The Bible has become a best seller in China, with 50 million copies produced so far by the country’s only authorised publisher, Amity Printing, a joint venture between a Chinese Christian charity and the United Bible Societies. As demand is nearly outstripping supply, Amity is set to become the world’s single-biggest producer of Bibles. Their move into new and bigger premises in Nanjing is scheduled for 2008, with a view to increasing their current output by a third, to one million copies a month. According to lawyer and Christian activist Li Baiguang, the success of the Bible and the rapid growth of the Chinese church – an estimated 40 million believers – in the face of growing material wealth are the result of people seeking ‘to satisfy their spiritual needs, to look for happiness for the soul’.
Source: Sunday Times (8/12)
What joyful news to hear just before Christmas!
Friday, 14 December 2007
Saturday, 8 December 2007
OVER FIFTIES LAMENT VANISHING CHRISTMAS
Most people over 50 think too many Christian practices are being ‘downgraded’ in public life out of sensitivity to multi-culturalism, The Times reports. The Saga Populus survey of 10,000 over 50s found widespread concerns about the celebration of Christmas. Some 85 per cent objected to councils replacing ‘Christmas’ lights with ‘winter’ lights and 84 per cent were dismayed by the replacement of nativity plays with non-religious productions in schools. The poll release came on the same day that MPs held a special debate at Westminster Hall. Conservative backbencher Mark Pritchard urged the government to protect public expressions of the UK’s Christian heritage.
Source: The Times (5/12)
Our local newspaper has an advertisement for our newest shopping mall The Oracle that reads 'Come and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of Santa.' On the other hand, the same newspaper will soon be having a roundup of local schools' Nativity plays.
Source: The Times (5/12)
Our local newspaper has an advertisement for our newest shopping mall The Oracle that reads 'Come and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of Santa.' On the other hand, the same newspaper will soon be having a roundup of local schools' Nativity plays.
Christmas Stamps
I understood that this year the Royal Mail were to produce specifically Christian stamps and I was therefore disappointed when the post office assistant affixed ordinary stamps to all my overseas mail - nothing at all festive about them! Some of my letters were a 'once a year' mailing just to keep in touch with friends I haven't seen for years, and it seemed a pity that they should miss out on the festive stamps. With the Post Office bursting at the seams with the long queues of people waiting for service, I just let them go. However, when it came to requesting a batch of stamps for my inland mail, I was asked 'Do you want Christmas stamps?' Fine, I thought, until I looked more closely and discovered that the stamps merely depicted an angel!
Now I see that Richard Hall on www.connexions.net has gone into the question of our 2007 Christmas stamps in great detail, uncovering strange things like the various angels depicted and their significance! Whoever wouuld have thought that this is a celebration of the tercentenary of the birth of Charles Wesley who wrote 'Hark the herald angels sing'!
Stranger still, it seems that we are supposed to ASK specifically for them if we want Christmas stamps and, even then, we will only get the stamps depicting angels! We have to be even more specific if we want either of the two stamps depicting the Madonna and Child! What I want to know is - How can we ask specifically for something that we don't know exists? In the rush to post before the last posting date, who is going to consult the Royal Mail's website?
If I have aroused your curiosity, please go to Richard's website www.connextions.net and feast yourself on the array of stamps available, with the explanations and names of the angels. Thank you, Richard!
Now I see that Richard Hall on www.connexions.net has gone into the question of our 2007 Christmas stamps in great detail, uncovering strange things like the various angels depicted and their significance! Whoever wouuld have thought that this is a celebration of the tercentenary of the birth of Charles Wesley who wrote 'Hark the herald angels sing'!
Stranger still, it seems that we are supposed to ASK specifically for them if we want Christmas stamps and, even then, we will only get the stamps depicting angels! We have to be even more specific if we want either of the two stamps depicting the Madonna and Child! What I want to know is - How can we ask specifically for something that we don't know exists? In the rush to post before the last posting date, who is going to consult the Royal Mail's website?
If I have aroused your curiosity, please go to Richard's website www.connextions.net and feast yourself on the array of stamps available, with the explanations and names of the angels. Thank you, Richard!
