Clergy Mailing - January 2018 Contents 1. Nifty Notes 2. Ministry Vacancies 3. Rural Ministry & Mission Network flyer 4. Understanding Christianity: clergy training 5. Governor training flyer Niftynotes news & information from the Diocese www.southwell.anglican.org JANUARY 2018 Compiled by Nicola Mellors email: [email protected] How are you? s we move into 2018, the Happily, 1 Kings 19 reveals how response to the gentle, God responds. He dealt with his Ainnocent question is body (v.v. 5 & 7), his mind (v.v. 9 often, “I’m busy”. The response & 13), and only then comes the saddens me, and it concerns me. “gentle whisper”, the “still small Not only does the response voice of calm” (v.12). suggest that we no longer have time for people, it’s also not very The way God responded to Elijah healthy. Turning up late for is a pattern for how we respond appointments, leaving early, when people are worn-out and rushing meals, getting to bed late stressed. In our family it would seems to be a badge of honour. be a trip to the Curry Mile, or in The problem is that this leads to my case the Fish ‘n Chip Shop. burnout and breakdown. Someone with a messy head honour, but build in enjoyable doesn’t need judgement or blame, rhythms of rest. Why? God cares Elijah got into a dreadful mess but an opportunity to off-load. about you. after the triumph of Mount It’s only when in a calmer place, Carmel recorded in 1 Kings 18. affirmed and supported, that we +Tony Porter He was overstrained mentally: he can seek to help them restore had been living off his nerves for their relationship with God. too long. He was physically God gave Elijah a vision of his exhausted. A messy head and power, glory and tenderness, physical exhaustion make a resulting in a worn-out servant of In this month’s issue: healthy walk with God very God being restored to full difficult. Elijah experienced what fellowship. The story about 2 Growing Disciples we now call a breakdown. “I’ve Elijah is desperate at the had enough Lord …take my life” beginning, but once restored, 4 Events & information (1Kings 19:4). If this had been body, mind, spirit (in that order), 2017, Elijah would have been all God directs Elijah, “Go back …. 5 Prayer Diary work and no play, certain he was anoint Hazael King”. Personally indispensable, judgemental of restored, his ministry was ` 9 Training Courses anyone who has done the job restored. before him, unbearably short- 11 What’s On tempered, endlessly boring Can I encourage you not to wear everyone about his busy diary. being “busy” on a badge of 12 Comings & Goings @diocswellnott @SouthwellandNottingham 2 January 18 Growing Disciples . Growing Disciples . Growing Disciples . Wider Younger Deeper www.growingdisciples.co.uk Julie loves growing disciples ulie Cotterill loves what she’s was 18 and they got married at St been doing as a Fresh John’s in 1986. They have three JExpressions Lay Minister at children, Rebekah (27); Matthew New Cross Community Church, (25) and Bethany (17). Sutton in Ashfield, for the past four years - and once a month she She completed the Diocesan and her team run Messy Church Certificate and for a while in Hillocks Primary School. worked as a teaching assistant at Sutton Centre Secondary School, “I enjoy seeing people being which dovetailed into her transformed from non-churched position as Children’s and Family to waking up to faith and seeing Worker at New Cross. them become disciples and serving God,” says Julie. “ It’s “I felt God leading me along a Julie says: “I’m grateful for the really challenging but so path, accompanied by people like Growing Disciples Mission Fund rewarding to be able to walk the Revd Tim Mitchell and others as we don’t have much money alongside people who are who encouraged me to pursue and without it we couldn’t do struggling to manage on very Fresh Expressions Ministry.” what we are doing.” The fund little money, but also emotionally recently provided a freezer for and psychologically too.” Around 50 children come to food donated by Tesco for the Messy Church and enjoy making Messy Church teas. Apart from a few teenage years in things, scripture, prayer and America when her family interactive talks, having tea Find out more: emigrated to California, but together and singing songs. Shareware: didn’t settle, fifty-three-year-old Currently winter woollies, hats, https://sharewearclothingscheme. Julie has always lived in gloves and scarves are being org/ Mansfield. As a child she lived provided through Sharewear in opposite St John’s Church and Nottingham. attended Sunday School there. Upon