Church on the Corner

Our new website.

2007-05-22T22:04:00.000+01:00

This blog is now no longer in use. Please come over to our new website at www.churchonthecorner.org.uk.
Goodbye blogger. You have been great.

COTC Sermons on iTunes

2007-05-12T18:46:00.000+01:00

Our Isaiah series is now available as a podcast through iTunes. You can find our iTunes music store page here.

Alternatively you can download them directly from here or you can subscribe to the RSS feed

Football tournament 2007

2007-05-09T12:23:00.000+01:00

We had another amazing football tournament on Bank Holiday monday, despite the weather in the morning it was a fantastic day. Here is a video of the highlights, and there are lots and lots of photographs from the day on the Football page of the COTC website.

Life at COTC

2007-04-28T16:40:00.000+01:00

The Last Sunday - Image and Truth

2007-04-24T16:32:00.000+01:00

This sunday evening we hosted a group of London based photographers for an exhibition of their work. A really good evening, the place was packed, Barry Dunnage spoke on 'Image and Truth". Liz has lots of pictures from the night here

Church on the Beach 25th-28th May

2007-04-24T15:33:00.000+01:00

More information about our weekend away.
We are staying at the Pitton Cross Campsite which is five minutes from the beach. There are some pictures of the Gower here
Transport - we will hire a minibus, and there will be plenty of Cars driving down at various times. Or there is the train to Swansea option if you want it a bit more civilised; we can pick you up from there. Sunday is Pentecost and we will be having church on the beach.

COTC Pub sign

2007-04-19T16:42:00.000+01:00

I was thinking today about what image I would like for our new pub sign outside church. How about an iconic Jesus image in the style of the Angelic, or how about doing something in reaction to that.
One of my favorite images is Banksy's Fallen angel
How about this for our pub sign?

Sunrise

2007-04-08T20:18:00.000+01:00

We had a beautiful Easter, from the solemnnity of our service of shadows, watching the excellen and thought provoking Jesus of Montreal on Saturday night, watching the sun rise on Hampstead heath on easter morning and a lovely all age service after a fine breakfast.

Ex Libris COTC

2007-04-03T20:44:00.000+01:00

As we look to develop the Cloudsley room at COTC (as the upstairs end room is
now known) as a place for reading, study and prayer I thought it
would be good to develop our Library. There are lots of good books at
the moment, but on the whole they are cast offs. So instead of people
donating their old books I thought it would be great to get you all
to donate your favorite book.

Why not look at your bookshelf and decide which is the book that has
meant the most to you, and donate it to your family at church (if you
can't live without it you can buy it again - it must be worth it!).
And better still why not write a review of it to encourage others to
read it.

I have made a little 'ex libris' card which you could print out and
stick inside the front, which has room for a brief review. If you
want to write something longer, why not tuck that into the book too.

We will select some of the best reviews and display them on the shelf
(like in Waterstones) .

Old Paths - Thomas Cranmer

2007-03-26T13:51:00.000+01:00

We are coming to the end of this series, and though there are many amazing figures of recent church history I would love to cover we will just choose some of the key ones. Last night we told the story of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, architect of the Church of England and Martyr for his faith.
The video of his words and wisdom is above, his recent Biography by Diarmaid MacCulloch is excellent or you can listen to a lecture on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of his death by my old church history lecturer (yes it is all his fault!) from Bible College.

Old Paths - Martin Luther

2007-03-16T20:24:00.000Z

More has been written on Martin Luther than any other figure in Church History. He stands between the medieval and modern worlds, and on one of the great faultlines of Christianity, and his thinking defines protestant theology to this day.
Lots of good online media on the subject. Melvin Bragg on Radio 4's 'In our time' discussing Luther at the Diet of Worms. There is the webpage of a US TV series on Luther with a dramatic introduction to the man and some interviews with people including Alistar McGrath. An interesting listen is David Starkey's abject attempt to suggest that Luther killed christianity which is shot down by his own witnesses.

Old Paths - Thomas Aquinas

2007-03-09T19:35:00.000Z

Scholar, mystic, politican. You can download the whole of his epic 'Summa theologica' here. But perhaps just a taste is all you need - here is his 'Sacred Doctrine'

Francis of Assisi

2007-03-05T19:41:00.000Z

Francis of Assisi is well known for his love of nature and his simple peaceful lifestyle, and his founding of the radical Franciscan order of Monks. He is one of the most Christlike figures in History, but the aspect of his life which is more pertinant to our day than any other is his relationship with the world of Islam. A good introduction here

The cost of life

2007-03-05T18:01:00.000Z

I found this excellent 'game' today. I say 'game' because actually it is a bit traumatic. You have a little family who you need to keep alive, feed and educate. And it is really hard. They kept dying on me. It is sponsored by unicef and if has a very serious point about how hard life is in the developing world - and just when you think you are doing ok disaster strikes. Have a go and tell me how you do. I was beginning to thing it was rigged, but it turns out you can do okay: All alive, 2577 goud and 6 diplomas - beat that!

