Picturing a new church

This three-page article from CL63 shows how discussions about church development and inclusiveness can be supported by a series of pictures of people at a variety of 'ages and stages' of life.

The article and the twelve associated pictures by Andy Robb are available on the website.

And because we're eager to make them as widely available as possible we have, in this case, waived the 'subscribers only' limitation.

Generous, or what?

The images are available as individual PDFs and as an 'all in one' PowerPoint.

Key words: Picturing a new church

Mothering Sunday

A glance at the 'download-ometer' shows that many subscribers have been checking out the CL archive for resources suitable for the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Here's hoping that our materials will prove useful for this important occasion, when church attendance tends to increase.

It would be great to hear how your special event/service went. Maybe you tried something new. Or perhaps you stuck with a tried-and-tested approach.

Please let us know at CL. Thanks!

(The editor could not resist posting this picture of his mother aged nineteen. This year would have brought her one hundredth birthday.)

Worship changes lives!

CPAS Ministry Consultant for Ireland Paul Hoey give this new book the big thumbs-up.

‘A publication on behalf of the Liturgical Commission’? I confess to a prejudice that suggested something potentially worthy but dull. How wrong can you be?

The book is short – just 48 pages – with big print and lots of images that themselves convey something of the mystery and wonder of worship. I read it through in about 20 minutes. Does that mean it’s superficial? Not at all. There is lots here to challenge and provoke even the most seasoned worshipper to rethink what we do under the heading of worship and why we do it.

The book could be equally helpful to the new worshipper and to those who just turn up on a Sunday and go through the motions, as well as setting an agenda to any church group involved in a root and branch review of worship. In its short space it manages to address such issues as the words we use in worship, the nature of remembering, the expression of community, sacred space and symbol, dimensions of prayer, the richness of praise offered through music and much more. Each section could open up a valuable discussion.

There are helpful questions, such as, ‘What headline would you write about worship in your church that compels the reader to read on?’

The weakness is that only a few such questions are contained within the text of the book itself, limiting its potential as a study resource. More are promised on the accompanying website.

I like where the book ends. It reminds us that worship is not just about withdrawal to recharge our spiritual batteries; at its best it is something that sends us out revitalised to engage in God’s mission in the world.

Worship changes lives? It would have been good to hear some stories of how that change happened for different people in different settings. But this book inspires us
to believe that indeed it can be so - even in our own little patch of the kingdom of God – and even in my own life.

£4.99 - available from Church House Publishing. But if at all possible, please support your local Christian bookshop!

Looking for the FREE CHOCOLATE option? So sorry. The free chocolate has been claimed.

Easter walk-thru idea

Super ideas just in for Holy Week / Easter prayer stations. They are from the Rev Bryony Davis of Christ Church, Ottershaw. Thanks, Bryony!

Check them out on the website. Key words: Easter prayer stations Bryony Davis

Of course, there are loads more materials on the site. The key word Easter will lead you to more than 50 resources.

Leader pics

The editor has been pointing his camera at some famous leaders - all of whom posed tranquilly for him.

Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert - and the Burghers of Calais.

All are available on the website. Key words: leadership images; Mandela; Churchill and so on.

Ronnie and the Sacraments

Published in 1947, this splendid volume introduces Anglican boys and girls to the meaning of those special symbolic acts that we call 'sacraments'.

Text and illustrations are quaintly Blyton-esque - but there's no denying the sincerity of the author's zeal to share Christian truth through the medium of story.

Check the CL website (from next week) to download a PowerPoint featuring more of these remarkable images. Key words: Ronnie sacraments.

Defying gravity

CL65 includes a tip-top all-age service for Easter Day - Defying Gravity.

It's splendidly illustrated by Brent Clark. Text and images are a click of a mouse away - but only for subscribers.

Click the e-mail link to the rightto ask for full info on subscriptions.

Helpful comments

An English vicar interviewed on the English-language service of French television with some helpful comments on the recent Archbishop Rowan rumpus.

And here's a link to another thoughtful piece, this time all the way from Somerset.

