CMS is MANY THINGS

 

CMS is MANY THINGS

CMS is a carpet shop in Woking:  Coffee Machine Services (used to maintain the machines at partnership house) , Centre for medical services  in US,  Convention on Migratory species,   College Music Society   CMS energy  and computer maintenance services   and  Content management systems;  The Catholic Men's Society 

Most excitingly Compact Muon Solenoid    - Nuclear research in Switzerland  ! 

On a Google Search  CMS UK is now No.4 under CMS. 

The possibilities are endless !  which has inspired me again!!    Sorry  

 

COMMUNITY Of MISSION SERVICE

This is Tim Dakin’s favourite (other than his famous talk  ‘Complexity Made Simple’!)  It is a term originally coined by John Taylor  Community has become a major theme.  CMS is now an Acknowledged community (ref CMS website statement)

In addition we also have had an assessment by the Charity Commission  on  Public Benefit (ditto) . CMS was one of 4 religious organisation that were assessed

CHANGING MONEY SITUATION

Life has been hectic in CMS with a lot of meetings of the Senior Management Team to look at the implications of the Global Financial Downturn .  
We have had to make lots of cuts again this year  in mid stream   because we are £750k in deficit already  (there was a planned deficit of 500k for the year). So this has been very hard as it has meant some redundancies. So you can imagine the atmosphere at present
It also means people are watching expenditure like hawks and seeking to make savings wherever possible.

In was recently reminded of a timely quote by  Hudson Taylor

 'God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies'

COORDINATING  MISSION in SEOUL

Rev Simon  in Seoul reports that they have reached a level of maturity now that they are 3 years old.   The presence of CMs has helped to catalyse the Anglican Church . The Bishop of Seoul Paul Kim has set up the Korean Internation Mission (KIM).

And there are many Anglican Priests now considering mission. Zinkoo and family in N Cyprus. Rev Peter is investigating a teaching placement in China. And a retired  Bishop also wants to go to Mongolia and China. Dominiq is planning to go to India. Others are looking at the Mekong Delta, Philippines  N.Korea  Japan.     

Bp Kevin of GLOBAL TEAMS  reported on an ANGLICAN CONFERENCE in Seoul:  

‘5 years ago there was a conference in the Anglican Church of Korea sponsored by GLOBAL TEAMS and Koram Deo along with a few congregations. The organizers felt it was the first such conference in the Anglican Church, at least the first they knew of. About 40 or 50 attended.  Last week there was a second such conference held at the Vision Centre of Disciples Church (also known as St. Columba's). CMS and GLOBAL TEAMS helped develop it.   There were over 100 to 150 people in attendance.   7 missos from CMS and GLOBAL TEAMS reported on their ministries in places like S.Korea, Nepal, India, China, Mongolia, Japan, and Vietnam. There was worship and prayer and a challenge to either GO or SEND. The involvement is growing among the Anglicans there....’

 

COMMUNICATION  MANAGEMENT  SYSTEMS

As part of the development of NETWORK MISSION, we have been experimenting with various social networks  

Facebook; incluing abgroup for CMS Asia and SACYN;  and now CMS has a Kindling community.  And we have registered a Website  address, www.AsiaCMS.net, which we hope to activate in the Autumn / Fall

CHRISTIAN MUSLIM SOLIDARITY

One of the most encouraging meetings I have attended recently was the  Christian Muslim Forum and the launch of ethical guideline   for  evangelism – 10 commandments. They represent a hopeful sign of being able to work together  See details

I used them as part of a talk I was doing at the Guildford Diocesan Summer School  entitled  ‘Common Ground: being Deeply rooted and Profoundly open’=

'CO-CONSTRUCTING MISSION SYSTEMICALLY'  (or 'CONDUCTING  MISSION  SURVEYS')    

The ASIA PROCESS has been engaging with partners and people in Mission around Asia. This has been an Appreciative Inquiry into the future, based on the 4-D cycle:  Describe Dream Design Deliver. It is about co-constructing reality together and so far we have had a lot of buy-in to and ownership of the process.

We have had meetings in Bangkok, Islamabad and Karachi in Pakistan, Pune India.  We have also had a follow up meeting in Islamabad and half process in Colombo.   We have a further 2 meetings to go  - in Oxford and Seoul

Peter of ALL Singapore  has conducted a survey of 10 Asian cities

At the SACYN Sri Lanka Core group  meeting we were able to conduct a mini process gathering stories and themes. 

