CHURCHES TOGETHER in NORTHAMPTON Enarchhnolo MODERATOR CONTENTS Adina Curtis [email protected]
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Churches Together Northampton CHURCHES TOGETHER IN NORTHAMPTON enarchhnolo MODERATOR CONTENTS Adina Curtis [email protected] uniting Churches of varied traditions, DEPUTY MODERATOR sharing information, action and prayer Rev David McConkey COMMENT FROM THE EDITOR 3 goVkaiologo [email protected] CHURCHES TOGETHER ENGLAND 4 SECRETARY Rev. Ted Hale CHURCHES TOGETHER N’PTON 6 [email protected] VhnproVtonqe 01604 7625305 DENOMINATIONAL 7 TREASURER CROSS/NON-DENOMINATIONAL 8 Mrs. Lesley Goulbourne [email protected] INDIVIDUAL CHURCH EVENTS Logos AND ORGANISATIONS 14 onkaiqeoVhn LOGOS EDITOR Joe Story NATIONAL/LOCALGOVERNMENT March 2015 [email protected] 01604 580478 AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR 18 TRAINING AND RESOURCES 21 ooologoV outoV CTN WEBSITE Hilary Tunbridge INTER-FAITH 25 Website address: JOBS AND VOLUNTEERING 26 www.churches-together- hnenarchpro northampton.org.uk LOGOS IS PRODUCED TEN TIMES A YEAR It is sent out by email free of charge or by post at cur- rent subscription charges. Vtonqeonpant Last date for copy is the 16th of the month preceding month of publication and anything for inclusion should be sent to the editor by that date, i.e. the 16th March for the April edition. LOGOS is the primary means of communication for adiautouege Churches together Northampton. Requests to pass on Items are included at the discretion of the information by email to churches instead of via editor based on policy agreed by Churches LOGOS will only be considered in exceptional and Together Northampton. netokaicwriV urgent circumstances. 3 4 COMMENT FROM THE EDITOR CHURCHES TOGETHER ENGLAND I would like to highlight an initiative in this month’s Logos. At the turn of the Millennium there was a large cross denomina- Churches Together in Peterborough and tional gathering in Abington Park over the Pentecost weekend. This Northamptonshire ~ Shire and Soke AGM was subsequently developed over the seven years 2007-2013 to 7:00 pm 21st April 2015 become an annual event known as Pentecost in the Park. There was at Kairos Centre, Grange Park no event in 2014, but one of the leaders involved in the previous seven years has taken responsibility to organise an event on 24 th Northampton, NN4 5DW May, Pentecost Sunday this year. Speaker - Dame Mary Tanner, Theme - Receptive Ecumenism This year’s event will not be an open air one but will take place in Dame Mary Tanner, is a former European President of the World Council of one of the largest Christian venues in Northampton, the Jesus Churches. She has been a member of the WCC Faith and Order Commission Centre in Abington Square. It will be held in the afternoon be- since 1974, serving as its moderator from 1991–98. tween 2.00pm – 4.30pm so as not to clash with normal church ser- Dame Mary has been involved in various ecumenical con- vices in the town. However the aim is that over the next three versations on behalf of her church, including the Anglican- years we build up to a large interdenominational event at Sixfields Roman conversation. From 1982–98 she was active within Stadium to take place at Pentecost in 2017. the Church of England body which ultimately became the Preceding the gathering this year on the day of Pentecost there Council for Christian Unity. will be a weekend of outreach. There will also be a training day for She became a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire In the 2008 New Year's Honours List for services to the worldwide Anglican Communion. those who would like to take part in this. From now until Pentecost there will also be a number of prayer meetings to pray and intercede for Northampton. WEA and WCC explore possibilities of working together Details of times and places for the various events can be found on (Joint press release of the World Council of Churches with the World Evangeli- cal Alliance] page 13 of Logos together with contact details for those who In the light of current global realities, representatives of the World Evangelical would like further information. Alliance (WEA) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) met from 20 to 21 There is a sense shared by a number of Christians in the town that January at the Chateau of Bossey, Switzerland to explore and discuss possible areas of future cooperation. The meeting featured introductions to the work of 2015 will be a significant year for churches in Northampton. It is the WEA and the WCC, and participants reflected together on current develop- not always easy to explain such a feeling but it may well be signifi- ments in society and churches, and in evangelical and ecumenical move- cant that it is shared by those across a variety of the streams and ments. They shared current plans and discussed possibilities for closer col- laboration. Stressing the significance of being Christian witnesses, the meeting denominations in the town. participants also identified various ways of responding together to the needs of We would encourage you to explore what is happening and to communities around the world. Together the participants read the Scriptures see how you might become involved in an opportunity to work to- and reflected on similar and different understandings of mission and evangel- ism. They prayed together and shared stories of faith. Recognizing the impor- gether across denominational boundaries, not just for this year but tance of a joint response to a suffering world, the participants agreed to con- for the years to come. tinue to meet in order to identify further areas of possible cooperation. 