Day: 18 May 2015

msm Lincolnshire – Horncastle

You are invited to share a learning journey in a supportive community to be equipped for a lifetime of good practice and learning in growing fresh expressions of church.

Your local course

Churches Together in All Lincolnshire, the Lincolnshire Fresh Expressions Area Strategy Team and Lincolnshire Community of Pioneers are delighted to make msm available locally. We believe it will be a significant resource for building the Kingdom of God in this area.

Individuals are most welcome, but we particularly hope that small groups from a church or fresh expression will come as this will deepen the impact of the course.

The course leaders and teachers include Jesse Ratcliff, Jonnie & Mel Parkin, David Newlove, Pete Atkins, Bob & Mary Hopkins.

Course timetable and venue

Saturday 19th September 2015

Wednesday 7th October 2015

Wednesday 11th November 2015

Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd November 2015

Wednesday 9th December 2015

Wednesday 27th January 2016

Wednesday 24th February 2016

Wednesday 16th March 2016

Saturday 16th April 2016

Wednesday 18th May 2016

Wednesday 15th June 2016

Saturday 9th July 2016

Saturdays run from 09.30 to 15.30, weekdays from 19.00 to 21.30, both at Horncastle Methodist Hall, Queen Street, Horncastle, LN9 6BD.

The residential weekend is at Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 1AU.

Cost

£275 per person, which covers all materials, refreshments and the weekend away. Financial support may be available.

Book

Download the flier and booking form at the foot of the page or book online.

Contact

Mel Parkin

Course Leader/Administrator

ctal@lincoln.anglican.org

01522 504063

Recommendations

The msm course is now well established across the county, many have undertaken it and a great number have benefited from the subsequent ministries of those who have participated. We now have the opportunity to build on all that has been achieved thus far and help shape yet further the mission of the church where we serve.

Revd Bruce Thompson, Chair of Lincolnshire Methodist District

I am delighted that msm is running here in Lincolnshire this year. We need mission to be at the heart of our thinking, praying and doing. This course is a fantastic way of helping us do this creatively, imaginatively and compassionately.

Rt Revd Dr David Court, Bishop of Grimsby/strong>

msm Thames Valley – Oxford

You are invited to share a learning journey in a supportive community to be equipped for a lifetime of good practice and learning in growing fresh expressions of church.

Your local course

The Diocese of Oxford, Northampton Methodist District and the Church Mission Society are delighted to make msm available locally. We believe it will be a significant resource for building the Kingdom of God in this area.

Individuals are most welcome, but we particularly hope that small groups from a church or fresh expression will come as this will deepen the impact of the course.

The course leaders and teachers include Katharine Crowsley, Andy Freeman, Andrew Gear, Emma Major, Jonny Baker, Michael Moynagh and Phil Potter.

Course timetable and venue

Taster day

Tuesday 23rd June 2015

18.30-21.00, curry included, £10

The course

Saturday 26th September 2015

Saturday 14th November 2015

Saturday 16th January 2016

Saturday 5th March 2016

Saturday 7th May 2016

Saturday 18th June 2016

Saturday 24th September 2016

Saturday 12th November 2016

Saturday 14th January 2017

Saturdays run from 10.00 to 16.00 at Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ.

Cost

£175 per person, which covers all materials and refreshments. A £90 subsidy is available to Diocese of Oxford attendees.

Book

Download the flier and booking form at the foot of the page or book online.

Contact

Helen Harwood

Course Administrator

pioneer@cms-uk.org

01865 776375

Recommendations

msm has taken us onto exciting new paths of learning, asking ourselves how we prayerfully breathe God's love into our place and time, bringing all his people into his community. What a resource we can now carry.

Gilly Beardmore

It is a great course and I am thankful that I have shared this learning. It has shaped my journey, I have a much greater understanding of fresh expressions and feel better equipped, both spiritually and practically.

Diana Hancocks

It has convinced me even more that we need to be where people are, demonstrating the message of the Gospel, and opened my eyes to different ways of doing this. It was a great opportunity too to meet with others travelling the same path and share ideas, experiences and expertise.

Lesley Birtwhistle

Why simply speaking louder won’t work (Simon Goddard)

Simon Goddard explores why we need to speak in new and creative ways.

I've recently returned from a trip abroad, and rather lazily I neglected to learn the language of the country I was visiting. I did what many of us do and hoped that by speaking English a bit louder and slower I might be able to make myself understood. I think sometimes in the church we adopt a similar approach to sharing the gospel!

The story of Pentecost, however, offers us an alternative approach when individuals from a long list of different nations exclaim 'we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!' (Acts 2.11). In an increasingly post-modern and post-Christian context the Holy Spirit is still inspiring people to share the unchanging gospel in languages that people can understand. In a desire to connect with the 94% of the population who aren't regularly in church, some have begun to speak in new and creative ways.

Whilst there are some who, like the scoffers in Acts 2, take one look at Messy Church and café church and presume that those involved 'have had too much wine!' (v13), the language of fresh expressions is one that is increasingly being spoken. Unlike this Englishman abroad, however, many Christians have taken the responsibility to learn how to communicate the wonderful gospel message in a 'tongue' that others can understand.

The mission shaped ministry course has been one method that the Spirit has use to empower the church to learn this new language. At Pentecost about 3,000 people responded, and the impact of msm has been no less impressive. Over the last decade, msm has been the catalyst for new expressions of church being planted and a source of renewal for existing congregations. It's also been a place where people have responded to a call from God, and have been equipped to get involved in the mission of the church, perhaps for the very first time.

For some, however, accessing msm has proved to be a challenge. In some parts of the country it has only been possible to run a course once every few years, and even when a course is available regionally, there are many living in rural locations who have long distances to travel in order to be able to attend. That's why in 2014 people like me, who are already involved in delivering msm, were invited to consider how it could be offered more flexibly.

And that brings us to the launch of msm online. The first running of this course begins in September 2015, providing the same content but presenting it over the web in a 'virtual learning environment'. The idea is that a small group, of up to five people from a single congregation or local group of churches, will gather around a laptop or smart TV in someone's lounge, interacting with other groups and a speaker who will be teaching from the comfort of their own home via a webcam.

If you want to be part of the first cohort on msm online, or know of churches that might be able to benefit, then more information can be found on the msm online website. As a special introductory offer there is a 15% discount on the group fee for those who register before the end June.

Simon Goddard is a Regional Minister in the Eastern Baptist Association and coordinator of the Pioneer Collective, an initiative to identify, release and resource 400 new Baptist pioneers. He was formerly the pastor of RE:NEW, a pioneering and ecumenical expression of church near Cambridge.

Please note that comments and views may not represent those of Fresh Expressions.