'Outlook' Newsletter for July 2007

A few weeks ago several of us from St Barnabas went to the Oakwood Centre for the launch of the preparations for ‘Just 10 North East’. Just 10 is a series of talks on the Ten Commandments and their relevance for today. The speaker will be J John, one of the most gifted evangelists in the UK today – and a very entertaining and engaging speaker. The publicity for Just 10 says: ‘J John is regarded as one of the most creative speakers in the UK with an appeal that transcends gender, age, race, culture and occupation. His much-loved art of storytelling helps people to discover spiritual meaning in a way that makes sense of everyday life.’

The event will take place every Wednesday evening for ten weeks beginning on the 23^rd April 2008. The venue is to be a huge marquee at Preston Park in Stockton. There will be room for six thousand people – which is just as well as there were around twelve hundred people at the launch event itself.

Churches throughout the Tees Valley have already committed themselves to being involved. I sense this is the most exciting time for the churches in the area since the Billy Graham Missions in the mid 1980’s. There is certainly a tremendous sense of unity amongst a wide range of Christians, which is something I believe the Lord will honour.

The PCC has decided to give this event its full backing. It provides us with a wonderful opportunity to bring along unchurched friends and family who may be interested in knowing more about the Christian faith. Nearer the time we will consider whether to hire a coach or coaches to take people from St Barnabas to Preston Park.

If we are to make the most of this opportunity then we will have to make it a priority in our church’s programme – and not just for the ten week duration of the mission. During Lent next year we will be studying J John’s own five week, ‘Breaking News’ course. Our own Archbishop Sentamu has said this about the course:

‘J.John is one of the Church’s greatest communicators blessed with gifts of teaching, humour, story-telling and integrity. This course book is practical and packed full of stories, insights and activities to stimulate the church in evangelistic action.

There can be a tendency in any church to become inward looking and cosy. Comfortable and unthreatening as that may be, it is not our Lord’s calling. We are called to a much more exciting and demanding adventure – to reach others with the love of Christ – and yes, to make disciples.

One of life’s greatest joys for a Christian must be to see someone come to know the love of God in Christ and to accept his grace and forgiveness and the new life he offers us. It is also wonderful to see someone’s life transformed as they discover more and more of the freedom there is to be found in following Christ. The church has a key role to play in the nurture of new Christians and so it must be geared for that task too. Follow up will be as least as important as preparation for Just 10. I hope next year we will be faced with the problem of how to integrate so many new people in to our fellowship!

You may remember that in November last year Roger and Ursula Simpson came up from York for the day to tell us about revitalising small groups on cell church principles. As I wrote in an earlier Outlook we will be introducing ‘Life Groups’ in St Barnabas in September. (There was a time when ‘cell group’ was a perfectly acceptable and harmless name for a group based on cell church principles. Alas the name has been hijacked by terrorists!) We did not at the time know of the plans for Just 10. It now seems that the setting up of Life Groups will be an important means of preparing the church to accommodate and build up new Christians.

Some one asked me recently how Life Groups will differ from Home Groups. I think I would have to say that the difference lies in the emphasis and focus of the groups, which is expressed in the way they are run.

For a start the Life Groups will run on a weekly basis rather than fortnightly. This means a greater time commitment by the members, but it does give the opportunity for group members to get to know one another more quickly – something which will be particularly important for new Christians. It also means that if someone misses one meeting they will only have a fortnight’s gap between meetings rather than a month. You may remember when the Home Groups were first formed at St Barnabas they alternated with the fortnightly fellowship meetings in the Narthex. The thinking behind that was that one midweek evening of each week should be devoted to church fellowship.

The structure of the Life Group meeting also differs to that of a Home Group. The material will be related to the Sunday morning sermon. Each week follows the four fold pattern of Welcome, Worship, Word and Witness. This gives the opportunity for different people in the Group to be responsible for a different part of the evening, thus sharing the responsibility and allowing new gifts to emerge.

One of the greatest advantages the Life Groups will offer is flexibility. Central to the ethos of Life Groups is that they should draw in new members and multiply in to two groups ever eighteen months to two years. Some home groups have been very successful in integrating new members. All have made new members welcome. But the ability to welcome and integrate new members and so build up new Christians and the church will be a prime focus of the Life Groups.

This does not come without its cost, however. One of the strengths of the home groups is that many of them have met for nearly three decades now. Some have remained relatively stable over that period. This means that those who are part of them have come to know one another really well. They have in some cases supported one another through very difficult and traumatic life events. Very deep levels of trust and fellowship have developed. I hope such bonds of fellowship and friendship can still survive, even if the Home Group in which they developed ceases to be.

