There 's a new website for Education for Ministry (EfM) based in the states! This website hosts information, resources and more to make it indispensable for group members but also useful for anyone wondering what the program is all about.
Read MoreConversations with the New Testament
Every time I visit a parish to lead the BIBLE360: Introduction to the Bible program, the questions of 'where to from here' is posed towards the day's end. The program raises heaps of possibilities to answer that question, from starting small groups to further in-depth reading. This new book will now...
Read MoreAnswering the tough questions
Question and answer sessions are an essential part of any state school Religious Education teachers methodology. They tend to allow us get to the point. The itch gets scratched!
With Episcopalian Questions, Episcopalian Answers, Ian Markham (Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary) has written a slim volume that does just that. He provides brief answers that manage to
Read MoreRegister your Pilgrim group/s or your intent to start one
Here's an important hint (for the sake of repetition). Register your group (or your intention to start one) with Jonathan Sargeant. Why? Doing so will give you...
Read MoreLenten resources for 2015
Planning ahead for lent in 2015? Here's an idea or two...
The Archbishop of Canterbury's lent book for 2015 is In God's Hands by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Here's what the publishers say...
In God`s Hands is the 2015 Archbishop of Canterbury`s Lent Book. In this little gem of a book, Archbishop Desmond Tutu distils the wisdom forged through a childhood of poverty and apartheid, an adulthood lived in the glare of the world's media, and the long and agonising struggle for truth and reconciliation in South Africa, into the childlike simplicity which Jesus tells us characterises the Kingdom of God.
Archbishop Tutu has produced a meditation on the infinite love of God and the infinite value of the human individual. Not only are we in God`s hands, he says, our names are engraved on his palms. Throughout an often turbulent life, Archbishop Tutu has fought for justice and against oppression and prejudice. As we learn in this book, what has driven him forward is an unshakeable belief that human beings are created in the image of God and are infinitely valuable. Each one of us is a God-carrier, a tabernacle, a sanctuary of the Divine Trinity. God loves us not because we are loveable but because he first loved us. And this turns our values upside down. In this sense the Gospel is the most radical thing imaginable.
It is extremely moving that in this book Archbishop Tutu returns to something so simple and so profound after a life in which he has been involved in political, social and ethical issues that have seemed to be so very complex.
Or there's this one...
Sacred Space for Lent 2015 by the Jesuits in Ireland. A budget choice at $3.95 here's the blurb...
Now in its ninth year of publication, Sacred Space for Lent 2015 continues to attract and retain a devoted readership for whom it serves as a complement to the hugely popular website sacredspace.ie, and as a daily Lenten resource of unmatched quality. Sacred Space for Lent 2015 is a convenient, pocket-size book that makes it easy to enter into prayer during Lent—the most important season of the year.
Using the simple six-step method first developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, this booklet provides the same daily readings and prayer starters, accompanied by the weekly Lenten themes found in the larger book. Inexpensive and portable, Sacred Space for Lent 2015 is the perfect gift for your parish, campus ministry program, small group, friend, a family member, or for yourself.
And finally, Tom Wright's Reflecting the Glory
'You can't love an abstraction. You can't even love the idea of love. You can only truly love a person. The deepest, richest meaning of love must be personal love. The relevance of knowing God in Jesus is that when we love God in Jesus we discover how that love, that personal love, is given to us in order that it may be given through us.' This book of Bible readings and reflections, for every day from Ash Wednesday to the first Sunday of Easter, explores how we reveal Jesus even at the lowest and weakest points of our lives. Drawing on New Testament passages, with a particular focus on Paul's letters to the church in Corinth, Tom Wright shows that through God's Holy Spirit, the suffering but also the glory of Christ can be incarnate in our lives, enabling us to be the people of God."
Last minute Advent idea: Nativity story stones
Darren Wright's Digital Orthodoxy blog has an enormous quantity of great ideas, mostly simple and easily achievable for ministry with younger and not-so-young people.
Read MoreProclaiming Mark
In early October 2014, Wollaston Theological College and the Diocese of Perth released its second Advent bible study resource, Proclaiming Mark. The booklet consists of ten bible studies: four for use on the Sundays of Advent, four for midweek bible studies, and two extras. And it's a free download!
Read MoreAustralian Angles on Pilgrim
Here's a new resource created in-house for Pilgrim: a course for the Christian journey.
Housed nearby on this website are extra resources (discussion questions, videos, articles and other websites) that aim to bring an Australian context to the Pilgrim material. While some groups will do this naturally as a part of the discussion process, these extra bits and pieces are offered to group facilitators to browse through. Feedback so far suggested they've been helpful already!
Read MoreThe Nativity Factor
From Stephen Harrison's wonderful a few smallish fish blog:
The Nativity Factor is a short film competition from ITN Productions and Jerusalem Productions, which asks entrants to tell the story of the Nativity in a new and creative way. The competition has run for the last four years and previously offered a prize of 5000 pounds.
This year "in an effort to reach a wider audience and bring The Nativity Factor community closer together during the Christmas season" they added a new twist to the competition.
"Instead of submitting individual short films, contestants submitted themselves to take part in a professionally produced short film. The winners joined professionals in the filmmaking field for a weekend in London, where they received the mentoring experience of a lifetime."
