Park Pastors
Posted by admin on March 8, 2012
The new blog post on the Fresh Expressions website caught my imagination....Park Pastors! I quite fancy a job that involves going to the park every day, chatting and drinking coffee...
Seriously though, I was struck by the last two paragraphs of the post, Matt Caldicott (who leads the Generation Project in Rugby Deanery which seeks to connect with 20-30 year olds) writes that: "Joining in with what is already happening in a community means that you don't have to try and make people jump through hoops to do things or go somewhere they wouldn't naturally connect with. As Park Pastors, we can offer an added dimension to what is already going on in the life of the park, and hopefully illuminate God's presence through missional community drawing alongside the people we meet. We have to bring the gospel into new places but when you're invited into someone else's environment, you can't make all the rules, you have to adapt. We need a mixed economy, to be flexible and connect in ways that surprise people."
Here in Durham - and at St. Nic's - we need to look where God is working in our communities and with those we know - and then be prepared to join in! If we do that then we might be surprised by what we discover. Maybe connecting people with Jesus will happen naturally and easily.
It's a really interesting article, why not get yourself a coffee and read the whole piece.
More about the new 'Vision Group'
Posted by kmacpherson on February 8, 2012
Steve Bellamy outlines details of the new
St. Nic's 'Vision Group'...
'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how'
(Mark 4.26-27).
It’s fundamental to our calling at St.Nic’s to be mission-shaped – to serve, to welcome, to learn, to worship, to disciple, to transform communities. But in the next few years being ‘mission shaped’ may not look like quite like it does now, here, in February 2012. We must also be open to where God might be leading us in the future.
News of Tim Sanderson
Posted by kmacpherson on February 6, 2012
Those of you who remember Tim Sanderson may not have caught the news of what he has been up to in the last few years...
Well, you might like to find out more about the Cafe church venture that he is part of (trust Tim to manage to combine church and coffee!). Check out the Fresh Expressions site for the background to the story and see the Barney and Judes website for more information. Be inspired!
Nic's Flicks...the journey so far
Posted by kmacpherson on January 9, 2012
Vicki Mellor-Smith tells us how the fantastic initiative that is Nic's Flicks began...and the exciting possibilities for its future development!
"Nic's Flicks began in 2011. The idea was brewing in my mind in much of the year before and by the summer had crystallised and taken shape…. How did the idea form? I adore watching films- much of my relaxation time is taken up with this pursuit. The growing shelves of DVDs in our home testifies to this. I love reading novels, but watching a film is also my idea of heaven, mainly because for a couple of hours I can escape quickly into another world. This brief suspension of time is a stress-buster and a horizon widener. When I can’t cross the seas to South America or Australia, a film can take me there and let me feast on the sounds and sights of another place. When my imagination needs kick-starting a fantasy film might lead my imagination to places I would never have dreamt of, whether to Hobbiton or Hogwarts. When apathy takes hold a film that shocks and reveals the plight of others may shake up my comfort. When I’m feeling whimsical, a historical film that takes me deep into Dickensian Britain might do the trick. Or maybe just a good old romantic comedy to subject the husband to or watch with the girls. Does any of this seem familiar to you?