The Last Sunday

2007-02-28T12:25:00.000Z

Sunday night was quite memorable. It was the next in our 'Last Sunday' services and we spent the evening as a meditation on communion.
It went something like this:

Opening prayer

Reflection on Bread including a reading from John 6

Making Bread. We had mixed the dough, but it still needed kneading and shaping. During the breadmaking we shared our experiences of communion - both good and bad. Then the bread was taken off to be baked.

Reflection on Wine. There was wine on the tables and we discussed the biblical imagery of wine - as new life, joy, abundance and peace. During this part the smell of baking bread drifted through the room.

A short talk on the importance of the ritual, incorporating some of the historic conflict over communion and an encouragement to take this back as part of our community life.

Then the bread was brought out again, and we used it for communion. Lovely.

Benedict of Nursia

2007-02-21T12:00:00.000Z

Benedict left his comfortable life in the city at a young age to pursue his relationship with God in the wilderness. Three years of solitude profoundly changed him, his understanding of humanity and of himself and of God.
Gradually others came to join him in the wilderness and as the community grew he found it necessary to develop a rule of monastic life, full of spiritual and practical wisdom for christian communities which profoundly shaped not only the spiritual life of western europe but also its politics. In an age when government was by force in these communities the Abbot was chosen by the monks and ruled the community in accordance with the written rule and in consultation with the monks.
As a contemporary introduction to the rule of Benedict I would highly recommend the book Finding Sanctuary (£4.50 from Amazon). One of the aspects which I found particularly helpful was Benedicts 12 steps of humility.

Old Paths: Augustine

2007-02-12T15:53:00.000Z

Really enjoyed preaching on St Augustine yesterday. I am struck that one of the really important aspects of this series is that we see great figures of the past as they really are, and avoid the natural inclination to put people on a pedestal. Augustine is one of the greats, but he is also very human. And perhaps it is his awareness of his own failings, along with his ability to wonder that makes him so important.
For further reading there is a short biography here, and here is a modern translation of City of God, and here is Confessions. They are quite long though and you might want to pick them up in a 2nd hand book shop or from Amazon. The wikipedia article on him is not so good - I think people are fighting over him (the down side of wikipedia) and it is a bit scrappy.
Oh and check out this free download of Malcom Muggeridges 'a third testament'. The first chapter is on Augustine.

Old Paths: Tertullian

2007-02-06T15:19:00.000Z

Tertullian was a theologian and fierce defender of orthodoxy. He articulated an elegant and sophisticated doctrine of the nature of God and coined the term Trinity. His influence on Christian thinking is enormous, but also very significant was his gradual rejection of the Greek philosophical culture which the early church was formed within.
You can read a brief biography of his life here [though with a rather more positive interpretation than mine], and find his surviving works and more in the excellent Tertullian Project
I was struck in studying Tertullian (ironically) by the importance of heresy to sharpen and refine orthodoxy. If it had not been for the views of people like Marcion and Arius this elegant articulation of the Trinity may not have come into being. The church has tended to try to lock down orthodoxy through fear of error, but it is that very struggle for truth which spurs us to understand and better articulate what we know of God.

Old Paths: Justin Martyr

2007-01-28T17:13:00.000Z

Our new teaching series starts this week. It is called 'Old paths' and we will be tracing the course of church history through the lives of those who have gone before us.
"Though their culture and language seem alien to us, the same call of Jesus echoes in their ears, and the same spirit works in their hearts"
The first is Justin Martyr, who lived from around 100AD to 165AD and wrote bravely in defence of Christians and their faith in a time when such belief was brutally oppressed. For further reading his surviving documents are all available online. The excellent 'To the Emperor Titus Aelius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Caesar', his second apology To the Roman Senate and the Dialogue with Trypho. There is an excellent wikipedia article on Justin too.

Finding Sanctuary

2007-01-21T12:34:00.000Z

In home groups we are studying this book written by Abbot Christopher Jamison from Worth Abbey.
It is a beautiful little book full of gentle wisdom and practice about making space for God in the midst of busy modern life.
You can buy it for a bargain £4.50 from Amazon

Christmas at Church on the Corner

2006-12-18T16:20:00.000Z

Happy Christmas everyone.

How to speak of things beyond words

2006-12-11T11:36:00.000Z

A little reflection on John 1 for the carol service at church tonight. The lights are on the South Bank, the music is 'The Light' by The Album Leaf. By Jeremy

Reflections on Galatians

2006-12-04T00:03:00.000Z

It felt like an important momant for us tonight, looking back on our time with the Epistle to the Galatians. The conversation we had about how to take what we have learned and put it to work in our community was good, and I want us to hold those things and continue to pursue them.

The things which I distilled from today were these; please add to them what was important to you:

The thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Church should be the place we come when we feel our brokenness rather than where we have to pretend to be fine. The call is to carry one another’s burdens and to share in that struggle.

Our experience of brokeness and conflict is not a mark of our failure but evidence of the spirit of God at work in us. Let us learn to be more honest with each other. We should change our expectation and declare that the norm is struggle and dissonance.

Keep in step with the spirit. We are a spiritual community, and we need to learn to speak of spiritual things in our own language. We walk together and share in the adventure of knowing God. Let this be the place where we talk of our real experience of God without fear of not being correct.