There is a a commitment to report to trustees in October and a final report in January 2010. We had a SMT & Trustees where the go ahead was given to look at the Malaysian Peninsular as a coordinating office and continue to develop office  in Seoul and a base  in India alongside the Pakistan one.  So that’s generally going well.  KST, a CMS Trustee,  is visiting Malaysia soon and will make contact.   The enquiry process still has 2 more meetings  one in Oxford and one in Seoul, both in Sept.   We are trying to get all the write ups done of the process so far

Now we have  appointed John as  part time Project Manager, we hope to be able to get more stuff done.  

The old boys are leaving

I remember the Runrig song 'The Old boys are leaving'  (full lyrics here). Marking the end of an era and the passing of the 'old guard'. Harri Patch who died today aged 111 was the last survivor of WW1.  You can see his life in BBC Photo Essay  According to a BBC article 

Mr Patch was conscripted into the Army aged 18 and fought in the Battle of Passchendaele at Ypres in 1917 in which more than 70,000 British soldiers died.

He served in the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry.

I have visited Ypres or 'Wipers' as it was coloquially known, to see where 2 of my Great Uncles are remembered in the carnage of the treches. It was a very sobering experience. ... 

Another WW1 survivor Henry Allingham  died recently (22 July) aged 113.   A survivor of the bettle of Jutland and a founding member fo the RAF. he is also rememebr in a portrait  by Dan Llywelyn Hall

The second portrait is of Harri Patch by Peter Kuhfeld.   it's a great way to remember them. 

BOTH of their stories is told in Max Arthiur's Book The Last Post: The final word from our First world war survivors  

Another book worth reading is  Forgotten Voices of the Great War by the same author. They make the WW1 conflict 'come alive' or maybe I should say made the WW1 become more 'realistically dead'.   

The old Boys
Are all leaving
Leaving one by one
Where young birds go flying
Spread your wings and run
But over the fields
By the drystone walls
An eagle will come no more

We will remember them .....

Bethlehem art

'Freddy' is back in Bethlehem as a community artist. As ever her emails are a delight to read. She would make a great blogger...

This being Bethlehem nothing is as expected as regards the job. The American artist, Don, is in residence, and I am now his assistant. So original plan to paint the sky behind his relief sculpture art work, has not happened, nor the employment of my own team. However I am sublimely happy and working myself to exhaustion from 8 am-4-30 pm, on a huge and rickedy scaffolding, following his instructions. We are quite a sight he is nearing 80 years old and as you are aware I am not a wee spring chicken, and oddest of all, to all around me, am female. The site is huge and excessively noisy, with 20-30 workers at all tasks mostly involving cement mixers, jack hammers and drills. (I will send pics later, as the work is hard to explain.) 

After work, a rest and a shower, I go for lovely long walks in the beautiful hilly streets of the city, retuning to my comfy flat around 9 pm, for supper and bed. It is so quiet and 'safe' walking about at that time. With little traffic, there is only one set of traffic lights in the whole city! My first night while catching up with a local RC Christian, who has a shop and a tiny bar, I found myself opposite a large security ring of plain clothes and soldiers, but they were there because the Palestinian Prime Minister was inside the building. when he came out to get into his white limosine, he gaily waved at me! He is popular here I believe. 

My bar friend and I had a lovely chat in Spanish (our only mutual language, as he spent 2 years in Argentina) about things I had missed like the Pope's visit, Christmas, and the Gaza war. 

Tomorrow I shall go to church in Jerusalem, and have a lunch date with my former hosts, back here. Tonight I may finally meet up with the `Palestinan artists in the refugee Camps that I know. Loving every minute, hard work though.

The Sick Rose William Blake

William Blake is famous for his many illiustrations  but also his poems : 

O Rose, thou art sick!
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night,
In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy;
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

This poem was shared by someone some time back in a consultancy group I attend. All sorts of Freudian interpretations must I am sure abound (see  Wikipedia for some interpretations) . But I thought it might be appropriate in these days of swine flu and gnawing doubt in our society. Witness the obsessive attack by the press over expenses claims and the gnawing away at confidence in our MPs durring that particular 'howling storm'.  And then there is the erosion of confidence in the established Anglican church and the endless debates over sexuality. 

These certainly seem to destroy life.

So since its been sitting on my Blog unposted posts for ages, like a little worm, I thought I'd better post it now........ 

Missional Obliquity Ben Edson Blog

In our CMS directors meeting we were talking about Missional Obliquity, as you do !! And we were given the following link. The basic idea is that we can achieve objectives by aiming at someothing more indirectly.......... 