5 6 silent reflection during the service were powerful, and a symbolic Celebration of Ecumenism in Northampton action involved everyone being invited to dip their hand into a bowl The 50th anniversary of the Vatican II decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis of water as a sign of our shared baptism, while the Choir led the Redintegratio – the Restoration of Unity – was celebrated in an inspir- singing of a Taizé chant, There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. ing service at Northampton Cathedral during the Week of Prayer for The Choir itself was ecumenical, as Cathedral Director of Music Christian Unity. Bishop Peter Doyle had invited church leaders from Teresa Brown had gathered 50 singers from 23 different churches, across the four counties of the diocese and from Churches Together representing five denominations. As the service drew to a close, in England to take part in this unique event. The congregation that they sang the Hallelujah Chorus – an uplifting and joyful response to filled the cathedral were delighted to see the diversity of clergy gath- all that had taken place. Bishop Peter thanked his ecumenical ered from a variety of traditions, seated in a semicircle around the al- guests and the congregation for joining him in this special service of tar. Greek Ecumenical Patriarch Archbishop Gregorius read the Gos- prayer for Christian unity. After the resounding refrain of One pel and the Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham Bernard Longley was Church, one Faith, one Lord, the joyful spirit of the evening contin- the preacher. In his homily, Archbishop Longley recalled that the ued in the cathedral as people chatted to fellow pilgrims on the jour- promulgation of Unitatis Redintegratio 50 years ago was the first time ney. Hallelujah indeed! (Thanks to Teresa Brown for this text and to Tony Allen for the picture.) that the Catholic Church had reflected theologically on the life and wit- ness of other Churches and ecclesial communities and begun to ap- CHURCHES TOGETHER NORTHAMPTON preciate the work of the Holy Spirit in all who are called to form the Body of Christ in the world. “From then onwards our prayer and work for Christian unity was to be understood as integral to the life and mis- A UNITED CHARITY SHOP IN NORTHAMPTON? sion of Catholics everywhere.” However, this decree was only the be- For the past few months Churches Together Northampton has ginning of our ecumenical pilgrim- been investigating the feasibility of a town centre charity shop that age towards the goal of full visible could help to support a number of the well established inter- unity of the Church. Despite dis- denominational charities in the town. couragements and challenges it This would be run by an umbrella charity/community interest com- remains the goal of our dialogue pany on behalf of up to ten partner charities. The partners would and work together. “Through our encourage supporters to donate goods and they would then be baptism the Lord challenges each successive generation to contrib- designated to be sold on behalf of that charity. After ongoing ex- ute to the fulfilment of his prayer penses, all monies would then be appropriately divided between that they may all be one.” His final the partner charities. words were “Only by allowing our- The conclusion of the feasibility study is that seems both possible selves to be transformed together can we hope to give a more credi- and right to do this. ble witness to the Christ who sends us into the world and longs to At present Churches Together Northampton is investigating the walk beside us there.” Seated beside Bishop Peter was the Methodist best legal and charitable way to proceed, looking at possible District Chair Rev Anne Brown, who led the Bidding Prayers, Bishop premises, talking to a potential manager of the project and having Donald Allister of Peterborough Diocese, who read from the New Tes- conversations with potential partnership charities. tament, and three more Anglican bishops, as well as Baptist, URC Some seed funding would be required in order to get the project and Pentecostal leaders. Representatives of Churches Together in started and we are also examining sources for this.