Something revolutionary is happening in the Anglican schools in our diocese....
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Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World
"More than almost anything else, globalization and the great world religions are shaping our lives... In this perceptive, deeply personal, and beautifully written book, a leading theologian sheds light on how religions and globalization have historically interacted and argues for what their relationship ought to be. And the answer may surprise you!"
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Luke: a Hitchhiker's Guide
Like to get a head's up on what is in store through the lectionary in 2016?
St Mark's at Buderim is hosting Luke: A Hitchhiker's Guide, a one day seminaron Saturday 13 February 2016with the Revd Dr Alan Cadwallader.
Read MoreBeing more welcoming...
Most congregations would think and believe themselves to be welcoming. Whilst this may be true to a degree, it depends on one's definition of welcome. Are many congregations who think that they are welcoming just being friendly or superficially welcoming?
Read MoreDifficult Bible Passages and Children: what to do!?
A fourth-grade Sunday school teacher came into my office recently. “This week’s Gospel?” he shook his head. “I’m not touching that reading with a 10 foot pole.”
So how long does the pole need to be?
Read MoreResources for building faith at home
Familying: what is it?
There's a lot of emphasis these days on the processes that build faith and there's a distinct bottom line: the location for that faith building is rarely at the church. In fact, all of the current material points to the home as the locus for lasting faith formation.
Read MoreConnecting parish life with home life
Most churches have websites. Such sites offer basic information like service times, as well as overview information about ministry and mission. But when it comes to Christian formation, and faith resources for households, most church websites are too big and cumbersome to provide that content.
What's the solution?
Another Lent Idea: Free Download
Looking for a new Lenten resource that works for individuals and groups and is free? “Growing a Rule of Life” is a brand new Lenten workbook for individuals and congregations. It is produced by SSJE (Society of St. John the Evangelist), in partnership with the Center for the Ministry of Teaching at Virginia Theological Seminary.
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God with us, again...
Amidst our busy-ness we celebrate Jesus, God-with-us, entering our day to day lives once again. He comes to free us, to enliven us, to save us from the humdrum.
He comes to re-focus us on what's important: Loving God and loving others!
Read MoreIdeas for lent
Now is the time to start thinking about Lent for next year, especially if you need to order books or consult with others...Remember, 10th of February is not that far way factoring in holidays and the like...
So here's a few ideas to throw into the mix. Click on the images to see purchasing info...
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The Art of Leading Groups
Even the most practiced facilitator gets butterflies in their stomach before they start working with a group. And every facilitator will tell you that the bulk of their work is done before they set eyes on the group they will be working with. Keeping in mind these two facts, I’ve come up with a few tips to help in leading groups.
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Growing as families
The research tells us that the best indicator that faith will grow in young people is if faith is a part of daily life in the family. And for families to thrive so that faith can be passed on, the Search Institute has noted five essential actions that lead to a nurturing family life. Following my logic? If we work on these fiver actions, we create the fertile soil where issues of depth can be a part of day-to-day life.
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Just Pray Campaign
Bishop Stephen Cottrell spent much of his recent visit here talking about prayer as the central skill Christians should work on in order to bring new life to the church. This campaign gives you some tools to get working on this in your parishes.
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Just Pray...
You might have come across the controversy surrounding this new video which launches the Just Pray campaign in England. Apparently someone in charge thought it would be offensive to have this add played during sessions of the new Star Wars film that opens around the world on the 18th of December.
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Resources for Christmas
Proost, a collective of creative Christian multimedia developers from the UK (and Australia!) have been birthing amazing and thought-provoking visuals for years now and have always managed to get the balance just right between cutting edge ideas and thoughtful theology.
Read MoreHallelujah at Christmas
Leonard Cohen's great song 'Hallelujah' has taken on a life of its own these days. It's likely you've never hear his version because so many people have performed it since!
Here's a young artist who performs as Cloverton with a version of the song that features Christmas-focused lyrics.
Read MoreStar News Bethlehem
St Pauls Church in Auckland, NZ have a great history of releasing innovative videos to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This example is actually from a year or two ago but would be terrific to show at a crib or children's service this Christmas.
Read MorePreparation for Confirmation resources: a survey
Over at Ministry Education, we're looking at Preparation for Confirmation resources.
In conjunction with the Anglican Schools Office, we're wondering if it's time to develop something new, or at least find something existing that ticks boxes for most people.
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The Seasons of Adult Faith Formation
Whilst much of the literature on faith development tended to focus on the stages and styles characterised by young people, John Roberto's new book gives us everything we need to draw new insights into the formation of adults in the Christian faith.
Read MoreNew books about St Francis
Celebrating St. Francis through Learning
The feast of Saint Francis of Assisi was celebrated on October 4th. While many churches host animal blessingsSt. Francis Day is also an opportunity for study and education.