way out west

safespace?

It's feels a very vulnerable time for Lou and I particularly here in Telford.  I guess there is always something vulnerable about who we are as a community, to some extent small is by nature vulnerable and difficult to sustain.  We have been reflecting for a couple of months on gifting and at this time we feel it is still the right place for us to be, we are committed to safespace and Telford and feel called to stay here, we are excited about the new possibilities working with +Mark (our new Bishop) may bring... but, firstly being small and active is not easy and we would really value your prayers for everyone one in the community, at times it feels like we are individually and corporately being picked on!  Secondly, for Lou and I things feel increasingly insecure, at this moment CMS does not have the money coming in to pay it's half of my stipend and things don't look good... we have three years left of a seven year contract and suddenly (at least that's how it feels) those three years are in question.  We have some wonderful people and Churches who support us through CMS but we are someway short of the funding we need.

FYI the article on us which was on the old Fresh Expressions Web Site has been reposted on the new one - here please have a look and if you feel you can support us in any way please make contact. :)

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Burmese Justice?

Imagine being at home when someone breaks into your house... you call the Police... they arrive and instead of arresting the Burglar they arrest you for "allowing" him to Burgle your house... ridiculous?  You bet!  A travesty of justice?  Definitely!  Impossible?  Sadly not!

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Church shame?

IF this is true as reported - then it is deeply deeply shameful and sinful!  The Church should be 100% honest and open even if it means saying and being sorry for abuses committed on its/our watch!

The Church of England has been accused of conducting a cover up over allegations that it drugged girls in one of its children's homes in the 1970s and 1980s.  Teresa Cooper has been battling to get hold of her files for 18 years

Last month the BBC revealed that nine girls who were heavily drugged in Kendall House in Kent have gone on to have children with birth defects.  Now Teresa Cooper, one of the women involved, has accused the Church of conducting a cover up - a claim the Church strongly denies.

"The Church are very responsible. They haven't even said sorry," says Ms Cooper. "They all just go around and they hide, you know, they hide and pretend. They won't do it because they feel if they give any of the girls support they'll be sued."

For the last month the Today programme has been investigating her claims. It has uncovered evidence that the Church in Society - the department of the Church of England responsible for Kendall House - has deliberately withheld files from Teresa Cooper and that a senior member of staff accessed and removed files from the archive despite assurances that he did not do so.

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Holy Sex Batman!

I'm sure some will see this as being somewhat controversial... some will no doubt condemn it... I think it's something to be celebrated - sex is good and it's about time Christianity got over from it's victorian embarrassment about it... Father Ksawery Knotz, a Polish Franciscan and Catholic Priest has written a books called "Sex as you don't know it: for married couples who love God" (putting aside the obvious flaw of a celibate man writing about sex) about which he says...

Some people, when they hear about the holiness of married sex, immediately imagine that such sex has to be deprived of joy, frivolous play, fantasy and attractive positions [They think] it has to be sad like a traditional church hymn.  Every act - a type of caress, a sexual position - with the goal of arousal is permitted and pleases God. During sexual intercourse, married couples can show their love in every way, can offer one another the most sought-after caresses... Married couples celebrate their sacrament, their life with Christ also during sex.  Calling sex a celebration of the marriage sacrament raises its dignity in an exceptional way. Such a statement shocks people who learned to look at sexuality in a bad way. It is difficult for them to understand that God is also interested in their happy sex life and in this way gives them his gift.

I look forward to an English version :)

BBC News

Technorati Tags: Christianity: Church: Culture: Fun

Just how innocent are you?

The British Government have been told that it is against Human Rights legislation to hold an innocent persons DNA on record for life, so now they have decided that if you are innocent of a serious crime they will hold it for 12 years, if however the crime you are innocent of is less serious they will only hold it for 6 years... I'm really worried, I am innocent of the assassination of John F Kennedy does this mean they will come knocking for a sample of my DNA... how do I prove that the crimes I haven't done are of the less serious variety?  I mean I am innocent of mugging and car theft too, will they take these previous non-offences into consideration?  Or will the fact I have not committed genocide and ethnic cleansing trump these lesser non-crimes?  I wonder do all the crimes I haven't done add up and mean they can hold my sample ad infinitum?  I'm confused... perhaps I should stand for Parliament?

