"The Undiscovered Country", (A journal regarding Trinity's project in conjunction with Anchor Foundation.)

The one word I always associate with the certificate of theology course I attended some years ago is liberation! Why liberation, because I felt like I was some sort of theological Christopher Columbus journeying into “the undiscovered country” pushing back and in some cases dismantling the boundaries of faith and belief widening my vision of God.

Well I am about to embark on another journey. Julyan has secured funding on behalf of Newlyn Trinity Methodist Church from the Anchor Foundation for a project that will seek to “engage the wider community at venues including “The Centre”, school, homes and the social housing estate’s advisory rooms, offering opportunities for creative spiritual expression, linked with local events, changing seasons and the Christian calendar. The project will offer opportunities to express personal or community views and emotions through e.g. sand painting, candle making, bread making, developing the spiritual dimension of Trinity’s social outreach”

Julyan has asked me to be one of the project workers along with Colin Carbis. Colin and I know each other from our participation as players in the Mounts Bay Buccaneers American Football team that existed in the middle 1980’s. I am looking forward to learning from Colin. His theological background is in the Orthodox Church. We seem to find candles and icons useful as entry points into prayer and spirituality, and also share a desire to explore the Celtic tradition of Christianity to see what that can offer.

Last Thursday, Julyan Colin and I met to set out a broad framework for the project and here’s what we came up with.

Main points from meeting on 14/05/2009

What would we like to see happen!

Creative Spiritual Expression;

Pilgrimage, Journey;

Story, ebb and flow in and out of the church;

Celtic, go where the Spirit leads;

Open to possibilities;

Constituency = all;

Developing places for conversation, sharing, “fellowship” – getting to know you;

Awakening prayer in the ordinary;

Aware of the divine in the ordinary;

Measures of Success.

Accessible to all – inclusive;

Growing interest in “prayer”; people finding more accessible ways to “pray”;

Growing awareness, deepening spirituality;

Increased use of the Sanctuary;

Allow this project to inform the Sunday;

Make the worship space more amenable to spirituality;

Start at Centre and discover what is needed for the journey. Look at Newlyn, listen to what is being said.

It is my intention to use this blog as a journal. To record my thoughts; to keep you all informed as much as possible about the project; and to invite you the reader to put your input into the project as you fell able. I will aim to post updates as comments rather than creating a new blog all the time

One of the first things you can help us with is to suggest a name for the project. A couple of suggestions have been “ebb and flow” and “awakening”. If you have any suggestions please post on this blog or e mail me at stephensedgeman@yahoo.co.uk.

Well, Colin and I have our first meeting at the Centre tomorrow. I am feeling nervously excited if I am honest. What does the future hold regarding this project; hmm I wonder if Christopher Columbus asked himself this question?

Shalom friends

Stephen

Fear, God/Jesus and the Christian faith!

I have been thinking lately about fear, and in particular fear in the context of the Christian faith. I suppose what prompted this is a particular story in the gospel of Matthew chapter 14. (New International Version)

The gospel writer describes how Jesus has fed the five thousand and he makes the disciples get into a boat and to go ahead of him across the water while the crowd are dismissed. After dismissing the crowd Jesus goes up a mountainside to pray. Evening arrives and the boat the disciples are travelling in is buffeted by waves and is fighting against a prevailing wind. Matthew takes up the story.

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them; “take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

The questions that come to mind from this story are as follows:

What does the story say about fear?

What does the story say about us/faith?

What does the story say about God/Jesus?

Over to you for comment

Shalom

Stephen

What does it mean to be hopeful?

Hello everyone. Having read Julyan's post on the last blog I thought it deserved consideration and exploration. Below is Julyan's contribution.

"Hope is an interesting thing; it can be everything from an excuse for doing nothing to the motivating power behind our efforts towards change. In a Christian context it can perhaps have the same range from those who hope for better things but wait for God to intervene to make things right to those for whom, again, hope is that motive power to action. For me, I suppose, hope is that of Christ which I find to be within me, offering a different reality, a different possibility, revealing potential in self, others and situations. It is, I think, the ability (gift) to live with one foot in the realities of the present and the other in a different tomorrow, to know, as I put it in one of my songs, "That what lies before us is more than it seems." Hope is, therefore, a spiritual comfort while also being a spiritual and practical challenge."

I invite you to share your thoughts.

Shalom friends!