e-xpressions December 2009 | Fresh Expressions

Welcome

Welcome to the December edition of e-xpressions. New stories on our website this month include:

Hartcliffe and Withywood Lighthouse, a fresh expression on two needy estates in Bristol.
The Terminus Initiative, a fresh expression at a bus station.
Emmanuel Café Church, a student fresh expression in Leeds 'fuelled by coffee';
Solace, a fresh expression for clubbers in Cardiff.

December's podcast has more from Solace and Emmanuel Café Church, as well as news from the Mission21 conference in Bath. You can also hear a longer interview with Graham Cray at Mission21 in our podcast extra.

From generation to generation

Fresh expressions of church are for all generations, from pre-school children and their families to the 'Jagger generation' (Old Mick is a pensioner now!) and every possible local combination. But it is particularly good to see older generations blessing God's work among younger ones.

The Methodist chapel on Polzeath beach had just four members left – the longest serving being 90 and 85 years old – when the suggestion was made that the chapel be developed as a fresh expression for the surfer community who flocked to that beach most of the year. It took them a whole thirty seconds to agree to the idea, and then to actively bless the work as it took shape as Tubestation.

A group of senior members of a Women's Institute, many in their eighties, once told me that they were worried that none of their grandchildren ever came to church. 'Do you think they would ever come to a church like ours?' they asked. When I replied that I did not think they would, they asked what could be done? There is now a monthly, all age fresh expression of church in the barn where we were meeting.

In Luke, chapter one, there is a lovely example of this cross-generational blessing when Elizabeth, 'in her old age', greeted her relative Mary, who was probably about fifteen, with wonderful Holy Spirit inspired word of praise and encouragement. 'Blessed are you'. Elizabeth thanks God for something which, she could not yet see, which would take place through some one else, and which still awaited God's fulfilment: namely the kingdom which would come through the child Mary was carrying. Then she encouraged her young relative to continue in faith – believing that the Lord would fulfil his promises.

One of the evidences of God's Spirit at work is when we can rejoice when God does something in the next generation, which we have not seen in our own, and encourage young disciples to trust God's word.

Mary's response, which we call the Magnificat, reminds us all that God's mercy is for those who fear him 'from generation to generation.'

+Graham

You can watch the Tubestation story on expressions: the dvd - 2: changing church in every place.

Christmas is coming...

Christmas is a comin' in. That makes it high time for not one, but two, Advent Beach Hut Calendars – and a Christmas Day sermon by text. Last year, the Beyond group in Brighton and Hove hit the headlines with their seaside variation on the advent calendar. Each night a different beach hut opened their doors to reveal the owner’s interpretation of a favourite Christmas carol.

The seasonal success is being repeated on the Sussex seafront this year – and, for the first time, in Bridlington. Pioneer minister Ben Norton, of XY Church for Men, is using one beach hut and 24 different local community groups and individuals to tell the Good News of Christmas.

Revd Matt Ward of Leeds University's Emmanuel Café Church has also been in festive frame of mind and prepared a Christmas Day sermon to send to Café Church student regulars by text. Read the full story in our Christmas Day sermon media release.

Fresh expressions are for all generations, both young and old. This is echoed in specific pages in the guide part of Share.

Fresh expressions for under 5s and their families contains four examples of fresh expressions for this age group, including a write-up of the soft play centre, The Wesley Playhouse, which will feature in the January Fresh Expressions podcast. There are hints, tips and principles for people working with this age group and a list of suggested resources.

Children's fresh expressions contains two examples for this age group, including a Messy Church in Sheffield. Again, there are words of advice and a list of resources.

Finally, there's a page called Fresh expressions for older people which has write-ups of three examples, a 'Things to bear in mind' section (with helpful statistics) and a list of helpful resources.

New year learning opportunities - msm spreads across the UK

The Fresh Expressions course mission shaped ministry is to be offered in eight more locations, commencing January 2010. The new centres are:

Bookings are coming in from a variety of churches and you are warmly invited to join in this learning journey that is being shared by over 1500 people across the UK.

To find out more please visit the mission shaped ministry pages.

I thoroughly recommend the mission shaped ministry course. We are at a crossroads in the life of the Church in our land. The challenge is to engage with a culture that has walked away from church, but is deeply interested in spiritual things. This course is intended to equip individuals and faith communities not only to think missionally, but to imagine new ways of being church. It brings the recent experience of fresh expressions of church which are springing up throughout the land, alongside some serious theological reflection which will enable participants to learn from the past, and the recent past, and prepare for the future. I know of no other course which will more effectively equip people at many levels, to "do" church in a way that reaches our culture.

Andy Scarcliffe, Mission Adviser, Baptist Union Scotland

Changing the landscape

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is to be the keynote speaker at a national event in Lincoln which will focus on the long-term development of fresh expressions of church. Dr Williams will be joined by Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Britain.

The Archbishop will be looking at growth to spiritual maturity as part of a day that will focus on the long term development of fresh expressions of church from theological, spirituality, strategic, accountability, support, financial and other perspectives.

The day also aims to examine the theme of local shared ecumenical support and ownership, and how this is developed through FEASTs (Fresh Expressions Area Strategy Teams). A resources area will be available. The conference will be of particular value to both fresh expressions practitioners and strategists/senior staff.

5th March 2010
11am-4pm (refreshments and registration from 10.30am)
The Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln, LN2 2NA
£25 per person

You can read more information or book places.

And finally

We hope you have a great Christmas and we'll see you in the new year.

The Fresh Expressions team.