Mission and Ministry

Celebrating baptism

2009-10-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am teaching the final session of our course on Christian baptism. We are looking at the spirituality of baptism. Earlier today, our staff team heard about the recent national survey of biblical literacy, and we were shocked to hear how little knowledge of the basic biblical stories is retained, not just by the population at large, but even more by people who call themselves Christians and who attend church regularly (at least twice a month).

One of the things I think we could do to bring these two things together that would provide a real witness throughout the Diocese of Oxford would be to have a week of celebrations of baptism across the diocese, maybe next year when we are looking at how we 'sustain the sacred centre' of our lives as Christians. We could publicise events that our churches would run in which people could find out what that christening that they had as a baby was all about. It wouldn't be too expensive to produce a leaflet that gave some of the Bible stories which are integral to baptism. We could include interesting factual information and some gorgeous pictures of baptisms. Maybe we could give one to every family that had had a baptism in the past year, if the local church took this project to their hearts. And we could invite everyone in our communities who had been baptised at the local church to a great party, with a creative act of worship as part of it.

Perhaps later we might even have another diocesan Convention, with an emphasis on the theme of the sacraments, and amongst other things, to include an exploration of evangelism through the new Christian initiation rites, through the Biblical themes around baptism, and through nurture groups like Emmaus that have an element of the catechumenate about them. All this would equip us to help people who come with their children and say that "Granny wants him or her 'done' properly", which I take as 'code' for "We would like to have our baby brought into the kind of relationship that will help him or her grow up to find out something about the God who we think exists, but who we are to scared to ask about, or who we don't have the language to talk about."

What about it? Or maybe, even a national celebration of baptism? I don't think 'inherited church' has run out of steam yet in terms of mission and evangelism and this could be one way to help people hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

New start

2009-09-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Back to the new term with a new group of ordinands. We spent Saturday together looking at the Diocese of Oxford's Living Faith strategy, thinking about what it means for the mission and ministry of people who are training to be ordained and who will be encouraging the mission of all the people of God in their churches. We had an interesting discussion and there was clearly energy for thinking through practical applications for churches which are from the liberal, anglo-catholic and traditional ends of the Church which essentially were what the students represented.

Once again, I am drawn to the view that when people are mobilised by the Holy Spirit, they are ready and eager to talk about their faith to anyone around. The problem may be that they then get sucked into the kind of church-based activity that reinforces the old paradigm of attractional church rather than getting out there in incarnational mode, to use Frost and Hirsch's language.

I think there are key elements of the Christendom paradigm that still provide a vital platform for mission and evangelism; for example, the Weddings Project takes this view, and by all accounts, may very well be onto a good thing. But, at the same time, if we in the church can't be open enough to get out there where people are, who are we going to attract in?! I don't want to see just Back to Church Sunday projects. I also want to see Out of Church Sunday experiments! What about commisioning 20% of the church folk to be out in the communities and neighbourhoods on one Sunday a year, with the rest of their church praying for them? Anyone out there tried it?......

More on Street Pastors

2009-08-09T04:46:00.000-07:00

I've learnt this week that Street Pastor schemes are being planned for some of the towns in the Diocese of Oxford, notably, Reading and Oxford. Come on, churches in High Wycombe and Slough!

Street Pastors

2009-07-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

Street Pastors Schemes are a relatively new introduction in towns and cities across Britain. Begun in 2003 in response to knife crime in urban areas, teams of trained street pastors are available in some places from 10 pm to 4 am to help or to listen to young people (mainly) when they emerge from pubs and clubs. It's an effective form of practical Christian mission. I learned about them from a friend who is a Street Pastor in London, and I have recently discovered that they exist in many towns not too far from us, including Salisbury and Weymouth. I'm not aware if they have arrived in the Diocese of Oxford yet, but if not, it would be great to get something going!

http://www.streetpastors.co.uk/Home/tabid/255/Default.aspx

How to Pray

2009-07-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

St Nilus

Chapter 3

Prayer is a mental conversation with God; obviously then, one's mind needs tranquility, so that it may be quiet and stand attentively before the Master of the household without distraction, and discuss matters with him with no-one interrupting. Translated from the Greek by John de la Tour Davies.

