Community Profile

Principles & Activities That Define Us.

Refuge

• A community where people are safe to belong and loved before they believe.
• A home for wounded, exhausted followers to rediscover Jesus and the Father in a safe loving environment.
• Where people are loved and listened to, not being judged or condemned but shown the love, mercy and grace of Jesus.
• A community where it is safe to share doubts and questions, struggles, heartache and pain, along with fun and parties

Relationships

• Relationships full of meaning and purpose where we give and receive - We need each other to help us in the pursuit of Jesus.

Growth

• A need to seek Jesus in all we do.
• A need to love others that Jesus puts in our path.

Teaching and discipleship.

• Worship.
• Communion being centre to community life.
• Prayer
• Discussive approach to teaching based upon scripture.

Serving

• Hospitality and sharing generously what we have.
• Helping the poor within our community.

"My first posting - ChrisO"

Wot is God like ? So wot ?

God is trinity; One God--- three persons.
Now just think about it for a minute. If you are three persons -how do you make decisions ?
How are decisions made about:
- what the weather is going to be like in North Devon today ?
-or whether to give a revelation to Frank whilst he is eating his rice crispies ?
-or to convert the apostle Paul ?

Solution 1: One person (the father ) is boss-and he decides. End of story !

Solution 2: All three of you have to give in sometimes and do what the others want.
Or you have talk until you all agree-and then act together in perfect submission.

The Western Roman Christians liked Solution 1 because that was the way they did things too ! (suspicious huh !)

The Eastern Christians liked Solution 2-and called the idea 'equality in hierarchy".
They thought that God the father was boss -yes ! -but that the son and the spirit all loved each other so much hat they talked about everything they did together until they agreed. So there was a hierarchy but it didn't really matter because the job of the boss was to act a bit like a chairperson -and make sure they all agreed before they did anything.

So wot ?

Well -if you like idea number one then you think God is an autocrat-who goes around imposing his will nilly willy as He thinks fit-without much consultation I might add.

If you like idea number two -then you are actually open to the fact that we too may influence God to change His mind -and do something other than what He planned.

It also affects the way we do church -because we can either be centered on what the boss (leader) wants all the time
-or we can know that the job of the boss is to help us talk about things and learn to agree or prefer the ideas of others-and learn to be selfless while we do so.

I like solution two -how about you ?

frank rothery

Ekklesia -the called out ones; no more and no less

Paul's comment got me thinking- so here goes.

The word that Jesus used to talk about church was "ekklesia" and it means "the called out ones".

Jesus talked about ekklesia in the most simple way.
He gave no guidelines and made no demands about what people should wear, how or when they should worship together or what they should do when they meet. He did not mention hymns, thriling worship, singing or even a talk !-let alone something as organised as a sermon.

When Jesus met the woman at the well he specifically attacked the idea that worship must happen in any one place in order for it to be OK. In doing his He was saying to the woman that God is not limited to Samaria or Jerusalem (or anywhere else) but He is the God of the whole Earth and of All peoples ! Because of this -what we need when we approach God with thanks is to worship in spirit (for God is everywhere) and without sham or falsity in our hearts. For Jesus, worship is always about the heart. The form in which people choose to worship is of no concern to Him.

Jesus also prefers the organic in the way he talks about ekklesia. He uses imagery like sheep, shepherd, farming, sowing, reaping, harvesting etc etc. Jesus said nothing at all about structure and organization. However, He did say a lot about how ekklesia were to treat each other ie humbly, gently, lovingly and sacrificially.

In the Epistles different types of service are recognised. However they are all about a recognition of the gifts that God has given certain people rather than giving them organizational and hierarchical authority. Someone is an apostle-not because they have ability to rule in an organizational or hierarchical way-but because the ekklesia community recognizes that they have a special gift for going out into the world and that they have been " sent". Apostleship is not about exercising authority over other people. What brings authority is the willingness of the apostle to suffer and sacrifice and to lay down his life -after the example of Jesus.
The apostle Paul calls himself a "nobody" and the "worst of sinners".
This is language which is absent from the leadership of the modern day church -and it is why the church in the West is spiritually bankrupt.

Since the days of the Roman Empire church leadership has been infected with ideas of dominance, superiority and hierarchy as a way of governing real ekklesia. It is exactly the opposite to what Jesus told his apostles to do ie that the greatest amongst you should serve like a slave. This Roman way has been the kiss of death to real ekklesia/Jesus centred covenant communities.

Mutual submission out of love for one another is the way we see ekklesia trying to live out the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament.
Wherever these non hierarchical mutually submissive communities emerge and begin to walk together in an open spirit-this is ekklesia !