We intend to take sin more seriously not less. Sin is not some outward contamination which can be washed away, but something innate in our nature, something which we will fight with all our days. And we will take grace more seriously. The mercy of God does not come to an end once you become a Christian.

Children of Promise

2006-11-06T21:45:00.000Z

Jeremy's amazing video response to the sermon last night.

Legalism

2006-10-30T13:55:00.000Z

We have been studying the book of Galatians this term at COTC and the major theme which Paul drives home passage by passage is the insidious and damaging error of legalism

Gal 3:3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

I think that very few of us are in danger of legalism in terms of our justification - in terms of how we start as Christians. But our great danger is that we fall into legalism when it comes to sanctification - in terms of our growth as Christians. And the implications of Legalism in terms of our attitudes to ourselves, to guilt, and even to the Gospel are serious.

"Legalism is common to us all In one degree or another because it is human nature. We want to do everything on our own; we want to be self-sufficient. we want to feel like we are in control. So when it comes to good works we look at them as the way in which we can control our salvation. If we are bad, we forfeit salvation; if we are good, we earn it.”

Or as John Piper puts it "Human effort is the insubordinate, self-determining ego which in religious people responds to God's Word not with reliance on the Spirit but with reliance on self. It can produce a very rigorous morality, but it nullifies grace and removes the stumbling block of the cross."

Pub Theology

2006-10-09T11:06:00.000+01:00

Pub theology starts this week.
It is intended to be a place where you can invite your friends who wouldn't be comfortable at church. You can give them a flyer or point them to the website but the best thing is definitely to bring people with you.

The format is simple. Beer conversation and God. Everything is up for discussion, no assumptions, no barriers to entry.
We meet upstairs at the Angelic pub in Islington every wednesday at 8pm.

There will flyers on the table so you can spot us. Flyer available for download here.

COTC Homecoming Party

2006-09-17T16:50:00.000+01:00

We celebrated the end of our building project, and rededicated the building last night. The place looked beautiful, as did everybody, and there was quite a lot of dancing. But the new floor is okay!
Lots of picture on my flickr page. [more to come]

Music Downloads

2006-08-20T22:33:00.000+01:00

Francis Blight has been in the studio with Stuart Mclean and others, and their work seems to be paying off. You can listen to tracks online and download a free MP3 of ‘My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less’
His 6 track mini album called 'New skin for old song' is now available at Cross Rhythms Direct

.

Wikimapia

2006-08-07T15:36:00.000+01:00

This is cool - a cross between wikipedia and google maps called Wikimapia. It is essentially google maps with articles about landmarks. Anyone can add locations and articles, so why not contribute your favourite places around Islington (or beyond). I have added Church on the Corner.

jLow in Egypt

2006-08-04T13:54:00.000+01:00

Judy Low is heading out to Egypt for three months with World Horizons. She is going to be working at two special needs centres outside Cairo and utilising her physiotherapy skills.

Please book tickets now for her fundraiser in the 18th August. Flyer here

It will be great fun, and we want to support JLow in this adventure. And Tom Preston will preside over the wine tasting which always makes for a memorable evening...
It will take place at the crypt at St James Clerkenwell Price includes a 3 Course meal & Wine Tasting.
but buy your tickets now or you will miss out!

Greenbelt

2006-08-02T14:12:00.000+01:00

Greenbelt is a christian Arts & music festival. And as christian events go it is pretty good. Really high calibre speakers, a good focus on justice issues, innovative alt. worship. It still has moments when it is a bit cheesy, but it is the best christian event of the year. If you haven't planned to come yet talk to Roseanne about it.

COTC on Tour

2006-07-26T16:36:00.000+01:00

This sunday is the first of our ON TOUR events. We are visiting Moot at St Matthews Westminster [Map]

Moot are hosting a labyrinth service which is an ancient form of worship reframed into the contemporary as way of prayer and intimacy with God. Through it people have experienced God whether they are spiritually searching or have a Christian faith. Additionally, the BBC will be recording the event, but don’t feel intimidated – your ability to worship and encounter God will be the focus of the time. For more info on labyrinths see www.labyrinth.org.uk

We will get there at 6.30pm in time to grab a coffee and chat with people involved in the community, the service will start at 7pm.

Place: St Matthews Church
Meet up: 6.15 outside Westminster tube (facing Big Ben)

The Monastery Revisited

2006-06-08T14:00:00.000+01:00

I’ve been to a few churches around town and they just annoy the **** out of me because they’re so fake, and the people look so lost, and the people on the stage just look so plastic and so charming and so seductive, and I just think ‘I don’t believe in these people’. These people are not an expression of faith. So, I’d much rather just slip into a church and sit there for 10 minutes and have a bit of quiet time, or pray at home. I don’t feel that you necessarily have to turn up at a certain place at a certain time dressed in a certain way to express your faith and live out your faith. I think there’s other ways of doing it.

I am once again inspired by this BBC 2 Series 'The Monstery", and this is the experience of church of a genuinely seeking spiritual guy. His experience is far from unique, and this is important.

Easier to Lie?

2006-06-05T14:02:00.000+01:00

Below is the video from St Mary's last night based around a song by aqualung called "easier to lie..."

