Author: fewebadmin

What’s in a name? (Judith Mbaabu)

Judith Mbaabu explores whether names are important and what they say about us.

As a fresh expression of church, Hay Mills CC comes together to share fun, fellowship and worship in the name of Jesus. That all sounds great but what exactly am I talking about? To a non-church person, and especially to our members with learning disabilities, I guess it makes no sense at all!

In an attempt to become more 'accessible' to the people they serve, many Christian fellowships are choosing to adopt a different name – such as 'Community Church' – and replacing more traditional church terminology with language that everyone can understand.

I think the question we need to ask ourselves is, 'Does the name really matter?'

Once I would have said that only my first name mattered and my surname was of no significance. My Christian name was chosen especially for me. It wasn't inherited from my dad's family, and it wouldn't change if I married. It belonged to me – even though many thousands of others had the same first name.

Now, I would say that my surname does matter, because it identifies me in a way that is important to me. I am a white woman with a Kenyan surname. As a result, people make assumptions… Some have not been able to 'identify' me in a crowded room because they presumed that I would be a black woman with a name such as Mbaabu. The fact is that I chose to change my name after I married because it says so much about me. Keeping my English surname would have been easier here in the UK, but that is to deny something of who I have become.

So do clever names and the catchy labels we choose really make any difference as we seek to grow the Kingdom. Or are we confusing people and leaving them looking for, and expecting, the wrong thing? Are we denying something of who we really are in an attempt to be more acceptable to our local communities?

Let's look more closely at the name Hay Mills CC. Hay Mills is a closed church that the Congregational Federation has re-opened, and we needed to retain some of its previous identity but – at the same time – let the community know that something different was now happening.

So what to call our new church? Community Church, Congregational Community Church, Community Hub, Church Hub, Hay Mills fresh expression, Hay Mills Messy? Finally we agreed on Hay Mills CC, and people can decide for themselves what they think it stands for! Assuming of course, that it actually matters to them what we are called. It matters to us as we want to be clear and not mislead people into thinking we are something that we are not. But does it matter to those around us? At a recent gathering we asked everyone what they thought we should call ourselves. One lady immediately said, 'The church where we make friends'. It's not slick, doesn't roll off the tongue and wouldn't fit well on a letter head, but it says exactly what she felt at that moment.

Many of our friends at Hay Mills CC do not have a great grasp of language but they know when they are welcomed and loved. They also know when they feel at home and a part of something special. An individual who does not remember names well pointed to our Church Development Worker when they met on the street and shouted, 'Church! Church!'

We are Church. We are Congregational. We are Community. We are a fresh expression. Our name is the first thing many people hear about us and their assumptions matter. So let's be careful about names, but let's be honest. Just changing a name does not help us to reach out to more people if we fail to look closely at what we are offering when we actually meet with them.

Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life' and that was enough. No clever labels, no pretending to be something he wasn't, no 'clever' name that didn't reflect the reality. He said clearly who he was, in words that people understood, and that was enough. Can that be said about us?

Fresh Expressions takes new direction in 2016

As it looks to the future, Fresh Expressions will focus increasingly on building a strong coalition of partners who will 'connect, equip and release' the work in their own settings and beyond. This is an evolution from a centralised core staff promoting fresh expressions of church, and reflects the huge progress made in this respect in recent years.

The vision is for a partnership of denominations, streams and agencies to continue to embed the values of Fresh Expressions in their own organisations and collaborate together in developing the work of supporting, encouraging and developing new forms of church.

Since Fresh Expressions began, in 2005, it has been served by a national core staff team. Through the work of Fresh Expressions, many denominations and mission agencies have increasingly adopted the principles and practices of fresh expressions of church and shared in the overall task. Consequently, the size of the core-funded team is now being scaled down while seconded posts will continue to increase. Following a consultation process, the following posts have been made redundant: Director of Communication and Resources (with effect from 30th November 2015), Senior Writer and Media Officer (with effect from 31st December 2015) and Resources Manager (with effect from 31st December 2015).

A new post of Director of Communications will be created providing a strategic lead to connect, equip and release the communication of Fresh Expressions.

Another new post of IT Services Officer will also be created to maintain the Fresh Expressions web presence and provide administrative computer systems services.

Archbishops' Missioner and team leader of Fresh Expressions, Phil Potter, said,

The Fresh Expressions story is transitioning from initiative to movement and we continue to explore how we can best serve the Church in that. I am very grateful to those who have been part of the core team, past and present, for the invaluable contribution they have made, enabling us to reach this point of transition. God has multiplied the available resources beyond a single team, and our 'associate' and partner friends are increasingly taking up the baton in every sense as the movement continues to grow.

The work goes on. We increasingly look to catalyse, encourage and network the many, many people – both ordained and lay – who are working to champion fresh expressions of church in wide-ranging contexts across the UK and around the world. God has been generous and faithful and we continue to rely on God's guidance as we take on this new shape for Fresh Expressions in 2016.