A Commoner in the House of Commons
For those who are not following the accounts of their itinerary during their year in office written by this year’s President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference, there is a very interesting and important write-up by the President, the Revd Dr. Martyn Atkins, of his visit with other Christian church leaders to the House of Commons to champion the important, vital role that the churches play in the community.
Their visit to hold a conversation with Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government was to plead for greater recognition for all that faith communities do (and particularly Christian churches) in terms of developing and sustaining communities – and have done for a long time.
They made the point that most Christian churches are more concerned with who benefits from a particular neighbourhood project than who runs it. They also drew attention to the suspicion levied at ‘faith communities’ that results in many deeming them unable (by simple virtue of being faith communities) to receive any Local Authority grants for good, socially cohesive projects. The church leaders made it clear that they are committed to dealing justly with migrant workers and that they are against political extremism.
However, you would be much better reading the President’s full account for yourself on www.methodist-presandvp.blogspot.com .
Their visit to hold a conversation with Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government was to plead for greater recognition for all that faith communities do (and particularly Christian churches) in terms of developing and sustaining communities – and have done for a long time.
They made the point that most Christian churches are more concerned with who benefits from a particular neighbourhood project than who runs it. They also drew attention to the suspicion levied at ‘faith communities’ that results in many deeming them unable (by simple virtue of being faith communities) to receive any Local Authority grants for good, socially cohesive projects. The church leaders made it clear that they are committed to dealing justly with migrant workers and that they are against political extremism.
However, you would be much better reading the President’s full account for yourself on www.methodist-presandvp.blogspot.com .
Friday, 7 December 2007
Passport to Peace this Christmas
Peacebuilders, IndiaRelThis Christmas, new worship material is encouraging adults and children alike to become Messengers of Peace.
Produced by MethodistChildren, the Messengers of Peace service material invites congregations to make a Christmas ‘Peace Box’ containing items including a passport, iPod and nappy pin. These items can be used to tell the story of the Nativity on Christmas morning, or throughout Advent, and to draw out its significance for our contemporary search for peace.
Steve Pearce, Children’s Secretary for the Methodist Church, says; ‘In our mixed-up world, peace can often seem in short supply. But this material reminds us in a fresh way that we can all be messengers of peace as we seek to communicate God in our daily lives.’
Using Christmas Day as a focus for peace, there are also ideas for music and prayer, including making ‘peace doves’ and using sign language during worship songs.
Steve says, ‘The use of symbol and sign language in the service will not only make it more accessible to those with hearing difficulties, it will also introduce a new dimension to worship for everyone.’
The material is based on the highly successful Peacebuilders resources, launched in March this year in India. Because each church is different, the material is flexible enough so that it can be tailored to suit the church and congregation.
Source: www.methodist.org.uk/news 28/11
Produced by MethodistChildren, the Messengers of Peace service material invites congregations to make a Christmas ‘Peace Box’ containing items including a passport, iPod and nappy pin. These items can be used to tell the story of the Nativity on Christmas morning, or throughout Advent, and to draw out its significance for our contemporary search for peace.
Steve Pearce, Children’s Secretary for the Methodist Church, says; ‘In our mixed-up world, peace can often seem in short supply. But this material reminds us in a fresh way that we can all be messengers of peace as we seek to communicate God in our daily lives.’
Using Christmas Day as a focus for peace, there are also ideas for music and prayer, including making ‘peace doves’ and using sign language during worship songs.
Steve says, ‘The use of symbol and sign language in the service will not only make it more accessible to those with hearing difficulties, it will also introduce a new dimension to worship for everyone.’
The material is based on the highly successful Peacebuilders resources, launched in March this year in India. Because each church is different, the material is flexible enough so that it can be tailored to suit the church and congregation.
Source: www.methodist.org.uk/news 28/11
Saturday, 1 December 2007
A Changing Church for a Changing World
On Wednesday most of our house group went to the Fresh Expressions Roadshow which was visiting Thatcham, a few miles from here. I liked the prayer on the front cover of their brochure. It read, 'Living God, set our hearts on fire to risk ourselves for your mission to change the world.' The key questions being posed during our time together were -
What are the loud words of Jesus to your Church community now, which speak to you of God's call to journey to new people?