Comment

Nilus was alert to the power of distractions to interrupt our prayer. For him, distractions arise from anxieties; so it is necessary to arrive at a state of tranquility if mental prayer is to be possible. In this analogy, God is the Master of the household and the one who prays is like God's steward, who as a good servant would put aside his own concerns and agendas, and come daily before the householder to listen carefully and to receive his instructions. The steward would not act until he had heard his master's wishes. Nothing and no-one would come before that meeting of the steward and the master: it might be the only opportunity that day for the steward to receive his briefing, and if he missed it, the master's plans and purpose could not be effectively carried out.

Anglican Diocesan Missioners conference 2009

2009-07-20T09:58:00.001-07:00

I spent the last week in June at the annual Anglican Missioners conference, held in Merville, France. The theme was 'How do we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?' and was focused on the subject of exile. In a post-modern world, the church (often still in Christendom mode, and expecting to draw people in and therefore to Christ through occasional offices such as weddings, christenings etc) is 'in exile', and its song is a strange one to the people of the 'land', whilst our experience of 'singing' it is often of not even speaking the same language any more.

So how do we communicate the good news of Jesus Christ in today's world? How do we achieve cross-cultural mission and evangelism? Things talked about were:

Spirituality: people are attracted to things which offer an experience of the 'spiritual dimension'. How do we ensure it is Christian spirituality they turn to?

Discipleship: we are called by Jesus to make disciples, not to build churches, so why do we so often start the other way round? Perhaps, I thought, because we focus first on spirituality, offering what we consider to be attractive worship where the presence of God may be 'felt'? Or perhaps, because we feel constrained to stick to what we know: Alpha; house groups; liturgies; structure and order?

I kept saying, "But what about the Holy Spirit?"

I think that I was wondering if we were rather missing the point a bit and getting sucked back into evangelism by works rather than grace.

What I was trying to say was that if the mission is God's mission, the Spirit has gone before us and is already making a home in the land of our exile. To be exiled is to become marginal, and the places where people are marginalised are where God is always at work. So all we need to do is presence ourselves with the Spirit where the marginalised are to be found, and hang out with them.

That's the way all my best evangelistic opportunities happen - when I am alert, and available, and somewhere on the margins. For example, waiting for a bus or at a train station, in transit, people will randomly speak to me and we will have an in depth conversation that has evangelistic undertones. What I find helpful in such situations is to pray in advance of my journey and ask the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to the ones who are searching for God, so that when they speak to me, I will be ready to listen.

Dog walking

2009-06-21T00:22:00.000-07:00

Dog walking is a great way of meeting people and enjoying getting to know them. This weekend, our labradoodle Sophy met another labradoodle, a cream one called Skippy, in Albert Park in Abingdon. Bertie, our 'Jackschund' thought Skippy was great; Sophy, being by nature 'Grand' wasn't much interested and soon raced off to chase squirrels. Skippy's owner was happy to chat to Julian and I all round the park. And next time, maybe ...

Limitations...

2009-06-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

Having just had a few weeks recovering from being knocked out for about 5 minutes and the resultant concussion (beware, the hatchbook of a Picasso is dangerous if accidentally slammed down on someone's head!), I had the opportunity for part of that to just sit and be, enjoying time in contemplation of God and God's creation. I had nothing to do except keep the dogs company, as I couldn't even read for some of that time. It was like being on an involuntary retreat, and all the better for that! It caused a lot of re-organising for my colleagues at work, unfortunately, and now I am back to contacting people and re-scheduling appointments.

It reminds me that nothing is certain, all is provisional, and may change. We live in a fragile world. It also reminds me of the first few lines from T.S. Eliot's poem, Burnt Norton.

2009-05-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

How to Pray by St Nilus

Chapter 2

A soul which is full of virtue and therefore pure has a mind which is habitually free from distractions and can receive the tranquillity it seeks.

Translated from the Greek by John de la Tour Davies.