I also came accross this pic which  is about obliquity of the planets 

  

Missional Obliquity

I've been pondering this for sometime now and thought that I'd go public with it and see whether it resonated with people.  I came across the principle of obliquity a few years ago and since then have been wondering about it in relation to mission. John Kay writes this in an article on obliquity in the Financial Times: 

'Strange as it may seem, overcoming geographic obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting global business targets are the type of goals often best achieved when pursued indirectly. This is the idea of Obliquity. Oblique approaches are most effective in difficult terrain, or where outcomes depend on interactions with other people.'

It seems to me that within the emerging church in the UK we have many oblique approaches to mission.  Whether that is using arts as a tool for mission, Night Cafes, providing hospitality at Mind Body Spirit Fairs, meeting with other faith groups or club nights - these are all oblique approaches to mission.  They do not preach the good news in a narrow way, they are not overtly evangelistic, however through the approach that they take they offer an oblique approach to God. 

Oblique approaches recognize that sometimes the best way to achieve your goal is not through directly aiming at it, but rather by taking a journey that is not direct route but one that gets you to the same destination.  If you stare directly at the sun there is the danger that it can blind you, whereas an oblique approach allows your eyes to gradually adjust preventing us from being blinded.  Due to the perceived urgency of the evangelistic task direct approaches have been dominant, an oblique approach allows indirect approaches that take longer but are arguably more authentic.

However, the challenge is not to make the angle of obliquity so narrow that the focus becomes the oblique process rather than that which is being aimed at.  I'm quite convinced by the importance of oblique approaches to mission but am fully aware that they are far more long term, far less direct and not as easily quantifiable.  They can easily be dismissed as they are not obviously focused on a target and hence not directly evangelistic.  The challenge with oblique approaches to mission is to make sure that they remain focused on the goal rather than themselves, if they are focused on themselves they loose their oblique approach and hence direction.

from Ben Edson's blog

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Tags: BenEdson, Obliquity, Mission

No excuses !

A colleague of mine shared this inspirational thought

No more excuses now!   God can use you.  He can even use me! 

 

'One small step for (a) man: One giant leap for mankind'

.

The Apollo 11 crew portrait.  Neil Armstrong,Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin

I remember the Apollo 11 moon landing vividly. I stayed up all night to watch it on our  B&W TV  in 1969  and I still have the scrapbook I made with all the newspaper and magazine cuttings. It was a defining moment for  a generation. In the age of Lunar landings and Concorde, we could do anything. The world (and space) was our oyster.  

You can watch it yourself on this You Tube clip or another version on the  BBC News  and see that moment when Neil Armstrong stepped out from the Eagle lunar module onto the lunar surface - 'the sea of tranquility' (2oth July) and spoke the immortal words: 

'One small step for man one giant leap for mankind' 

Now 40 years later, do we still feel the same ?  Are we as optimistic?  or a little more jaundiced?   There have certainly been many technological advances  The BBC website has a nice clip on 'What the moon landings did for us'.  So many things we take for granted. But the effect of the whole space programme being 'grounded' may have done more to limit our visiion than we realise. Do people really talk as much about 'reaching for the stars' or is our vision also more 'grounded'?

The Russian cosmonaught Yuri Gagarin , the first man to orbit the earth  (he has a statue in Moscow called 'Rocket Man')  is supposed to have said that he looked but  "I don't see any God up here."  But it seems this statement is unfounded.  Another myth.   Rumours that Neil Armstron heard the sound of the Azan and subsequently became a Muslim are also unfounded.  However James Irwin felt the power of God on his Apollo 15 moon walk and according to TIME magazine founded an evangelical organisation  and tried to find Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat.  

'Where there is no vision the people perish', according to Proverbs (29:18), 'but happy is he who keeps the Law' 

Maybe that is where vision comes from. More from the Creator of the stars than the stars themselves.

Turning Point - Kenya

Jon and Jo are from our church,  Christchurch Woking  (CCW).  They are also linked to CMS through the Salt Programme.   They are with us this weekend reporting on their work in Kibera with Turning Point Trust. 

TPT works in Kibera, the biggest slum in Kenya, 'home' for more than a million people tightly packed in 3 square kilometres. They run 2 centres in Masumau and Kianda, helping to improve the quality of life for families there. It is child-focused community development.  As well as 2 centres in Kibera itself, there are Micro-Finance projects to help families start up small buinesses and a 30 acre Farm Project in Kinangop, 120km northwest of Kibera, to rehabilitatea dozen  single mamas and their many children and to help them with a new life out of the slum.  As Jon said  'It is easy getting them out of Kibera, but it's hard getting Kibera out of them'.

