Our friend Gillian Ahlgren, who spoke at the NECN Conferences a few years ago, is posting some excellent reflections on how we can spiritually flourish during this time of difficulty and crisis. Read them here in the Resources for Renewal Blog.
Category: News
All the latest news from NECN!
coronavirus: helping people in time of financial crisis
Here is a really helpful resource on helping people in financial crisis produced by Capital Mass and Just Finance Black Country
Coronavirus Financial Help Resource v2 06.04.20
coronavirus news
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We are writing to you with prayers and love at this time of crisis.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us very deeply. We know only too well how it is touching us, our communities, our families and our Churches. This is an extremely difficult time, and we know that you are all working really hard trying to work out the best way to be Church when we can’t meet physically, trying to figure out how we can continue to serve our communities, putting in place some mechanisms of care.
At NECN, we are praying for you. We are thinking of ways in which we can offer one another helpful support. If you have time, could you share stories and examples of what is working in your Church and your community? It would be a wonderful resource to get things into each others hands. If you are able to do this, please email Christine at christinem@cofebirmingham.com or put something on the Facebook page.
We will post things on our website here: https://estatechurches.org/covid-19/
please keep an eye on this page for news.
One really important thing at the moment is that we don’t feel guilty about the things we can’t do. We need to be looking after our own physical, mental and spiritual health so that we can be serving others. And it is increasingly apparent that this will be a marathon and not a sprint. If you can’t livestream your services, don’t worry – just publicise links to churches that are doing this, and work out other ways of keeping in touch with people. We are all making this up as we go along, we are all making mistakes, and this is all very provisional.
Let’s continue to be a community that supports one another. Let us know if you have any particular prayer requests or questions. Please remember that although we might be physically isolated, we are not alone. God is with us and we have each other.
We will be in touch again after Easter, when things have hopefully settled down a little, with some ideas of how NECN can continue to be a family and support Estate Churches through the internet, through our local groups, and through conferences and webinars.
With love and prayers,
Andy, Lynne, Sara and Christine.
What does it mean to be a Church on the Margins in a time of coronavirus?
A weekly space for shared reflection in these challenging times
2pm Thursday, for the next 4 weeks (2, 9, 16 and 23 April)https://being-a-church-on-the-margins.eventbrite.co.uk
These are extraordinary times for all of us, but what does it mean to be a ‘church on the margins’ and to seek to be attentive to and inclusive of those on margins of society in the current crisis?
We are not offering any answers, but simply a space to reflect together with others on these challenging times, on our own hopes and fears, on the practical and theological issues thrown up by the crisis, and what it means for church, discipleship, ministry and spirituality to be a ‘Church on the Margins’ at this current time.
Each session will start with a short reflection, but mostly be spent in small groups sharing together our own experiences, thoughts and reflections on these questions.
The event will take place via Zoom. You can participate via any internet enabled device with a microphone (laptop, tablet, phone etc) – or simply over the phone. Once you have signed up via Eventbrite, we will send you a link or a phone number that will allow you to take part.
Sign up for one session, or for the whole series. Dip in and give it a go!
https://being-a-church-on-the-margins.eventbrite.co.uk
Whilst it is possible to participate in Zoom calls from a normal phone, we are also exploring the possibility of holding separate phone-based conversations that could be accessed free of charge from a phone – further details of this in due course.
The Coronavirus Charity Help Fund Application
For information: deadline 25th March
The Coronavirus Charity Help Fund has been set up by Martin Lewis to help those affected by the coronavirus. Small or local charities are able to apply to receive a grant of £5-20K for specific coronavirus poverty relief projects.
We’re especially interested in projects that directly help people affected by the effects of the virus, such as by giving access to food, toiletries, basic necessities, as well as community projects to help people in isolation.
We are looking for projects that can help people now, so will welcome applications for existing projects that could be scaled up with extra money or projects that are in the process of being set up.
Speed is of the essence so we encourage you to highlight your project’s objectives and outcomes concisely – consider using bullet points rather than lengthy answers. Data will only be used for the purpose of giving grants.
Apply here:
very early spring mailing
Dear friends,
I want to bring you up to date with the events we have planned this year. There are also some other opportunities to meet up with other folk from estate churches.
National Conferences
The theme for this year’s National Conferences is local leadership. The Midlands conference will take place at Coventry Cathedral on Thursday 4th June. The Northern conference will take place on Tuesday 9th June at Preston Minster. Bookings for these conferences will be open soon.London Regional Conference
- Thursday 8th October 2020
- Theme/Title: Ransomed, Healed, Restored, Forgiven… With the subtitle: Reconciling and empowering our congregations for leadership
- Location: St James the Less, Pimlico
NECN has a number of opportunities to get involved:
We are looking for a Volunteer Treasurer, a crucial role in helping us build our work supporting estate churches. for more details of the role please contact meWe are looking for volunteers to serve on our Workstreams – Resources, Partnerships, Finance and Fundraising, Communications and Groups. If you are interested in this, please contact Andy for a chat.
