|
Looking at the Church - Christians in action
Discipleship in Today’s World: ‘Just what is a disciple?’ New plane for Bangladesh Churches make neighbourhoods 'a better place to live' Plans for ‘holy hoodies’ Cathedrals to get £1m from English Heritage Mettle goes to prison Mission to Seafarers celebrates 150 years of caring for seafarers Derby bell-makers ring the changes The Cowboy's Ten Commandments What Christians do with their money Funeral costs rise Pastors help churches to grow
Discipleship in Today’s World: ‘Just what is a disciple?’
David Watson in his book Discipleship (written 25 years ago) asks why the Christian church is so ineffective. He goes on to say:
‘the vast majority of western Christians are church-members, pew-fillers, hymn-singers, sermon-tasters, Bible-readers, even born-again-believers or Spirit-filled-charismatics – but not true disciples of Jesus. If we were willing to learn the meaning of real discipleship and actually to become disciples, the church in the West would be transformed, and the resultant impact on society would be staggering.’
These words are as challenging today as they were when first written! Over the coming months we will be looking at what discipleship means for us in the 21st century, if we are to impact society today as Christians.
Let’s not forget that the gospel word for disciple is mathetes in Greek, which means ‘learner’ (i.e. pupil or apprentice). The first disciples were called to be alongside Jesus to observe his life and teaching. It was just the same for any rabbi with his students. They spent all of their time with him, to observe and learn from him, in order to become like him.
This is still true for all disciples in the 21st century; we are called to life-long learning alongside Jesus. This is not primarily about information gathering, but about learning to live the life of Jesus in every aspect of our lives. What would Jesus do if he had my job, my family or next door neighbours, or leisure time? A few years ago the wristband WWJD (what would Jesus do?) was very popular among some Christians. It is certainly the right question we need to ask ourselves in any given situation of everyday life.
‘A disciple of Jesus is one who practises his presence and arranges his or her life in such a way as to live as Christ would live if he were them.’ (Dallas Willard).
New plane for Bangladesh
Mission Aviation Fellowship has a new plane for use in Bangladesh: its new Amphibious Caravan aircraft is making the difference between life and death to people in remote communities.
For an elderly lady in Chittagong, an emergency flight to Dhaka, saved her life. She had diabetes and had fallen into a coma. Pilot Marco Koffeman transported her safely to hospital where she received vital medical attention. Another emergency flight rescued a 45-day-old baby suffering from extreme diarrhoea and dehydration.
The MAF also supports the work of doctors onboard floating hospitals. These floating hospitals are towed to different areas of the country every few months, making it possible for people in the remotest places to receive medical treatment. MAF pilots fly British surgeons back and forth – maximising the time the surgeons can spend in the operating theatre.
Churches make neighbourhoods 'a better place to live'
More than eight out of 10 people in Britain go into a church or place of worship each year and six in 10 believe a place of worship makes their neighbourhood a better place to live, according to the recent findings of an Opinion Research Business attitude survey. The results back up similar findings in 2003.
The survey, sponsored by the Archbishops' Council and English Heritage, also found that six in ten people believe that places of worship should be more actively involved in the local community, and more accessible to the local community.
"These responses show that churches, far from being museum pieces, are living breathing communities reaching out to churchgoers and non-churchgoers, central to their neighbourhoods and making possible much needed and welcomed local facilities of all kinds," said the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, Bishop of London and chair of the Church Heritage Forum.
The Church of England maintains almost half the Grade 1 listed buildings in England, spending £120 million a year on church repairs. The state, through English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, provides £26 million for repairs to listed church buildings and cathedrals.
The Bishop said: “This research clearly supports the Church's call for more state funding for the maintenance of not merely the country's architectural heritage but a central plank of its social cohesion."
Note to editors: ORB surveyed 1019 adults aged 18 and over in Great Britain by a random telephone poll between November 4 and 6, 2005, and the results have been weighted to be representative of all adults.
Plans for ‘holy hoodies’
Plans for a squad of priests to work among rappers in nightclubs and ‘hoodies’ in shopping arcades were recently outlined.
Called ‘pioneering ministers’, the new breed are a key part of the Fresh Expressions initiative backed by Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Steven Croft, leader of Fresh Expressions, explained that the aim of Fresh Expressions is to make the church accessible to people who have no contact with organised religion.
Plans have been approved by the House of Bishops - despite misgivings that the pioneers might duplicate the role of parish-based clergy. But the Rev Robert Marshall, spokesman for Fresh Expressions, said they would form ‘a dynamic new force’ who ‘will be able to reach parts that other clergy might not be able to reach’.
Among the 300 or so alternative church schemes already established under the Fresh Expressions initiative is Rezurgence, a Christian ‘extreme sport’ ministry in Surrey. It describes itself as ‘a unique first that brings mountain biking, BMX and faith into one’.
Cathedrals to get £1m from English Heritage
English Heritage has announced £1 million of grants for repairs to cathedrals.