In conclusion -a parable;

God and satan were walking together one day.
God says "I'm going to start a new church"
Satan says " OH GREAT ! CAN I ORGANIZE IT FOR YOU ? ? ? . . . . . "

In the early 1980's John Wimber came to the UK with one message from God;

"GIVE ME BACK MY CHURCH !!!"

frank rothery

Chagford CYM Update

Well Kate, Eloise and I came back from our weekend placement interview at chagford, and they decided they would like to offer us a place!

Chagford and an interesting place, a lot of artists, musicians, poets etc. So quite an ‘expressive’ place with people to match! Also a lot of young families.

So for those who don’t know the placement is part of my Centre for Youth Ministry (CYM) degree in BA honours degree in youth & community work and applied theology. The exiting thing is that the churches want to work together in enabling an emerging/faith community expression of youth church to develop. I should also be doing some stuff with Church Mission Society though Jonny baker and one of my lectures at CYM who works for Frontier Youth Trust, Richard Passmore.

Map of Chagford

In a name

It seem that calling our blog ‘Torridge Vineyard Community’, coursed some people concern that we we’re indicating by the name that we were a Church’... makes me think,

What is a church? Are we a Church?

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
Matt. 18:20

P Tilley

Ye ye... give me the beer

Get it down ya son!... Nice Shirt..pink and Yellow

I SAID....BEER!

That shirt again...

Chris 40th Birthday!

 

Wot frank 'as bin readin lately

Wot frank 'as bin readin lately;

"Against an Infinite Horizon: the finger of God in our everyday lives" by missionary priest Father Ronald Rolheiser.

How can we deal with the frustration of living in a world where most of what is inside us has no place to go ?
We are fired into life with a madness that comes from the gods, which leaves us restless and half crazy. It will not give us rest until we find a great all consuming love. We live our lives against an infinite horizon and it is only the Infinite that will even begin to bring us rest. When we realise that we are created by God to have a desire and capacity for all that is Infinite ie never ending -that is when we begin to make sense of God and our desires and our place in Our Universe.

"Creation Spirituality" by Matthew Fox.

We need to begin to see the mystical Presence of Christ in His creation-"Without Him was not anything made that has been made" John 1. The native and poor peoples of the earth can lead us to freedom and salvation through their nearness to God in His creation. Awe and wonder with Creation leads to the need to take action as part of God's recovery of the whole Earth.

Community ?

At kinship a few weeks ago Mike talked about his experiences of bing in community with up to 70 people. We asked him about the best stuff and the worst--but perhaps it's best if you ask him about all that !
Also we read about Mary Pytches experinces of community in her book -A Healing Fellowship. Mike and Mary agrred that community is about an increasing honesty with one another and not needing to hide anymore behind the different masks we wear.
Christian psychotherapist M Scott Peck talks about 4 phases that all groups go through on the journey towards community together;
>Pseudocommunity-everyone pretends and is nice-but it's not real.
>Chaos-people try to heal, convert and problem solve -as a escape from facing themselves and their own pain and self hatred.
>Emptiness-the conflict stops and people give up trying to heal and convert and change others and come to a realialisation about themselves. This is group death.
>Community-in an atmosphere of love and acceptance real conversion from the heart and real healing begins. this is group resurrection and is a channel for the glory of God to be made real in peoples ordinary everyday lives.

fatboyfrankie

Community ?

At kinship a few weeks ago Mike talked about his experience of living in community -with up to 70 people. We asked him about the best and worst things-if you want know you'll have to ask him !
We also looked at Mary Pytches experience of community that she writes about in her book -A Healing Fellowship. Mike and Mary agreed that something of what comunity is about is a growing transparency and less need to put up defences and pretend. There is an acceptance of each other-warts and all and a growing feeling that we do not need to hide or pretend with each other. Community is when our defences fall and we can begin to be real with each other.
Scott Peck -the Christian Psychoherapist thinks all groups go through at least 4 phases on their journey towards community together;
Pseudocommunity-everyone pretends to be nice -but it's not real.
Chaos-dominant members fight and strive to have their view of what he group is about succeed.
People try to solve each others problems and to heal and convert one another-but their reasons are mainly selfish-they want to change others and think they have answers.
Emptiness-group death. The group conflict stops and people give up some of their cherished ideas and begin to be open to others for whothey really are-warts and all. People stop trying to fix each other.
Community-the group stops scapegoating and blaming others both inside and outside the group.
People begin to accept each other with all their differences.
The group has learnt together how to embrace differences and work out their own ideas without having to impose them on others.
In this atmosphere of love and acceptance -real conversion of the heart and healing begins.
Something akin to the Glory of God is made real in the group-as real forgiveness and acceptance becomes possible.
This is the quality of life togehter that the Holy Spirit brings when He falls. So then Come Holy Spirit.