What are the possibilities that are emerging for new initiatives in your situation?
What particular gifts/charisms has God given to your Church community? (What is the essential nature of your Church?)
In what ways is your Church responding to changing times?
Right at the start we were reminded that 'It is not the Church of God that has a mission in the world, but the God of mission who has a church in the world.'
First we were startled by a presentation that vividly depicted the situation in the UK today, where 10% are 'regular' at church (attending monthly or more), 10% are irregular at church (less than monthly), 20% are open to come back, 20% are never coming back and 40% are non-churched (who have never come). It was then explained that until now we've tended to work with those on the fringe of the church, only to come to a stop when we reach those who declare that they are never coming back. So the suggestion was that we should work anti--Church-wise and employ alternative radical new initiatives which go out to the unchurched, allowing new forms of church to emerge. This approach certainly makes sense!
The suggested starting point was loving service, and it was emphasised that there are many ways in which we can show the people in our community that our Church really cares about the community and wants to share its love for the people in it. Becoming involved with the community is vital to fresh expressions of Church, because from that loving involvement spring opportunities for evangelism and discipledhip. We explored three possible routes to discipleship - building in Christianity from the start, building in spirituality from the start or creating a separate group. We were reminded0 that there are 4 dimensions of a mature Church -
UP - towards God
IN - fellowship
OUT - mission
OF - connected to the whole body of Christ.
Then we each chose two of a number of 'taster' sessions in which we learned more about recently established forms of Fresh Expressions. I chose 'The Liquid Church' or 'Cafe Church', in which an ordinary coffee shop is used to get alongside the people and gently introduce them to the Good News of Jesus. This is what some of us in our Church have vaguely talked about and it seems to be the most likely for our community. Time will tell whether we actually take the risk and put this into practice. Then I went to the session on 'What makes a healthy Church?' to learn more of the 4 vital dimensions of a healthy church.
Other possibilities that were presented to us were,'What do they say about your church?' - and our attention was drawn to Bridge Builders, a Christian organisation dedicated to providing training for mediation and facilitation services to equip Christians with appropriate skills; Global Mission Network who can offer a trained consultant to use consultancy skills in the Church so that Ministers and Church Workers can explore their work together to find the right way forward; Godly Play which is built on the Montessori tradition of religious education and can be used in a variety of settings; the Positive Parenting Course which lasts 8 weeks and is produced by The Family Caring Trust; a 'Holiday at Home', designed for those who don't normally have a holiday and specially useful at times when the normal church activities shut down in December and August; the Essence Course, which is a 6 week course exploring contemporary spirituality at quite a deep level (a very rich experience); Hope 2008 which provides ideas and practical examples of initiatives for Christians engaging with their communities; and the faith development potential of the small group.
Fresh Expressions has so many possibilities and is so flexible that each Church should be able, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to find the right way forward for their particular community. It involves faith and risk-taking, just like the first disciples, but we are challenged to try it. The Fresh Expressions roadshow booklet ends with the wise words 'Start with the Church and the mission will probably get lost. Start with mission and it is likely that the Church will be found.'
What are the loud words of Jesus to your Church community now, which speak to you of God's call to journey to new people?
What are the possibilities that are emerging for new initiatives in your situation?
What particular gifts/charisms has God given to your Church community? (What is the essential nature of your Church?)
In what ways is your Church responding to changing times?
Right at the start we were reminded that 'It is not the Church of God that has a mission in the world, but the God of mission who has a church in the world.'
First we were startled by a presentation that vividly depicted the situation in the UK today, where 10% are 'regular' at church (attending monthly or more), 10% are irregular at church (less than monthly), 20% are open to come back, 20% are never coming back and 40% are non-churched (who have never come). It was then explained that until now we've tended to work with those on the fringe of the church, only to come to a stop when we reach those who declare that they are never coming back. So the suggestion was that we should work anti--Church-wise and employ alternative radical new initiatives which go out to the unchurched, allowing new forms of church to emerge. This approach certainly makes sense!