If the church is to grow it must, I believe, be able to accommodate new people into its small group structure. This means either that the small groups keep on growing in size, in which case they will cease to serve the purpose of a small group, or that new groups will have to be formed. The most effective way in the longer term to create new groups is to form them out of existing groups. This means that each group will be made up of experienced and new Christians. It also means that new leaders are constantly being developed from the existing groups. If the church’s small group structure is too rigid to allow new groups to multiply then there is no doubt that the growth of the church will be stifled. This would be deeply dishonouring to God and disobedient to the call of Christ.

I wish to emphasise at this point however that there will be no compulsion for anyone to switch from a Home Group to a Life Group. Some may feel their personal need at present is for the stability and support their Home Group offers them. No one will judge either Home Group members or Life Group members as inferior Christians. We will continue to provide study material for the fortnightly Home Group meetings. This material will have the same Bible teaching as the Life Group material so that they run on parallel lines and do not drift apart.

In some Home Groups we may find that some will want to remain as a Home Group while others will chose to join a Life Group. Such teething problems will be inevitable during the transition period, but I trust the change will prove to be fruitful in terms of the church’s future growth.

Please pray about your part in this. What is the Lord asking of you at this time? There will be a form available as from next Sunday for you to indicate whether you want to remain in a Home Group or to switch to a Life Group. A Home Group may decide to become a Life Group. You may wish to take the opportunity of joining a Life Group if you are not currently in a Home Group.

I have a strong conviction that we are poised for growth. We have a responsibility to prepare ourselves not only to make the most of the opportunities Just 10 will offer us, but also to help new Christians integrate into the church and to grow in the faith. Are we prepared to grasp these opportunities wholeheartedly? Heaven forbid that we should be the generation which missed the challenge.

Yours in Christ

Erik

Monday 2nd July PCC meets, 7.15 p.m. in the Reid Room

Wednesday 4th July Home groups meet

Wednesday 18th July Home groups meet

Wednesday 25th July Monthly church prayer meeting, 8 p.m. in the narthex

Sunday 29th July Summer family service pattern starts 10.15 a.m. Family Service

Sunday 5th August 10.15 a.m. Family Service

Sunday 12th August 10.15 a.m. Family Service

Sunday 19th August 10.15 a.m. Family Service

Sunday 26th August 10.15 a.m. Family Service

Sunday 2nd September Normal pattern resumes 10.15 a.m. Morning Prayer Cypecs groups meet

Monday 3rd September PCC meets, 7.15 p.m. in the Reid Room

Sunday 9th September Cyfa group starts

The PCC heard about plans for the J John mission next April. A steering group has been set up to oversee the adoption of cell church principles and the introduction of Life groups in September.

Laura Henderson spoke about the situation with schools’ work in Middlesbrough, as she moves on to a new job in Hartlepool. There is much that is encouraging, though the PCC will consider the work, particularly in our own parish, at a future meeting.

There was a long discussion abut the future of music leadership at St Barnabas and the implications of the various options.

The names of those who administer at Holy Communion were approved. These need the authorization of the Bishop to continue for the next three years.

Hello everyone!

Well, after a very frustrating few months I have now discovered that I do have a brain (courtesy of a CT scan) and following no definite diagnosis but complete recovery, have been allowed to return to work for MSF in Uganda. Hoorah! I am aiming to finish the mission this time, and therefore hope to return to the UK in time for Christmas!