Bookings are now open for two important Estate Church Events:
Leading your Church into Growth are holding this year’s three day estate churches’ conference on 17th – 19th June at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick. To book visit:
https://www.leadingyourchurchintogrowth.org.uk/estates-conference-2020The Eden Network are running a two day conference for any Christian seeking to love where they live called Proximity 2020. This will take place on 15th May – 16th May. Visit https://www.message.org.uk/proximity2020/ to book your place.
I hope you will be able to attend one of these events where we can continue to explore how to raise up and resource local leaders on the estates.
If you would like to get occasional mailing like this from NECN direct to your mailbox, please sign up ahttps://estatechurches.org/
With love and prayers,
Andy
finding the treasure – more estate church podcasts
NECN Chair, Lynne Cullens, writes:
In what ways is the Church being called to transformation by those currently marginalised within its structures, by those on our estates?
Privileged to be part of this podcast discussion ‘Finding the Treasure – Good News from the Estates’, chaired by Jamie Hawkey, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey; this is the culmination of a two year project from the CofE’s Estates Theology Group, pairing up local ministers with academic theologians and helping churches and their neighbours to listen and to reflect on what gifts God has given them to share.
Some sound bites…
“Alternative readings bring out aspects of scripture that couldn’t be seen by others; I would love to put the Bible in the hands of working-class people, of people from estates, and have them teach the Church how to read in the way that they might read” Dr Justin Stratis.
“We are each other’s shining touch; if one of us is down the others will pick us up” Natalie from Rubery
“Another legacy for the Church must be enduring and hot anger at injustice; our listening must never be complacent, we’ve found people living with radical social injustices, we should be angry about that…because in the end we are about transformation” Bishop Philip North.
“The boundary is the place we are transformed…to able to dance on the edges, to learn a new dance together, to be transformed by that participation feels like a necessary and rich thing” Revd Claire Turner
This and the other podcasts in the series are recommended listening for those interested in estates ministry and in the Church’s reorientation to face those currently on its margins.
Huge thanks to Al Barrett for the continued inspiration, as well as for the invitation to take part.
guildford group retreat
we are just back from an excellent 24 hour retreat with MITE, Mission in the Edges, our Guildford Group.
This is such an excellent idea – we would really commend it to all our Groups.
To find your local Group, click here.
Group News
A couple of bits of news from our Groups. The Birmingham Group (pictured) has just had 24 hours away. A lot of fun and fellowship, with some deep reflection on how Matthew’s teaching helps us to flourish as Estate Churches. We are very grateful to Stephen Edwards for facilitating this.
The Leeds Group have just put out their January Mailing.
Before you read it, there are now about 20 Estate Church or Urban Church Groups around the country which are part of the NECN family. Please get in touch if you would like help getting one going in your area.
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christmas message from necn
At this busiest and most pressured time of year, we would like to thank you for your work as Estate Church leaders.
It is banal to speak of this ‘business-end of Advent’ as being so full as we dash about fulfilling Church and community duties, while also trying to find space for God, for ourselves, and for our friends and families, but it is so true.
We pray that Christmas is good for you. But also wonder what this might mean? For many of us it will not be the ‘success’ of hundreds of people through the doors of our churches at multiple services that we see shared so often on social media this week (our advice would be to sit very lightly to Facebook and Twitter the next few days).
We give thanks for so much faithful and good work done by estate churches. I think of the huge difference we make in so many ways. The physical hunger that is now, disgracefully, such a part of British urban life. When we work with primary schools at Christmas, we have to be so careful in what we say – not now to be the minister who ends up in the newspaper as saying something unwise about Santa Claus – but remembering that Christmas is such a bad time for so many families. We might think of the utter joy on a mother’s face as she is given a few carrier bags of tinned food from a vestry cupboard.
If we are looking for the meaning of Christmas it is here. It is in the many overlooked and humble acts of love that Estate Churches make. If we look carefully, it is here that we might glimpse the face of Jesus.
Fritz Eichenberg, Christ of the Soup Line
Our communities are so often in what Thomas Merton called the time of no room. Thank you for making the space that matters. Space for God. Space for those who he truly loves.
We are reminded of Fr Joe Williamson remembering a childhood in poverty a hundred years ago:
My first day at school stands out clearly in my mind. A crust of bread and a kiss was my breakfast as I ran across the road to St Saviour’s, at the age of five. When I got to school, there was placed before me a white mug of hot milk and a bun; it looked very big. I couldn’t believe it was for me. I looked up, and there was a big fat man in black, with a funny hat looking down at me. He had a big face with a double chin; he was smiling; it was a lovely face. The man put his hand on my head and said, simply: ‘Eat.’ That was Father Dolling, and I think I have felt that touch ever since.
– Father Joe, The Autobiography of Joseph Williamson of Poplar and Stepney
We need those smiles, that deep, practical love that shows the Face of the Lord. May you experience that love of God this Christmas. May you pass it to others.
With love and prayers from all at NECN
Lynne, Sara and Andy