The Lost

2006-06-03T20:56:00.000+01:00

I'm not planning on making a habit of this, but recorded the talk for last week on DVD. If you missed it you can watch it below.
Part 1

Part 2

What is next for the Morning Service

2006-05-19T18:56:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday our morning congregation had lunch together and we talked about where our service was going. We had a really good conversation, and you can read the notes from it here:
What is next for the morning Service

Responses and further thoughts are welcome below. My plan is to draw these ideas together into a statement of vision, and present this to both services as part of our vision seeking exercise.

To the ends of the Earth

2006-05-11T12:53:00.000+01:00

We started our new series last Sunday at Church called 'To the ends of the earth'. The first in the series is The Call and if you missed it, or want a recap you can download it here

Comments below as usual

Creative Consultants

2006-04-14T18:24:00.000+01:00

We have set up a part of this website for creative ideas for church, a place to throw ideas around, or ask for advice. I hope it will be a resource for our service leaders or any of you involved in communicating, and a way of continuing our pursuit of authentic creative worship.
It is moderated by some of the experienced creatives in church so you can throw ideas at them, or seek their wisdom on how to do stuff better...

Answers

2006-04-13T09:36:00.000+01:00

Bit tired this morning because I sat up way too late last night answering questions on Yahoo's new Answers forum. It is quite an interesting concept - people get to ask any question they like, whether it is about their homework, or about the existence of God, and then others answer them and you can vote on the best answer.
As ever with these online discussions there is plenty on nonsense, but I am intrigued by the possibilities.

I think this might be a great idea for the church website - what do you think?

I haven't found the technology to implement something like this. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Rejection hurts

2006-04-08T18:11:00.000+01:00

We are going video crazy on this blog - sorry about that. However here is a genius advertisement by a US denomination called 'ejector pew' and asking for peoples stories of rejection by church.

"God doesn't reject people. Neither do we"

a short film about prayer

2006-04-08T01:16:00.000+01:00

We have been doing better at being creative this term at COTC, the service leaders have been taking initiatives, and that has had inspired lots of others. Jeremy made a short film about prayer, a beautiful simple piece of work drawing on the image of a message in a bottle.
He writes...
'I think the message in a bottle makes a interesting metaphor for prayer, because it is simultaneously a symbol of both hope and desperation. The castaway on a desert island resorts to messages flung into the outgoing tide because there is no other way to communicate. And at the same time, there's hope as that message is thrown into the sea - hope that someone will find it, that someone will send help. It's a last hope and an only hope. And it's going to take patience. It's a symbol of hopeful waiting, and faith in eventual rescue'.

Son of Man

2006-04-02T12:26:00.000+01:00

I really enjoy making these videos to tie into talks at church, but they take ages to do.

I had been meaning to do this one based around my favorite Doves track called 'Pounding', and finally got the chance. We used it as part of the talk 'Son of Man' thinking about the apocalyptic subtext of Jesus ministry.

You can watch it here. [8mb Quicktime]

Blue sky

2006-03-15T15:22:00.000Z

One of the questions we have been asking ourselves as part of the vision team is this.
'If you were to start church from scratch how would it look.'

I know this may seem theoretical, and of course we need to be practical, but I want us to have at least tried to think how we might be, rather than just trying to fix what we have.

I wonder how you would answer the question?

Coralie Grace Davids

2006-03-07T12:55:00.000Z

We are desperately sad at the news of Anthony and Peachy's tragedy.

Thank you to all of you who have promised to pray throughout the day.

Even if you can only pray for them for a few minutes at your given time we want the Davids to know they are surrounded by our prayers. Please set a reminder. If you are not on the list email me and I will allocate you a time.

6am Claire Pearson
7am Liz Tissing
7.30am Pete Burnham
8am Gemma Gent
8.30am Tom Crease
9am Ruth Crease
10am B Arnold
11am Sarah Perrin
11.30am Stavroulla Andreou
12pm Sarah Wall
1pm Ellie Welsh
1.30pm Jayne Welburn
2pm Jo Arkell
2.30pm Angela Fletcher
3pm Jane Love
4pm Amy Winger
5pm Danny and Kirsty Allen
6pm Sophia Hanvey
6.30pm Willow Kail
7pm Claire Dean
8pm Vicky Mirfin
8.30pm Sonya & Nick Sireau
9pm Alex Goldfinch
9.30pm Michele and Terence Berry
10pm James Mortley
10.30pm Sarah Hulcoop
11pm Mark Fletcher
12am Dan & Summer Passerelli
1am Elizabeth Cameron

Vision

2006-02-22T18:07:00.000Z

As you may be aware we are in the process of reworking the vision and direction of our Evening Service at the moment, and we would value your prayers. As part of that we would be interested in your responses to a couple of questions...

If our goal is making and maturing disciples, are we right in thinking that we tend to put much more emphasis on maturing than making? Is that important?

How appropriate is it for a church to focus its energy and attention on reaching a particular section of our community (eg in our case young, professional, educated)?

What is your Theological worldview?

2006-02-06T18:17:00.000Z

Had lots of conversations about this Theological worldview quiz recently, so I thought I would post it on this blog too. It isn't too serious, and neither is it flawless, but it is interesting and a good discussion starter. Take it here, and post your results in the comments below.