Comment

Counsels of perfection!

Nilus's second chapter connects with his first, and again, notes the importance of the virtues for the life of prayer. Being in balance, emotionally, psychologically, even physically means that we are less likely to be distracted by the 'cares and riches and pleasures of this life' (Luke 8.14), for we are centred in Christ, rooted in the ground of God, rather than struggling to bear the fruit of tranquillity amid the thistles and thickets of our anxieties.

However, it seems to me that the issue is that for many people today it doesn't really help to encourage them to put their fears and concerns in a mental 'box', and try to be centred and serene. This is rather like saying '"Peace, peace!" where there is no peace.' It simply puts a plaster over a deep seated wound, and when you do that, problems can go on for ages!

What St Nilus is trying to do, I think, is refocus us on the virtues, and in particular, to encourage us to recall the words of Micah 6.8: 'And what does the Lord require of you, but to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.' So maybe if we ask, "What is the most just thing I can do?", and do it, then distractions won't be such a problem in our prayer.

St Nilus of Sinai on prayer

2009-03-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Chapter 1

If anyone wishes to prepare sweet smelling incense, he will, according to the Law, mix together equal amounts of myrrh, aromatic shell, galbanum and pure frankincense. These correspond to the four virtues, for if they happen to be overflowing and in balance, the mind will not have been opened up to the enemy.
Translated from the Greek by John de la Tour Davies.

Exodus 30.34; Wisdom 8.7; 4 Maccabees 1.18; Rev. 5.8 and 8.3

Nilus is refering to the composition of incense as laid out in the Book of Exodus. Galbanum is an umbellifer, the resin being obtained from its crushed stems and roots. It is used to enhance the effect of other perfumes.

The word translated 'aromatic shell' is onycha, which is actually the shell of a mollusc which, when burnt, gives off a sweet fragrance.

Incense is associated in the Bible with prayer, rising with the prayers of the saints, according to the Book of Revelation (see above).

The four virtues, of course, are those classically known as the cardinal virtues, derived by Saints Ambrose and Augustine from Plato's descriptions. They are

Prudence - able to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time
Justice - proper moderation between the self-interest and the rights and needs of others
Restraint or Temperance - practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation
Courage or Fortitude .

Nilus, as a 5th century theologian, may have known the writings of the 4th century theologians, or he may have been thinking of Plato's original writings. Interestingly, Nilus notes the importance of 'balance', with each of the virtues having its place, being neither in excess or deficient, much as Aristotle defined the 'golden mean'; while 'overflowing' seems to indicate that the virtues are noteworthy in such a person, and that they are communicable to others.

What Nilus seems to be stressing in this his first of 153 short chapters on prayer, is that when a virtuous person prays, his or her mind is opened up to God, and not to the devil, who is the 'enemy'. Then, like Christ, such a person is able to listen to what God shows them, without being confused that such guidance may have another source.

So, if we want to grow in our ability to pray, and to listen to God in prayer - to discern the voice of God in our minds, we need also to be growing in the virtues.

Theology of education

2009-03-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

The link leads to my latest thoughts on different approaches to a theology of education, written for my doctorate in theology and ministry. The picture shows me trying to get some wisdom!

Serious holes and how we handle them

2009-02-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

Workmen arrived today, out of the blue(!), to put in a water meter. They dug a huge hole just by our gate. While they were digging the hole, they managed to fracture the gas main to our house. So they rang the gas board, got someone to come, and before he arrived, the water workmen drove off, leaving a barrier round the hole half blocking the entrance to our house. The gas man mended the pipe, but the hole in the footpath was seriously big, and as it was open to the elements, with the gas main visible, I was concerned that it could get broken again, and we could even have a gas leak or an explosion! (yeah - I know - worst case scenarios don't often happen in real life!) Anyway, eventually, after several hours and numerous phone calls later, including comments to the water board about damage to county council highways (my husband works for the council), an emergency team arrived to temporarily fill the hole, until they can come and connect a water meter properly.

