Stand up for Burma

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Sadly I can’t get to this, but as someone of Burmese ancestory if you can please go along to support the Burma Campaign.

Today in Burma more than 1,100 political prisoners are in jail.

Today in Burma many of them will be tortured.

Today in Burma soldiers will continue their attacks on civilians, burning villages, killing and mutilating people.

Today in Burma Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest, isolated, with no prospect of being released.

YOU CAN HELP STOP THIS.

HELP RAISE MONEY FOR THE BURMA CAMPAIGN UK. BUY YOUR TICKET TODAY.

It looks like a fantastic night and you can get tickets here.

personal support day

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Today I got up at 5am, left at 5.30am, met Sharron and drove to head office to meet up with rest of the national YFC staff for our personal support day.

This is a day when we write letters, pray for our supporters, record a thankyou video clip for the web, thank people for their giving and invite others to join us by giving. All national YFC workers commit to raising 50% of their salaries from people that believe in them and wish to support them.

I’m doing quite well on my personal support although there are a few vacancies and I am looking for others to join me. I am particular searching for one person to commit to £50 per month, 2 people to give £20 per month and 4 people to give £10 per month. If you would like to take up this great opportunity you can be assured that every penny you donate will go towards my salary. The more I can rise will enable YFC to release other funds to where the need is greatest in YFC’s ministry.

As my YFC partner you will:
be establishing new YFC centres
have the satifactionthat knowing you are helping to transform lives
enable YFC workers to present the gospel to young people
receive Intoview – the YFC mag
receive personal letters
help to train young people in mission
empower YFC to develop new resources
be taking God’s love to young offenders and socially excluded
enable young adults to serve through sport, theatre, music and dance.

It’s an exciting time – If you would like to think about becoming a partner with me please get in touch so we can chat.

Emerging book

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I recommend this book!

Ian’s research dissertation has been adapted into a soft bound book that expressly looks at the sociological, theological & ecclesiological significance of Emerging & Fresh Expressions of Church from the viewpoint of the practitioners. The practitioners voice often goes unheard, so it is refreshing to hear UK voices as the focus. The book is now on sale for £10 plus p&p, and all the money goes towards funding Moot initiatives.

To create some awareness for the book – a number of initial talks have been organised as part of the national network of ‘blah’ gatherings of the UK Emerging Church scenes including a book launch in London. Further, Ian has created a new blog to promote the book & allow for dialogue with those interested or who have read the book. We are therefore keen to invite people to come to these talks or interact with the blog, as they see fit. The talks will aim to explore findings and their socio-cultural and theological significance arising out of praxis.

Buying the Book
The easiest way to purchase the book, is to do it online look under the publications & research section – cost is £10 plus postage & packaging. There will be copies for sale at the Blah discussions and the American tour.

New Blog
To support the book and its findings, Ian has set up a new blog – to promote the book and his reflections following publication. It is hoped that the blog will also become a place for debate, check it out here.

Book Tour
April 26th | Blah Manchester | time tbc
This will be the first talk commencing in Blah:Manchester. The Sanctus 1 community were a key constituency in the formation of the research and resultant book. Information on this can be found here. You will need to book places to attend (I think).

May 10th | Blah London & Book Launch | 6.30pm | The Horse Pub, Waterloo
This will be the second designated talk and the official book launch – again you will need to book places for this through the blah website. The Moot community were one of the four constituencies, so this event will celebrate the book and its launch. I will talk about the main findings of the book, and its implications. More info & booking here.

June 2nd – 20th | Emerging & Fresh Expressions Speaking Tour in the States
Ian with support from Aaron Kennedy from the Moot community, will start off in New York, and then go through to Pittsburgh, possibly Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pasadena & Seattle to plug the book and associated findings. For further info on this – check out Ian’s blog or the Moot blog.

Placement over :(

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Sunday night was a sad night for me as it marked the last official day of my placement with Moot.This has been a superb experience and I have learned masses from the community and from Ian. It has been great to be welcomed as a member of the community and trusted to become involved.

The experience has left me with lots of thoughts for my future role particularly around thoughts of how we have restricted ‘gospel’ to mean the telling of a message where as the gospel that Jesus speaks of is one of transformed community pointing to the Kingdom of God.

At Moot I have tasted the kingdom and I intend to stay in touch. If any mooters come here – thank you so so much, you have been fantastic. I have met some excellent fellow travellers and I really hope I can stay in touch.