2006-01-23T17:52:00.000Z

If you are not aware of Kurt Vonnegut you should be. His article in the Guardian last saturday was fantastic writing. Speaking of the hypocrisy in American politics he writes:
For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.
"Blessed are the merciful" in a courtroom? "Blessed are the peacemakers" in the Pentagon? Give me a break!
Enjoy the article.

COTC from Space

2005-12-14T22:38:00.000Z

One of the coolest free apps around was until recently only available for windows, but Google earth is now being developed for Mac (hooray!). It is not officially releaced but the Beta version got leaked, and you can pick it up here. They seem to be improving the resolution and you can now see COTC clearly from space.

Chaos Theology: Fear

2005-12-07T17:34:00.000Z

I really enjoyed this piece written by Jo, which ellie performed in response to the question What do I fear?

I’ve reached the conclusion that what I fear most is constantly chasing down the many things in life which seem to be in perpetual motion – my career for one. What if I never get where I want to be? What if I’m just not good enough? When is my boss going to see through the act and realise I don’t actually know what I’m doing? My career has a life of its own, running away from me like a load of marbles dropped on the floor. I chase them but there are always more to be retrieved, and the more I get hold of, the more there are to chase. I’m afraid that the only way to stop the game is to let go of all the glass balls – just let them roll away. But what then? What would I do with myself then?

You can read the whole piece here.

'Narnia represents everything that is most hateful about religion'

2005-12-05T12:21:00.000Z

Perhaps you have read Polly Toynbee's passionate article on the new Narnia film. Well worth a read. It is not one of her more measured responses, and all the more interesting for that.

Every one of those thorns, the nuns used to tell my mother, is hammered into Jesus's holy head every day that you don't eat your greens or say your prayers.

The article gives some real insight into Polly Toynbee's real issues with abusive religion, which we want to be hugely sympathetic to.

The two dons may have shared the same love of unquestioning feudal power, with worlds of obedient plebs and inferior folk eager to bend at the knee to any passing superior white persons - even children; both their fantasy worlds and their Christianity assumes that rigid hierarchy of power - lord of lords, king of kings, prince of peace to be worshipped and adored.

But essentially this is a power struggle between conservatism and liberalism, and christianity is caught up in it. I don't think we want the agenda of Jesus associated with that power struggle, and in order to do that any conversation will have to be humble about the failings of the church in the past and its throwing its substantial weigh behind political and social conservatism. However the crucial issue is this:

So Lewis weaves his dreams to invade children's minds with Christian iconography that is part fairytale wonder and joy - but heavily laden with guilt, blame, sacrifice and a suffering that is dark with emotional sadism.

Interwoven with that struggle however is a philosophical debate. Scientific humanism will allow no limits to be placed on human power and potential. Here we need to disagree. Pollys humanism is her weakness - her privilege and education, social standing and personal stature make her naive about the reality of human experience. We are guilty, we do suffer - the answer is not education (though that is a profound good) we do need redemption - but trying to help Polly to see that is a massive task, particularly given her experiences.

Chaos theology: Love

2005-12-05T10:45:00.000Z

Notes from last nights final sermon in the Chaos Theology series are available here.

Quake Gig

2005-11-26T13:33:00.000Z

Last night we hosted one of a series of Quake Gigs in aid of the victims of the South east Asia earthquake. It was an amazing night, with a wonderful mix of homegrown talent and special guests. Enjoy these video clips.

More photo's and video to follow (email me pictures if you have them), but thank you to all the artists, and to all of you who came and enjoyed and gave generously.

Chaos Theology: environment

2005-11-20T23:53:00.000Z

The fundamental challenge of any serious appreciation of the environmental crisis facing our generation is that we cannot hope to sustain the lifestyle we cling to, while denying it to others on the planet.
Perhaps for us the least comfortable aspect of Jesus call to kingdom living is the commitment to simplicity.
Is there life after materialism? Is their a better way?

Chaos Theology: Spirituality

2005-11-16T13:21:00.000Z

Imagine life was a Waterstone's bookshop...
Spirituality is a huge growth industry in our Culture, yet christians are unwilling, or afraid to engage. This sermon was intended to help us understand and connect with the secular spirituality of our age. I am not so sure how well the sermon recording thing is going, so someone suggested a summary of the sermon, based on my notes. Is this a better plan? If there areprevious Chaos Theology sermons that notes would be useful for I can provide those too.

Paul - A new play by Howard Brenton

2005-11-07T10:04:00.000Z

"Taking the remarkable life and moral teachings of this profound religious thinker, Howard Brenton explores the extraordinary phenomenon of faith. While offering a secular reading of the story of Christ’s resurrection, at the play’s heart Paul preaches from his Letter to the Corinthians, the eloquence of which cannot fail to move."

The Creative communications homegroup went to see the play last week, and they found it somewhat provocative. Stavs has recounted one of the pivotal moments which you can read here. What do you think?

Only 5,028,672 seconds till Christmas!

