District Church Council - June 2008 meeting

On Tuesday the DCC settled down to business after Paul took all our photographs. Look out for a display showing who the DCC representatives are, and speak with them about matters of interest and concern. Among the issues discussed at the meeting we considered:

• We began with a Bible study on Isaiah 40.27-31.
• A significant amount of time was given to the exploration of how a paid youth worker could extend and develop our work with the 14-25 age range.
• A presentation was made by Paul, inviting us to consider a scheme for engaging with community needs. It was a free-ranging and honest discussion and as a result we resolved to pursue the agenda initially through the Engage training available from Care for the Family in the autumn.
  
• Updates on the purchase of new sound equipment.
• Mission Giving proposals were approved (full details will be posted separately). As usual, we decided how to allocate a tenth of our total church income to support charities and Christian agencies at home and abroad.
  
• Update on the recent stewardship appeal.
• Update on Back to Church Sunday.
  

If you have an item for consideration by the DCC at its next meeting, please email our DCC Secretary Anita Chettle.

Big on belief, short on brains tour 2008

I love the title that Neil's come up with for his great project. He writes,

Dear colleagues, former colleagues, friends and family,

You might have noticed that I did not bother you about sponsorship for running in this year's London Marathon. This is not, as has been suggested, because I decided to have a lazy year!

No, it is because I have set myself a new and different challenge, indeed it has even been suggested that I must be mad, but have enormous self belief! Hence the chosen name of this new adventure!

What is the cause?
As before I am rasing money for Leicester YMCA, but this time all that I raise stays in Leicester. Leicester YMCA works with some of the most deprived young people in Leicester. Many suffer from a lack of opportunity compounding a lack of ambition. These together often result in the young person not taking advantage of or having the opportunity for new experiences.

One possible solution to this problem lies in having a dedicated and permanent fund of at least £10,000 to enable these young people to be fully or part funded to have access to the experiences you and I take for granted. This might be as simple as a pair of shoes to attend an interview or a trip to a sports or arts event, or as complex as a trip overseas to gain work experience, or anything in between! The plan is to establish a fund of at least £10000, the interest from which will provide the funding described, thus it becomes a permanent addition to the work of Leicester YMCA.

What is the challenge?
I am cycling nearly 1000 miles from Lands End to John O'Groats, over 15 days in August this year. This means I will need to average between 60 and 70 miles per day (depending on how lost I get), taking me between 5 and 6 hours. For me, this is the equivalent of running a marathon each day for 2 weeks. To save on money spent and weight carried, I have chosen to spend each night at a different Youth Hostel.

My route takes me from Lands End via Exeter, Cheddar and Bristol to South Wales. Along the border northwards through Ross on Wye and Chester, around Manchester to Slaidburn and onto Carlisle. Across the border into Scotland and via Gretna and New Lanark and around Glasgow, past Loch Lomond and on to Glencoe. Turn right and ride along the edge of Loch Ness and to the East Coast. A sharp left turn and up to the North Coast before the final leg into John O'Groats.

You are able to support me in a number of ways

- use the dedicated Just Giving website page at: http://www.justgiving.com/neilsbigonbeliefshortonbrainstour2008
- by sending or delivering cash or a cheque to Emma Knight, Leicester YMCA, 7 East Street, Leicester, LE1 7AF, clearly marked "Cycle fund"

In addition, for those who can, we are offering an opportunity to be a corporate supporter of the venture. For this we will display a copy of your logo or company name either on the clothing I wear or on the bicycle I ride, all for the princely sum of £100, equivalent to just 10p per mile. Contact me if you would like to take advantage of this opportunity.

For further information about this adventure, further opportunities to support me, or opportunities to meet me en route please feel free to contact me.

Many thanks in advance for your support, it means an awful lot to me, Leicester YMCA and the young people we are able to help!

regards

Neil Griffiths

Pennbury Eco-town proposal - consultation events and key links

I've just received the following very helpful information about the public consultations that are being held about the Pennbury eco-town proposal:

Proposals have been put forward by the Cooperative Group to build an eco-town, provisionally given the name Pennbury, on land they own between Leicester, Oadby, Thurnby and Houghton on the Hill.
This is one of 15 locations accross the country shortlisted for a new eco-town by the Government in April.

Government is currently holding a consultation to 30 June on preliminary views on eco-towns in general and the 15 locations shortlisted.

Further consultation will take place on more detailed assessments of the 15 locations from July to October.

In June there will be a series of consultation events and exhibitions for you to find out more about the proposals and have your say.

Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group will be holding a series of public exhibitions for people to find out more and to meet the project team.
Dates and venues are as follows:
• Tuesday 10 June, The Three Swans, High Street, Market Harborough
• Wednesday 11 June, Parklands Leisure Centre, Wigston Road, Oadby
• Friday 13 June and Saturday 14 June, Exhibition Marquee (being set up on the "Christmas Party site"), off Gartree Road
• Monday 16 June, Leicester Tigers Rugby Club, Ayleston Road, Leicester
The exhibitions will be taking place from 11.00am to 8.00pm.
The Co-operative group encourages anyone interested in the proposals to come to one of the exhibitions and find out more.

Leicestershire County Council and local MPs
2 Public meetings hosted by the Leader of the County Council, David Parsons and local MPs, Alan Duncan and Edward Garnier
• 9th June at 8pm, Gartree School, Oadby
• 12th June at 8pm, Coplow Centre, Billesdon
Please come along the hear more about Pennbury and to have your say.

Harborough District Council
Harborough District Council is to hold three events across the district in June. These events will take place at:
• Leicester Airfield, The Marquee, Gartree Road, Little Stretton, near Stoughton, LE2 2FG, on Monday, June 16, at between 10.30am-12noon or 7pm and 8.30pm.
• Shearsby Bath Hotel, Bruntingthorpe Road, Shearsby, LE17 6PP, on Tuesday, June 17, at between 4.30pm-6pm or 6.30pm-8pm.
• Three Swans Hotel, High Street, Market Harborough, LE16 7NU, on Wednesday, June 18, between 12noon-1.30pm or 6.30pm-8pm.
There is limited capacity at each venue so it is important people book a place in advance. There will be disabled access at each venue. To book a place email: ecotown@key-note.co.uk or phone 0116 2220004

Oadby & Wigston Borough Council
The next Oadby Community Forum at Parklands Leisure Centre, Wigston Road, Oadby, LE2 5QC, on Wednesday 18th June will be dedicated to Eco-towns. There will be 3 sessions to choose from: 3pm, 5.30pm and 8pm.
For more information please contact Alan Wood (0116 2572682 or alan.wood@oadby-wigston.gov.uk)

Other events
- June 5th, Referendum - parish poll, Bushby & Thurnby Ward
- June 11th, Referendum - parish poll, Scraptoft Ward
On June 17th, 18:30 to 19:30, a BBC Radio Leicester Big Debate session will focus on the Eco-town. The event will be broadcast and filmed. It takes place at Thurnby Village Hall. There will be room for 60-70 people invited by BBC Radio Leicester.

Links to important websites
The following websites provide relevant information about the proposals, consultation process and opportunities and about what various organisations are doing with regards to the Eco-town proposal.

• Ecotowns on Leicestershire County Council website
• Campaign against the Stoughton Co-op EcoTown (CASCET)
• Government's Ecotowns webpages
• Co-operative Group's ecotowns webpages

Platform 2

Just had some details from Mary Anderson of Christian Aid about Platform 2. She writes,

Platform2: free 10-week life-changing experience overseas!

Are you – or do you know anyone – 18-25 years old? If so, take a look at www.myplatform2.com as you or they may be eligible for a free, government-funded, life-changing experience in a developing country such as Ghana, South Africa, India or Peru. This is a fantastic one-off opportunity aimed at young people who would not otherwise be able to afford a gap-year experience, for example, those from families who claim tax credits.

The trips are 10 weeks long, with a one-week in-country orientation and then nine weeks at the project. A three-day residential follows return to the UK where we will help volunteers make sense of their experience and act on it through telling their story in creative ways in the UK to raise development awareness.

Typical projects include constructing community buildings, caring for and teaching children, building infrastructure at eco centres, and assisting in HIV clinics. The important thing is that they involve living among a local community, getting an opportunity to make a meaningful difference to that community, and then coming back inspired to tell their story back in the UK.

A few places are still available for July and August departures. An immediate application might secure a July placement. Otherwise, please make sure you apply by 20 June in order to secure an August placement.

Feel free to contact at enquiries@myplatform2.com for more information – don’t delay!

Jesus Rep - Desire youth event 25 June 2008

Publicity's arrived for the next Desire youth event. At the moment I don't know much more than what's on the posters, which describe "discussing what it means to represent Jesus at school, work and uni". Sounds good.

Click the picture for a larger view. Email info@desire.org for more.

In common with the Commons

I discovered today that the dimensions of the Chamber of the House of Commons (at floor level where the MPs sit) are 14m by 20m. Then I remembered from the refurbishment planning a couple of years ago that these are exactly the same dimensions as the main hall at St Paul's Church. Did you think that the Commons is bigger? So did I.

Visitors to the Commons public galleries (which are admittedly wider than the floor below) always comment how much smaller the space is than they imagine when watching debates on TV. I've also heard how rowdy the chamber can be with hundreds of MPs baying at their opponents and now I can understand why. I can't find a copyright-free picture of the Commons Chamber but there's a nice one at Wikipedia here.

