London 2012 Prayer Relay

The Diocesan Pray-ers have passed on this message (a poster with the same information can be found here):

The Olympic Games will be held in London from 27th July to 12th August followed by the Paralympics on 29th August to 9th September. These events bring a wonderful opportunity for the Church to engage in mission in all sorts of various ways with our local communities. Every mission opportunity needs to be supported and undergirded by prayer.
The Fellowship of Diocesan Pray-ers have been invited to take a lead in this vital and powerful ministry; to pray for the various parish initiatives and for hospitality, generosity of spirit and protection for the nation.

The Rochester Diocese Prayer Relay will be launched on
Sunday 19th February 2012
in Rochester Cathedral
during Evensong
at 3.15pm to which you are invited

The idea is that there will be a Prayer Baton (an Olympic Flame lamp) which will move from Deanery to Deanery in the weeks before the games begin. Within each Deanery it is hoped that the Diocesan Pray-ers Rep and the Parishes will be able to organise for prayer to happen for the Games each day of their allocated week before handing ‘over the baton of Prayer’ to the next Deanery. We do hope your parish will be able to take part.
There are 17 Deaneries in our Diocese and the Prayer Relay will start with Rochester Deanery in the week beginning 19th February; passing on to Gillingham for the week beginning 26th February; and so on: Strood 4th March; Gravesend 11th March; Cobham 18th March; Dartford 25th March; pause for Holy Week and Easter holidays; Shoreham 15th April; Malling 22nd April; Paddock Wood 29th April; Tunbridge Wells 6th May; Tonbridge 13th May, Sevenoaks 20th May; pause for The Queen's Diamond Jubilee; Orpington 10th June; Erith 17th June; Sidcup 24th June; Bromley 1st July; finishing in Beckenham Deanery during the
week beginning 8th July.

We are very excited about this Prayer Relay as we feel that it will encourage more awareness of the importance of prayer and that we have a vital role to play in the prayer covering for the Olympics.

For more information please contact Judith Howard 01732 458285 email: judithhoward@weald.plus.com; Lorna Kahan: 01322 271657 email: lorna.kahan@hotmail.co.uk; or Jenny Smith, 0208 467 6499 email: jenny_mary@btinternet.com

Network Newsletter

Susanne's most recent Spirituality Network newsletter is available here. It includes news of coming events and training, including the next Network day on Wednesday March 17 which will be led by Bishop James.

***It has been brought to my attention that there is an error in the dates of the Bishop's other Lent Quiet Days listed in the newsletter.
The day at St Martin's, Chelsfield is now 5th March and the day at Meopham is 12th March.***

Bishop's Quiet Days for Lent

Bishop James, the Bishop of Rochester, will be leading some Quiet Days during Lent to which all are welcome.


He writes:
These are intended for anybody, lay or ordained, who wishes to spend some hours with me in reflection and prayer during Lent. I will be offering broadly the same material and programme at six different venues as indicated below, and hope that these days will offer some spiritual nourishment and encouragement as we seek to be faithful to Christ in our daily lives.

Each Quiet Day will begin at 10.30am (with arrivals from 10.00am) and will end around 3.30pm. The Quiet Day will include times of shared worship, some addresses by me and space for personal prayer and reflection. The overall theme for my addresses will be ‘Home Thoughts from Abroad’; my intention is to offer some reflections around scriptural themes of home and belonging, and especially how we nourish ourselves spiritually for life ‘at home’ in a world which we may often experience as being ‘abroad’, that is strange and unfamiliar. Using different language, this might be about the tension of living in the here and now, while also nurturing the life of the Spirit within us.

The dates and venues for the Quiet Days are as follows:

• Saturday 25th February at St Barnabas, Joydens Wood
• Thursday 1st March at St Peter’s, Pembury (Upper Church)
• Monday 5th March at St Martin’s, Chelsfield
• Monday 12th March at St John’s, Meopham
• Saturday 17th March at Bromley College (Rochester Spirituality Network Lent Quiet Day)
• Friday 23rd March at St John’s, Hildenborough

There is no charge for attendance, though people are asked to bring their own packed lunch – tea/coffee will be provided. Numbers will be limited to 50 at each venue in the first instance, and booking will be on a first-come basis.
Booking is by e-mail or telephone to Jenny Churcher at Bishopscourt – bishops.secretary@rochester.anglican.org or 01634 842721.

Basic Enneagram Course

Friday 27^th – Sunday 29^th April 2012

 

Times:  Friday 1930-2130

             Saturday 1000-1600

             Sunday 1430-1630

         Course Tutors:

               Rev’d Margi Walker

               and Rev’d Chris Wilkinson

               with team

Please bring your own lunch -drinks will be provided. 

         

Cost:  £45 including course books

At Stelling Minnis Village Hall, CT4 6AG

7 miles south of  Canterbury, off B2068.

For further information or queries, please contact Rev’d Margi Walker

E-mail:  margiwalker@uwclub.net

Tel: 01227 730805  

More details and booking form here

WHAT IS THE ENNEAGRAM?

The Enneagram is a tool of compassion which helps us to understand ourselves and our motivations.

It describes nine different personality styles. Each one is defined by an emotional habit, a characteristic pattern of thought and a style of relating to others, which together produce a distinctive point of view.

There are nine particular ways in which we can weigh ourselves down with unnecessary baggage and the invitation of The Enneagram is to recognise our own burden and, by God’s grace, to begin to let it go.

The Enneagram teaches that no one type is better than another but that each of us approaches life seeing it through a different lens of assumptions and perceptions.

The Enneagram encourages us to make sense of our own personalities and to access possibilities for change within ourselves.  It also helps us to have more understanding and appreciation of others whose motivation is different from ours.

This weekend course is for those with no previous knowledge of the Enneagram. 

On this course, the nine spaces will be explored through a variety of ways. 

By the end of the weekend, people will have gained sufficient understanding to choose which personality type they belong to.

Pip n Jims, Chatham : Taize style service

6:30pm Sunday January 22nd 

at St Philip and St James church, Chatham. (www.pipnjims.co.uk). 

 

This is the first of planned quarterly services of prayer, reflection and singing in the Taize style.

Next one April 22nd 2012.

All Welcome.