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Church
Tick tock, church clocks Training for Christian ministry - delivered in sign language Census Response passes 30% Acts For Today: 'The Growing Church in the Acts of the Apostles'
Tick tock, church clocks
There is a story about a man who was responsible for winding up the church clock and making sure that it was set to the correct time. On his way to the church every morning he passed a shop which had a clock in its window, so he would check his watch against that. One day he went into the shop to buy something and whilst there commented to the shop owner about the reliability of his clock. “That's because I set it by the church clock every evening,” said the shop keeper.
In these days of automation and battery watches we often forget that church tower clocks need either winding up regularly or being on the main electrics. In many churches it's powered by electricity, which is all well and good until you have a power failure, and then it can all go badly wrong!
Originally when mechanical clocks were first used in churches in the twelfth century they did not have 'faces', they just chimed out the hours and often the quarter hours also. This was partly because people could not read the time, but also because they were not so obsessed with every passing minute and keeping to such tight schedules as we are today. Clock faces were introduced in the fourteenth century in towns and up to the seventeenth century in the country, and even then some of them only had the hour hand.
There are still a number of those working today, and often instead of numbers at five-minute intervals they have texts, such as 'Glory be to God', and another reads, 'Watch and Pray'.
Most clocks use a direct strike to the bells, but there are some that work by moving a figure which then strikes the bells. These are called Clock Jacks, and are usually in the shape of people, who chime the time on the bells by striking them with a hammer or one of its feet. They are often painted particularly colourfully.
There is a point to note here about the church clock – that it is often the most used part of the church. Whilst people might not take much notice of what goes on in the building, or even come inside at all, they do look at the time and, if it's known to be reliable, will go by it.
This month
Have a look at some church clocks and see their style and way of telling you the time. Then have a think about what you set your life by, what guides you, what do you think is reliable enough to accept as a way of life?
Training for Christian ministry - delivered in sign language
Deaf people wanting to train for Christian ministry can now join a new course being taught in sign language.
It follows a partnership between the University of Chester and the Committee for Ministry of and among Deaf and Disabled People, a committee of the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England.
It is the first course of its type to be held in the UK. In the past it has been difficult for deaf people to access training in Christian ministry courses because they have been exclusively taught in the spoken word and deaf people have had to learn through interpreters.
The first course will begin in January 2006 and can take up to 12 lay people who use British Sign Language and wish to train for ministry in their local church.
Details from: Rev. Philip Maddock, Committee for Ministry of and among Deaf and Disabled People, Church House, Great Smith Street, LONDON SW1P 3NZ. philip.maddock@c-of-e.org.uk
Census Response passes 30%
More than 30% of churches have so far responded to the English Church Census, which took place in May. There has been considerable interest and support from senior church leaders, with many encouraging their churches to take part. The eventual total is set to considerably exceed the response to the 1998 survey.
It is already clear that there is been a growth in the number of black churches. Slips were provided for individual members of the congregation to complete, showing their age, gender, ethnicity and frequency of attendance. Several hundred churches have returned these slips along with their forms, thus enabling extra information to be gleaned for the first time on a large scale about how often different age or ethnic groups attend. Analysis will start this autumn.
Acts For Today: 'The Growing Church in the Acts of the Apostles'
No. 10: Athens
A recent survey of 10,500 households concluded that Britain is in "an advanced state of secularisation". Between 1991 and 1999, it found that belief in God has fallen faster than church attendance: a drop of 5.3% compared with 3.5%. Therefore, how can we engage in cross-cultural mission to our society?
In Acts the early Christians were breaking the boundaries of their Jewish roots to engage with Roman and Greek culture. While Paul's approach to sharing the gospel varied from place to place, he recognised that:
the cultural background of his hearers determined what he presented his message remains unchanged, although the component parts were rearranged.
What does this mean for us, as we reach out to different cultures e.g. youth, young families, estates etc?
Paul speech to the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17) is perhaps the finest example of culturally attuned preaching in Scripture. Paul was distressed by what he saw (is this always true of us?), but he still acknowledged the religious hunger of his listeners and explained the gospel in terms they could understand. Unlike in the synagogues where he usually went, he could not assume knowledge of the Old Testament in his audience. Therefore, he started with their own poets. What principles of cross-cultural communication do we find in Paul's approach?
He started where they were, acknowledging what God was already doing (23) He spoke in language that they could understand (28) He engaged in the issues that concerned them (32) He challenged their own cultural perspectives (24) He faced the experience of rejection (32)
Although not planting a church in Athens, Paul did successfully communicate the gospel in ways that the Athenians could understand. How will we face the same challenge in our own day?
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