April 2013 - Page 2 of 2

Cook@Chapel – update Apr13

Katharine Crowsley tells how a 'mixing bowl of prayer' has helped to develop Cook@Chapel.

Over the past four years Cook@Chapel has grown and evolved as a fresh expression of church. The group of young people meets once a week to cook together, pray together and share a meal. By sharing food, hospitality and worship these young people can develop and deepen their faith – and build a small missional community.

Our prayer life of Cook@Chapel has developed very quickly from a grace said at the start of the shared meal to a time of prayer that takes place every week and forms a central focus to our meeting. The young people like to use a kitchen mixing bowl that we place written prayers into; we then pass the bowl around, stirring the prayers and reading them out in turn.

Prayers are for all sorts of issues, from international concerns to the local, for family, friends and each other. This is called the 'Mixing Bowl of Prayer' and we realised the young people wanted to use this way of praying more frequently when the mixing bowl was brought out for prayers week after week. It has formed a prayer liturgy for the community which works and gives a good example of how the prayer life of the group has evolved naturally.

Over the past 18 months, the numbers of people attending has steadily increased as the turnover rate has decreased. This means that the group of young people attending has gradually stabilised. Before this period, people would join the group for a few months, or maybe a year, and then move on – whereas now they stay. As a result, the community has become more cohesive as faith has grown and worship has developed.

This change has been a positive one which, in turn, has raised many questions, including, 'how do we cope with the increase in numbers?' and 'how do we effectively disciple those who are new to the Christian faith, especially if Cook@Chapel is their only contact with church?'

Recruiting new volunteers to help when we meet on Friday nights is something that works with the increasing numbers in the short term but the longer-term aim is to encourage young leaders from within Cook@Chapel itself. This will ultimately be more sustainable for Cook@Chapel's future and means that the young people will be involved in leading and guiding the development of Cook@Chapel.

Cook@Chapel is made up of some people with quite a deep Christian faith and others relatively new to faith. Providing opportunities for discipleship needs to occur in both an informal and formal way. Future developments will include the more structured option of deepening and developing faith through a taught course, whilst informal discipling will continue through the conversations that occur whilst preparing food or sitting around the table. Most importantly however is the discipleship that happens while journeying alongside people, developing our faith as we go.

Cook@Chapel was recently been involved in fundraising for an education project in Ghana and we cooked a safari supper to raise some money. The young people prepared a traditional meal of spicy chicken, rice and peas and the whole event was very successful – especially as it gave those at Cook@Chapel a chance to showcase their cookery skills to a wider 'audience'.

As Cook@Chapel moves towards the start of its fifth year, other plans include a possible allotment where we can grow our own vegetables to cook for our fellowship meal. This is very much in the planning stage at present but would allow us to become more sustainable and to think more about where our food comes from. Love and care for God's creation has been an important part of Cook@Chapel's philosophy right from the start, so the allotment development would encourage stewardship of the earth's resources and the opportunity to work together as a community.

authentic faith: fresh expressions of church amongst young adults

The Church is failing to reach or keep young adults. Only 11% of regular churchgoers are between the ages of 25 and 34, whilst 16% of the UK population is within that age group. In tracking church decline, the greatest losses per year are occurring amongst those aged 15 to 29. However, there are churches bucking this trend.

This 36-page report outlines the findings from a qualitative research project undertaken by Church Army and Fresh Expressions looking into some of these churches, including parish churches, traditional church plants and fresh expressions of church, all with growing numbers of people in their 20s and 30s.

A selection of young adult leaders share their reactions to the research.

For the majority of young adults in this country, any form of church is simply off the radar. This research brings together stories that are full of hope and describes a necessary move of the spirit to be nurtured and encouraged. authentic faith is a powerful gift to young adult communities who often feel isolated and unsupported in their calling and its recommendations are astute and should be heeded. This is essential reading for the whole church.