Graceworks is sending a team to work there again this summer running the summer camp for 121 chldren in a boarding school for 2 weeks.  It is being hosted by 'Em', also from CCW who is a volunteer working for TPT. And my son Andy is part of the team.

Have a look at the video materials on the Turning Point website on Kibera,  Camps  and Farm 

and also a video my son Jonny made of one of an earlier camp Project Kenya 2007

I have visited the project a couple of times and met up again earlier this year in Nairobi. It's a great project and Jon&Jo are doing a  fantastic job. 

TWITTURGIES

 twitturgies 

Gerard Kelly's Twitturgies are great. They are 'Tweets for the soul, personal liturgies in 140 characters or less'.   prayers for the mobile 

Here is a selction from July   and they are also archived.  Follow Gerard at BlessatBethanie 

God give me empathy more emphatic than my ego. Grant me poverty more perfect than my pride. Squeeze self. Reduce me to love   10:27 AM Jul 17th from mobile web

When circumstances are hard and heavy, God give me a weightlifter's strength. When challenges are steep and high, make me a mountain-climber    7:12 AM Jul 17th

On every plan and dream, I ask your blessing, God. Every call and conversation. If my schemes flail may your will yet be done  8:16 PM Jul 10th from web

Know your own mind. Hear your own heart. To your own self be true. But connect with your creator. Let the gardener who has grown you own you 7:02 PM Jul 9th from mobile web

Jesus isn't a patch on the old religion. He won't hold a candle to dark empty rituals. New fabric. New wine. New wineskins. 12:23 PM Jul 5th from mobile web

If love is in the air, give me lungs to breathe it God. If I can feel it in my fingers, give me faith to touch a broken world  11:40 AM Jul 3rd from mobile web

God make me an ex-believer: created ex nihilio, freed by your exodus; sustained in exile; burned by extreme love; living in expectant hope  5:32 PM Jul 1st from web

Go Goa go

The 'Goa Team' 

We took the 'India Team' to LHR4 to fly off to Goa for a 3 week summer project.   

They are part of Graceworks and their summer misison projects.  They will be working with Martin and Beena who run Bethesda Life centre ministres. I visited earlier in the year as you may have read on a previous blog.   

My daughter Jo is part of the team, returning for a 2nd year running. She was really looking forward to working in the boys home again.  Pictures   of the kids adorn her bedroom wall. 

They seem to have spend the past I-don't-know-how-many-months fundraising and completed the task on Wednesday with a pub-quiz style event at church which raised £600. 

The connection with CMS is that all the leaders have done the orientation and training module that CMS runs for short term teams. I was also involved in the oprientation weekend running the Bafa Bafa cross cultural experience simulation game. Lots of fun. 

Go Goa go ! 

'Encounters' Redcliffe's Mission ezine

'Encounters'  the Redcliffe College ezine is an excellent free resource for poeple interested in misison  

Produced to resource the mission community, Encounters Mission Ezine is a topical mission magazine / mission journal published online every two months.  Encounters is a place to discuss issues being faced in mission and provides a unique space where those involved in mission can respond and express their views.

I want  to draw your attention to 2 editions in particular, which focus on Asia:  

  ezine No 16 (Feb 07)

  Crucial Issues facing Asian Mission  ed Kang San Tan   a variety of issues facing Asian missions reflected through different approaches spanning North Asia, South Asia and South East Asia   You can download the full issue  or individual articles 

---

• Article 1:  The Problem of an Alien Jesus for Asian Christianity with Special Reference to Chinese Buddhists.
  (Dr Kang San Tan, 3782 words) 
  
• Article 2:  Mind the Gap: The Ongoing Need for Language Learning in Missions Training.
  (Dr Paul Woods, 2963 words)
  
• Article 3:  There and Back Again: Reading an Exilic Text for the Post 1987 Operation Lallang Malaysian Church.
  (Rev Anthony Loke, 2522 words) 
  
• Article 4:  Reconciliation as Mission.
  (Rev Dr Pervaiz Sultan, 2299 words) 
  
• Article 5:  The Malaysian Dilemma: Where is the Racially Reconciled Community?
  (Peter Rowan, 1661 words)
  
• Article 6:  The South Asian Diaspora: A Missed Opportunity?
  (Robin Thomson, 2549 words) 
  