Technorati Tags: Culture: News: Politics

Sank•tuary - radio witness!

Sank•tuary has been getting significant local radio coverage over the last couple of days, I've done a couple of interviews for the BBC and for Beacon Radio here in Telford.  This morning one of the shows on BBC Shropshire having been talking about it... the presenter, Jim Hawkins is having a phone in which he introduced by talking about us and another story (about a bulgarian couple whose house has been completely furnished by people giving furniture) which he called "Hats off to Humanity" stories - good news stories about people giving themselves to help others for no gain... he also made a point that both of these stories where instigated by Christians!  It was fantastic, really gave me a buzz to here him talking, not because he was talking about us but because in this cynical and "bad news" swamped age Christians where being applauded for being counter cultural, for giving themselves to help others etc.  A few weeks back we had a visit from a member of the Shropshire County Drugs and Alcohol team (not our patch as Telford is a unitary authority) who wanted to see sank•tuary and find out if they could open similar projects in Shrewsbury and Oswestry.  When he heard that sank•tuary is run by Christians he commented...

All the most radical projects, the voluntary projects that go where others would go are run by Church people.  I never thought, in my career, I'd be saying this but... I need to find me some Christians!

Technorati Tags: Christianity: Missional: Radio: safespace: Sanktuary

RBS claim compensation!

According to the Beeb...

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has demanded £40,000 compensation from a 17-year-old girl who admitted attacking a branch during G20 protests in London.

... apparently she smashed a PC Monitor and keyboard, (putting aside that smashing anything to do with PC's could well be considered a humanitarian act in itself!) I don't want to condone violent protest, against people or property, but you might have thought that after causing such massive damage to this country they might be a little shamed faced about objecting to vandalism!

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It's sell out time at safespace!

Yes, we've decided to sell out even more than we had before!  We're launching a shop page on the main web-site... I have started to make more linocut prints and we want to make them available... There will be two series to begin with 1) Seasons of faith - images to mark the seasons of the Christian year and 2) Icons - images of saints etc.  The first one of which is Aidan Bright Flame (have a look at the image upside down)... they will be available in limited runs of 50 framed for £25 + p&p

And soon (when we've taken some photo's - in the next few days!) Lou will be showcasing her Jewellery - made from silver wire and recycled materials (inc. buttons) - under the name...

Technorati Tags: Art: Christianity: Church: Community: Emerging Church: Entrepreneurship: safespace

Thoughts from the Radio 4 programme

First... many thanks for all the support and encouragement we've received in response to the programme... Whilst I feel a little punch drunk on the whole I think there are some important and positive issues that arise from it...

Firstly, how we develop communication and a generous understanding within the church, particularly amongst those of us who may be from different traditions but share a passion for being peacemakers in the world, how we share stories and wisdom and how we seek to support each other despite our differences.

Secondly, how we together develop a deep and broad understanding of mission, with all of it's aspects and how we seek a greater a sense of the missio Dei (the mission of God) in the here and now.

Thirdly, how we learn more about, this changing world, the culture in which we live and of the road ahead for this nation and the globe and how we can better serve and seek to bring peace and healing to both the local and global community.

& Fourthly, how we seek to explore, listen and learn from others including those whose spirituality is not Christian or even Religious, without simply seeking to "convert" or "enrol" them.

These are some of the questions we believe are important and exploring them is part of the purpose of safespace telford, Fresh Expressions and Pioneer Ministry as a whole.  If the programme aids this dialogue, helps these questions to be explored further and understanding to grow within the Diocese, the Church of England, CMS and the church as a whole then it has had a very positive outcome and we will be very happy to have taken part.

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Fat Cat greed and hypocrisy continues unabated!

The New York Times reports that Citigroup one of the major banks who has been a recipient of the recent US Government bail out "is buying a brand new $50 million corporate jet for its executives".  Personally I think the New York Post has it right with it's headline "Just Plane Despicable!"

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