Ministry Development Team: Worshipping God

Transcription

1 Ministry Develpment Team: Wrshipping Gd This dcument cntains infrmatin fr the priest and AMD Advisr (r ther facilitatr) t help with the Ministry Develpment fr the Wrshipping Gd theme. Date, lcatin and participants Ideally, the Ministry Develpment Team shuld take place abut tw weeks after the Clergy Cllege. It lasts abut 90 minutes and shuld be held in a cmfrtable envirnment. The Ministry Develpment Team invlves a cre grup f between six and 12 peple. The priest identifies and invites participants. They can include clergy, Readers, Lcal Wrship Leaders and Pastral Wrkers, and Church Wardens. Aims f the Ministry Develpment Team The aims f the Ministry Develpment Team are: t frm a bridge between the learning that takes place during the Clergy Cllege and Ministry Develpment; and t frm a grup that is aware f and understands the theme f Ministry Develpment and can help supprt the priest in its delivery. The Ministry Develpment Team will als be a chance t remind peple abut hw AMD wrks, t talk abut the Clergy Cllege and t help build a cmmn understanding f what yu re trying t achieve. Cntent f the Ministry Develpment Team The structure f the Ministry Develpment Team will usually be as fllws (timings are a guide nly, but try nt t run ver unless yu aim t reduce anther sectin in advance): A Welcme and Prayer led by priest, facilitatr r thers: 5 minutes B Outline f Ministry Develpment and discussin led by priest r facilitatr: 25 minutes C Input by priest n a tpic frm the Clergy Cllege and discussin: 25 minutes D Appreciative Inquiry f the church explring Wrshipping Gd led by facilitatr: 25 minutes E Summary f discussins and Cncluding Prayers: 5 minutes The fllwing pages cntain further resurces fr each f these sectins. Depending upn the time f day it may be gd t prvide suitable refreshments. Arrange the rm s that everyne can participate in the cnversatins. If yu are using Pwerpint, r ther visual aids, ensure everyne can see prperly and prepare the equipment (laptp and prjectr) in advance.

2 A: Welcme & Prayer Welcme: explain that this is the final Ministry Develpment Team check that everyne knws each ther especially imprtant if churches have recently started wrking tgether and/r new peple are invlved utline the aims f the Parish Prgramme Launch (see Aims abve) utline what will happen during the sessin (see Cntent abve) Prayer: use an apprpriate frm f prayer, fcussing n Wrshipping Gd. 5 minutes B: Outline f the Parish Prgramme [NOTE it wuld be pssible t spend much mre than 25 minutes n this theme and yu may decide t reduce ne f the ther sectins, e.g. the priest s input, in rder t allw this t happen] State the theme: Wrshipping Gd. EXERCISE IN PAIRS: Try cmpleting the sentence Wrship is ; cmpare yur respnses. In Cmmn Wrship this is said abut wrship: In the wrship f Gd, the full meaning and beauty f ur humanity is cnsummated and ur lives are pened t the prmise Gd makes fr all creatin t transfrm and renew it in lve and gdness (p. iv). EXERCISE IN PAIRS: say whether this is yur experience f wrship; cmpare yur respnses. Sng/hymn: (suggestin The Servant King by Graham Kendrick; lyrics and music available nline) EXERCISE: Setting the scene: During the sng, a selectin f bks r religius bjects (e.g. a crss, candles, vestments etc.) that culd be used in wrship are displayed n a suitable table in the centre f the grup Each member f the grup is invited t chse a bk r bject frm the table, t hld and study it fr a minute r tw Each member is asked what the purpse f their chsen bk r bject is in enabling the wrship f Gd. Key pint: The wrd wrship means different things t different peple and we have t get used t the varied use f the wrd. INPUT & DISCUSSION: We might say that wrship is giving Gd his wrth, r what he deserves, r glry. Christians in the seventeenth century said The true end f man is t glrify Gd and enjy him fr ever. Taking thse cmments and yur wn reflectins as a starting pint hw d the fllwing paragraphs reflect yur wn experience and understanding f wrship? Wrship is a dr pen in heaven - We lift up ur hearts, listen in t what Gd is saying, jin the angels and archangels and all the saints in heaven in praising Gd s eternal hliness. We are there and he is here. Allw peple t reflect and cmment Ministry Develpment Team 5: Wrshipping Gd Resurces (Versin 2) 2

