Darren Wright's Digital Orthodoxy blog has an enormous quantity of great ideas, mostly simple and easily achievable for ministry with younger and not-so-young people.
Read More
Proclaiming Mark
In early October 2014, Wollaston Theological College and the Diocese of Perth released its second Advent bible study resource, Proclaiming Mark. The booklet consists of ten bible studies: four for use on the Sundays of Advent, four for midweek bible studies, and two extras. And it's a free download!
Read More
Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images News / Getty Images
A Troubling Christmas
Richard Beck describes himself as a Winter Christian. You can see his description of what that means here (and it might be different from what you instinctively think). His poetry is at once full of breath AND unsettling.
In the best sense it leaves you thinking...Here's his piece about the Nativity.
Read More
the line separating good and evil
This quote from the densely written Gulag Archipelago gets to the heart of things. What do you think?
Read More
Photo by apflite/iStock / Getty Images
Australian Angles on Pilgrim
Here's a new resource created in-house for Pilgrim: a course for the Christian journey.
Housed nearby on this website are extra resources (discussion questions, videos, articles and other websites) that aim to bring an Australian context to the Pilgrim material. While some groups will do this naturally as a part of the discussion process, these extra bits and pieces are offered to group facilitators to browse through. Feedback so far suggested they've been helpful already!
Read More
The Nativity Factor
From Stephen Harrison's wonderful a few smallish fish blog:
The Nativity Factor is a short film competition from ITN Productions and Jerusalem Productions, which asks entrants to tell the story of the Nativity in a new and creative way. The competition has run for the last four years and previously offered a prize of 5000 pounds.
This year "in an effort to reach a wider audience and bring The Nativity Factor community closer together during the Christmas season" they added a new twist to the competition.
"Instead of submitting individual short films, contestants submitted themselves to take part in a professionally produced short film. The winners joined professionals in the filmmaking field for a weekend in London, where they received the mentoring experience of a lifetime."
They have produced two great films this year focusing on the message given by the angels.
The first, called "The Audition" is clearly targeted for an older audience. It is kind of confronting in the starkness of the story telling but it has a powerful ending.
The second film #Nativity is quirky but still delivers a great message.
Check them out:
Letting Mark Live! ... a seminar on the Gospel of Mark Year B
The Gospel according to Mark has always puzzled careful readers. It seems to focus on keeping Jesus’ works and miracles secret, on Jesus’ failure to convince his opponents, and on the weaknesses of his disciples.
The Revised Common Lectionary uses the Gospel According to Mark as the basis for the Sunday Gospel readings in year B. As an opportunity for preachers and laity alike this seminar will provide excellent preparation for the year ahead.
Anglican Prison Chaplaincy - Information Session
Prison ministry is an important outreach ministry of the church providing pastoral and spiritual care to those incarcerated as a result of either making poor decisions in their lives, mental illness or from unfortunate circumstances. The prison chaplain brings a message of nonjudgmental and unconditional love, offering Christ's message of reconciling grace and hope.
If you would like an outlet for your gifts in pastoral care, or like to journey with prisoners into the redemptive love of Christ, come along to St Francis College, Milton Road, Milton, on Saturday 29 November from 10.00 am to 11.30 am to learn how you might be part of this vibrant ministry team of chaplains.
Read MoreAdd to your Advent calendar
I sound like an old man when I say that, once upon a time, advent calendars didn't just contain chocolate! Now, these 'Countdown to Christmas' calendars are all the rage and sell in every shop from Woolies to Coles to...everywhere!
Here's a resource that can value add to those calendars if they're all that's available to you.
Read MoreInterested in improving your work with youth, children and families?
From 2015, St Francis Theological College will begin offering subjects especially targeting those ministry areas. You can work towards a diploma or audit subjects (reduced fees and optional assessment).
And what’s on next year? “Youth Culture and Mission” will use an adjusted timetable that won’t require weekly lectures. Jonathan Sargeant will be coordinating the subject.
Want to know more? You can read all about it here.
Read MoreNews about Pilgrim: a course for the Christian journey
New material supporting the Pilgrim course is up on-line at www.formedfaith.org now!
1. Click here to register your Pilgrim group/s with Jonathan Sargeant at Ministry Education. Doing so will enable your group/s to be a part of the community of Pilgrim users all over the diocese, sharing ideas, tips, stories of successes as well as new resources to aid the journey.
2. Access on-line training for Pilgrim leaders here. The orientation video and small group leaders training session is available to watch now. Interact with Jonathan Sargeant with questions, comments and more.
Read More
Book review: NT Wright's Surprised by Scripture
As one of the primary noted Anglican theologians of our time, a new book by N.T. (Tom) Wright is always welcome. Surprisingly slim compared to some of his weightier tomes, this book is easy to consume.
Surprised by Scripture is unlike any other book by Tom Wright. How? It’s a collection of essays already found elsewhere. Having said that, Surprised by Scripture is like every other Tom Wright book: his well-paced apologetic theology is engaging and attentive.
Read More
Film review: Love, Rosie
The romantic comedy is a tricky beast. There are certain tropes that people expect but stick too closely to those expectations and the result is dull as the last four Kate Hudson films. Is there another direction to head in?
Read More
Education for Ministry website
Have a look at the new website for Education for Ministry here in Australia. It's in its beginning stages but already is a great repository of information and sharing. If you've heard of EfM but never really looked into it, the website is a great place to check out some of the details.
Read More
The Faithful Families blog
Research suggests that if you want the faith of children to grow it needs to happen primarily in the home. It's great to have supporting programs happening in the parish but the home is the locus.
Taking this seriously, Stephen Harrison has created the Faithful Families blog, weekly resources to help families grow faith at home. Every idea is simple and easily used.
Read MoreThe STEP Bible (Scripture Tools for Every Person) project
Tyndale House has recently released a beta version of the STEP Bible (Scripture Tools for Every Person) project. You can find more information here:
http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/index.php?page=STEP
From the web site:
STEP Bible is a Tyndale House project to build high quality free reliable Bible tools, with the aim of enabling anyone who wants to study the Bible seriously to do so. This has grown out of the free Tyndale Toolbar which is being used by thousands of people all over the world.
Read More
Aunty Jean's Christmas Cafe
Religion: a matter of faith
Anglican perspective on ABC local radio
Local ABC Radio has recently started a series of radio conversations to help the general public have (a greater) awareness of different faith perspectives. This is in coordination with the Toowoomba ‘Model City of Peace and Harmony’ initiative. Jonathan Inkpin has become the Christian participant (specifically as an Anglican)...
A Bible for reading
The first thing that strikes you about Adam Lewis Greene's project, Bibliotheca is the beauty of what he is creating.
The picture above captures some of that, even before you open one of the four (soon to be five) volumes that make up his reprinting of the Bible. Using the American Standard Version of 1901, Green has aimed to make a Bible that is suitable for reading, rather than proof-texting.
Read More
Interested in improving your work with youth, children and families?
From 2015, St Francis Theological College will begin offering subjects especially targeting ministry with young people, families and children. You can work towards a diploma or to audit (reduced fees and optional assessment).
And what’s on next year?
Read More