Roshi's ramblings

Session 3 was a choice of workshops  exploring fresh expressions in and around  the Wigan area.  There was a choice of prayer cells, messy church and transforming Wigan.  I already have some knowledge of messy church and cells so I chose transforming Wigan. Behold my rubbish Photoshop skills! The initiative has been set up by the CofE as Wigan lies in the centre of the country and at the point where Manchester, Blackburn and Liverpool dioceses all come together.  It is a scheme supported ecumenically in the area, especially by the Methodist circuit. The vision of Rev. Tim is that within 7 years 10% of people living in Wigan will identify as practising Christians.  It is a lofty goal but one that after hearing his plan could work.  The first and most important point he made was that it won't work if we focus solely on churches.  We need to get out into the wider world if we want to have an impact.  Such is his belief in this that the...

The second session was focused on the values required to successfully create a fresh expression. The danger of a fresh expression is that it turns out to not be God focused and is basically nothing more than a social club. To help avoid this everything you do should be grounded in deep prayer.  You should also ensure you have someone who can be constructively critical of your plans every step of the way to help keep you on track and focused on God's will rather than just your own. The speaker had a great message regarding this: "In an age that café church is cool, make sure it's more than just cappuccino froth!" It is crucial to listen to what God is telling you to do. You aren't going out to enforce your form of worship onto a community, you are going find a way to plant the seed of faith within their preexisting culture by making worship of Him relevant to them.  It all comes back to loving service. Go out and be Christ-like, show you care for and r...