Fresh Expressions will continue – with and through its many partners – to champion and resource new forms of church for those who are not already members of any church. It also seeks to consolidate all that has been achieved in terms of major projects and policy changes at national level, through:

  • promoting best practice;

  • providing effective support;

  • creating genuine partnership.

The work now revolves around five areas of focus:

  • inspiring vision;

  • networking strategically;

  • connecting geographically;

  • supporting practitioners;

  • resourcing learning.

Break out pioneer gathering 2016

Break out is a gathering of pioneers and those involved in pioneer ministry with the aim of us all learning from one another and finding support from those who share the same call. It is an opportunity to be together, learn from each other and also interact with a number of guest speakers.

Visit the Break out website for the latest information.

Arts Project Development Worker

Bunyan Meeting plans to develop a Christian community arts outreach programme. This project will focus on art as expressed through 'The Book' and book arts, crafts and skills.

Candidates should be creative individuals, passionate about the Arts (book arts) with a desire to take the Christian story into Bedford's Cultural Quarter and the community in which the Church is situated.

The post is for an initial 18 month period, for 17.5 hours per week. Annual salary is £28,000 pro rata. 

The Living Room and Franky’s Pizza – Nov15

Tina Powsey reflects on how The Living Room and Franky's Pizza are developing in Southport.

Summer 2015 was great for the work of fresh expressions in this area and God has really opened some doors for us to have even more impact in 2016. A strong, prayerful foundation has been laid in Southport and we are beginning to watch seeds grow.

We also had a special visitor who travelled a long way to take part in our ministry here. James Ravenscroft, a minister with the United Church of Canada, started a sabbatical at the end of August and spent a month in the UK exploring different fresh expressions. He contacted us to say he loved what we were doing and asked if he could come to pitch in where he could and learn about what has worked (and not).

I wondered how he had heard about us in the first place and he said he had read our story on the Fresh Expressions website!

James helped us with our relaunch of Franky's Pizza at St Francis, on the Kew estate. It now opens on the first and third Friday of the month from 4 to 6pm. Previously, even with the promotion we received on BBC Radio Merseyside's Sunday morning Daybreak programme, we weren't getting people through the doors. Changing the opening times will now help us to reach out to young families on the estate and invite them to join us for an early Friday night meal together.

The Living Room and Franky's Pizza - birthday

We hand delivered Franky's Pizza leaflets to 340 homes; James knocked on doors and a number of conversations took place which demonstrated great interest in Franky's. As a result of one of those conversations, a woman joined us with her young granddaughter from the local school and they had a wonderful time. They promised to come again and bring some friends along too.

The vision for Franky's is to create sustainable relationships on the Kew Estate that will develop into living relationships with Jesus Christ. I recognise the 'belonging before belief' mentality and that's exactly what we hope to achieve at Franky's Pizza – fun, food, conversation and God at the centre of it all.

The Living Room, the community which has developed from the ministry of a soup kitchen, has seen great developments too. We had been praying for an expansion of our volunteer team and Elizabeth, our most recent recruit, will now be serving with us twice a month. Hoping to grow this ministry ecumenically, Elizabeth joins us from St Patrick's Catholic Church on Marshside Road and heard about The Living Room when I spoke at a joint churches' prayer meeting. We are still seeing a steady attendance and I've been having progressive conversations with one of our guests who is now seeking baptism. We've got such a strong sense of community there; it's an absolute honour to bring God's Word to them in a way that's accessible so that they can know what Jesus meant when he talked about having life in abundance – and that knowledge makes such a difference to people. I see that displayed in various ways; sometimes their countenance changes, they walk a little taller, display more confidence, welcome in the stranger and have concern for each other. 

The Living Room and Franky's Pizza - last orders

You really can 'come as you are' at The Living Room and that means we have some very practical solutions to issues in their context!  A lot of The Living Room regulars like to smoke so, at 12.20, I call 'last orders for cigarettes' to give them warning that it's ten minutes before our reflection time together. They can then nip outside and have a cigarette before we get underway.

The reflection time has now been extended to half an hour, from 12.30-1pm; we all choose the worship songs together and one of our regulars always insists that we say the grace together. We often start with a question and then see what the Bible has to say about it. For instance, we asked them how they feel God sees them; the answers ranged from 'someone who had messed up an awful lot' to 'a child of God' and 'someone not worth looking at'. I look forward to seeing them every week because you never quite know what's going to happen there.

In another development, we have partnered with the Street Pastors and had a 'business card' made that they can distribute to people – if they feel it's appropriate – when they're out on their rounds. The Street Pastors work on a monthly rota so there was a concern that you might see someone and have a chat with them but it would then be another four weeks before you had the chance to engage with them again. The cards just give very brief details of The Living Room, including the opening times, so there is always an opportunity for people to connect with others.

The Living Room and Franky's Pizza - signs

We also celebrated our second annual SonFest Christian music festival at Southport's Town Hall Gardens. Alongside the five live bands performing a blend of Christian music throughout the day, Messy Ministries was on hand with edible crafts and teaching for the younger visitors. More than 100 children took part in the activities, each hearing the good news of the gospel through a sheep cupcake and a string cheese shepherd!

