| NOTICES |
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| “Steps to Future Church” encourages participants to make small steps along the road to fresh expressions of church |
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| A great turnout for this event gathered at the Diocesan Education Centre to hear keynote speaker Stephen Lindridge from the national Fresh Expressions Team address some of the issues facing the development of the church today. |
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| Bishop Stephen Conway introduced the day with some very encouraging words, and later in the day groups met to look at specific aspects of ministry including evangelism, childrens’ work and specific examples of “fresh expressions”. |
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| Participants had come from all over the Diocese and represented a variety of churchmanship, but all with the common desire to journey forward in mission and ministry. |
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| Over a third of people at the conference indicated they would like to know more about the Mission Shaped Ministry course, which has been run in Sherborne but not yet in the Ramsbury Area. |
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| The course runs for a year and is open to all who are interested in Fresh Expressions and new ways of connecting with those outside the established church. |
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| Also available are Vision Days offered by the National Fresh Expressions team to any church or group wanting to know more. |
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| Revd Kate Sax who organised the day commented that she was very encouraged by the turnout and the enthusiasm of those attending. As Ecumenical Mission Enabler, she is available to help any church or group move forward with their plans and can be contacted at: |
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| kate.sax@salisbury.anglican.org |
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| NEW QUAKER MEETING HOUSE IN SALISBURY |
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| After many years of planning, work and prayer the new Meeting House has opened at 51 Wilton Road, Salisbury, SP2 7EP. The building, formerly known as Kennet Lodge, has been completely transformed into a beautiful, light and spacious Meeting House. |
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| Meeting for Worship Sundays 10.30am. Children and Young People's meetings: 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays at 10.30am. |
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| Wheelchair access, wheelchair-accessible toilet. |
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| There will be rooms available to hire in due course. Enquiries 01722 325110 Lettings: 01722 336736 www.salisbury-quakers.co.uk |
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| Getting there. City centre 1/2 mile, buses stop close to the Meeting House. Rail Station1/4 mile. The Meeting House has a rear car park, including disabled parking. Directions: from Wilton Road turn into Fountain Way, then first left and left again into car park. |
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| BEING ONE BODY - DAY RETREAT |
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| On Monday February15th Ann Lewin led a retreat at Ivy House with people from Churches Together groups around the county. Ann spent twenty-seven years teaching English and RE, was involved in Welfare work and is now best known as a poet, spiritual writer and a retreat leader based in Southampton. |
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| The day was split into two sessions. The first session was about how people have built walls which exclude others, and church people are no exception. Our walls are built of deeply held beliefs, prejudices, fears and misunderstandings. |
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| In our individual reflective time we thought about the things that divide us, what steps we have taken in our area to break down barriers and what would help us be more effective in Mission, (Ephesians 2, 14). |
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| After a delicious lunch our afternoon session was about breaking the walls down, re-building and becoming like living stones, (1 Peter 2, 4-5). We thought about the gifts we bring to our wall of living stones and asked ourselves what purpose the wall served. And what help do we need to build it to God’s design? |
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| Time was set aside for individual reflection, and there was an opportunity to return to the group with our thoughts for discussion amongst the twenty who attended the retreat. |
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| ‘They drew a circle that shut me out, |
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| Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. |
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| Love and I had the wit to win, |
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| We drew a circle that took them in.’ |
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| (On a fridge magnet—an American poet) |
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| Healing on the Streets of Melksham |
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| ‘Healing on the Streets’ has been on offer in Melksham since the end of June last year. Mark Marx from the Causeway Coast Vineyard, Coleraine, Northern Ireland led the training for this new venture. More than eighty people attended from Churches in Melksham and the surrounding area. |
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| Now, on each Saturday from 10:00am to 1:00pm, a team has set-up an area in Melksham Market Place where people are able to receive prayer for healing if they wish. Often the fact that the Church is showing concern for people has given openings for a conversation and an opportunity to share and to tell them where the local Churches are. A number of people have returned the following week for prayer. |
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| For stories of those healed on the streets of Melksham please visit: http://www.westwilts-communityweb.com/site/HOTSOM/HOTSOM-Stories.htm. The team is made up of members from seven different Melksham Churches who are working together. |
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| In God’s Hands: |
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| common prayer for the world; edited by Hugh McCullum and Terry MacArthur World Council of Churches, 2006, £28 +p&p ISBN 2-8254-1488-3 |
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| In God’s Hands has two predecessors: For All God’s People which was published in 1978 and translated into twenty languages and With All God’s People published in 1989. |
