God in the world
I was at a meeting on the last day of January with people from Liverpool and the excitement around hosting Eurovision, beginning that day, was infectious. There seems to be a great excitement this year about opportunities for gathering together both in the church and in the communities we serve.
I was trying unsuccessfully to locate the quote 'church grows where life is', which I love. I think it is Alan Hirsch. Relocating ourselves out of our safety zones into places of life is an essential step in mission. It is our privilege to be involved in God's mission of love to the world.
'It is not so much that the church has a mission, its that the mission of God has a church.'
That is Alan Hirsch and something I invite you to ponder.
It is great to be able to highlight our pioneer event, Campfire Express to provide a space for those imagining different ways of being church and want to explore engaging through festivals and events.
We introduce the Connexional course starting in May 'Everyone to be an Evangelist' and places for faith development (bible month and theology book club with the topic of atonement starting 15th Feb) as well as contextual ministry development, be it with Children, youth and families or rural communities.
Our schedule is busy. I encourage you to consider one thing to build skills and confidence in this ongoing season of fatigue.
Alison Ball (Coordinator of the North West and Mann Learning Network)