Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: discipleship, estate churches, estates ministry, joe hasler, learning, non-academic theology, theology, theology for all, urban ministry
Theology For All : Godtalk on Estates
I have been privileged over the past year or so to be part of this project pulled together by Joe Hasler. The website contains some fascinating examples of how theology, mission, discipleship and ministry have flourished in Estate Churches, along with some attempts to say why this is so important.
Click here to have a look.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: carmelite spirituality, enkindling love, gillian ahlgren, reading, reading groups, spirituality, teresa of avila, theology, urban ministry
If you are in Birmingham, you might want to join this group reading Gillian Ahlgren’s excellent Enkindling Love:
INVITATION TO A STUDY GROUP ON “ENKINDLING LOVE”
This is the title of a new book on the legacy of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross by Professor Gillian Ahlgren who recently spoke about it at All Saints Kings Heath. About it Alison Weber of the University of Virginia has written: …”This guide of Teresa and John’s major works reveals the Spanish mystics as passionate teachers and systematic theologians determined to share their transformative experience of God’s love. Gillian Ahlgren makes accessible their major insight: the inherent coherence between contemplation and loving action in the world.”
The book is in print and the cheapest deal seems to be just under £20 from the Book Depository. In one case the book came 7 days after an order was placed by email to:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Enkindling-Love-Gillian-T-W-Ahlgren/9781506405599
The group meets from 12.30 to 13.30 on a Wednesday. Members often bring and eat sandwiches. Its first meeting is to be as usual at the Queen’s Foundation, Somerset Road, B15 2QH (for directions see their website) in the Samuel Marsden Room just off the dining room. The date is to be Wednesday June 22nd. It is a ten minutes walk from University railway station.
The next three meetings, on July 6th, 20th and August 3rd, will, because Queen’s term will have finished, be elsewhere, in a room at the church and centre complex of St Francis Bournville, B30 1JY, five minutes walk from Bournville railway station. All are welcome.
The book has four chapters and the intention would be to study one at each meeting.
Further details from: The Revd John Nightingale johnbnightingale@hushmail.com 07811 128831who will be glad to know the names of those intending to attend.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: estates, estates ministry, malcolm brown, theology, urban ministry, york conference
There is more material appearing from the York Conference on Urban Estates and Evangelism. This short video raises some good material for reflection and gives a good flavour of the day:
More material is being posted on this page – worth keeping an eye on. Malcolm Brown’s Theological Reflection is now on it.
Please pray for those charged with seeing this through nationally, and for Birmingham as we work on our response as a Diocese.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: estate ministry, estates, estates ministry, evangelism on urban estates conference, theology, urban ministry
I spent Tuesday at the excellent Evangelism on Urban Estates Conference in York. I will write a report on it next week, but in the meantime the press release about it is here
and Bishop Philip North’s keynote address is here
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: church of england birmingham, estate ministry, estates ministry, evangelism, jesus shaped people, prayer, spirituality, theology, urban ministry
The comments below were collected during an evaluation of Jesus Shaped People in St Thomas’, Garretts Green, one of our Estate Churches in Birmingham. They fill me with great joy and admiration, and I am so glad to be part of a process of helping parishes like this move forward. I’m really looking forward to the discernment process to see exactly what this Church is being led into next.
These are certainly worth spending some time pondering and praying through. I will be referring to these in a talk next week, so I’m leaving them here for people to see.
- I felt closer Jesus, more at his level, more part of what he did
- We’re Jesus’ disciples today, were here to continue his work
- Jesus loves us and he taught love
- Jesus is involved in all aspects of life, not just in church or in service but in politics too.
- Being Jesus Shaped sometimes puts us in uncomfortable situations or places
- We have to be forgiving and show love and kindness, we should have open arms.
- Jesus trusts us to further the kingdom so we should trust him; even when we mess things up there is always hope
- There are distractions all around us in our daily lives; JSP bought me back to realise Jesus is always there and it has given me more passion.
- How do we talk to people about our faith, especially those on the fringes of church. How can we make the most of our contacts?
