The Northampton District offers a range of
opportunities for learning and development in line with the District Purpose to
support, enable and challenge. These opportunities are offered at three levels,
according to need:
·
opportunities
that lead to a specific result or qualification
·
opportunities
that meet a specific aim or set of objectives
·
opportunities
that encourage learning, development and/or growth
These opportunities are listed below according to the Priorities
of the Methodist Church, although as these are not mutually
exclusive some opportunities are listed under more than one heading.
·
to affirm
its conviction of God’s love in Christ, for us and for all the world; and renew
confidence in God’s presence and action in the world and in the church
·
underpinning everything we do with God-centred worship and
prayer
·
supporting community development and action for justice,
especially among the most deprived and poor – in
·
developing confidence in evangelism and in the capacity to
speak of God and faith in ways that make sense to all involved
·
encouraging fresh ways of being church
·
nurturing a culture in the Church which is people centred
and flexible
The District produces TNT twice a year, a newsletter
for all who are involved in learning and development in the church. It aims to
keep people up-to-date with the latest opportunities and material available.
Click here for TNT
Spring 2006 , TNT
Autumn 2006 , TNT
Spring 2006, TNT
Autumn 2007 and TNT Spring
2008
To affirm its
conviction of God’s love in Christ, for us and for all the world; and renew confidence
in God’s presence and action in the world and in the church
A church that lives up to this priority might
be … confident, professional and transparent, working outside of church
structures and buildings with a range of individuals and groups, where people
engage freely with the Bible from an informed and confident position and are
willing to wrestle with everyday questions. It is a church that has
credibility, where younger adults take the lead and children and young people’s
voices are heard.
Bible Studies. In
response to the Priorities the TDOs for the London Region have produced a set
of Bible Studies that set out to explore the Priorities and help you
reflect on them in the light of your own experience.
Church Reviews. A review of the life of your church can also challenge you to think
about your life and work in a new and different way. There are a number of
Church Review packages available, depending on your particular need, and the
MDO will be able to advise which would be best in your situation. Two packages
available in the
Circuit Reviews. A review of the life of your
circuit can challenge you to think about your life and work in a new and
different way. Shaping
the Future offers a process for developing your circuit mission
policy whilst the District offers a tailor-made
circuit review led by the MDO and TDO.
Presence. This booklet
explores the relevance of the Church in rural communities through a series of
small group studies, for use by the local church. It was launched at the
Methodist Conference in Loughborough, in 2004, and has been used widely across
the District. It is available from mph
and if you want support in using this material please
contact the MDO.
Quiet Days. As people lead such busy and crowded lives the opportunity to take some
time to be quiet and listen is proving invaluable and a quiet day is one way of
doing this. There are a number of resources to support you in this: if you are
planning your own look in the District
Pray Without Ceasing Resource Booklet Revd Alison Tomlin has a lot
of experience in leading quiet days and may offer you some time; or there are
organisations whose quiet days and retreats you can join, eg. Methodist
Retreat and Spirituality Network and The Retreat Association
Underpinning everything we do with God-centred
worship and prayer
A church that lives up to this priority might
be … honest and open, accepting and encouraging variety and accepts all. A
church that is not centred on buildings but on God – a place of spiritual
experiences.
Learning & Development
Opportunities
All-age worship. There is a
growing trend for regular all-age worship in our churches, some weekly, some
monthly and some less frequently. If you would like to explore opportunities
for all-age worship at your church the contact the TDO or have a look at the
work of the Family Friendly
Churches Trust.
District Prayer Diary. This is a
resource that is produced each year to encourage and enable churches and
individuals across the District to pray for each other. It offers a set of
prayers for each day of the month focusing on a particular circuit, individuals
or group within the District. Prayer Diaries are available for 2004/05
and 2005/06.
IT in Worship. As more churches
and circuits purchase multi-media projectors there is a growing need to explore
the use of images in worship and how the technology can enable this. There are
many ways in which you can explore this further: if you would like more details
contact the TDO or have a look at the work of the Family Friendly Churches Trust.
If you are looking for some training in using your projector or the software to
make it happen then contact your local Further Education College and see what
short courses they offer or have a look at the work of the Family
Friendly Churches Trust. Also the
Make Contact Today. At
Pray Without Ceasing. The
Ways of Worship. In recent years we have
seen churches exploring new and different ways of worship. This has included
worship at different times, in different places, led by different people and in
a wide variety of styles. If you would like to explore different ways of
worship for your church contact the TDO or have a look at some of the different ways
of worship that people are experimenting with: youth worship, fresh
expressions of worship and expressions the
dvd.
Worship Leader and Local
Preacher Training. Leaders of worship and preachers are vital resources for
the
Supporting
community development and action for justice, especially among the most
deprived and poor – in
A church that lives up to this priority might be …… through
its worship and life, affirming and supporting of its individual members.
Working in partnership with individuals and groups, and having a passion for
social justice, both locally and globally. It is willing to use resources of
people, time and money to make a difference.
Campaigns in the
Fairtrade. In 2005 the Oxford
& Leicester became a Fairtrade District, which resulted in many churches
using and supplying fair-trade products. More details of the work of the Fairtrade
Foundation are available on their website.
Make Poverty History. Although the main
focus of the Make Poverty History
campaign was focused on the events of 2005 they still support the work of other
organisations who have campaigns running which continue to focus on making
poverty history.
Methodist Relief & Development Fund (MRDF). The MRDF is the
Developing
confidence in evangelism and in the capacity to speak of God and faith in ways
that make sense to all involved.
A church that lives up to this priority might be …… a
community of confident individuals who are willing to talk about their faith.
Where evangelism is owned by all and is enabled through networks of
communities, facilitated by members of the community, free from church structures.
