Author Archives: Richard Passmore

Easter Saturday Loneliness

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After Good Friday how did the disciples cope? For us we know how the story ends, the hope of Easter Sunday. We tend to focus on the confusion and expectancy after the women have been to the tomb and discovered the body missing. Yet the in between period and turmoil must have been terrible, how do you cope after the expectancy of the previous three years, walking and talking with Jesus? Every time you see bread or wine, what is going through your mind, does it help when it seems your world has just come apart?

Trying to reflect on this in between time is hard. A way in is to try and imagine the disciples scattering after the arrest, and that feeling of loneliness. Most of us will have experienced loneliness from time to time but this must have been a loneliness of body, mind and spirit. A loneliness not just of missing the physical presence of a friend, but a loneliness of mind as all the thoughts and expect ions have gone and loneliness of spirit when God is distant or even seen to have died.

Rohtenburg

Volunteers

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The Commission on the future of Volunteering is holding a range of events exploring volunteering and the future of volunteering in the UK. As the faith communities make up a large part of the volunteer workforce it ay be good to give some input. Check out the website for more info but some of the events planned are below

– There will be 18 regional events (two in each region)
– There will be an event on crime and criminal justice in Manchester on 14th May (PM session)
– There will be an event on volunteering and public service delivery in London on 27th April (AM session)
To register for any of the above, please visit www.volcomm.org.uk. Flyer attached to this email for more info.

The Commission would also like you to complete the evidence forms answering: What do you think is happening to volunteering now? What do you think should be happening to volunteering in ten years’ time? (Evidence forms are attached or can be completed online – www.volcomm.org.uk)

Revelation, Revolution, and Rupture

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When I did the series of posts on redefining church I briefly explored the concept that the church has an intrinsic sub cultural weakness, and like many institutions this is a preference for evolution over revolution, yet I feel that the shifts we see in scripture are so dramatic that they are more like revolutionary change.

Pete Rollins has been exploring the concept Revelation as a rupture and you can check out some of his thoughts here which in many ways helps describe the type/scale of change and root of what I was getting at. However I find it quite hard to find which post to recommend on his site so would suggest as an alternative to check out the talk he gave at Greenbelt 2006.

Young people and emerging church

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I am doing some stuff around young people and emerging church and what we can learn from one another. My experience suggests that many yp and youth workers think of their youth groups etc as expressions of church and I am interested in how this sense of definition can either release creativity and growth or inhibit. By this I mean that groups who grow together towards an expression of church can be inhibited from further development when it is not openly acknowledged. When named as such and discussed as an expression of church it creates impetus to grow deeper relationships and outwardly but when not acknowledged outwardly i have seen groups loose momentum over time and dissipate.

Two areas I would value feedback on

Firstly if you are involved in an emerging church thing have noticed this process in the emerging churches that you are part of. Did people start getting together and once you defined what you were doing – did it release energy and creativity? Did people start to make more effort to meet together etc or am I way off the mark?

Secondly if you are a youth worker are young people or leaders describing what you do as church? Can you relate to the blocks/ creativity and definition?

As for me and my house

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The preacher this morning made reference to this verse as a Joshua moment.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24 v15 KJ

It got me thinking about a modern interpretation of it. It has always been read as a way of saying me and my family (and in ancient times the rest of the extended household or servants etc) but I wondered how a literal interpretation could help us today. There is something implied in the text about going Gods way with everything you have. Obviously for most people our house is our biggest asset but I was thinking how it is also a place of privacy and a sense of my space and the tendency to see it as mine which could take us away from following God. If we were to commit to the literal version it would get us to question how we use our house, and reflection on how we opened up our life and house would help us encounter God in a deeper way.

Regarding Henry trailer

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Steve Has posted a great article on Incarnational Missiology for the emerging church. The points he raises are well formed and insightful. I particularly liked the last link to the incarnation “a controlled death”. Here is a snippet

And that is the ultimate call of Christian ministry; that we must be prepared to die to self (literally or metaphorically). It is, of course, a scandal even today. It is a scandal to an institution that it is called to renounce all power and privilege. It is a scandal to the rich and the spiritually powerful that we are called to assume the form of servants – without question and without motive. It is a scandal that the Body of Christ is called to give up everything that it has in order to model Christ.

I have been working a lot recently with how we can more truly let our Christology shape our Missiology which in turn should shape our Ecclesiology. In retropect I can see a lot of this process in Off the Beaten Track. It also provides a good check and balance process as we move into and think about new ways of being church.

Calling Youth Workers in M5

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FYT have faciliated a network of youth workers in M5 area between Taunton and Bristol. Rob has taken this on for us and If you are in this area it would be great to see you. Details below

I am just contacting you all about the FYT M5 network meeting which most of us had attended previously. As you can see Emma has handed over the facilitating of the group and the meeting venue. Part of the vision of the network is that we all have ownership of the group and every 18 months/2 years another church or organisation would take over the running of the group. This means we can tap into our contacts and bring them along to do a presentation and also see some new faces.
As Living Waters Church does a stint, I want to build on the excellent teaching and ideas we have had before. And I have lined up some speakers to come and speak at our events. This will hopefully include:

The George Muller foundation – on networking and church partnerships
Roy Maguire from the YMCA – on youth justice
Lynda Richards PCSO – on peer mentoring and youth watch within schools
Tim Blasdale – PYO North Somerset
Pete Worthington designer of 24-7 prayer website – ministry through the net
Richard Passmore – FYT

In addition to this as we cover a massive geographical area, and generally our only contact time has been at the meetings. I see an area for us to develop is as an internet community. Part of this is to promote and let other churches know what is going on in our areas. To enable this I have had an account set up which is:
m5@living-waters.org.uk

If any of the group wants to send out an e-mail or info to this address it will be circulated to the entire network database. I know we all have busy schedules with some times being more manic than others, but I would ask for your support as the network develops, by inviting new people from your area to come along and to use the internet network to keep us all connected to each other.

Lastly the first meeting will be on Friday the 9th March @ 10.15am. The venue will be No 24 Old Street Clevedon BS21 6BY (see website www.living-waters.org.uk for directions) Drinks and cakes will be on ready supply. At the moment I am anticipating we meet about every 2-3months does that sit well with everyone? And could you let me know if you are intending to come?

If you have any more ideas or just want a chat drop me a line on 01275 344955 or rob@living-waters.org.uk

Have a blessed day

Rob England