2005-10-27T20:07:00.000+01:00

It is late october - so it must be time for the Christmas lights on Oxford street to go up! Count down the seconds to Christmas with this site!
Anyway - we want your creative ideas for Christmas this year. Here is what we have already...
1) Carol concerts - Two again? 11th and the 18th are planned.
2) Christmas Film nights. I have two great films in mind - Tim Burtons 'a nightmare before Christmas' and Frank Capra's 'Its a wonderful life'.
3) Little ark Christmas service - morning of the 11th.
4) Carols in the N1 Centre 10th December 12pm - we need to provide musicians and PA.
What other ideas do you have?

COTC Global

2005-10-21T11:12:00.000+01:00

I was tracking where people visit the COTC blog from, and I was amazed to see lots from North American, and even one from South America. Click on the picture above to see the last 50 visits. You are all very welcome, it is amazing to have so many international guests, but who are you all? Say hello - introduce yourselves!

New forms of Church

2005-10-18T13:25:00.000+01:00

I had to do a presentation at the Bishops Council last night [spaced out with jet lag!] on new ways of being church, and I included a video intended to give a flavour of COTC. It is a bit thrown together, but the oldies at the Council loved it, and were very excited about us. Thought you might like to see it [Quicktime 5mb]

Congratulations Roseanne & Stuart

2005-10-17T10:25:00.000+01:00

I am waiting for my delayed flight in Ronaldsway airport, on the way back from Roseanne and Stuarts wedding. The one consolation is free wifi so here are a few photos from the wedding of the new Mr & Mrs Mclean. Congratulations you two!

Pub church Brighton

2005-09-30T14:24:00.000+01:00

An old friend of mine from vicar factory has been appointed to a new job in Brighton, and is being supported by the diocese to plant a new type of church in the city centre. They are meeting in a pub, and have a focus on the sort of people who would not normally go to church (sound familar?) They have a website here: Christ Church Brighton . Please pray for them - I am sure these first months will be hard but exciting.

Chaos Theology: Power

2005-09-24T15:09:00.000+01:00

"The world itself is the will to power - and nothing else! And you yourself are the will to power - and nothing else!"
Friedrich Nietzsche.
A right theology of power understood through the Bible narrative and exercised in our real lives is the intention of this sermon. We all have mechanisms for dealing with the use and abuse of power, but I suspect that we don't always recognise them or express them coherently. Power, whether at work on the global scale or in our own relationships needs to be understood and used for good not evil. And Jesus astonishing relationship with his own power is a unique point of engagement with a world obsessed with power. This fourth talk in our chaos theology series can be found here. If you have comments or thoughts add them below.

An A to Z of Alternative Worship

2005-09-23T23:39:00.000+01:00

This is a lovely piece of work on aspects of creative worship, even if it starts a bit cheesily. A is for Ambience, good. B is for Beanbags... hmmm.
Bible, bravery or brokenness would be my immediate suggestions. I like K is for kleptomania and G is for Graceful particularly.

Chaos Theology : Wealth

2005-09-19T12:24:00.000+01:00

What are you worth? What is it that makes us rich? We are treading on dangerous ground when we raise questions about wealth and money, and a working theology of wealth is not going to be easy. But it is the subject that Jesus talks about more than any other than the kingdom of God itself, and our christianity is shallow if it doesn't effect our attitude to wealth.
The sermon in our series can be downloaded here. Comments and questions below!

Billboard Jesus

2005-09-14T22:08:00.000+01:00

You might have spotted on the BBC website the new christmas poster campaign by the Churches Advertising Network continuing the revolutionary theme from the che guevara poster. There is a Q&A about it here. What do you think? Not your conventional christmas image. I am kinda liking it.

Meaning

2005-09-12T11:41:00.000+01:00

The second sermon on our Chaos theology series, on the theme of meaning from last night can be found here

beingyourself.info

2005-09-12T10:47:00.000+01:00

Jeremy just sent me the link to his new work site at beingyourself.info which is a fantastic looking mission project based on Psalm 139, and the toolbox page which explains how to use it. SGM (Scripture Gift mission) is apparently going through the process of reimagining its identity and methods to better serve the gospel in an information age. Exciting stuff.

Getting out there

2005-09-08T15:51:00.000+01:00

'Start with Church and the mission will probably get lost. Start with mission and it is likely that the church will be found'

Mission shaped Church 2004

The subtext to our attempts to do real world theology this term is the conviction that we are to be an urban church, engaged with the lives and ideas that form our city. John Stott said many years ago that the work of proclaiming the Gospel required dual listening; listening to God, and listening to Culture. We intend to prioritise that this term and beyond.

One of the ways that will happen is through homegroups, where we are combining a series on the early church discovering its mission, with some recommended reading.

Below are links to some of the books we are suggesting. Have a flick through and choose one that appeals. If you have already read one of these perhaps try something else. Any other suggestions of good books?

Out of the Saltshaker A thoughtful and at the time groundbreaking approach to relational evangelism. The Shaping of things to come; fascinating and sometime uncomfortable work on church and mission. Emerging Evangelism John Finney's excellent book on theory and practice for 21st Century mission. Know and tell the Gospel. Australian John Chapman on good form with a clear and simple approach to telling the Gospel

Identity

2005-09-05T14:55:00.000+01:00

The opening sermon of our Chaos Theology series is now online. The theme is identity. You can find the Beauty in the Breakdown video here and the sermon audio is here.[Sorry about the quality - working on that]

Chaos Theology

2005-09-02T19:59:00.000+01:00

I am excited and a little nervous about our teaching programme for this Autumn. We are thinking about big issues. The principle behind it we introduced at the end of last term, that the next step for Church on the Corner is to step outward and to engage with the culture that we are part of. And to do that we need not only to understand the Gospel, but to understand our culture too.

