Transformation through the gospel - 4 November 2008

Rev'd Dr Alison Morgan and Martin Cavender of ReSource are to lead our Mission Partnership forum evening on 4 November from 7.15 - 9.45 at St Wilfrid's Church Kibworth.

This event, entitled "Transformation through the gospel" is designed as an evening of encouragement and will offer practical ways forward for every church in the partnership to feel confident about engaging in mission in unscary ways.

This will be an Open Meeting. Members of all churches in The Gartree Mission Partnership are welcome to come along.

Helen Bence is appointed to Thurnby

The Bishop of Leicester announced last Sunday that The Revd Helen Bence is to be licensed as Associate Minister in the parish of Thurnby cum Stoughton.

Helen has been Team Vicar in the parish of Oadby for five years and has been instrumental in the growth of the thriving 8.00am congregation at St Peter's, in supporting St Peter's home groups and developing the Friends of St Peter's, as well as in many other significant ways.

Helen will continue as Convenor of the Gartree Mission Partnership of churches, so we will continue to benefit from her ministry and to see her regularly.

The date of the licensing has not yet been announced and it is likely to be early in the autumn term. We wish Helen every blessing in her new appointment and are grateful for all that she has done in Oadby.

Quiet Day

Helen Bence, Convenor of the Gartree Mission Partnership, writes:

Our first Quiet Day promises to be a very special occasion.

Led by Rev'd Dr Alison Morgan of ReSource, it will take take place at Gartree House, Illston on the Hill from 10 am - 4 pm on Saturday 17th May 2008.

The theme for the day is Streams of Living Water. Why not put this day aside to allow yourself to be spiritually refreshed?
To book your place, please phone our Lay Convener, Liz Smith, 0116 241 4270 or e-mail Liz at admin@thurnbychurch.com

Blog for Gartree Mission Partnership

The newly launched mission partnership has its own rather splendid blog at http://gartreemp.blogspot.com. 

Already the blog includes news from churches in the partnership and tells the story of the launch service held last month.

Do visit the blog to keep up to date with events and activity for mission in our area.

Map of Gartree North Mission Partnership

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Click one of the markers to see details of a church and to find directions to it from any address. Click and drag to scroll around the map. Use the + and - zoom buttons or change the view with the Map, Satellite or Hybrid buttons.

DCC meeting - October 2007

Last night's District Church Council meeting at St Paul's discussed:

• The new Gartree North Mission Partnership
• A review of the 25th anniversary celebrations - we didn't rule out doing another fete again!
• The Alpha Course - we made a major commitment to do the Alpha course but changed our planned timetable so that we could prepare properly. Alpha at St Paul's will begin in January 2008.
• Modifications to the church sound system to overcome the faulty connections in the plug-and-socket arrangement. This will make the whole system far more reliable but it will mean that we won't be able to disconnect the sound desk. A foldback speaker will be bought to aid the musicians. We committed ourselves to purchase next year additional microphones to cater for our expanded music group and a new radio mic.
• Increasing the numbers at the next Hooray Day through better publicity.
• A financial review, which included the uncomfortable fact that our income from giving is around 10% below the budgeted amount.
  
• A review of our mission giving and donations.
• The new constitution of Churches Together in Oadby and its calendar of events in 2008.
  

Gartree North Mission Partnership confirmed

The proposed Mission Partnership has received approval and will be established shortly. The name for our particular partnership of mission communities is "Gartree North". We have a meeting next week in order to elect a Mission Partnership Convenor, who will enable our working together.

Gartree North Mission Partnership confirmed

The proposed Gartree North Mission Partnership has received approval and will be established shortly.

It links sixteen church communities in the villages of Houghton, Hungarton, Keyham, Thurnby, Stoughton, Oadby (St Paul's and St Peter's), Great Glen, Burton Overy, Carlton Curlieu, Kibworth, Saddington, Smeeton Westerby, Foxton, Laughton and Gumley.

According to the approved foundation document, the aim of the mission partnership is "to focus exclusively on equipping our churches for leadership in mission and teaching."