• Article 7:  The Growth of Christianity in Asia and its Impact on Mission.
  (Dr Julie Ma, 2730 words) 
  
• Book Review 1:  A History of Christianity in Asia.
  (By Samuel Hugh Moffett; Orbis Books)
  
• Book Review 2:  Shining Like Stars: The Power of the Gospel in the World's Universities.
  (By Lindsay Brown; Inter-Varsity Press)

  ezine No 24 (Jun 08) 

Partnership issues in Asian Misison    ed Jonathan Ingleby  consiting of the papers at the Redcliffe/OMF/CMS conference  Growing Asian Mission Movements: Issues and Models for Partnership   You can download the full issue  or individual articles  

---

• Article 1:  China and Beyond: Issues, Trends and Opportunities - The Redcliffe Lecture in World Christianity, 2008.
  (Dr Patrick Fung, 7507 words) 
  
• Article 2:  Asian Mission Movements from South Asian Contexts.
  (Robin Thomson, 3031 words)
  
• Article 3:  Who is in the Driver's Seat? A critique of mission partnership models between Western missions and East Asian mission movements.
  (Dr Kang-San Tan, 3060 words) 
  
• Article 4:  Mission Asia: Practical Models in Mission Partnership - a summary.
  (Dr Patrick Fung, 2083 words) 
  
• Article 5:  Mission in Partnership: A Response.
  (Mark Oxbrow, 722 words) 
  
• Article 6:  Reflections on a Conference: Putting partnership at the top of the agenda.
  (Dr Jonathan Ingleby, 640 words) 
  
• Article 7:  A Dilemma for Obedience: An analysis of Japanese Christian Ethics in Silence by Shusaku Endo.
  (Rev Shuma Iwai, 3431 words) 
  
• Book Review 1:  Just Walk With Me: A True Story of Inner-City Youth Work.
  (by Jude Simpson and e:merge; Authentic Media) 
  
• Book Review 2:  The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time by Tom Sine.
  (by Tom Sine; Inter-Varsity Press, USA) 

Redcliffe's ezine has many supporters and contributers, and CMS is one. I have written an article for the next issue based on a paper at the recent conference on Asian Mission Movements. It highlights some of the changes weare going through. I'll keep you posted on its publication.   

A DJ's view on UK Church

BBC Radio 1 DJ talks up church

By Marie Page | June 26, 2009

This clip from DJ Chris Moyles on his Breakfast Radio Show is so encouraging to hear. It shows that people with no personal experience of church can find a contemporary worship service surprisingly relevant to (post) modern culture. In the UK at least, a whole generation has little understanding of church other than traditional weddings and carol services. Church (and therefore Christianity) is sterotyped as old fashioned and irrelevant. Here Chris Moyles talks about a Pentecost service he saw on the BBC.

The service was called ‘That’s The Spirit!’ and shows worship from Kingsgate Community Church in Peterborough. Its on YouTube  See what you think.

I was sent the Link from Music Academy 

Posted in Church stuff, Pick of the Best, Worship | Tagged Chris moyles, Christianity, contemporary worship, DJ, radio 1, songs of praise | 5 Comments

CMS website

Some of the goodies available on the CMS website with Asia links to them. No Particular order. Follow the links.  

 

SONG  We give to you

Six CMS people got together to create a new worship song - this is the result. And its to support Jigsaw in the Philippines 

 

Local heroes of Asian mission

In India, a recent gathering of remarkable people in mission showed the way forward for mission in Asia, says Helen Harwood's article on the Pune conference in India .

Issue 43 - July 2009 - South India

In this edition of Audiomission Jeremy Woodham talks to the Reverend Moses Jayakumar, the general secretary of the Church of South India and mission partners Hugh & Debbie Skeil tell us about their work at the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore,

  

There is a photostream in Flikr from CMS people  Lots of pics from Becky and Shemila in Sri Lanka  Plus the IDP crisis there and some fiundraising events   

    Bangalore Interviews

A 5min video.  Find out more about a CMS Short term team that went to Bangaloret from the Centre for Youth Ministry Students ...

 CMS - Praxis - Philippines Experience

Jigsaw Kids Ministries - The work of CMS mission partners Kate and Tim Lee (9mins)

And some Photos Stories 

ART   He Qi: art of mission 

Watch the development of renowned artist He Qi's (CMS Artist in residence in 2008)  large-scale commission for CMS: 'The Mission of God

EMERGENCY  China earthquake: love in action

Chinese Christians responding to disaster with ActionLove, the social development arm of Asian Outreach, a CMS partner

And Finally some Misison Opportunities 

Mission Service opportunities:   Teachers – various subjects

Nepal, Asia, required as soon as possible
Region: Asia, Role: Education, Time commitment: 1-2 years, Time commitment: 5 years +, Country: Nepal

MISSION TRIPS   Short term team opportunities 2009...