Zoe Hart, practitioner and Fresh Expressions Associate Missioner

We should be grateful to Beth Keith for this careful piece of research and even more grateful for the seven recommendations it makes. The ageing UK church ignores these at its peril.

Norman Ivison, Director of Communication and Resources, Fresh Expressions

Beth's research is insightful and timely. Her findings will help shape future pioneering work in the church as we grapple with reaching the missing generations.

Rachel Jordan, Church of England National Mission & Evangelism Adviser

Sanctus1 – update Apr10

Manchester-based Sanctus1 has inspired many since appearing on expressions: the dvd – 1: stories of church for a changing culture. Based at Nexus art café, it reaches out to those living and working in the city centre. Over the past few months, key leaders have moved on and it is proving to be a time of transition for everyone. The new leader of both communities, Methodist minister Al Lowe, explains why.

I joined in September last year when the Anglicans and Methodists here decided it was a good time for a joint ecumenical appointment. As a result I became the leader of both Sanctus1 and the Nexus art café communities. I was very much aware of the heritage of both as Cris Acher had overseen Nexus as a space for encounter since it was opened in 2005 by the Methodist Church in partnership with Sanctus1.

But Cris moved on this year and so did Sanctus 1's Ben Edson. Many fresh expression churches are focused on one particular leader and their gifts but what happens when that leader is no longer there? How do we cope? Transition, how we manage it, and sustainability will play a very important part in my work in these early stages.

I have to look at the benefits of Sanctus1 and Nexus working more closely together because for me it's all about discipleship, growth of discipleship and depth of discipleship. Nexus is a place where you can come and explore without coming across Jesus too much. Historically, after a while, a few people started stepping across into Sanctus1 as somewhere which looks to continually refresh its ways of doing worship but somewhere along the way, Sanctus1 has become a bit of an introspective community. We need to be more outward looking there, have an increased sense of mission, and more of a focused idea on who we are and what we are doing.

Concentrating on discipleship rather than on building church is key. The idea of 'church' carries so much baggage these days, and – as far as I'm concerned – when two or three are gathered together then Christ is there. If you grow discipleship you are more likely to grow church rather than saying we have to have five hymns and Communion and it has to be done this way. The challenge for us is to put a structure together so that we are less introspective.

We still seem to have a core of eight to 10 people at Sanctus1 and there is a lot of come and go but that is the nature of the generation we serve. As part of the changing pattern since the community first got off the ground, we now offer Sanctus on Sundays because the young professionals who first came to us now have children of their own. They were telling us, 'Wednesday night used to work for us as a meeting time but it doesn't any more.' So we decided to launch on a Sunday morning and meet at Nexus for a 10.45am start followed by lunch at 12. What goes around comes around! Basically what we do is a repeat of the Wednesday material but we also have a crate of toys and a little bit of interaction with the kids. The ongoing challenge will be to offer something for those children as they move on from the baby and toddler stage.

People say, 'It's nice to see something on a Sunday morning'. It’s not quite a radical idea is it?! Just goes to show that not everything we do in established Church is wrong, it's often just not pliable enough to move forward and meet the needs of people where they're at.

Fresh expressions: what’s in a name? (Michael King)

Michael King asks what's in a name.

Being Vice-President of the Methodist Church is a very real privilege. I have visited many different parts of Britain, met some wonderfully committed and gifted people, been shown remarkably creative pieces of work and marvelled at the extraordinary variety and diversity of 'church' in the 21st century.

Now I'm now less than three months away from handing on this very special role to Daleep Mukarji in London, which has meant that I am being asked to reflect on my year in a number of committees and forums.

I am aware that there are debates surrounding the name of 'fresh expressions' – such as whether the label is correct or even the best descriptor. I am content to leave that discussion with theologians and ecclesiologists because, from my experience of the Methodist Church this year, what the label of fresh expressions has done is to give local churches, Circuits and Districts permission to think outside the box.