- How can we reach out to more people, especially those on the outside?
- We need to equip ourselves to do good things really well
- Church/faith is a good place to be; safe on the inside where we get protection and are supported.
- JSP confirmed a lot of what we already do
- Prompted me to think about the things we do and why we do them.
- Prophetic Challenge made me think about how we can share our story, we show God’s love in what we do but we need use words as well to speak about our faith and why.
- We are already quite Jesus Shaped but we need to communicate why we do what we do.
- Jesus wants us to enjoy ourselves with others (eg steam club) Jesus is with us there too – he often went to “parties.” It’s about being fully alive.
- We are ordinary people and it’s OK to do ordinary things
- Jesus always had an eye on people and an eye on God at the same time.
- There is a positive energy and peace
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: discipleship, estate ministry, estates, estates ministry, formation, learning, non-academic learning, non-academic theology, theology, urban ministry
I have updated my Theses on Non-Academic Learning.
Please read the renewed post here:
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: church of england birmingham, pilgrimage, pope francis, prayer, religious life, spirituality, theology
I spent this morning as part of conversation between different forms of religious community and rule of life in Church of England Birmingham. As you can imagine, this was exceptionally rich. I, for one, owe a huge debt of gratitude to the religious communities which have nourished me and helped to form me, not least as a Priest Associate of the Community of the Sisters of the Love of God, and with the Companions of the Society of St Francis (as well as my friends in Carmel).
Sister Anna O’Connor, the Episcopal Vicar for Religious in the Archdiocese, led some reflections for us. I am living off some of the insights, especially from Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter to all Consecrated People:
look to the past with gratitude
look to the present with passion
look to the future with hope
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: anthony bloom, estates ministry, jesus shaped people, laurie green, richard rohr, spirituality, st bede's brandwood, theology, urban ministry
Two quotes below which we used in the sermon at St Bede’s this morning as a basis for exploration of what our relationship with God is. Thanks to the many people who have shared the Richard Rohr quote (Laurie Green makes a very similar point in Blessed are the Poor?) and to Simon Foster for the Metropolitan Anthony quote. The quotes related a lot to what we have been up to in the past few years in terms of learning from the Jesus’ teaching through Jesus Shaped People. It led us into a wonderful time of sharing some very hard won stories and insights. (In terms of the Richard Rohr quote, by the way, we decided we could have both).
“We worshipped Jesus instead of following him on his same path. We made Jesus into a mere religion instead of a journey toward union with God and everything else. This shift made us into a religion of “belonging and believing” instead of a religion of transformation.”
- Richard Rohr The Naked Now
“Basically humility is the attitude of one who stands constantly under the judgment of God. It is the attitude of one who is like the soil. Humility comes from the Latin word ‘humus’, fertile ground. The fertile ground is there, unnoticed, taken for granted, always there to be trodden upon. It is silent, inconspicuous, dark and yet it is always ready to receive any seed, ready to give it subbstance and life. The more lowly, the more fruitful, becaues it become really fertile when it accepts all the refuse of the earth. It is so low that nothing can soil it, abase it, humiliate it; it has accepted the last place and cannot go any lower. In that position nothing can shatter the soul’s serentiy, its peace and joy.”
Living Prayer, by Anthony Bloom
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: carmelite spirituality, carmelites, estate ministry, gillian ahlgren, Kingdom of God, teresa of avila, theology, urban ministry
We celebrated St Teresa’s Feast a couple of days ago.
Here – slightly late – are links to a couple of talks linking Teresa with life today from the excellent Conference in London in the summer.
Firstly, Gillian Ahlgren (who will be leading an evening at St Bede’s in November – details here) on Wise Action in a World of Suffering and Injustice: Teresa’s Vision for Today
and Sisters Jo, Philomena and Mary of Joseph from the Association of British Carmels on Living the Teresian Tradition: Thoughts from Praxis.
These are all people who have given me a great deal of generous encouragement and wisdom as I have tried to make my way. I encourage you to spend some time with these films.
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