Reflecting on this, it occurred to me that 'holes' can appear in our lives too, leaving us damaged and exposed. The death of a loved one can tear holes in us, as can other major losses, which aren't always acknowledged by friends and colleagues. It seems to me that such 'holes' needs careful handling if we are to avoid an 'explosion' of emotion, of anger or anguish. But do we really want them just filled in? Isn't that just like putting a plaster on an unhealed wound, leaving it vulnerable to infection? Sometimes, that's all we can do. But perhaps, there needs to be a safety valve too. Exploding to God seems to me to be one very apt way of handling grief - the way of Job, perhaps. After all, God is big enough to take it! Having a trusted spiritual director, prayer partner, or close friend to 'vent' to can be hugely valuable. We ministers need such outlets too, for our grief.

I guess the worse thing I could have done today would have been to pretend there was no hole there.

Nativity plays and their theology

2009-01-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

The latest essay for my DMin is just finished! I've done a cultural studies type analysis on nativity plays and their embodied theology. I learnt so much, but only scratched the surface of all the reading I could have done, even though that meant over 25 references in the bibliography. It left me realising 2 things:
1. To do this DMin, I am having to get up to doctoral standard in at least 6 theological disciplines, with a bare 3 months to do so for each. I'm looking forward to the end of this year when my 6 assignments are done, and I can focus more in one area.
2. It's very clear that there is a dearth of empirical research in many areas of church life, and practically none at all about nativity plays.
Would I have chosen to look at these if I hadn't attended two last Christmas? Mmm - probably not. (see below)

Still, it was all good fun, and very mentally stimulating, so much so that now I feel as if my mind has turned into goo. One of my colleagues suggested that I start an Abingdon mystery play cycle since I had to learn so much about them for the essay. What an exciting idea! Then reality kicked in - perhaps I should start gently by finding a mystery play cycle to attend before tackling such a mammoth enterprise!

Getting your message across.

2009-01-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

The freedom of speech dance continues. Christians are officially free to proselytise in the UK (see blog posting below) and now, the latest from The Guardian website is that atheists have raised £140,00 to pay for an advert to go on bendy buses in London and other places, saying that "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life". Interesting. It looks as if even atheists aren't certain of their position. It seems to me also that the people who designed the ad (atheists themselves?) are showing a tendency towards the kinds of things they criticise Christians for, in this case, telling people what to do! Mm. I wonder if a bendy bus communicates a distorted message?

Christmas stamps

2009-01-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

I saw a letter in the Church Times from one of my students today. Helen Chamberlain was writing about trying to get religious stamps for her Christmas cards. She had the same problem that my husband Julian experienced - the Post Office said they didn't have any. On enquiring further, Helen discovered that her local PO did have them, but hidden away under the counter. She bought some, but was told by the counter assistant not to tell anyone else that she had the 'Jesus' stamps. She went out thinking that what she wanted to do was tell everyone she had Jesus, and not keep quiet about it. Quite right too! What Christian minister can keep quiet about his/her reason for being?!!

Coincidentally, the same copy of the Church Times (19th Dec. 2008) had another article that said that the Charity Commission accepts that evangelism is OK, stating that 'proselytising is of benefit to the public'. So Christians aren't meant to keep quiet about Jesus - it's official!

I wonder if we all wrote to the PO and complained, that they would take us seriously for a change? After all, the Church is a seriously big lobby if we exercise our moral muscle.

Church House carol service

2008-12-19T00:29:00.000-08:00

It was the turn of the Buildings Department to plan and put on the annual Carol Service for Church House staff yesterday. The liturgical highlight was a nativity play - or was it a pantomime? It was a joy to see that the staff involved don't take themselves too seriously, and that worship can be fun, as well as meaningful.

I was very tickled by the wry comment at the end that there needed to be a retiring collection - for the organ. It had groaned and wheezed it's way through the service, despite being ably played - but it did sound as if it needed to be permanently retired!