Of course Christians have tried new things for the last 2000 years but there is something about being able, in this new millennium, to name new initiatives as part of a discernible moving of the Spirit – and especially if it is encouraged by the Methodist Conference – that gives people a sense of communal purpose. This is along the lines of, 'What you are doing there is not like we are trying here, but we're both part of some important moving of the Spirit and isn't it good that we can encourage one another?'

Up and down the land, the mission shaped ministry course is being taken seriously whilst deacons, chaplains, VentureFX Pioneers, presbyters, lay workers, and faithful church members are talking about new ways of being church. Many manifestations of church could be described as 'outside' normal church. Defining normality, of course, begs other questions!

I just want to thank God for anything that releases his people to reach those outside mainstream church circles. Emil Brunner's much quoted, 'The Church exists by mission, as fire exists by burning', is still central to my understanding of what church is about. These recent expressions of church in the UK are as important as any missionary movements internationally; the impulse to tell other people that God loves them has exactly the same roots. In all cases, whether near or far, context and sensitivity are vital. It is often lay people that initiate mission because they are alongside others in daily work; it requires faithful and committed Christians who know the local scene to combine with an openness to new ideas and inspiration. It's happening all over! Praise God.

Is there a danger that institutions (whilst generously granting seed money to nurture new shoots) are trying to control things too tightly? I'm all for a bit of order, but not at the expense of stifling the Holy Spirit. There has never been one way of being church. Some recent recommendations from the joint (Methodist/Church of England) working party – as reported in the book Fresh Expressions in the Mission of the Church – appear to suggest increasing control over what defines church, before looking at the merits of any fresh expressions.

It's a lesson that I'm also learning in the garden where, for the first time in my life, I am going to grow parsnips. On asking for advice, I was told to grow them in pipes, to keep them straight – but I am growing them for their flavour, not for show. Yes, they need to be recognisable as parsnips and I want them to thrive but I'm really not bothered about shape. Their taste is what matters to me. The values of new forms of church are more important than the shape they take.

There's that lovely parable in Matthew 20 (verses 1-16) which describes aspects of the Kingdom of heaven. Verse 15 includes the words of the landowner, 'Or are you envious because I am generous?' I wonder how many fresh expressions the Holy Spirit of God is trying to point out to us; how dulled we are to the Spirit's promptings, how slow we are get on board; how we prefer the holy chaos to be ordered according to our own understanding and how often we miss out on fully appreciating the generosity of God.

Grafted – update Apr13

Grafted, a Church Army project in the Scottish Borders at Newcastleton, was launched by Captain Paul Little eight years ago. Mick McTighe now leads the ministry, which is linked with Refresh Community church.

The project reaches out to people with chaotic lifestyles, coming alongside them so that they may be enabled and encouraged to know Jesus.

Grafted is continually seeking to respond to God's call and now has a thriving outreach to older people led by Mary Mitchell. 'Mary's Teas' is based around a weekly meal, crafts and quizzes and occasional day excursions. Grafted also has busy children's and youth ministry in Newcastleton and works regularly in the local primary school. Volunteers are an integral part of the team as the ministry continues to develop.

In Hawick, 20 miles from Newcastleton, the team manages a drop-in for those seeking help with substance and alcohol misuse. This is run in partnership with Hawick Baptist church. A similar work in Galashiels is has been running for two years after being established by Grafted. Called 'Window of Time' this work continues to challenge those with addictive and volatile lifestyles. Walking, mountain biking and creative crafts are further activities that the team uses to explore faith and work in relation to issues that clients may be struggling with.

Grafted manages and supports this much needed work and is also looking to the future with the development of a new drop-in at Newcastleton. This would be for people living with a variety of needs, including loneliness, depression and addictions. As the vision grows, we are working hard to develop relationships with churches in the surrounding Borders area to provide hope for those without hope.