3 Wrship is a dr pen t the inner depths f life - Suddenly, as we wrship, there is a whleness, shalm, peace, as all the fragmented bits f ur being are put int Gd s perspective. Things make sense, and there is smething t hld n t which has hithert seemed just beynd the grasp f ur mind. Allw peple t reflect and cmment Wrship is a dr pen t the rhythms f life - Thrugh festivals, simple rituals, a weekly rhythm, wrship marking mrning and evening, the whle f life, time and space claimed fr Gd and given back t him. In the wrship he gives it t us again, t use fr him, and we knw he is cncerned with ur hpes and fears, plitics and prblems, families and finance. Allw peple t reflect and cmment Wrship is a dr t ur hearts pen in bedience t Gd - He cmmands us t wrship in spirit and in truth. We respnd t the verwhelming majesty f his beauty revealed in creatin, t his verwhelming lve and grace revealed in his wrd and in his Sn. And as we wrship we are changed Allw peple t reflect and cmment DISCUSSION: Think f yur church s wrship and cnsider the fllwing questins: 1. What des Gd think f it? (Des this wrship achieve its aim f ascribing 'wrth' t Gd?) 2. What d we think f it? (Des this wrship help all thse wh have cme t the service t be able t ffer their wrship tgether?) 3. What d they think abut it? (Are there sme things abut the way we wrship tgether which make it harder than it need be fr new peple t jin us in wrship?) This shuld lead nt the priest s input. C: Input by priest The priest shuld select a tpic that really interested him/her at the recent Clergy Cllege. It can be anything frm the Clergy Cllege, nt necessarily smething relevant t the theme f Wrshipping Gd, but yu may like t think abut the material presented in the sessin entitled In Spirit and in Truth. Please prvide any learning resurces yu require; feel free t cpy anything prvided at the Clergy Cllege if that s helpful t the grup r take an idea frm the Parish Prgramme resurces, e.g. a vide r website stry r smething that yu wuld wish t d with the yuth r children. maximum f 10 minutes Discuss the tpic and its relevance fr the church Yu may like t suggest questins fr the grup t discuss r ask them t participate in a creative activity remember that different peple have different learning styles. arund 15 minutes Cnclude the discussin Try and cnclude n a psitive nte, which will lead well int Appreciative Enquiry. Ministry Develpment Team 5: Wrshipping Gd Resurces (Versin 2) 3

4 D: Appreciative Inquiry Appreciative Inquiry is a way f asking questins that helps peple fcus upn what has been gd abut the past and the psitive aspects f ur present. It leads a grup t think abut building upn what has wrked well rather than becming preccupied abut what s ging wrng. If yu are interested in finding ut mre abut Appreciative Inquiry the Accmpanied Ministry Develpment team can suggest sme resurces, althugh the fllwing website: cntains a useful summary There are varius elements t Appreciative Inquiry. Typically they are: Discver Appreciate what is present when things g well Dream Imagine the features f a flurishing future Develp r Design Identify what yu will d Decide Create this future The cycle lks like this: Discver Decide Dream Develp As part f the Ministry Develpment Team churches will cncentrate upn the Discver element f Appreciative Inquiry; the ther elements culd be very suitable tpics fr PCC meetings, fr example. If there are mre than six peple present, it s best t divide int smaller grups s that everyne has an pprtunity t speak. If nly a few peple are present, stay as ne grup. The structure f this part f the Ministry Develpment Team is as fllws In pairs, ask each persn t think abut and briefly describe a meaningful experience f wrship in which they tk part. Ask them t identify and sum up in ne sentence what it was that made it special. Ask each persn t feed back their sentence and summarise it n a flip chart. Draw ut sme f the cmmn themes which begin t emerge as t what make up a psitive wrship experience. 10 t 12 minutes Cme tgether as a whle grup and in the light f what has been said, ask everyne t give tw hpes fr hw yur church might help peple Live fr Gd. 5 t 10 minutes Ministry Develpment Team 5: Wrshipping Gd Resurces (Versin 2) 4

5 E: Summary and Cncluding Prayer Thank peple fr cming Cnclude with prayers fr the church and fr each ther and fr any ther pressing issues in yur cmmunity and the wider wrld. 5 minutes Ministry Develpment Team 5: Wrshipping Gd Resurces (Versin 2) 5