This series, inspired by some of the central themes of life observed in art, philosophy, literature and film aims to both inspire and equip us to see what we believe worked out through the whole of our lives, and to be better equipped for dialogue.

Chaos theology is theology for the 21st Century, the belief that in the midst of all the mess and brokeness there is meaning, connectedness and hope.

Declaration of interdependence

2005-08-31T20:15:00.000+01:00

I realised today that the are some foundational principles that I am working on, that shape my thinking about church, but that many people may not be aware of these, or even agree with them. I love that phrase at the beginning of the US Declaration of independence 'We hold these truths to be self-evident' and I thought it would be interesting to express our declaration. This is just for starters, leave me comments and I will add more as we think of them.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that we do not judge on the basis of education, wealth, appearance, gender or race.

That the church exists primarily not for the sake of its members, but rather for its non-members.

That we are part of church not for what we receive, but for what we can give.

That every member of the church is important as part of the body of Christ, and shapes who we are by their character and abilities.

Grown up christianity

2005-07-25T12:20:00.000+01:00

1 Corinthians has been making us think a lot about freedom.
One of the tensions is the fact that freedom is risky. How much should we give people freedom to make mistakes? Lots of us are formed by our experience of being part of youth work at church, where a priority is keeping young people safe, protecting them from the dangers of being sucked into a world that they are ill equipped to handle (though maybe equipping them should be more our priority than protecting them). We want to give people clear guidelines, black and white principles which very quickly become rules.

I remembered yesterday one of the experiences of moving from studying a subject at school to studying it at University. There was a moment at the start of our study when our lecturers would say 'remember all that stuff you were taught at school... well good though it was, things are not as simple as that'. We had to unlearn as much as we learned in those first months.

I wonder should we have the same milestones in our Christian life. Moments when we say 'Remember that stuff you were taught in youth group or Christian Union? Well good though it was, things are not as simple as that.'
Relating to God as adults requires us to own the freedom that he gives us, and that includes the freedom to make and learn from our mistakes.

emerging church

2005-07-21T12:10:00.000+01:00

This is one of the movements i am most inspired by. Can I recommend emergingchurch.info and also blogs by andrew jones and a friend of mine si johnson as starting points.

It is a movement shaped within postmodernity, reimagining church incarnate in the 21st century. There are many overlaps between emerging church and what we are up to at COTC
however as ever when it comes to movements i tend to rather exist on the margins (it is a personality thing).
One of the things which defines church on the corner which is different from many emerging churches, is that we deliberately exist within the anglican church, valuing much of the tradition and cultural heritage that anglicanism brings us, but doing church in a way which is intended to be prophetic both within that tradition and in the cultural milieu of London.
If there is a critisism I have of some emergent christianity it is the rearranging deckchairs on the titanic one. It sometimes seems to be about cosmetic change in church practice rather than systemic change in the hearts and minds of the people who form church communities.
I am really grateful for the work of those pioneering new models of church and worship outside the structures of establish church, and i hope we can support and learn from what they are doing.

ownership

2005-07-21T11:31:00.000+01:00

I have had some good chats at tinderbox with people in the last week or so, and one of the themes that has struck me is that of ownership.
there is a heirarchy in most churches based on theological punching power, the more bible knowledge, the more coherent in their orthodoxy the greater status and respect.
This creates an environment where creatives and right brainers are made to feel less significant or spiritual, where as the reality is that the qualities they bring are crutial to our attempts to reimagine church. I want to grant ownership as much to these creatives as to those who feel comfortable in a church environment. I want these people to shape who we are and how we exist as church as much as the theologians and lefts brainers among us.
Here is our first attempt to do so

a prophetic church

2005-07-18T13:30:00.000+01:00

1 Corinthians 14.
The essense of prophesy is knowing God and communicating that with others, not in second hand words, but through our own encounter with the living God.
It can be what we say and the way we live. We need to be a prophetic church, hearing and knowing God and sharing that with each other and with those outside.
Prophesy reflects the character of God, it is his spirit that brings life and truth. Prophesy is a gift of God, the ability to communicate his truth in words that people can understand.
Prophesy also requires work:
Prayer
Study
Thinking
Listening
conversation

Morning prayer

2005-07-17T12:58:00.000+01:00

Over there on the side bar I have added links to the CofE's orders of Morning prayer, evening prayer and night prayer
I know that for many of you the idea of liturgy is a major turn off, but I have come to really appreciate these patterns of worship. The great strength of liturgy is its greater perspective of God; it is beyond our own often limited thinking. I find prayer so often dominted by whatever is going round my brain at the time, I obsess on my own stuff when I know I should be worshipping, interceding and so on.
The depth and beauty of the language, the rich biblical and historical tradition lift me beyond myself and give me the peace that comes from seeing God as he really is, and seeing my small but significant place in his creation.
Practically I find it best to actually speak out the words and the readings, and in the pray for maybe three specific things in the part set aside for intercession. The links update each day, so you always get the set readings for that day. Sometimes there is a prayer by Saint somebody or other that confuses me, but other than that it is really good. Reading chunks of the Old testament systematically is really good too. I tend to only do one of these a day, whichever is appropriate. Try it - you may hate it, or it may really work for you.

