Popped into Asda today to find people giving every one a wide berth but sharing stories as they inspected the hand sanitiser shelves, devoid of any container other than some shampoo someone had discarded. We have also seen incidents of people fighting over the last few rolls of toilet paper - necessitating arrest! This was…Read more Can we look forward to more one-to-one contact?
Community
When is a Third Place a winner?
Where do we go to relax, to be free to say what we want to? Where could we all go to, to gather, to feel 'at home', to allow relationships to flourish amidst a diversity of people, to enable community to be sensed and grow, to encourage sociability rather than isolation? We could start at…Read more When is a Third Place a winner?
Administration…Liquidation…what’s next for the church?
If administration is the process for a company to escape insolvency, and if that were to fail, liquidation is the ending of a company, the selling off of any assets to pay off creditors, this would suggest that the business model currently used has not worked. There's an alternative, known as "pre-pack insolvency" which is…Read more Administration…Liquidation…what’s next for the church?
Where do you store your treasure?
It’s been a year now that Mandy & I have been serving in this community. It certainly has been interesting - in a good way I'll quickly add. My profile, my contract with the church, was to ‘bring presence’ to this town, this community. There wasn’t much extra detail other than our members are reticent…Read more Where do you store your treasure?
Do we need a building anymore?
I have been struck recently by the tension facing the church today: does it focus upon buildings or the people? Financially, our buildings have become a significant issue for us as we fight to keep them up to date with the latest building regulation etc. It’s pretty obvious, that we need to do this for…Read more Do we need a building anymore?
What retail outlets could offer to church
How do you think we could reimagine church? In the past I have looked at the Apple flagship stores, wondered at their retail strategies and reflected how they could be considered to help us look again at church. Here we have a reflection on how Ikea operate: question is to have the meatballs or their…Read more What retail outlets could offer to church
Where to go? Walk on by?
I'm on holiday. The weather is fair, the people wonderful and the language very confusing. I have learnt the word pansement this year, as it has been useful to help with the blisters that have ensued. The trains have been so punctual, and clean! OK an attempt at picking our pockets occurred on the first…Read more Where to go? Walk on by?
Going on Holiday?
As we possibly consider a ‘staycation’ or ‘vacation’ this Summer, I wonder how we see ourselves. The English are often known for grasping the finest intricacies of the foreign language, by speaking ‘s l o w e r and louder’ - ‘that should do it we think’… Well our own language is a mixture of…Read more Going on Holiday?
Easter 2019 : In or Out of the Church?
As we approach Palm Sunday, I start to feel that the journey through Lent is nearing its completion. We can see the end: I wonder if the disciples did? When I think of Palm Sunday I don't get enthused by the waving of palm crosses but by the sheer mystery and imagery of Jesus on…Read more Easter 2019 : In or Out of the Church?
Ashing to Go?
The day after Shrove Tuesday (a la Pancake day) is Ash Wednesday. It seems that this is either noted in ecclesial circles with an Ash Wednesday Service including the Ashes or is forgotten about altogether. It may not have strict biblical foundations but it can be seen as providing symbolic resonance to the start of…Read more Ashing to Go?
Where do we fit?
For some people they have lived in the valley all their life, for others they have moved every few years. When I left education it was expected that we should enter a profession for life. Now, for many, we can move between jobs to gain additional opportunities, despite that causing possible difficulties with stability. But…Read more Where do we fit?
Faith frozen
When you mention the word church, what do you notice? I wonder whether people have a specific view, a certain perspective born from many year's of understanding. This 'wisdom' may be drawn from the television, the papers and perhaps from some experience from their youth: of stuffy rooms, with a school-like atmosphere being taught a…Read more Faith frozen
Todmorden Faith : Same Sex Marriage
Welcome to the first meeting of the monthly 'Faith' group where we look to establish a way to become an even stronger community in Todmorden, willing to engage constructively with matters of faith. But first: Is faith relevant today? What does faith actually mean to you, to others? One aspect of any successful community is…Read more Todmorden Faith : Same Sex Marriage
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