returning to the UK she continued at St John’s and joined a CYFA Youth Group, where on a holiday to the Isle of Man, she gave her life to Christ. Julie met her husband, Steve – who is curate at Annesley – through a college friend when she Niftynotes 3 Growing Disciples . Growing Disciples . Growing Disciples . Wider Younger Deeper www.growingdisciples.co.uk Refresh in Lent 2018 with Bishop Paul am increasingly aware that sustaining momentum in I‘Growing Disciples wider, younger and deeper’ is dependent on the spiritual vitality of those who serve and lead across our churches. Some have borne the heat through intense and uncertain seasons of ministry, others have carried the burden of leadership in some area of church life or in their day to day working world. That is why I am going to be hosting a series called Refresh in Lent, open to all but especially for anyone who exercises some St Swithun’s Retford aspect of leadership in their Monday 26 February and Monday 5 March church, workplace, or wider community. St John’s Mansfield Tuesday 27th February and Tuesday 6th March Refresh will take place over two consecutive weeks in six St Mark’s Woodthorpe locations around the diocese. Thursday 1st March and Thursday 8th March I will be joined by some of the St Mary’s Newark younger leaders we are nurturing Monday 12th March and Monday 19th March who will contribute in different ways to the evenings, all you St Giles’ West Bridgford need to do is come along open to Tuesday 13th March and Tuesday 20th March receive and be refreshed. Further publicity will be coming out to parishes in the New Year, though St Margaret’s Aspley it may help to have the dates now Thursday 15th March and Thursday 22nd March if you would like to integrate these evenings into other plans This is a mini-series so it is hoped during Lent. that people attend both weeks, though it would be possible to Each evening will start at 7.30pm attend a ‘second’ evening in with refreshments and finish by another venue. 9.30pm, doors open from 7.15pm. 4 January 18 Events & information. Events & information. Events & informatio ‘When I was homeless, did you shelter me.?’ esus did not start life at home or in a hospital. He was born Jin a stable and his crib was an eating trough for animals. That’s how his life began, as a homeless baby, born to parents who were sleeping rough. He had hardly come into the world when Mary and Joseph took him across the border to escape the murderous intentions of King Herod the Great. Jesus became a baby on the run, a homeless asylum-seeker in Egypt. Later in his public ministry Jesus taught and challenged people The Old Testament prophets We can all respond by praying, by through his parables. The picture vigorously reminded their giving money, by volunteering, of the last judgment (Matt 25:31- audiences to care for widows, by campaigning to end 46) puts before us six kinds of aliens, orphans and other people homelessness in this country, by people: the hungry, the thirsty, in distress. But none of them took focusing on Homeless Sunday on aliens, the naked, the sick, and the further step that Jesus did. He 28th January. prisoners. The distress they suffer identified himself with the involves most of them in being homeless and all others in terrible homeless. need. To find out more about Nottingham Winter Shelter In the two great parables The In Nottingham in November contact Liam O’Boyle on Good Samaritan and The Rich 2017, 43 people (36 males/7 Liam.O’Boyle@southwell. Man and Lazarus, Jesus did not females) were rough sleeping anglican.org say: ‘I was lying robbed and (this doesn’t include those in wounded by the side of the road hostels etc or elsewhere in the and you took care of me’, or, ‘I county). There are also an More information on was covered with sores and increasing number of families in Homelessness Sunday at: begging for food at the entrance B&Bs. There is an increasing www.housingjustice.org.uk/Eve to your home, and you fed me concern of the number of people nt/homeless-sunday-2018 and cleaned my sores’. In with mental health needs. speaking of the last judgment, Once again a number of churches however, Jesus goes beyond the and volunteers from many others two parables and identifies are living out their discipleship by himself with those in terrible responding to the needs of distress. He is the asylum seeker, homeless people. The he is the wounded traveller, he is Nottingham Winter Shelter the beggar covered with sores. opened on 13th November and Such people bring us the very took in 25 people and will face of Jesus.