Do nowt!

That good friend of CL, Steve Tilley has written an excellent commentary on this new-ish book from Bishop Stephen Cottrell.

Click here to find it.

The book is available via Church House Publishing - but if you decide to buy, do please make your local Christian bookshop your first port of call.

Listening process

Published in 2008 by SPCK, this volume is the Anglican Communion's 'official response' to the denomination-wide call for listening and dialogue with regard to homosexuality - and to homosexual people, within and outside the church.

This deliberately mission-focused book 'offers clear and accurate resources intended to help bishops, clergy and lay people...to listen to God and to one another on the subject on the subject of human sexuality...'.

Read more about this timely, authoritative and dispassionate resource here and here.

A blog pause...

CL's editor is heading off for a short late-winter holiday - so no new posts on the blog until the week beginning 18 February.

What better sign-off image than the splendid resource book from the gifted people of Hope08?

It's packed with brilliant ideas - all of them practical and do-able.

www.hope08.com

Christmas greetings...

While most people are thinking about Lent, Holy Week and Easter, here at CL, we're already thinking about Christmas 2008!

In particular we're planning to commission a series of images to accompany a traditional carol service.

But what about the lessons/readings?

We've checked out the famous 'King's College' series of readings (taking in the whole sweep of Bible history) - and two other sets - all featured in Common Worship Times and Seasons. 

Do subscribers have any suggestions? Have you devised a carol service that has been particularly helpful?

It would be great to hear from you!

But, please, there's no need to send boxes of left-over crackers or mince pies....

The image above is part of the series Christmas Pairs from CL64, available online.

Image copyright Brent Clark.

Seale of approval

Subscriber the Rev William Seale gives this book an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

The author has the ability to place the difficult issues of life and faith in their true context. The worldly items and aspirations that we all treasure so much are clearly described for what they really are - temporary and shallow. A thought-provoking book that certainly helps one put things into their true perspective.

When the Game is Over it All Goes Back in the Box
John Ortberg
Zondervan

Thinking of buying this book? Why not support your local Christian bookshop?

Do you know about this?

This just in from CL subscriber Henry Morris. Thanks, Henry!

The most useful website we have found in recent months is ‘a church near you’. This excellent Church of England website allows churches to put themselves in the map. It is easy to use and we have found it problem-free.

Have a look at our entries!

We have our church website organized to link with this site so that changes we make to ‘a church near you’ are automatically updated on our website.

In this way we need only to make regular changes in one place.

The other very good feature of ‘a church near you’ is the accurate maps of parish boundaries across England. Every parish should use this – it saves a huge amount of time.

We have a winner!

Congratulations to speedy subscriber Karl Przywala for being first off the mark with the correct answer to our back-page photo quiz.

The object of Horatio Nelson's (monocular) gaze is St Martin's in the Bullring, Birmingham.

Click here to learn more of the work of this church.

Stations

Church Leadership is proud of its long association with the remarkable artist Simon Smith, whose fourteen images for the traditional Stations of the Cross are available exclusively on the website.

The images are presented in a PowerPoint format, from which you can adapt them for a variety of formats.


Check out the CL archive for more images by Simon for Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and Christmas.

You can discover more about Simon and his work via Proost.

Welcome to the CL blog!

CL65 is touching down on doormats during the first week of February.

The website has been updated. And to celebrate the first anniversary of the new-look CL, we are launching this new blog.

It is designed to provide a quick and easy method of keeping subscribers to CPAS Church Leadership up to date with CL resources and developments.

Meanwhile, we hope that you'll enjoy the latest CL.

It's packed with information for today's busy church leaders.

Look out for:

• Defying gravity: an all-age service for Easter Day
• Resources for Easter through to Pentecost
  
• Much more in our searchable website.

Please let us know what you think of the issue: cl@cpas.org.uk

And why not join in the back-page picture quiz?
Lord Nelson is permanently on the look-out over a splendid city-centre church.

But where?

Answers, please, to cl@cpas.org.uk