Local Heroes in Asia

Helen who worked for the Asia Team as East Asia Administrator has written about a Co-Mission Partner meeting in Pune earlier this year.  

Helen spoke to Adrian who looks after CMS work in the Region: 

"This was the first ever gathering just for people working with CMS in Asia who are from Asia. It therefore had much more of an Asian than British or Western character and identity.”

For CMS, ever-increasing collaboration in the region could also signal a new step forward.

“Given the growth and current scale of our work in South Asia this is now the time to establish some kind of physical presence in the region,” said Adrian.

Indeed, on leaving the conference, Adrian felt he’d begun to glimpse something new that had hitherto been just a dream. 

“It was not just another conference – there was a clear sense of celebration of the emergence of an identifiable ‘Asia CMS’.”

You can read the full article on the CMS Website  

and an earlier post on my blog The Changing Face of Asia 

Slow Train Coming

From The Times    July 15, 2009

The Americans know this will end in schism

Support by US Episcopalians for homosexual clergy is contrary to Anglican faith and tradition. They are leaving the family

Tom Wright

In the slow-moving train crash of international Anglicanism, a decision taken in California has finally brought a large coach off the rails altogether. The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church (TEC) in the United States has voted decisively to allow in principle the appointment, to all orders of ministry, of persons in active same-sex relationships. This marks a clear break with the rest of the Anglican Communion.

read full article 

Deep and Wide: the Poustinia and the Labyrinth

My 2 themes for this year have been:  DEEP and WIDE. They were the themes I took up for our recent sacred:space (4th July) as part of a search for a spirituality for mission. 

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.                                                                                               (Eph. 3:14- 19)

'DEEP' -   the POUSTINIA 

Deep is about going deeper -  spiritually, mentally, personally, faith-fully   'being rooted and established in love'    

I personally have found a 'Poustinia' helpful ( I have built one in the garden) And the following quotes are all from Catherine Doherty's book   Poustinia - Encountering God in Silence Solitude and Prayer 

POSUTINIA means 'desert'  but usually represent a hut in the woods, where in the Russian Tradtion, a Poustinik would go to pray.   It is ‘a quiet, lonely place that people wish to enter to find the God who dwells within them’ 

An entry into the desert, a lonely place, a silent place where one can lift the two arms of prayer and penance to God in atonement, intercession, reparation for ones sins and those of ones brothers’ 

         The Poustinik enters his Poustinia and takes humanity with him. He lifts that humanity before God, with all its pains and sorrows, joys everything 

  

         He would arise and go into the place ‘where heaven meets earth’ departing without any earthly goods, usually dressed in the normal dress of a pilgrim…. A simple handwoven shirt of linen, down to his ankles.....He took along a linen bag, a loaf of bread, some salt, a gourd of water & a staff

Let your Poustinia be a quiet secret garden enclosed, for it is a hallowed place, a holy place where the soul enters to meet God. It is not a show place to be discussed and shown off’. 

‘But the essence of the Poustinia is that it is a place within oneself’

'WIDE' -   the LABYRINTH

Wide is about impacting society more widely -  I have found the concept of the Labyrinth very helpful. It is about wandering into the complexity of the world, on a 'journey to the centre of the earth'  into God and back into the world. ('There and Back again') 

The Labyrinth is also a metaphor of a spiritual journey - a pilgrimage 

"A beautiful spiritual tool -- a pattern, an emblem, a walkway -- has captured my attention and my heart.  The labyrinth is its name."-   Jill K. H. Geoffrion

"Why does the Labyrinth attract people?  Because it is a tool to guide healing, deepen self-knowledge, and empower creativity.  Walking the labyrinth clears the mind and gives insight into the spiritual journey.  It urges action.  It calms people in the throes of life transitions.  It helps them see their lives in the context of a path, a pilgrimage.  They realize that they are not human beings on a spiritual path but spiritual beings on a human path.  To those of us who fell we have untapped gifts to offer, it stirs the creative fires within us.  To others who are in deep sorrow, the walk gives solace and peace.  The experience is different for everyone because each of us brings different raw material to the labyrinth.  We bring our unique hopes, dreams, history, and longings of the soul."
-   Dr. Lauren Artress, Walking a Sacred Path, p. 21