Maybe I have the same kind of interest as the writer of 1 Kings 6, who recorded the overall dimensions of Solomon's Temple (excluding its surrounding courts) as 20 cubits (9m) by 60 cubits (27 metres). That would make the Temple significantly smaller than St Paul's.

I sometimes wish we had more space and it would certainly make it possible to squeeze more in for a busy service. But perhaps when it comes to buildings, what matters is what you do with what you've got.

Principal Services Summer 2008

In the coming weeks we'll be studying passages from the 'most Jewish' of the four gospels, Matthew.

The disciples learned from Rabbi Jesus through spoken lessons and debate, through action and miraculous intervention in situations of suffering, and through being sent out, entrusted with ministry on their own.

In our day, we learn in similar ways – by listening, watching, and doing. So we bring to our worship all the uncertainties and unresolved questions that our lives contain. In the presence of Jesus the Teacher and the living Word of God, we can find the resources we need, even in our complicated contemporary world.

Jesus and his companions made the Psalms their daily prayer and we'll be sharing in their experience in these weeks.

Our “All Together Church” services are for all ages and last no more than one hour. “The Word Service” includes a time of more focussed teaching and, like our communion services, lasts just under an hour and a half.

1 June 2008
10.00am Holy Communion
Giving and Stewardship Sunday
Haggai 2:4-9 and John 13:16 – 30

8 June 2008
10.00am All Together Church
Mercy and sacrifice
 Psalm 150 & Matthew 9.9-13, 18-26

15 June 2008
10.00am Holy Communion
Sent out in mission
 Psalm 126 and Matthew 9.35-10.8

22 June 2008
10.00am The Word Service
What are you afraid of?
 Psalm 71 and Matthew 10.24-39

29 June 2008
10.00am The Word Service
Simple things, eternally significant
 Psalm 48 and Matthew 10.40-end

29 June 2008
8.00pm Holy Space

6 July 2008
10.00am Holy Communion
“You will find rest for your souls”
 Psalm 91 & Matthew 11.16 - end

13 July 2008
10.00am Joint service of Holy Communion at St Peter's Church

20 July 2008
10.00am The Word Service
Good seed and weeds
 Psalm 34 & Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43

27 July 2008
10.00am The Word Service
The Kingdom of Heaven
 Psalm 131 and Matthew 13.31-33, 44-52

3 August 2008
10.00am Holy Communion
Abundant blessings
 Psalm 4 and Matthew 14.13-21

10 August 2008
10.00am All Together Church
Getting out of the boat
 Matthew 14.22-33

17 August 2008
10.00am Holy Communion
Almost overlooked
 Psalm 105.1-11 & Matthew 15.21-28

24 August 2008
10.00am The Word Service
“Who do you say I am?”
 Psalm 140 & Matthew 16.13-20

Certificate in Christian Discipleship

We've just received the publicity for the Certificate in Christian Discipleship (CCD) course beginning in the autumn of this year. A number of members of St Paul's have enjoyed the course in recent years. We've also delivered the course at The Barnabas Centre for the last two years. It's now time to let other venues have a turn, so there'll be no course in Oadby next year. However, Kibworth (for the Year 1 course) is only a few minutes away, so why not think about enrolling this year?

The publicity material includes these details:

The Certificate in Christian Discipleship is an ecumenical course that helps us to explore our own life and faith. Running in small groups throughout the county, people from a variety of backgrounds and contexts discover what it is to be a Christian Disciple and have opportunity to study some key elements of the Christian Faith.

This course is for anyone wishing to deepen their faith, ask questions and link that faith to daily life. Explore with others in an informal and relaxed atmosphere.

The course can be taken for personal development, or for preparation for further training and no formal qualifications are required to join. CCD is the foundation requirement for authorised Anglican Ministries in the Diocese of Leicester.

If you would like to, there is opportunity to submit assessments to gain credit towards a University Level Certificate, validated by the University of Wales, Lampeter.


Year 1 course venues

City Centre, Adult Education Centre, Wellington Street, Leicester
Tuesday Evenings, 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Wymeswold, St Mary’s Church
Tuesday Evenings, 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Kibworth, St Wilfred’s Church Hall
Wednesday Evenings, 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Stanton-under-Bardon, St Mary & All Saints
Thursday Evenings, 7.30pm – 9.30pm


Year 2 course venues

City Centre, Adult Education Centre, Wellington Street, Leicester
Monday Evenings, 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Launde Abbey, East Norton
Monday Mornings, 10.00am – 12.00pm

Thorpe Acre Church Centre, Loughborough
Monday Evenings, 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Market Bosworth Community College
Tuesday Evenings, 7.30pm – 9.30pm

For further details and to book your place contact the School for Ministry Office : 0116 248 7417.


