| Welcome to Wiltshire Churches Together |
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Wiltshire Churches Together is a partnership between the major Christian denominations and churches in Wiltshire.
This website provides information to support the Church and ecumenical movement in the County.
Wiltshire Churches Together is part of Churches Together in England and World Council of Churches. |
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| Ecumenical Development Officer |
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As many of you have seen in the newsletter, Kate Sax has been appointed to this post and started work on 1 March. She writes:
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| As a Lay Minister and an Ordained Priest I have been fortunate to have been involved in building bridges between Church and Community in a variety of contexts including overseas projects in Russia, Kazakstan, Uganda, the USA and in the UK. My heart is for Mission based on Jesus’ words in Matthew Chapter 28 – often called “the Great Commission”. The Church exists for Mission – it is a “Co”-“Mission” between God and His people – all Christians, working together and in unity. My vision for this post is to work towards a situation where those outside the Church can see Christians making a difference in Society, often through the little things which make a big difference. Jesus is our role model and through our work together we can bring his message of hope and love both in deed and in word. |
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| I see my particular role mainly as one of encouragement but also of facilitation; encouraging the excellent work which is already going on and facilitating both the formation of partnerships and the identification of projects which meet both the practical and spiritual needs of our communities. Over the coming months I shall be meeting many people, building relationships and identifying some of the many opportunities which exist for community and church to work together. Through dialogue, networking and training where required, I hope to be able to help parishes and groups to catch a vision for their church and community and then to work towards that vision. |
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| I look forward to this challenging and rewarding work with all people of God in Wiltshire and beyond. |
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COMMUNITY AREA PARTNERSHIPS
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Community Area Partnerships invite Churches to join with them in action in our hard hit communities – how can we meet some of the challenges of the recession?
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| There are around 20 Community Area Partnerships in Wiltshire, representing towns and villages and made up of all sorts of people and organisations with one thing in common – a desire to make our county a better, safer and healthier place to live. Jesus told us to heal the sick, feed the hungry and give to the poor – in other words care for your communities and show them love. |
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| This can best be achieved by working with others and whilst there is a tremendous amount of good work being done by many churches and church groups, even more could be done if we worked in partnership. |
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By doing this, not only are we alerted to the wider issues and encouraged to address them, but by our presence amongst other community workers, we have a tremendous opportunity to witness to the love of Jesus Christ – in deed and often in word. When we step out of our comfort zones and obey God, He frequently opens the door to conversations and actions which promote the Gospel.
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To find out more about your local Community Area Partnership, go to the WFCAP web site: wfcap.org and follow the links. If you are unclear or need further guidance, e-mail me or telephone and I will put you in touch with the right people.
Kate Sax, E.D.O.
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| Secretary for WCT |
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The Secretary for Wiltshire Churches Together is responsible for servicing meetings, maintaining a data-base,links with ecumenical bodies and the website as well as publishing the newsletter:
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