I came to Newcastleton from Huddersfield in August last year and it has been quite a learning curve because I'm used to a parish setting, though my work has always been with those the church finds difficult to reach or communicate with. It is such a different culture here to what I'm accustomed to; it's a very tight-knit community and everyone knows what's happening in the area This is a very isolated place, the nearest petrol station is 12 miles away and the closest supermarket is 25 miles away but there's a fantastic butcher down the lane and the folk in Hawick and Galashiels really look forward to us taking lots of great pies to the drop-ins!

Paul Little, his wife Elaine and family did a brilliant job here and they are much missed. He loved outdoor activities and was great at leading them; I'm not that type of character. Mine is a different sort of role but I equally seek to make Christ known through word and deed as I look to support and build on, and unite, the various ministries of Grafted, Refresh, Deeper and the Parish Church.

When I arrived, there was a little confusion as to what came under the Grafted flag and what didn't so part of my role is 'de-fragmenting' everything to bring all the elements together under the banner of Christ.

One of the elements is the No 8 Club which we run as a local authority youth venue, in agreement with the local council authority. Many of the No 8 young people also attend Refresh Community Church, a fresh expression of church which uses the same venue fortnightly on Tuesday evenings and meets in homes at small groups every other week.

My wife Ros, who is a keen 'crafter' has joined the local knitting club and is making new friends in the village. She has also set up a crafting class at the Hawick drop-in, which has proved very popular amongst our clients – both women and men.

Our evangelist-in-training, Paul Smith, is full of ideas and it is through him that we have been given permission to develop a ministry in the 'Beanscene' coffee house in Hawick. They have offered to cordon off part of the upstairs floor of the café as well as giving us use of a cinema connected to their business if we needed to go further with our work. This has proved to be a popular venue as it is very public and has a relaxed, non-threatening, friendly atmosphere.

Lee and Claire Musson, two of the leaders currently running Refresh, are also responsible for Rock UK Christian outdoor adventure centre but Claire is expecting a baby in April so we will be taking on their Refresh home group while she is on maternity leave. Refresh currently has a leadership of four. Working alongside Lee and Claire are Julie Thomson – Children and Families Worker with Grafted – and Mary Mitchell, who leads Mary's Teas and the visiting team to the elderly. Paul Smith is also involved in Refresh through teaching, leading home groups and leading worship.

Those who come to Refresh wouldn't normally go to the parish church; we are not trying to change that at all. Instead we want them to come in and recognise that we are the church.

There was some misunderstanding about Refresh because it was so different, but now people do come from the parish church to support us, and they meet every Friday to pray for the work of the church within the community. Some of the women from the church bake for the monthly coffee bar for teenagers which is run as a joint outreach by Grafted, Refresh, Rock UK and Liddesdale Parish Church, and more and more of them are attracted to what we're doing. We are also meeting regularly with members of Rock UK, Refresh and Liddesdale Parish Church to ensure we are pulling together all our resources to ensure the children's and youth ministry in the community is the best we can do.

I, along with the team, am building further bridges with the local parish church though I try not to get involved with Sundays too much. We have got more involved with their midweek activities because it's all part of trying to encourage them to be more active in what they are trying to do in their community. We need to build bridges and explode a few of the myths that have built up around us. I want people to recognise that we are here to serve as the body of Christ and as such are on their side. We don’t want to undermine the church but to help them be more outward looking rather than inward looking.

It's a balancing act because the traditional churches we are involved with are quite happy that we are available for them but I am trying to resist any Idea that we want to take everything over on their behalf. I still keep in mind that my aim is to build community in Newcastleton and step up to Grafted2.

We don't talk about going to church; instead we constantly talk to the community about being church. I go 'with' the church to a place where a lot of people have lots in common. People understand this concept much better which therefore helps them understand more clearly why we want to meet together. I also think the community has to see a group of people experiencing the same ups and downs of life; they need to see that Christ is in us. We are hoping and praying that we can end up with a core of people in the village who are going to be salt and light here and confident in sharing the hope we have Jesus.