Modules available include:

Year 1 (Year 1 courses begin week commencing 29th September 2008)
Christian Discipleship
Opening up the Old Testament
Opening up the New Testament
Introduction to the Creeds
Mission Ministry and Vocation
Theological Reflection

Year 2 (Year 2 courses begin week commencing 22nd September 2008)
Christian Spirituality
Entering into the Old Testament
Entering into the New Testament
Sources of Theology
History of English Christianity
Christian Leadership

Each module is studied over 5 x two hour sessions

COST IS £100 PER YEAR OR £20 PER MODULE

For further information about the CCD course, call the School for Ministry on 0116 248 7417 or email Claire Stapleton.

Ten things to do in a boring sermon

I love John Pritchard's book, Beginning Again. It's a great way back to Christian faith if you've lost your way and it includes lots of practical hints as well as good, solid spiritual advice.

Among its gems are these ten things to do in a boring sermon:

1. Forgive the preacher (unless he makes a habit of it). We don't know if he had a bad week, a blinding headache, or simply ran out of inspiration. In any case, not all ministers are gifted in preaching. The bottom line is: 'As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive' (Colossians 3.13)
2. Resolve not to go for any cheap shots afterwards, such as "Well, you always manage to find something to fill up the time," "It's a shame they make you preach so often," or "Did you know there are 236 panes of glass in the east window?" Rise above this temptation.
3. Pray for the preacher. It can't do any harm. But don't be too optimistic either. Remember the vicar's daughter who asked her mother why daddy said a prayer before he preached. "He asks God to help him," came the answer. Pause. "Then why doesn't God help him?" asked the little girl (on behalf of the congregation).
4. Pray for the congregation. This is actually very important because God can use almost anything to speak to people's hearts. A word, a phrase, a half-formed idea, even a misheard idea - all can take seed in a listener's mind. The proof of this divine cunning is the number of times a preacher is warmly thanked for something he is sure he never said!
5. Think of a good line to help the preacher re-examine his preaching technique. Try: "Thank you for having a go at that subject today. But what really interests me about it is this..." In other words, get him to think harder about his preaching. If you really want to put the wind up him, you might even suggest setting up a group to discuss his sermon with him regularly. (But be prepared for a small attendance).
6. Pray for yourself, for a forgiving spirit and a good lunch. Or more constructively, pray that God will give you that one pearl which makes the sludge worthwhile.
7. Think how you might preach on this same passage. What would be your main point? How would it relate to the congregation's current experience, and yours? How would you illustrate it? Can you think of a memorable phrase to sum it up so that people might go our 'humming the sermon' instead of the last hymn?
8. Put the sermon in a broader context. Remember that there are hundreds of thousands of sermons being preached all over the world this morning, and some of them are going to be barnstormers. Briefly regret the fact that this is not one of them, but praise God for those people who are being challenged and changed even now in luckier places.
9. If you are having as bad a day as the preacher, allow yourself some extra-curricular activity. A small survey in my home revealed the following favourites: count how many people nearby have dyed their hair; plan next week's menus (or next month's); find a small child and watch it for acts of spectactular freedom. Failing everything, start rattling your watch to see if it's broken.
10. Pray for the Second Coming, when all preaching will be unnecessary.

But here's one thing not to do: don't ever lower your sights in what you expect of the sermon. Here should be a divine-human exchange of the highest order. Remember the words of Thomas Carlyle: "Who, having been called to be a preacher, would stoop to be a king?" Put that on your Christmas card to the vicar.

Beginning Again is published by SPCK, at around £8.00, and I thoroughly recommend it.



Photo: Björn Rixman, on Flickr

Church Urban Fund Sunday - 1 June 2008

There's a 'something or other' Sunday every week of the year, it seems, and it's just not possible to re-work the calendar to include them all. We chose this Sunday to focus on Christian Stewardship and Giving, so there'll be little opportunity to do justice to Church Urban Fund Sunday this year. I'm resolving to do more next year, or to find a way in the coming months to raise the profile. (We did try a Church Urban Fund evening a few months ago and the response was disappointing).

Church Urban Fund is celebrating 20 years of action in England's poorest communities. The Fund does great work helping churches make an impact in some of the most challenging places. It was set up by the Church of England in 1988 as an expression of its mission to serve the poorest within our society.

Key areas of its work involve partnering with other organisations to tackle the roots of poverty, advocating on behalf of faith communities and their work at the grassroots, the giving of grants, developing of research and the championing of causes related to poverty.

A prayer from the Church Urban Fund website:

Dear Lord

Help us to follow your example by looking out
for those who each day feel that they are marginalised,
who cannot find hope,
who believe that they have little to offer,
who are overcome by the challenges of poverty.

Help us to widen our horizons,
to make space for the stranger,
to watch out for those who feel invisible,
to give time to the outsider,
to talk to the person facing silence,
to restore justice and value.

Give us the courage to undertake this,
the determination to join with others in seeing grace
in every human face,
the faith to embrace the opportunity in your name.
Amen