CHURCH Local
churches invited to enter national heritage competition Local
churches invited to enter national heritage competition Ecclesiastical
Insurance, the A
report published by the Church Heritage Forum recently
entitled 'Building Faith in our Future'*, recognised that
although activity in church buildings makes a huge
contribution to the life of their communities these
achievements are under pressure. Volunteers and regular
churchgoers need new partnerships with public bodies and
the wider community to help them sustain those
achievements for the future. Many
churches are already implementing imaginative and
creative ways of using their buildings. Ecclesiastical
is inviting churches share their ideas so that many other
churches can benefit. First prize in the competition is
£1,500 and 12 finalists will feature on Ecclesiastical's
2006 calendar. Signs
& Symbols: Church Supports 1 Down
the centuries, church buildings have tended to adapt to
the needs of their congregations. As congregations
change they need different things. Items that
worked well in one circumstance will not do so in another.
Take a solid wall, for instance. As soon as you
decide to put in a door or a window, you'll have to put
something in to hold up the wall above the new 'hole'.
As
windows became fancier, the glass areas grew greater than
the stone dividing the glass areas; and clearly as glass
is not as strong as stone you have to rethink what's
going to keep it standing. Changes
in roof materials and their design have similar effects.
Roofs don't just press downwards, they push the walls
outwards as well. So walls need to be constructed
very strong to hold the weight of the roof, as well as to
compensate for glass areas. One
way to give strength is not to build the whole wall
thicker, but rather to give extra support at strategic
points; built-on projections, called buttresses. Buttresses
give support in proportion to their weight, so the
thinner the wall, the heavier the buttresses should be. This
month Have
a look at a church building and see if you can find the
places where the walls have extra support. Sometimes
it can be hard to find, the support looks more decorative
than functional. Now have a think about your own life.
Think about the support you receive and the support you
give. The right thing at the right time is what we
all need. Acts
For Today: 'The Growing Church in the Acts of the
Apostles' No.
4: 'The
seed of the church is the blood of the martyrs' (Tertullian).
The martyrdom of Stephen prompted the next stage of
growth in the early church beyond Our
' What
key principles emerge from the mission to Spiritual
gifts When
the people saw the miraculous signs that Philip did, they
all paid close attention to what he had to say (8:6). If
we're prepared to exercise God's gifts (e.g. prophecy,
healing, deliverance, hospitality, care), we too will
find people who are open to the gospel. Welcome The
church leaders in There
was great joy in the city (8)! Are we good news for our
neighbourhood? Can
we make any changes we choose in the church building? No! Most
churches, old or new, are significant buildings in their
communities, and many are 'listed buildings' because of
their architectural or historic importance. If they
were secular buildings, their development would be
carefully monitored by the local council's planning
department – which would place many limitations on
alterations to the internal or external appearance of the
building. However,
the Church of England has its own internal planning
system, which means that any changes to our churches are
carefully monitored by people who have a special interest
and experience of the needs of modern congregations
worshipping in historic buildings. Each Diocese has
a Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches (usually
known as the DAC), with parish clergy, architects and
other specialists amongst its membership. The DAC
considers application forms from parishes for any work on
a church building (except the most trivial changes that
are dealt with by archdeacons). There may be site visits
to examine the proposals carefully on site. Eventually,
the DAC will decide whether or not to recommend the
proposed work. If it agrees with the parish's
proposals, the details are forwarded to the Chancellor of
the Dioceses' Parishes
may occasionally grumble about getting faculties as
bureaucratic and time-consuming. That's inevitable,
because we are responsible for some of the most important
buildings in the country. The faculty system, and
the special privileges it gives us (in common with the
other main Christian churches) is certainly preferable to
being under the control of local politicians. Spring
– time to go on pilgrimage! People
have been going on pilgrimage for centuries – and
often in the Spring, when travel in bygone years was more
possible. A pilgrimage can of course be a solitary
affair, but it's far better when shared with others.
After all, Christianity is essentially a community faith,
requiring individual commitment. Some
pilgrimages have a particular destination in mind: a
great Cathedral, or Holy mountain. Or we may do as
the Celtic monks did, simply wander, with no particular
end point in sight. Just happy to journey simply
for the 'love of Christ'. Pilgrimage is simply a
physical journey that somehow or other 'kick starts' the
inner or spiritual journey. When
we go on pilgrimage, we leave everyday routine behind,
and set out on a journey with the Lord. Travelling
as a small community, telling stories, and exploring
places and issues, provides us with a great way to
discover more both about ourselves and about our faith.
It is a time of new beginnings, a time to rekindle a
flickering faith, to discover new purpose and new meaning...
so when the time is right, and the road beckons you
– don't hesitate! Agricultural
Christian Fellowship With
the farming year now underway, did you know that the
Agricultural Christian Fellowship (ACF) is open to all
Christians from all branches of agriculture, horticulture
and related activities? ACF
helps its members to help one another and to promote
evangelism in the countryside. It was instrumental
is the foundation of Farm Crisis Network, which helps
farmers and farming families in trouble. The ACF
has local groups in some areas of the country and is
seeking to develop more in other areas. For more
info: 0116 255 1700 or email acf@uccf.org.uk |