friend in Manchester who has been running a Fresh Expression since before the term was coined.

The gist of the article is that when we seek first to build relationships by shared activities (very activate and a route we would recommend) there is a danger that we can get caught up in the activities themselves rather than remembering that we do have a message to share.

No rush – but let’s remind ourselves to give people some Good News at some stage

So here’s’s your thought for the day…
http://benedson.blogs.com/benedson/2009/02/missional-obliquity.html

This is a great week to celebrate marriage – maybe to have a service to renew vows or to have a party.

The event lasts a week and finishes with Valentine’s Day. How about a celebration with married friends. Make it a no children allowed event so they can concentrate on each other.

Tearfund have just produced findings from a research project which demonstrates that the ‘Church is not in decline’ any more. See the press release: http://www.tearfund.org/News/Press+releases/Church+is+where+the+heart+is.htm

This is the second piece of encouraging news I’ve read this week. Even though church attendance is rare it seems that people are warm to the Church in general.

A recent poll reported that a huge number of people say that they WOULD accept an invitation to a service if it was offered.
We just need to make sure that the experience of the visit is so positive that they want to repeat it.

Making a real effort to get to know someone and being genuinely interested in their lives is the key. No-one likes to feel that they are being head-hunted for numbers. Activate has always encouraged relationship building first and foremost. We are called to introduce people to Jesus and not to get them onto a Pew. However, being part of a loving group who are living the Gospel and not simply talking it, is much more likely to attract people and encourage them to stay and belong.

Are you interested in learning more on reaching out to spiritual searchers? If so you might be interested in the following.

Eden People, a cross-church, all age Christian ministry uses ‘creative mission’ to make faith relevant and visible to those ‘out there’ and engages with those who are exploring spirituality – and meets them where they are.

Colin Brice, a leader from Eden People says “For more than 10 years we have been taking the Gospel outside Christian ‘safe areas’ into galleries, pubs, cafes, Mind, Body & Spirit exhibitions, psychic fairs and all sorts of music and spiritual festivals and gatherings. We take issues such as the environment, justice, spirituality and the creative arts as connection points for God to use. In these spaces we meet with many on personal spiritual journeys, enabling them to talk about, explore and experience expressions of the Christian faith”.

With the current growing interest in spirituality and alternative therapies, Eden People is helping to equip Christians for creative mission.

To do this, they are aware they need to present the Gospel in a relevant way by embracing new technology and mission tools such as short film, animation, new music genres and multi-sensory elements to bring Jesus to the forefront of people’s spiritual exploration.

This year Eden People are running an Apprenticeship Scheme aimed at those who are interested in learning more about using creative mission to reach out to spiritual searchers. It offers a 6 or 12 month hands-on training course at their base in Guildford. It aims to equip and encourage Christians to develop evangelism for today’s culture.

Also on offer are consultancy and training for small groups and churches. The sessions focus on:

– Festival ministry – music, green (eco), community & spiritual
– Mind, Body & Spirit or psychic fair ministry
– Context Consultancy (for where you/or your church is located)
– Massage Training
– General creative mission overview, preparation and outworking

For more details on Eden People training courses e-mail: edenpeople@matrixtrust.com