They have produced two great films this year focusing on the message given by the angels.
The first, called "The Audition" is clearly targeted for an older audience. It is kind of confronting in the starkness of the story telling but it has a powerful ending.
The second film #Nativity is quirky but still delivers a great message.
Check them out:
Letting Mark Live! ... a seminar on the Gospel of Mark Year B
The Gospel according to Mark has always puzzled careful readers. It seems to focus on keeping Jesus’ works and miracles secret, on Jesus’ failure to convince his opponents, and on the weaknesses of his disciples.
The Revised Common Lectionary uses the Gospel According to Mark as the basis for the Sunday Gospel readings in year B. As an opportunity for preachers and laity alike this seminar will provide excellent preparation for the year ahead.
Add to your Advent calendar
I sound like an old man when I say that, once upon a time, advent calendars didn't just contain chocolate! Now, these 'Countdown to Christmas' calendars are all the rage and sell in every shop from Woolies to Coles to...everywhere!
Here's a resource that can value add to those calendars if they're all that's available to you.
Read MoreNews about Pilgrim: a course for the Christian journey
New material supporting the Pilgrim course is up on-line at www.formedfaith.org now!
1. Click here to register your Pilgrim group/s with Jonathan Sargeant at Ministry Education. Doing so will enable your group/s to be a part of the community of Pilgrim users all over the diocese, sharing ideas, tips, stories of successes as well as new resources to aid the journey.
2. Access on-line training for Pilgrim leaders here. The orientation video and small group leaders training session is available to watch now. Interact with Jonathan Sargeant with questions, comments and more.
Read MoreBook review: NT Wright's Surprised by Scripture
As one of the primary noted Anglican theologians of our time, a new book by N.T. (Tom) Wright is always welcome. Surprisingly slim compared to some of his weightier tomes, this book is easy to consume.
Surprised by Scripture is unlike any other book by Tom Wright. How? It’s a collection of essays already found elsewhere. Having said that, Surprised by Scripture is like every other Tom Wright book: his well-paced apologetic theology is engaging and attentive.
Read MoreEducation for Ministry website
Have a look at the new website for Education for Ministry here in Australia. It's in its beginning stages but already is a great repository of information and sharing. If you've heard of EfM but never really looked into it, the website is a great place to check out some of the details.
Read MoreThe Faithful Families blog
Research suggests that if you want the faith of children to grow it needs to happen primarily in the home. It's great to have supporting programs happening in the parish but the home is the locus.
Taking this seriously, Stephen Harrison has created the Faithful Families blog, weekly resources to help families grow faith at home. Every idea is simple and easily used.
Read MoreThe STEP Bible (Scripture Tools for Every Person) project
Tyndale House has recently released a beta version of the STEP Bible (Scripture Tools for Every Person) project. You can find more information here:
http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/index.php?page=STEP
From the web site:
STEP Bible is a Tyndale House project to build high quality free reliable Bible tools, with the aim of enabling anyone who wants to study the Bible seriously to do so. This has grown out of the free Tyndale Toolbar which is being used by thousands of people all over the world.
Read MoreA Bible for reading
The first thing that strikes you about Adam Lewis Greene's project, Bibliotheca is the beauty of what he is creating.
The picture above captures some of that, even before you open one of the four (soon to be five) volumes that make up his reprinting of the Bible. Using the American Standard Version of 1901, Green has aimed to make a Bible that is suitable for reading, rather than proof-texting.
Read MoreInterested in improving your work with youth, children and families?
From 2015, St Francis Theological College will begin offering subjects especially targeting ministry with young people, families and children. You can work towards a diploma or to audit (reduced fees and optional assessment).
And what’s on next year?
Read MorePaula Gooder
Paula Gooder is one of the authors of the wonderful Pilgrim: a course for the Christian journey. Our diocese is just about to launch into a focus on these materials for small groups and faith formation. Exciting! Paula was recently the guest of St Francis Theological College where she gave the Felix Arnott lecture and a few workshops. She was brilliant! Articulate and witty, her thinking is top rate, but she also has the gift of being able to explain her thoughts in ways that don't distance.
Read MorePilgrim Launch and Orientation
Mark the 25th of October in diaries now. That afternoon will be the date of the launch of the Pilgrim course in the diocese. Bishop Cameron Venables will do the launching as we embark on a great journey together. Noted in the Archbishop’s address to Synod this year, the Pilgrim course is a great resource for new or experienced Christians in small groups. The course, created by The Church of England, has flexibility and is easy to run; there are leader’s and participant books, weekly video clips and liturgical resources for every session. It’s middle of the road theologically; any parish could use it!
Come along to find out more about the program, check out the books and other resources and receive some initial training for the small group work. UK theologian, Paula Gooder, one of the authors of the program will stop by via some specially shot videos!
The Details
1-4 pm 25th of October
Lecturer Room 1
St Francis Theological College
Cost: nil
Who is it for? Anyone who wants to know more about Pilgrim: a Course for the Christian Journey. You might be a prospective leader of the program in your parish, or just want to know more about how it works. You might be thinking about starting some new groups and looking for material, or maybe you've been running a group for a long time. You're all welcome!