"Walking a Labyrinth is a personal meditative activity and can be understood as a path of contemplation or prayer for people in seeking the Divine or seeking peace without regard to any particular religious tradition."—The Hingham Journal, 9/04

Some see these mysterious traditions as 'esoteric' 'occultic', 'new-age', 'deceptions'   The folowing quote is from  lighthouse trails research  'exposing the dangers of new spirituality' 

"Programs and practices rife with occult methodologies and techniques have been in the works at churches and youth ministries around the country:Taize, Lectio Divina, The Labyrinth (prayer walk), Renovare, guided imagery, Walk to Emmaus, Cursillo, Centering Prayer, Ignatian Awareness Examen, The Jesus Prayer, and The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, to name but a handful." Tom McMahon - The Berean Call

But I think there is so much that is good and helpful in these practices. Hence the whole experimental nature of sacred:space 

"Stand by the roads and look And ask for ancient paths, Where the good way is, And walk it it, and find rest  For your souls."  -   Jeremiah, 6:16

I believe it is possble to be orthodox and generous ( see Brian McLaren:  Generous Orthodoxy)

to be 'deeply rooted and profoundly open' . 

Deep AND wide  

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph.3:20- 21)

Deeply rooted: profoundly open

Details of 2 events coming soon in Guildford. A workshop I am running on 'Common Ground' as part of the Diocesan Summer School and a talk at Emmanuel Stoughton as part of a reconcilliation Tour by 2 colleagues Tanas and Joseph 

COMMON GROUND

How far are we prepared to go in terms of engaging with Muslims and people of other faiths, dealing with and working on common social issues. 
We will consider conciliatory, non-confrontational ways of bridge-building and working together without compromising our own beliefs and faith. Bearing in mind any form of engagement with the other necessitates the possibility of change. We will share stories of what works (with examples from around the world) rather than simply look at insurmountable problems.

Date:	Monday, July 13, 2009
Time:	7:45pm - 9:45pm
Location:	Education Centre, Guildford Cathedral
Street:	GU2 7UP
City/Town:	Guildford, United Kingdom

Phone:	01483484916
Email:	summerschool@cofeguildford.org.uk

TOUR OF RECONCILLIATION 

Two different men, two different backgrounds. One road of reconcilliation. One message of Hope.  What happens when 2 men who should be enemies meet the Prince of Peace? Jospeh Steinberg a Jewish believer and Tanas Alqassis a Palestinian Christian share how God brought each of them to himself and made them brothers in Christ. 

Date:	Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Time:	7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location:	Emmanuel Church
Street:	Stoughton GU2 9SJ
City/Town:	Guildford, United Kingdom Phone: 01483823416 Email: richard.jordan@ntlworld.com

Occupation - drama in Iraq

It's a while back now, but I was gripped by the BBC 3-part drama Occupation, about British troops in Iraq. It focuses on the lives of 3 British soldiers in Basra from 2003 to the present.

They all return to Iraq for different reasons, for love, for money, for humanitarian reasons - to rebuild the country.  

 

It is a powerful, gritty drama, tense and complex. There are no clear lines between  'gooddies' and 'baddies', but motives as always are mixed. And the horror and mess of war and the powerlessness to actually change things all comes across.

And I suppose it made the conflict more real for me than the snippets of news on TV over the years  about suicide bombings and unexploded ordinance and a ever rising total of deaths.  And it is not one-sided. There is a lot about the struggle of the Iraqi people who do not have the get-out-clause of a ticket home. 

The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian poem  ('the world's oldest known epic') is quoted twice:  by an Iraqi woman Doctor to her soldier lover and at a funeral. This story-poem frames the whole drama as a sort of motif. 

"Gilgamesh, what you seek you will never find. For when the Gods created man they let death be his lot, eternal life they withheld. Let your every day be full of joy, love the child that holds your hand, let your wife delight in your embrace, for these alone are the concerns of humanity." 

OCCUPATION is still available to view on BBC  i-player   You can watch the trailer on YouTube  and read a review on Times Online

Codex Sinaiticus online

Nothing to do with a new tablet for a naval passage blockage - that would be 'codeine sinusitus' - but everything to do with the oldest version of the Bible in existence. Now available online. Worth just having a look at the text even if (like me) you can't read the 1600 year old greek. No worries there as a translation running aloongside the photographed parchment  

Codex Sinaiticus, a manuscript of the Christian Bible written in the middle of the fourth century, contains the earliest complete copy of the Christian New Testament. The hand-written text is in Greek. The New Testament appears in the original vernacular language (koine) and the Old Testament in the version, known as the Septuagint, that was adopted by early Greek-speaking Christians. In the Codex, the text of both the Septuagint and the New Testament has been heavily annotated by a series of early correctors.  The significance of Codex Sinaiticus for the reconstruction of the Christian Bible's original text, the history of the Bible and the history of Western book-making is immense.