Creating
Confidence in God’s Story. This is a
four session training course that can be delivered over four evenings or put
together to make one day. The course is designed to encourage participants to
explore the importance of sharing their personal story and begins to build
individuals confidence. For more details contact the
MDO.
Quiet Days. As people lead such busy and crowded lives the
opportunity to take some time to be quiet and listen is proving invaluable and
a quiet day is one way of doing this. There are a number of resources to
support you in this: if you are planning your own look in the District
Pray Without Ceasing Resource Booklet; Revd Alison Tomlin has a lot
of experience in leading quiet days and may offer you some time; or there are
organisations whose quiet days and retreats you can join, eg. Methodist
Retreat and Spirituality Network and The Retreat Association
Time
to talk of God. Subtitled Recovering Christian conversation as a way of
nurturing discipleship, Time
to talk of God
is a study booklet, based on a report to the 2005 Methodist Conference, aimed
at ordinary Christians. It honestly addresses the reasons why Christians can find
it hard to talk about their faith, and how easy it is for churches and
congregations to develop habits that make Christian conversation hard. The
booklet contains group and individual exercises, prayers, Bible passages and
practical guides to shifting church culture so that talking to each other about
God is easier and more natural. The booklet is available from mph and is suitable for individual or
small group study – if you want support in using this material please contact the MDO
Encouraging fresh
ways of being church
A church that lives up to this priority might be ……
connexional, supportive of and offering freedom to local small groups to express
‘church’ in a variety of different ways. ‘Ways of being church’ are grounded in
local need and enabled by the connexion.
Beyond
the Wood and Stone. A new DVD
designed to encourage fresh expressions of church. The DVD focus’ on making
premises more accessible, friendly and culturally relevant, and can also be
viewed in bite-sized chunks through its self-contained chapters which include: displaying art; outside spaces;
performance in worship; the Methodist Art Collection; listed
buildings; healing; ecumenical projects; youth culture; new architecture;
accessibility. The DVD is
available from mph and a trailer can be viewed on the website.
Expressions
the dvd. This DVD contains 14 stories
of emerging forms of church around the country. An excellent training tool for
those interested in setting up or understanding more about fresh ways of being
church. The DVD is available from the Church House Bookshop
and a trailer can be viewed on the website.
Family
Friendly Churches Trust. The Trust
exists to help churches in the task of becoming more open and attractive to
children, young people and families. statistics back up what many in our
traditional churches have long suspected; that the number of children, young
people and families have plummeted dramatically. The Trust, run by Revd Mike
Bossingham, aims to provide resources to help churches in their work with
children, young people and family. More details of what they offer can be found
on their website.
Fresh
Expressions of Worship. Fresh expressions of church are new and different ways of
being church in a changing culture. This is a Church of England and
Planting
Fresh Expressions. A basic course in
developing new congregations. This course has been developed in partnership
with the
Worship Leaders in Worship. As more and more
people are called to the role of Worship Leader in the
Nurturing a
culture in the Church which is people centred and flexible
A church that lives up to this priority might be …… accepting
of all, able to share and nurture the dreams, needs and gifts of individuals. A
movement of gathered people who are empowered to respond to the will of God,
constantly adapting to meet the needs of a changing world.
Being a Steward. The Steward has a
key role in the life of the church and yet this is often the role that is the
hardest to fill. The District offers a number of sessions for Stewards, that
can be undertaken as a group from one church or from the circuit, which
include: Leadership of the Church - the leadership role of Stewards; Where have
all the Stewards gone? - why do we struggle to find new Stewards?; Supporting
the Minister - how Stewards and Ministers can support each other; Stationing -
a look at the stationing process and how it affects the local church and
circuit. For more details of any of these or to explore other areas that the
Stewards would like to explore contact the TDO.
Faith
Formation Courses. These courses are designed to
provide some basic Christian teaching for anyone who is looking to explore
their faith. They are run by the local Anglican Diocese with some input from
ecumenical partners. In this District we are able to access two such courses: Journeying
with God, offered by the Diocese of Peterborough and ECLF
offered by the Diocese of Leicester.
Foundation
Training. This offers a period of time
when individuals can explore the nature and meaning of vocation for themselves.
This training is currently overseen by a Christian training institution and has
three elements: programme of theological study; placements in a variety of
locations; and a programme of exploration. For more information contact the Vocations’
Secretary
Preparing
for Baptism. All This for You is a booklet for people who want to
consider the meaning of Baptism in the
Preparing for Membership. Called By Name is a booklet for those who want to know
what is distinctive about the
Presence. This booklet
explores the relevance of the Church in rural communities through a series of
small group studies, for use by the local church. It was launched at the
Methodist Conference in Loughborough, in 2004, and has been used widely across
the District. It is available from mph
and if you want support in using this material please
contact the MDO.
Safeguarding Training. Details of
training can be found in the Safeguarding section
of Resources.
Vocations Day. If you can answer
‘yes’ to any of these questions then this day might be for you: Do you feel God is calling you to something more? Got that nagging
feeling but don’t know what to do? Know God wants more … but not sure what?
Just need some space to listen? The District Vocations
Day offers a range of resources
and people to talk to throughout the day and, at specific times, workshops on
particular topics. The resources will support much of the information outlined
in the Saying
‘Yes’ to God: Vocations in the Methodist Church leaflet. For more information about the Vocations Day
contact
the TDO.
Yes to God. How often does
our search begin with the need to fill a particular role rather than the need
to fulfil God’s call? Is this the nature of the church today or is this because
we have forgotten the importance of listening to God? As a response to these
questions the District offers a day Saying ‘Yes’ to God. led by Revd Alison
Tomlin and Paul Taylor that encourages you to reflect on God’s call to
individuals and to the church. For more information and to
book a date contact the TDO.