The suggested starting point was loving service, and it was emphasised that there are many ways in which we can show the people in our community that our Church really cares about the community and wants to share its love for the people in it. Becoming involved with the community is vital to fresh expressions of Church, because from that loving involvement spring opportunities for evangelism and discipledhip. We explored three possible routes to discipleship - building in Christianity from the start, building in spirituality from the start or creating a separate group. We were reminded0 that there are 4 dimensions of a mature Church -
UP - towards God
IN - fellowship
OUT - mission
OF - connected to the whole body of Christ.
Then we each chose two of a number of 'taster' sessions in which we learned more about recently established forms of Fresh Expressions. I chose 'The Liquid Church' or 'Cafe Church', in which an ordinary coffee shop is used to get alongside the people and gently introduce them to the Good News of Jesus. This is what some of us in our Church have vaguely talked about and it seems to be the most likely for our community. Time will tell whether we actually take the risk and put this into practice. Then I went to the session on 'What makes a healthy Church?' to learn more of the 4 vital dimensions of a healthy church.
Other possibilities that were presented to us were,'What do they say about your church?' - and our attention was drawn to Bridge Builders, a Christian organisation dedicated to providing training for mediation and facilitation services to equip Christians with appropriate skills; Global Mission Network who can offer a trained consultant to use consultancy skills in the Church so that Ministers and Church Workers can explore their work together to find the right way forward; Godly Play which is built on the Montessori tradition of religious education and can be used in a variety of settings; the Positive Parenting Course which lasts 8 weeks and is produced by The Family Caring Trust; a 'Holiday at Home', designed for those who don't normally have a holiday and specially useful at times when the normal church activities shut down in December and August; the Essence Course, which is a 6 week course exploring contemporary spirituality at quite a deep level (a very rich experience); Hope 2008 which provides ideas and practical examples of initiatives for Christians engaging with their communities; and the faith development potential of the small group.
Fresh Expressions has so many possibilities and is so flexible that each Church should be able, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to find the right way forward for their particular community. It involves faith and risk-taking, just like the first disciples, but we are challenged to try it. The Fresh Expressions roadshow booklet ends with the wise words 'Start with the Church and the mission will probably get lost. Start with mission and it is likely that the Church will be found.'
Coming Christmas
I've heard that it is snowing
With that Christmas atmosphere.
You're planning shopping lists
For the time is drawing near.
The sales are on, you're running fast
To find just what you like,
There's more to bake, so much to buy,
The budget's getting tight.
But, knowing you, you'll pray a lot,
Commit each thought you have
In caring for the good of all
To make another glad.
God bless you at this busy time
As upon His strength you rest.
He will guide you through each day
In Him you will be blessed.
Soft Whispers from
Derry's Heart Poems ©2007
heartwhispers@iinet.net.au
Poetry from the Heart
And yet I do love a kind of light, melody, fragrance,
embracement when I love my God; for He is the light,
the melody, the fragrance, the sustenance, the embracement
of life - there in a brilliance that space cannot contain,
a sound that time cannot carry away, a perfume that no
breeze disperses, a taste undiminished by eating,
a clinging together that no saiety will sunder.
This I love in the love of my God.
~Augustine~
Reproduced by permission.
With that Christmas atmosphere.
You're planning shopping lists
For the time is drawing near.
The sales are on, you're running fast
To find just what you like,
There's more to bake, so much to buy,
The budget's getting tight.
But, knowing you, you'll pray a lot,
Commit each thought you have
In caring for the good of all
To make another glad.
God bless you at this busy time
As upon His strength you rest.
He will guide you through each day
In Him you will be blessed.
Soft Whispers from
Derry's Heart Poems ©2007
heartwhispers@iinet.net.au
Poetry from the Heart
And yet I do love a kind of light, melody, fragrance,
embracement when I love my God; for He is the light,
the melody, the fragrance, the sustenance, the embracement
of life - there in a brilliance that space cannot contain,
a sound that time cannot carry away, a perfume that no
breeze disperses, a taste undiminished by eating,
a clinging together that no saiety will sunder.
This I love in the love of my God.
~Augustine~
Reproduced by permission.
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