As my position in Lira had been filled, I have returned to a different project, in Kitgum, which is further North, near to the border with South Sudan. The scenery here is even more beautiful than in Lira district. The landscape is pretty flat but there are lots of amazing hills/mountains around (none of which I can walk in of course). A gorgeous backdrop foris, for many of the population, a difficult existence. My role is similar in that I am the supervisor for MSF clinics in IDP (internally displaced people) camps. 4 of the 6 clinics run by MSF in the district have recently been closed due to duplication of services in the camps, andI will only be supervising 2 clinics. However, within MSF and the mission,constantly change, and there are some ideas for starting up some extra services for the population which I would be involved in. The project I was involved in in Lira is closing down sooner than planned due to a faster return of the IDP population to their villages, and therefore away from the camps. The whole project will therefore no longer exist after August. Here in Kitgum district though, the population are not returning to their villages yet. The majority leave the camps and go to farm their land the day and then return to the camps at night. The main issue for us here is trying to make sure there is no, or limited, duplication of services by the plethora of NGO's that are in the area. Because of this, we may change some of the locations of our current services.have visited both the clinics already and hope to go to each clinic on alternating weeks. In both clinics we have outreach workers whose role it is to visit the camp community daily and look for referrals to the clinic, provide health education to the community, follow up TB patients...etc. In both camps I spend timethem andgreat funthrough the camp meeting the local community. It is definitely my favourite part of being here. What a privilege to be able totimethe population of this part of Uganda. We do a lot of laughing! Some of the best moments for me are when I am travelling to and from the camps. I call out greetings in Luo to the children playing, the men pushing their bikes, the ladies carrying their babies on their backs and wares on their heads, the people working in their gardens etc and it is just fantastic to see their face break into a huge smile. In the camps the children follow me, the 'munu' (white person) around, and I enjoy playing with them. I feel like the pied piper only without a pipe! Men often sit around drinking their local brew...sorghum beer, the ladies (and sometimes men!) are doing their washing, cooking, feeding their babies, sleeping; around each corner is another hive of activity, a bicycle repair area, a small market area (consisting of ladies, men and children selling their produce of mangoes, tomatoes, 'greens' (like spinach)), a man making baskets, a noisyout dust and grinding down grain into flour, pigs wallowing in muddy puddles, chickens, goats bleating, dogs barking.....

Kitgum is a lot smaller than Lira but I am still totally disorientated when I am in the car. I often spend Saturday mornings in the market with my colleagues shopping for food. It is great fun trying to buy tomatoes, cabbage, peppers etc without being able to speak adequate Luo (local language). The team yet again consists of many different nationalities... Dutch, American, Kenyan, Zambian, French Canadian, Burundian, Filipino. am the only Brit (which is not a bad thing!). Of my colleagues, a lovely Dutch lass, I had already met in South Sudan, we have lots of fun reminiscing about 'the good old days'!!

My accommodation is in a tukul which is great. It is painted white so is pretty cool in the heat of the day. Rainy season seems to have started since I returned and so the nights are cooler and I even have had to start using a blanket! The crops are growing by the day due to the regular downpours and storms. Great news for the locals as hopefully will mean they have enough food in the dry season and can get some income.
Well, I must stop typing for now. Access to the internet is pretty poor. Firstly I am in the camps in the week and then at the weekend the internet connection is often very bad. This email has ben waiting to be sent for quite a long while!

Anyway, heaps of greetings to you all. Thanks to all of you that listened to my manywhen I had to return earlier this year! Lots of love Viv XXX

A special holiday week, exploring some of the most wonderful Cathedrals in England starts on April 2^nd next year and booking has now opened.

Led by Revd Rob Marshall, writer and broadcaster, the holiday week takes in York Minster and St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as Durham Cathedral and the joys of Lincoln.

The week focuses particularly on the saints associated with the Cathedral – Cuthbert in Durham, Augustine in Canterbury – so this is a kind of Cathedral pilgrimage around England

A highlight of the week, which starts on Wednesday 2^nd April (and lasts until 9^th April) will be Sunday worship in Canterbury Cathedral before a visit to Westminster Abbey the following day.

Those wishing to take part (the week costs just £435 which includes all entry fees, coach travel and 7 nights accommodation in a twin room – 4 nights half board/3 nights B&B) can choose between starting in London or in York.

Those starting in London meet at King’s Cross station where a ticket to York is provided on the very comfortable GNER train service. Those joining in Yorkshire meet at the hotel.

Each day the group will visit one of the wonderful Cathedrals on the itinerary and will enjoy a guided tour. There will be Choral Evensong in York Minster, the same in Durham Cathedral and the sung Eucharist in Canterbury.

"This is a new way of exploring some of our most wonderful buildings and supporting the ministry of our great cathedral churches. Donations will be given to each of them," said Rob Marshall.

Those wanting a full colour brochure can telephone 0845 610 6420. Early booking is advised. (http://www.ukltg.com)

Offerings

Offerings in May £16,016

Restricted (for specific purposes) £122

17th June Junior Wasiu Saka Jimoh

9th June Paul Nixon

and Eleanor Margaret Ritchie

11th June Clifford Brougham Ward aged 91

15th June Vicki Andrew aged 62

8th June William Hunter aged 77

An evening of Celtic worship will take place at St Mary's Church, Acklam, on Tuesday 10th July at 7.30. All are welcome.