The English Heritage Cathedral Grants scheme has been fundamental to the significant improvement in the conservation of great historic churches for the past 16 years. The grants have been the seed-corn provoking action, generating partnership funding and commitment.
Mettle goes to prison
Mettle, the fasting growing UK Christian resource for 14 to 18 year olds, has now been taken up enthusiastically in three young offenders institutions in the north of England.
The key to using Mettle in prisons is the link with outside volunteers, who write monthly letters to the inmates. These letters use the Mettle Bible study notes (produced with CWR) as a guide. “The encouragement, personal insight and help of another young person is a powerful encouragement to persevere, so these letters are really working. We are therefore not in the least surprised that Mettle is booming in what might at first seem unpromising surroundings”, says a spokesman for Mettle.
Mettle is made up of Core Subjects (basics of Christianity), Hot Potatoes (key issues facing young people), and Wildcards (fun ideas for the group),
Since the launch of Mettle in Autumn 2005, over 150 groups have received the Mettle Intro Pack, and over 6,000 Bible Reading Notes have been sold.
“Mettle links learning and practice in ways that help us to treat each person as a unique individual. Developing courage, spirit and character are the key aims of Mettle. They are also essential steps in helping young offenders overcome their problems,” says Lorne Campbell, YFC’s Church Resource Manager.
Mettle Intro Packs (£12) from mettle@yfc.co.uk or call 0121 550 8055.
Mission to Seafarers celebrates 150 years of caring for seafarers
The Mission to Seafarers is celebrating 150 years of caring for seafarers with a series of events throughout 2006. One of the highlights of the year will be the Annual Service on June 28 at St Michael Paternoster Royal, the Mission’s central office in the City of London, when the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, will preach.
Canon Bill Christianson, Mission to Seafarers secretary general, says: “Today it is technology, multi-culturalism and criminalisation, rather than crimps preying on crews for their money, that are key issues affecting seafarers’ welfare.
“But some things remain the same. Loneliness and homesickness are still a problem and, just like 150 years ago, seafarers are still vulnerable to the whims of an unscrupulous minority of shipowners.”
The Mission continues to develop its capabilities to take care of seafarers. It is planning to expand its work in Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates. Training for its chaplains is also a priority. Mission chaplains are called upon to offer counselling and support to seafarers for a variety of reasons, from bereavement to family problems.
Derby bell-makers ring the changes
From campanology to computer technology – bells have come a long way since Quasimodo’s time.
Today ‘the bells, the bells’ can ring out from a portable device little bigger than a suitcase, and parish belfries contain virtually-programmed ‘bell ringers’ composed entirely of computer software.
Michael Fitchett, designer with Smith of Derby, experts in the field of church bells, explains: “Bells embody tradition, time, and as they ring out into the sky, their sound creates a compelling, and sometimes moving atmosphere.”
Today, bells and clocks can be timed with the precision of the stars, with quartz crystal or global positioning satellite control. Their sound can be embodied on a tiny computer chip, which recreates the tone so faithfully you would believe they were real.
The Cowboy's Ten Commandments (posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas)
(1) Just one God.
(2) Honour yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No tellin' tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin.'
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.
Now that's kinda plain an' simple, don't ya think? Y'all have a good day.
What Christians do with their money
Christians care for and use their money very differently from most people, according to a new Christian Research survey of 1,200 people. The people surveyed give 7.5% of their monthly income to their church, 3% to Christian charities and a further 1.5% to secular charities.
The combined total of 12% compares with a figure of 1.4% of after-tax income given to charity by the average household in the UK. The survey shows that the amount people give is influenced by the teaching of their church. Those whose churches teach that people should give 10% to church or charity give a quarter extra, compared to people whose churches who do not teach this.
And the more often a church teaches about giving, the more people give. The research was sponsored by Kingdom Bank and supported by the Stewardship Forum of the Evangelical Alliance.
Funeral costs rise
Funeral costs are rising fast according to research from the insurance company American Life. They have increased by 61% in the past 5 years, which is more than 50% above the general rate of inflation. Burials are significantly more expensive than cremations because of the shortage of burial plots.
Pastors help churches to grow
Churches can grow in numbers whether they have a pastor or not. But a greater proportion of churches report growth, 68%, when they have a pastor than those who do not have one, 37%. This is the result of a detailed 2003 of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches of their members, some of the results of which were published last September in Religious Trends No 5.
Churches without a pastor were more likely to have remained stable, 30%, than those with a pastor, 20%. This relationship between leadership and growth is not known, nor confined to the FIEC. Other studies have also shown such a link.
Why is leadership important in this context? Leaders often provide vision for the way ahead, and it is this sense of knowing where you are going which is attractive to new people joining congregations.
Leadership may be the most important element, but other factors can help the church grow also. The FIEC survey showed that growth was related to size of church (larger churches growing more), and to youth activities during the week (which can attract non-churchgoing young people).
Supplied by Dr Peter Brierley of Christian Research
|