The church gets in trouble whenever it thinks its in the church business rather than the Kingdom business.

jonnybaker has this great quote from howard snyder's book liberating the church. I just thought that it was a really interesting quote to maybe discuss some time:

"The church gets in trouble whenever it thinks its in the church business rather than the Kingdom business. In the church business people are concerned with church activities, religious behaviour and spiritual things. In the Kingdom business people are concerned with Kingdom activities, all human behaviour and everything God has made, visible and invisible. Kingdom people see human affairs as saturated with spiritual meaning and Kingdom significance.
Kingdom people seek first the Kingdom of God and its justice; church people often put church work above concerns of justice, mercy and truth. Church people often think about how to get people into church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom people work to see the church chnage the world.
When Christians put the church ahead of the Kingdom they settle for the status quo and their own kind of people. When they catch a vision of the Kingdom of God their sights shift to the poor, the orphan, the widow, the refugee 'the wretched of the earth' and to God's future. They see the life and work of the church from the perspective of the Kingdom.
If the church has one great need it is this: to be set free for the Kingdom of God, to be liberated from itself as it has become in order to be itself as God intends..."

Meditation

Hi All

Remember when Frank taught us how to start meditating in housegroup one week. Well I was feeling really low (extremely low) and didnt understand why I was going through the trials and thoughts I was experiencing, I didnt really know what to pray as I felt I had exhausted all options, but instead felt really compelled to try the meditation again. I normally get pictures from God, or words from other christians, but I have rarely received a direct word from God, so thought I would just get a picture. The first time I tried a dog outside started barking which set Barnaby and Sybil off barking, I was really annoyed and was ready to give up when I felt a small voice inside telling me to persevere and try again.

I tried again and was waiting for a picture, instead I kept getting Isaiah V, I couldnt understand what the V stood for, so I waited and kept focusing on God when he reminded me V in Roman Numerals is the letter 5, then I got the number 4 and then :1 - it was then I realised it was Isaiah 54 verse 1 - well I was a bit skeptical to say the least, I dug out my bible thinking that knowing my luck Isaiah would have only 53 chapters. I started readling Isaiah 54 and blow me if God didnt speak right to my heart, I kept on reading right to the end of the chapter and every word penetrated my heart. I couldnt believe it. I had about 100 answers to pray in that one chapter. It was so exciting. I was jumping up and down for joy and kept reading it over and over again. And to top it all I felt an amazing wave of peace flow over me.

HOW AMAZING.

Cheers
Cookie
XXX

Wot Cookie's reading?

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton - only joking!!!

I'm reading Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge - The message of captivating is:

Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel as a woman - they are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly captivating.

Only on second chapter so will let you know how it goes.

Cookie
XXX

11 Characteristics of the Church Emerging

The Bob Dewaay-Doug Pagitt debate is now a series of 3 podcasts on the "church emerging". Doug gives 11 characteristics of the emerging church movement and a post-modern spirituality:


1. A Kingdom of God focus - join the Kingdom of God wherever it finds it.

2. Pursue faithfulness to God through new practices, structures and understandings.

3. Tend to have a hopeful and positive view of God's engagement in the world - we should find the activity of God in the world and join it.

4. Committed to loving God and loving neighbor and loving enemy in real ways in this world.

5. Deeply connected to the story of God and the Bible.

6. Living with the guidance of the Holy Spirit - not culture or understandings

7. Theologically active - thinking deeply about these practices

8. Openness to the "other" - outsider, foreigner, doesn't get freaked out

9. Want the good news of God to change the world and be the good news for all creation.

10. We understand community to be an essential part of the Christian life.

11. We are interested in the future more than fighting the battles of the past - we are people who are trying to live the story of Jesus in our world in ways consistent to where we have come from.

New Testament Hyper-concordance

New Testament Hyper-concordance Home

This is an interesting site for bible study the very helpful New Bible Reference: The HyperConcordance.

"How it works

The Hyper-concordance includes each word in the English Standard Version text of the New Testament (excepting common or function words like 'be', 'the', 'in', 'of', etc.). Following the link for one of those words displays a list of all the verses that contain some form of that word, with the word in bold to make it easy to see."