Long Silence

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It’s been a long silence on the blog as it’s been a busy time.
The weekend was taken up with Ordinand training – one of the highlights pushing a friend back from the pub in a wheelchair (she told us she needed it!)on Saurday night through the rain – but I guess you had to be there.
Another highlight was just chatting with friends and learning more from each other. It’s quite scary to think we will be ordained in around 18 months time – watch out world! Can’t wait to get the robe allowance ‘cos then I ca afford to but a nice apple mac!
Still another was drinking green beer with ‘the boys’ in Herne by on saturday afternoon while we watched some football and rugby. The landlord had addd green food colouring to one of the barrels which produced deep green beer with a bright green frothy head which looked quite cool. The e numbers from the colouring seemed to leave me a bit wired inthe afternoon when I should have been feeling sleepy after a few beers.
On top of all this – we even managed o do some training and lectures. Not a bad weekend!

People should not be bought and sold!

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Watch this video

Study day

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Today I have been disciplined and had a bit of a study day – I’m supposed to take half a day a week, but keep forgetting as work is so much for more fun than the thought of study at the moment.

Sadly my placement at Moot is coming to an end so for part of today I reflected on what I will take away from my experience with the Moot community and wrote it down in my assignment which was due in …. errr a few weeks ago – but I do have the excuse of starting my placement late and finishing it late.

Two things have hit me massively from this placement over the last 5/6 months.

The biggie for me is how Moot is genuine community. Being part of this community has been an amazing experience. There is true acceptance here and a real desire to enter into dialogue with each other, learn from each other, and make use of each others gifts.

I have also been struck by Moot’s ability to have a ‘both/and’ model by holding redemption and incarnational theologies in their outlook as they look to avoid extremes which alienate and consider everything which allows a fuller engagement with culture and God. Bevans labels this a synthetic model of contextual theology.

I’m sure I will learn more as I reflect longer over time, but I’m going to be sorry to be leaving Moot as part of my placement – but I shall remain part of this community.

A flop?

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Recently I have been dipping into this great littlebook,Whatever you think, think the opposite, by Paul Arden who was an executive creative direcot at Saatchi and Saatchi.

Near the beginning of the book he tells this story:

Until the Mexico Olympics of 1968 the customary way for a high jumper to cross the bar was with his body parallel to it.
A lttle known athlete approached the bar which was set at a world record height of 7ft 4.5 inches. He took off, but instead of turning his body toward the bar, he turned his back to it.
He jumped higher than any person beofre by thinking the opposite to everyone else. Hi name was Dick Fosbury and the jump became known as the Fosbury Flop and is standard today.

Fosbury’s different thinking turned a flop into a success. I wonder what the crowd thought, I wonder if they sniggered expecting to see a flop. I can’t imagine the risk he was taking in front of all those people. Imagine the news coverge if he had got it wrong. |If it had not worked, the poor guy may never have been able to jump again, sent away in disgrace for making his country ‘the laughing stock’. He was literaly risking his entire future.

Sometimes issues seem unsolvable when we think conventionally.

Take a risk: go think differently.

Women Bishops

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I received this today vi Kat fro the Moot Community.
If you agree then please write …

People have been invited to send in their views (to arrive before 30 March) to the Legislative Drafting Group appointed to prepare legislation for the Ordination of Women as Bishops. So we are asking for your support please, and to write (or email) your views to Jonathan Neil-Smith, House of Bishops, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3NZ. His e mail is womenbishopsgp@c-of-e.org.uk.

We suggest you include the following points – in your own words:

Women should be ordained bishops as soon as possible.
The legislation should be simple, clear, final and unconditional (or you may prefer to say you want a single enabling measure).
Provision for opponents in conscience should not be part of the legislation but should be dealt with separately by each bishop.
To restore and maintain trust in the integrity and authority of the episcopate and the unity of the church each Diocesan bishop should be responsible for everyone in the Diocese and should be responsible for making the arrangements he or she judges to be right, for the care of opponents.
The Act of Synod should be rescinded as proposed by the Diocese of Southwark motion, and a debate on this motion should be held as soon as possible.
Since the Church has accepted the orders of women as priests and bishops, then in future those being ordained should accept those orders as valid in accordance with Canon A4.

Lent Dignity

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I got home tense and snappy today.
I don’t want to say where I spent the day, but it was with a national organisation which is normally excellent in the way it works.
Today I found myself frustrated with starting late, finishing 90 minutes early, poor presentations and people not showing.
At one point I swear I came close to losing the will to live!

Lunch was good as was the networking opportunity over lunch where I met 3 new people.
I feel like I have wasted a large part of the day and that frustrates me as I can think of the many things I could have got done at home in the office if I had spent the 8 hours here rather than travel into London.
So tonight this photo from Getty Images resonates!

What can I take away from this?
It reinforces what I have been thinking about over Lent.
It reinforces the need to treat all with respect and dignity and to treat all tasks, even the really boring and mundane, as part of my worship to God.
It is easy to see people as just part of the job, or even a hindrance to the job!
To treat with dignity and look for God within each individual human ‘image of God’ should protect us from doing this.