On a serious note, and only tangentially relating to the service yesterday, how is the mission of the church furthered by things like ancient and decrepit organs? And are we so attached to our customs and practices that we can't see how strange they appear to the people we are trying to reach? What is such an instrument to a person who doesn't usually go to church but a distraction or a source of humour? Someone will be bound to want to defend organs, but as a cultural practice of the church, are they not, in fact, simply part of the structure of a distinct subculture, with very little connection to the wider culture within which we are trying to communicate the gospel?

A further thought, what is so scary for a congregation about a capella singing? At another service I attended recently, the unaccompanied singing of O come, O come Emmanuel was hauntingly beautiful.

Christmas party for the OLM Scheme

2008-12-12T04:09:00.000-08:00

The 1st party of the season! No pictures, sadly - I forgot the camera. But a good time was had by all the ordinands, staff and members of the Advisory Body. High hilarity over the past and present dancing exploits of one of the 2nd year ordinands, and of the Principal - but discretion requires my absolute silence on the matter! David's dry and droll sense of humour had some of us almost rolling in the aisles. (David is shown above, with Pam, and with the whole group).

Humour is such an important part of being human; it's a shame when it's cruel or prejudicial, or thoughtlessly undermining of someone else. But to see the funny side of life is to look at it with the eyes of a child, in a relaxed way which welcomes incongruity and sees it as having the potential for mirth and merriment. A good laugh always lightens my day.

It makes me wonder what God finds the funniest: our exploits, our appearance and physicality, or our inability to get the jokes he sends our way?

Christmas Greetings

2008-12-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

I like all the clutter that comes with Christmas. I don't mind the 'tat' at all! My Christmas tree is always full of colour and glitter, and each decoration is added to enhance and harmonise with all the others. I have a little collection of nativities - some china, some glass, even one carved of beeswax. Several are in glass balls with musical tunes and a snowstorm if you tip them upside down. One is a little wind chime. Many have a place to add a nightlight. On Christmas Eve, I set up figures of Mary, Joseph and some cows in a little wooden shed that my husband made for me - it has moss on the roof. On Christmas Day, the infant Christ figure arrives in the manger, the shepherds are placed in front of him, kneeling with their sheep, and the 3 kings start their journey from the TV table across the room over the mantelpiece, to arrive at the scene by Epiphany. On occasion, they have been known to circumnavigate the entire room, and even to have got lost on the way! The thing is, everyone in the family takes seriously the Christmas message, enters into the story, and helps them on their journey.

This year, I have been sent a Christmas email with an all singing all dancing PowerPoint presentation of different Christmassy scenes each revealing all the Christmas tat I enjoy, with baubles and Santas and nativities appearing and disappearing as only PowerPoint knows how. I hope the Church House server will let me send it out to our students and that the file is not too big!

Which version of the Bible?

2008-12-09T06:09:00.000-08:00

A colleague from another Church of England diocese emailed round today asking which version of the Bible we asked our students to use in their assignments. His students are expected to use the new Revised Standard version (NRSV), and he was wondering if that was a little restrictive. I answered that I hoped the people who learn on our courses use that version, too, but that I always suggest to people that they might want to use a different version in their daily prayer. Keith said that I should have replied that we don't mind what the students use, but that the staff are expected to read the scriptures in the original languages. (I liked his sense of humour!). But it got me thinking. If language is formative of culture, and of meaning, how is an individual candidate for licensed ministry being formed by the language of the Bible that they use? For instance, I ask our students to use an inclusive language version because I have had experience of women being alienated from Christianity because they perceive the Bible as sexist and patriarchal. Inclusive language versions, to my mind, don't necessarily solve that particular problem, but can at least go part of the way to helping women feel that they belong as part of the Church.

Busyness and ministry

2008-12-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

There is a reasurring sign over my desk which reads
'Do not feel totally personally irrevocably responsible for everything. That's my job. Love, God'.

It's reassuring because I have had a day when I cannot spell! So I hope God and the computer spellchecker have made sure none of the emails that I've sent out today to our students, or to colleagues, have been too full of errors!