Blessing people with crap stew

Just come back from a overnight with a group of 3 lads.  I cooked the lads a really bad stew, it was nasty!  But a young guy who lives in sheltered accommodation was so grateful for the meal cus he said he hasn’t had a meal cooked for him for about a year and he only eats microwave meals and crisps!  Now this guy if 15 and I think that 15 year olds should have meals cooked for them and it really hit me that I was able to cook for this guy even though it was a crap stew!

wot frank's readin lately

Wot frank's readin lately

"Against An Infinite Horizon; the finger of God in our everyday lives" by missionary priest Fa. Ronald Rolheiser.

How can we deal with the frustration of living in a world where most of what is inside us has no place to go ? We are fired into life with a madness that comes from the gods which leaves us relentlessly restless and half crazy. It will not give us rest until we find an all consuming infinite love. We live our lives aginst an infinite horizon and it is only the Infinite that will even begin to bring us rest. When we realise that we have been created by God with a desire for and capacity for all the never ending/infinite -that is when we begin to make sense of God and our desires and Our Universe.

"Creation Spirituality" by Matthew Fox.

Begin to see the mystical Presence of Christ in His creation-"without Him was not anything made that has been made" John 1.
The indigenous and poor peoples of the Earth can lead the overdeveloped nations to freedom and salvation through their closeness to God in Creation. Awe and wonder at the world that God has created leads us to compassionate justice and action for the Earth.

Cookie

Death has come knocking on everyone’s door
He tries to snatch you – no knowledge of more
But Jesus’ word you have yet to hear
He is coming – the day is ever so near

Father Dear Father
Come release your power
Father Dear Father
Come into this hour
Father Dear Father
Come and send your son
Father Dear Father
Let your will be done

Deep routed evil – the word full of sin
Abuse of the drugs, sex, whisky and gin
She sells her soul to the devil on streets
He fights the gangs of the not so elite

Disease so crippled that you cannot walk
A world full of ignorance and there is no talk
How can you live on streets so unclean
This world that we are living in.

Center for Youth Ministry interview

I (Paul) have my Center for Youth Ministry interview confirmed for this coming Thursday (15th June 06) in Oxford.

Main Page - Theopedia

Theopedia is a growing online encyclopedia of Christianity and Biblical Theology.

Book Paul is currently reading

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity: Books

The Church Beyond the Congregation: The Strategic Role of the Church in the Postmodern Era: Books

A Life Stripped Bare: Books

Hi Everyone

Just to say hello, and thank you for such a wonderful housegroup. Ah!! It's comforting to have the support of other like minded creatures.

Hope you like the photo - distant memories of when we were in the Maldives.

Luv
Cookie XXX

Burning Bangers

 

Cooking Bangers

 

House Group 2

 

House Group 1

 

Am i the only person

Am i the only person who is ever going to use this site ? a correction to my previous blog-should be "hello Bideford Vineyard !"

Muchos apologias mes amigos !

fbf

Sunday's bbq was a yummer !!

Well hello North Devon Vineyard !!
I wonder what divine creature you will become ?

Sunday's bbq was a yummer !!
Especially the cous-cous with nuts (Kate's I think ?)and the veggie kebabs.
Chris and Rachel's Canadian whiskey also went down exeedingly smoothly in the fading evening light.
In't community brilliant ?!

Of course all the eating and drinking provided a great backdrop for me to discuss with Paul and Phil- the impact of enlightenment philosophy on our society -and on our church. Yes -it was that stimulating !

The one thought I take away from our converstaion is that Bentham's utilitarian vision of a happy nation focussed mainly on the material aspects of happiness. He paid little attention to the needs of our souls. And the consequence of this is that we live in a world where our material needs and welfare are well catered for -but our souls are starving.The USA -which is a shining example of Bentham's utilitarian vision-is also the most addicted nation on the planet.

That is a big lot of spiritual hunger ...

Talking of the big bad star spangled beast-I was listening to an interview with the writer Phillip Roth on TV this week. He is a renowned American secularist and he said a very amazing but really insightful thing about the USA. That is ...that the USA is a deeply secular nation !! -for all it's religious veneer and play acting.

And I think his observation is exactly right. And the reason it is deeply secular is because its Christian rhetoric does not touch the way people live in their everyday lives. It does not really affect the way it's social and political institutions are run. This is the great evangelical disaster -as Francis Schaeffer put it. Big on words -little on integrity.

What can we do I wonder ?

Thank God for nutty cous-cous and Canadian whiskey-and for all of you. And the new world coming.

peace n all good !

fatboy frankie