A number of 'community tables' were set up in the gardens to provide information on a wide range of Christian organisations, including Christians Against Poverty and the Southport Bible Society Action Group. Southport Christian Book Centre donated 200 New Testaments and more than 50 of them were distributed at SonFest.

The Living Room and Franky's Pizza - Southport bridge

I'm already in the planning stages for next year's festival as I'm very excited about future-proofing the event. I'm delighted to have secured partnerships and relationships during the last two years with businesses and individuals who are deeply committed to the event's ministry and growth. Our main sponsor, Fill The Gap, shares the vision for reaching hearts through music and is committed to stand behind me each year and grow this work. I'm so very thankful for the missional network that's already been created; it is beginning to pay dividends and I'm keen to explore collaborative, inter-denominational ways forward for 2016 and beyond. I am now in the third year of a three year post and it's so exciting to know that God can work through what we do to bring people into a life of freedom with him that they wouldn't find normally. I am fortunate that we always have a fresh expressions update at every Circuit meeting and it's good to have the space to report back and get support and encouragement.

That sort of encouragement is also leading to something new later this year. A new Costa Coffee recently opened in the centre of town and, in December, we'll be launching Reflection Lounge @ Costa there. This will give an opportunity for Christians and non-Christians to meet and socialise as part of a social action project to help revive our community.

Margins and mainstream

Over 200 people gathered in Southwark Cathedral on Saturday for the first annual National Anglican Fresh Expressions Conference. They were greeted by the Bishop of  Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun and the day was a joint venture between Fresh Expressions and the Diocese of Southwark.

Keynote addresses and a selection of seminars made up the day and the three main addresses are available below.

Session 1: moving from margins to mainstream (Dave Male)

Session 2: prophetic pioneering (Karen Ward)

Session 3: mainstream, whirlpools and watefalls (Paul Bayes)

Steve Harris, Communications Officer for the Diocese of Southwark, said of the day:

Nearly 200 people gathered in Southwark Cathedral for Margins to Mainstream – the 2015 Anglican Fresh Expressions Conference – on Saturday 21st November.

They had come from as far afield as Switzerland to hear inspiring speakers talk about their experiences of working with and in fresh expressions of church and to take part in seminars covering all dimensions of the fresh expressions experience.

The meeting opened with worship and welcomes from the Archbishop of Canterbury who spoke to the conference by video. They were also welcomed, in person, by the Bishop of Southwark – the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, the Southwark Diocesan Missioner – the Revd Canon Dr Stephen Hance and Revd Canon Phil Potter – Archbishops' Missioner and Fresh Expressions Team Leader.

The first keynote speaker was Revd Dave Male, the Church of England's National Adviser for Pioneer Development, who spoke on the subject of 'Moving from Margins to Mainstream'.

After coffee, which also offered people the chance to visit the marketplace, the next keynote speaker was the Revd Canon Karen Ward. Karen had come over from the USA to speak about Prophetic Pioneering. She is the Vicar of St Andrew and All Souls Episcopal Church, Portland, Oregon, a 'new parish' mission of the Diocese of Oregon, which founded a new church (Portland Abbey) within an old and failing parish congregation.

Lunch brought an opportunity to sample the delights of Borough Market which is next to Southwark Cathedral. Following this it was time to break into groups for the seminars before joining together again at the local church of St George the Martyr, Southwark  ('The Borough Church') for the final keynote speech from Bishop Paul Bayes on Mainstreams, Whirlpools and Waterfalls.

Southport vision event

Speakers

Graham Horsley.

Cost

Free, including refreshments, please bring your own lunch.

Programme

Sessions 1-3 feature interactive learning with presentations, interviews, stories, activities and questions.

10.00 Registration and refreshments

10.30 Welcomes and worship

10.45 Session 1:

What is happening and why it is important: How fresh expressions of church are changing the landscape.

11.50 Break

12.05 Session 2

Values and how fresh expressions of church are developing and can develop in your context.

13.00 Lunch

13.45 Local story feature

14.00 Seminars

Choose from a selection of seminars and workshops.

15.15 Session 3

Where next?

16.00 End

Book or contact

For more information or to book:

Tina Powsey

southportfreshexpressions@gmail.com

Discipleship and Mission Workshop

A workshop on missional discipleship run jointly by St George's Church in Deal town centre, a church whose vision is to release communities of disciples on mission and 3dm Europe, an organisation which serves and resources Christian leaders who will call, invest in and release disciples to live out the good news of Jesus.

This is an opportunity to hear some of the principles, learning and stories from those who have been discovering ways to put discipleship and mission back in the hands of ordinary people. The day will include worship, small group discussions, time for questions and prayer.

Who's it for?

This workshop is designed for church leaders and teams, those exploring fresh expressions of church, and those with an interest in growing a discipling culture at the heart of the church.

Cost

£15, including lunch and refreshments.

Further details

For more information or to reserve places, contact Shiela Porter on shiela.porter@stgdeal.org or visit the EventBrite booking page.