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| In God’s Hands continues that tradition: it seeks to inform our public worship and private prayer with ecumenical concerns and content, enabling us to journey in prayer through every region of the world and every week of the year… |
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| It is offered to the member churches of the WCC as one method of enabling Christians to broaden and also focus their prayer and concern, and to familiarise themselves with and bring into the immediate family people of different parts of the world.’ |
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| In God’s Hands invites us to pray on behalf of and in solidarity with a group of other countries each week. |
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| This book includes prayers and other worship materials from many Christian traditions and communities of the world. Descriptions of these nations (with maps) and peoples help us to pray for others in an informed way, knowing something of their local situations, possibilities and challenges and what are their needs for prayer. I have found it a valuable resource and support for those whose way of intercession is largely silent. |
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| The calendar covers the years 2007 to 2014. In God’s Hands is available direct from WCC via their website www.wcc-coe.org either by ordering online or by printing off an order form. Or it can be ordered from some Christian bookshops. (Gail Ballinger) |
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| Ecumenical Water ! |
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For previous newsletters and to learn more about the EWN visit our website at www.oikoumene.org/?id=2958
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| LIVE FOR A CHANGE ! |
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| Much of life is about doing what you have to do, or what others want you to do, how about doing something that is yours to do. |
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| YOUR TUNE OR ANOTHER’S? |
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| God invites every human being to offer something to the life of the world, some unique task, or something done in your own inimitable way – a ‘song to sing for others’ that is your own. |
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| Many do not know this. They spend their days dancing to another’s tune, meeting others’ expectations, at home, or at work, or even in their leisure activities. Or if they sense it might be true, they don’t know how to set about discovering it and living it, believing instead that ‘vocation’ or ‘calling’ is only full-time and paid – for the experts or the professionals. |
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| LIVE! God invites you not simply to exist, but to live life in all its fullness, to do something you love to do, something that energises and excites you – to ‘Live for a Change’! |
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| FOR A CHANGE! |
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| But your life is not just for yourself: God invites you to be a gift to others in what you love to do. In other words God calls you to ‘Live for a Change’, to be at the service of others in some new and different way. |
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| WHAT’S ON OFFER? |
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| A free, Live for a Change, exploration day which runs from 10am till 4pm. There will be coffee beforehand and lunch will be provided for a small fee. |
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| The day will introduce the key ideas in the book by Francis Dewar entitled ‘Live for a Change: discovering and using your gifts.’ |
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| Copies of this book may be purchased, £9.99 on the day or from The Sarum College Bookshop. |
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| At the end of the day there will be an invitation to join a small group which meets at a time and place which suits the group over the next 12 months. |
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| The year long programme, linked to the book, involves working through the activities in the book and then meeting in small groups of not more than 4 people. It is not a discussion group, or a therapy group. Individuals work through the practical exercises at home, then share experiences with the others in the group. Group members learn the freedom of ‘space’, of ‘being present’ to the Lord and to each other, to think and express out loud, and also enjoy giving and receiving the gift of being listened to without being interrupted. |
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| HOW DOES IT WORK? |
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| The exploration days take place in different locations, about three times a year. |
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| We welcome and respond to invitations from ecumenical groups, individual churches, or spiritual seekers, and where possible, use their suggested venues. |
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| To find out when and where the next exploration days are taking place or to discuss the possibility of hosting a day near you please contact: |
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| Mr George Rendell By phone: 0117 906 0100 OR liveforachange@sarum.ac.uk |
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| New resource - Church Action on Poverty |
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Destitution Action Pack - superb new resource Church Action on Poverty have worked with Positive Action in Housing to produce a simple, easy to read pack that gives you the information, advice and encouragement to take action to stop the destitution of people refused asylum. Uniquely it links up the practical support with the campaigning. Already people have said: "The pack is very good - clear and concise". "This looks brilliant! - a really useful collection of stuff."
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| Julian Meetings |
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| foster the teaching and practice of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition |
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| encourage people to practise contemplative prayer in their daily lives, and to explore ways of doing this which are appropriate for them |
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support the individual ecumenical Julian Meetings - groups whose members meet regularly to practise Christian contemplative prayer together.
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There are many groups that meet in Wiltshire. For details go to www.julianmeetings.org
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