'Anoint-ometer'

Our church are thinking of buying one these. It looks like an essential piece of kit for any worship centred congregation. But first we would like to hear from others as to how they have got on with theirs. I can see there might be unexpected side effects. Thanks to the Worship Oracle for bringing this important development to our attention.

Wired Church CD Rom On Line

Those nice people at Midnight Oil Productions have put the whole CD Rom of
the Wired Church on-line. It's a great training resource for those learning to develop a 
church multi-media team and resources.

 Len Wilson and Jason Moore like to call themselves the MO guys and the book gives illustrated examples of the development of their multi-media ministry at Ginghamsburg Church.

They are very strong on the use of metaphor when using film and digital media to to a story.

They developed these themes further in Digital Storytellers:
The Art of Communicating the Gospel in Worship (Abingdon, 2002) which I blogged here.

Space for the Cross

Today of all days being Good Friday was the day to wait at the cross and consider.

At the end of our Good Friday service this morning we were invited to spend more time in silence either watching the cruxifiction screen from the Jesus of Nazareth video in another room or spending quiet time in a room where  a large wooden cross was set 
up, at the foot of which were nails and a hammer.

Many churches may be used to this sort of opportunity for quiet reflection in worship.
Our church is new to this and several were very moved by the opportunity for silence.

Thanks to God for His immeasurable gift in Jesus.

24/7 Prayer at Beverley Minster

Just returned from celebrating a friend's birthday in Beverley.

Included a visit to Beverley Minster for the Palm Sunday service as our friends are the vicar and his wife. The service included a donkey derby with a live donkey crash.

The front legs were formed by a brownie blindfolded with a donkey mask and then steered by another youngster as the back legs. Two rival teams competed round the congregation but one set of back legs had defective steering and crashed the blindfolded brownie into a stone pillar. 
Only a bloody nose resulted.
(I thought there was only one donkey in the Palm Sunday story.)

I returned the following day to look at the examples of prayer stations set up for 24/7 prayer throughout the week leading up to Easter. Have a look at the photos on Flickr.

The Beverley Minster network of churches includes a 
fresh expression of church known as the Minster Way.
The work to build community in a recent housing develoment to the north
of the town includes a listening service based in a health centre.