You can just imagine it, can't you: Dera Bishop, thak youo fro invitinging me to peech at the ordinantion at Ephipany - I wuld be delited to do do so......etc. etc. And it's a good job that people who listen to me preach can't see the spellign mistakes in the drafts of the sermon!

recent version of the Lord's Prayer

2008-12-05T05:02:00.000-08:00

I got this in an email from Stephen today. Mm... :

Those of you who are keener on modern language liturgy than I am may be glad to have this most recent version of the Lord's Prayer:

'Our Ultimate Stakeholder, who art an avatar in cyberspace, a big respect from the brothers. In the long-term scenario your sphere of influence will take over big time. Your mission statement will be expedited pan-globally, as it is off-planet. As of this moment in time, further our basic human rights by facilitating our minimal calorific requirement 24/7. Additionally, enrol us on a restorative justice programme as and when appropriate, as we move on and achieve closure on our issues in the hood. Keep us from the major issues and don't drag us into negative scenarios. You are the celebrity stakeholder, with absolute executive options and A list status, foreseeably. Standard.'

By Frances Farrer, The Oxford Writer, Number 47, November 2008.

Skype and team work

2008-12-05T04:41:00.000-08:00

Aargh! The Training and Portfolio Team, [which is Phillip (above) and Keith (climbing the wall) and myself] thought we could have team video conferences via Skype, as we are all now Skype enabled. But it turns out that this is a bit advanced for Skype. We can have voice over internet conversations in conference OK, but only 2 people can see each other at once via the live video link, not the 3 of us. Sad - Keith had been looking forward to an 8am conference call and seeing Phillip in his dressing gown! I guess simultaneous real time visuals are what God gets of us all...

Working across dioceses

2008-12-05T03:58:00.000-08:00

My colleague Keith and I went to Winchester this week to do some work with colleagues from Guildford and Winchester dioceses. One of the group, Simon, turns out to have been a curate in my home diocese of Hereford. While he was there he got to know my father, John de la Tour Davies, who was also a priest. He remembered that Dad had tatoos on each forearm, one of Mary and Jesus; the other of Christ on the cross. He thought this was unusual! I said that Dad had used them as a visual aid when explaining the Gospel to soldiers during his time as an army chaplain in the far East in World War 2. Simon also remembered a barrel of beer at a Swanwick clergy conference, and he and Dad enjoying its contents! And we agreed that my father was one of the characters that Anglican ministry has often produced. He ended his days as a Canon and Prebendary at Hereford Cathedral, where his funeral was held. I remember the Christmas before he died of oesophageal cancer - taking him, ill as he was, to the Cathedral for the Christmas carol service. How proud he was to robe and process to his prebend's stall with the other clergy! The photo shows him the summer before he died in 2003.

Holy Communion

2008-04-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

Off to St Lawrence, Oxford, for one of our new Church House weekly lunchtime Eucharists. Doesn't mean we get let off Sunday church! This is just extra blessing! 8 of us there, presided over by Archdeacon Norman (see picture).

Teaching on the Sacramental theology course last night at Church House: 20 people studying patristic and medieval period Eucharistic liturgies, and learning about the way Eucharistic prayers were put together in the past. Great energy in the group, of which 8 or so are ordinands, with all but one of the rest identifying themselves as 'supporters' from their parishes. We went round the room introducing ourselves, at the start of the session. After I heard from all the supporters, I said that I was there to 'support' them all, and were the other supporters there to learn too, or just there to accompany the ordinands on the journey into Oxford? It was encouraging to hear their warm endorsement of the idea that they are also learners hoping to grow and develop in their Christian faith.

Social scientific study of the New Testament

2008-04-08T07:07:00.002-07:00

I'm finding Modelling early Christianity (which I'm reading for my Doctorate in Ministry at King's College, London) very interesting. I've known about sociological approaches to Bible study for some time, and this book is helping me see something of the theoretical background for this method of interpretation. I am intrigued that modern analyses of, say, group relations, can be used to look at the way the early church formed. I've also been reading Anthony Gidden's writings on sociology, and I am about to tackle Berger and Luckman. Weber next!

I may write more on this as I continue to read the book, although as I also have an assignment to complete, this may not be for some time!