Paul writes – The Church Times recently included an interesting article by CofE Rev’d Jennie Hogan. The piece is titled “Truly Catholic and Truly Fresh”. You can read it here (PDF).
Here’s an excerpt:
“…Anglo-catholic clergy often ponder: what exactly is a Fresh Expression? Could it be benediction using a gong instead of sanctuary bells? Cynical laughs often follow. Fresh Expressions is sometimes perceived as a silly campaign dreamt up by Church House civil servants on a Friday afternoon. For many, it would appear that, liturgically speaking, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Yet if anyone dares to ask how many people turn up for the mass on Sunday, the laughs fade, and the familiar anxiety reappears. But Fresh Expressions — contemplative prayer with art, compline with chanting, solemn mass using new images and new music — is liturgy re-viewed and re-newed. The timelessness of the sacraments is embedded in the up-to-date, and Christianity becomes engaging and relevant to people’s lives…”
Also out next May is a book – Ancient Faith, Future Mission: Fresh Expressions in the Sacramental Traditions (Paperback) – edited by Stephen Croft and Ian Mobsby. It is a new multi-authored book exploring fresh expressions of church from the catholic and contemplative traditions. It is being published by Canterbury Press. It is likely to include chapters from: Archbishop Rowan Williams (this address), Abbot Stuart of Burford Priory, Bishop Stephen Cottrell, Steven Croft, Phyllis Tickle, Brian McLaren, Tessa Holland & Philip Roderick, Simon Rundell, Ian Adams & Ian Mobsby, Carl Turner, Sue Wallace, Karen Ward, Page Blair (of U2charist fame) and Canon Richard Giles.
For those of us with a more sacramental leaning it will hopefully be a very interesting and encouraging read.
You can pre-order it here.
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