I read about it in the Church of England Newspaper CEN  in an article by Toby Cohen  'World's oldest Bible gets new lease of life' 

Professor David Parker from the University of Birmingham’s Department of Theology, said: “The transcription includes pages of the Codex which were found in a blocked-off room at the Monaster y of St Catherine in 1975, some of which were in poor condition. This is the first time that they have been published.

“The digital images of the virtual manuscript show the beauty of the original and readers are even able to see the difference in handwriting between the different scribes who copied the text. We have even devised a unique alignment system that allows users to link the images with the transcription. This project has made a wonderful book accessible to a global audience.”

 The British Library is running an exhibition form 6 July to 7 September called 'from Parchment to Pixel' 

      have a look at the online gallery 

Ethical Guidelines for Christians and Muslims

In a previous Blog I mentioned I was attending the launch of a statement on ethical evangelism

The remarkable thing about it is it has been written by Muslims and Christians together 

The Christian Muslim Forum launched the statement on 24th June in the offices of Islamic Relief in Waterloo. You can read more about the event  and the Statement itself is downloadable

Ethical Guidelines for Christian and Muslim Witness in Britain

As members of the Christian Muslim Forum we are deeply committed to our own faiths(Christianity and Islam) and wish to bear faithful witness to them. As Christians and Muslims we are committed to working together for the common good. We recognise that both communities actively invite others to share their faith and acknowledge that all faiths have the same right to share their faith with others.

There are diverse attitudes and approaches amongst us which can be controversial and raise questions. This paper is not a theology of Christian evangelism or mission or Da’wah (invitation to Islam), rather it offers guidelines for good practice.

--------

The Christian Muslim Forum offers the following suggestions that, we hope, will equip Christians and Muslims (and others) to share their faith with integrity and compassion forthose they meet.

1) We bear witness to, and proclaim our faith not only through words but through our attitudes, actions and lifestyles.

2) We cannot convert people, only God can do that. In our language and methods we should recognise that people’s choice of faith is primarily a matter between themselves and God.

3) Sharing our faith should never be coercive; this is especially important when working with children, young people and vulnerable adults. Everyone should have the choice to accept or reject the message we proclaim and we will accept people’s choices without resentment.

4) Whilst we might care for people in need or who are facing personal crises, we should neve manipulate these situations in order to gain a convert.

5) An invitation to convert should never be linked with financial, material or other inducements. It should be a decision of the heart and mind alone.

6) We will speak of our faith without demeaning or ridiculing the faiths of others.

7) We will speak clearly and honestly about our faith, even when that is uncomfortable or controversial.

8) We will be honest about our motivations for activities and we will inform people when events will include the sharing of faith.

9) Whilst recognising that either community will naturally rejoice with and support those who have chosen to join them, we will be sensitive to the loss that others may feel.

10) Whilst we may feel hurt when someone we know and love chooses to leave our faith, we will respect their decision and will not force them to stay or harass them afterwards.

Christian Muslim Forum

Mapping Dialogue: essential tools for social change

I have been reading a book recommended by a colleague: Mapping Dialogue:   Essential Tools for Social Change by  Marianne Mille Bojer, Heiko Roehl,   Marianne Knuth, Colleen Magner (Taos 2008)

This is a practical book of tools for consultancy with many ideas and suggestions  

•  “conference designed as a coffee break’   
  
• ‘Networked conversation modelled on natural communication’ 

These are great for finding new ways fo constructing dialogues and getting people involved in real conversations to being about transformation. World cafe is now becoming well established as an alternative conference structure.  

You can read a book review  or better still the whole book is shared online  on scribd.com.   This remarkable site hosts thousands of online books  on a whole range of subjects. And its all FREE   

  

is described as 'the world's largest community of readers' where you can:

•  DISCOVER fun or functional writings and documents on any subject – explore by category, by browsing or just typing in a search topic.
•  SHARE your own writings and documents – dust off all that great content on your hard drive or in print. Then check back for comments and analytics on how many people have read or downloaded your doc.
•  DISCUSS topics of interest to you - leave comments on other people’s documents, join groups and express yourself.