2005-07-11T12:14:00.000+01:00

'And now I will show you the most excellent way.’

In time of crisis, at a time when religion is hijacked for evil purposes we need to remember the essense of Christianity. 1 Cor 13 feels like such an appropriate passage to be looking at in the light of last weeks bombings.
When religion goes wrong, as it so often does, this essense which often seems so trite, a pop song cliche, ‘all you need is love’ but this is the essense we rediscover.
Love subverts the whole heirarchy of evil, corruption, violence and retribution. It defines God, and it should define the church.
The way of Jesus is the way of love. Other centred, self sacrificing, turning the other cheek, forgiving, welcoming, generous, fighting opression and the things that enslave.

This is Gods call on our church.

1 Corinthians 7

2005-05-20T14:35:00.000+01:00

Now it gets personal. Preaching on the most controversial theological issue would be nothing compared to the potential pastoral fallout from getting wrong a sermon on 1 Corinthians 7 - Sex & singleness

2005-05-01T14:32:00.000+01:00

What relative value do we place between orthodoxy and unity. As protestants we are defined by division, and it is hard to comprehend a call to put unity at the highest priority. 1 Corinthians 3:1-11 - Schism

2005-04-17T14:31:00.000+01:00

We worried about the title of this sermon, that it might be in some way disrespectful, but in the end I felt it conveyed the shocking nature of the subversion of human wisdom that the passage communicates. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 - The madness of God

2005-04-10T14:28:00.000+01:00

The opening sermon in our new series on Pauls first letter to the church in Corinth; an insight into a raw and passionate young church struggling to live as the people of God in a pagan culture. It pulls no punches, and says things we need to hear, as we like them struggle to be Gods people in our city. 1 Corinthians 1v1-9 - Master plan

2005-03-25T17:43:00.000Z

Good Friday
Well done everybody who took part in our minimum wage challenge. It was hard work, and I think the thing we learned most of all is how much money we actually need to sustain the lifestyle that we consider normal. It will be a relief to go back to Starbucks and not feel guilty (or no more guilty than usual) and to be able to buy a round in the pub.

2005-03-10T17:29:00.000Z

I have no idea where my money went. I really haven't. Looked in my wallet to buy a drink last night, and I was out. I must have spent a few quid celebrating Liverpool beating Bayer Laverkusen, but that does not account for the whole £50 I got out on Monday morning. Meetings all week, I guess I have bought lunch & tea out a few times, and maybe I bought people drinks too.
Bit of a shock though - just when I though this challenge was getting easier. I stopped thinking about what I was doing, and I have spent my £50 in three days.
We were talking about how we tend to be a bit delusional about how much money we actually spend, and imagine it is considerably less than it actually is. We forget to include the things we stick on the card, the one off things like shoes or clothes which actually come up far more than we imagine.
Actually I have just remembered a big chunk of cash has gone on food - had people round, no time to cook properly, got pizza in. Duh. Can't do that on this budget. Still that is only part of the problem. Generally not thinking what I am doing is the major issue.
No cash for my day off tomorrow. Sounds like fun!

2005-03-07T13:18:00.000Z

Its okay to fail. We said this at the beginning, but it is important to say it again now. This is not like new years resolutions, break it once and it is over. We fail, we start over.
I was chatting to one of the lent challengers last night and they were looking a bit bashful. They had broken their glasses, and were completely stuck, so had to buy a new pair, which obviously completely blew their budget. Then there is me. I drove up to North Wales for 36 hours at the end of last week. I just needed some space and air. Two beautiful winter mountain days, but the petrol alone cost me £50. Up till that point it had been a very frugal week...
I think part of this challenge is not in the succeeding, but in the failing, in realising how much we do fall short. Realising all the things which are blessings rather than a right, recognising the ways in which God does give us our daily bread, and much more. Essentially it is a gospel truth, that we are followers of Jesus because we fail, not because we succeed.

2005-03-02T11:07:00.000Z

^{Acts 2:44}All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as they had need.

I have been really convicted about the whole generosity thing in the last few weeks - not just with money, but with time & love. It is costly, and draining, but it is closer to the heart of the character of God than I can know.
Thank you to all of you who responded so generously to the need of a member of our church. It is not nessecarily wise or good stewardship, but by the grace of God it is one of the thing he will use to start to bring change into a long term crisis.

Please be generous with your prayers too.

2005-02-27T23:13:00.000Z

I think steve is right - that this is getting easier. "I’ve come in well under budget and it didn’t seem a particular sacrifice." I say that, with another admission of failure to come, but shifting your expectations does seem to work.
Living more simply, not expecting to go out so often, allowing others to be generous towards you - these things do not come easily, but they are valuable.
My slight misdemenor was on Friday, my day off, when I went for a walk in the afternoon, feeling a bit sorry for myself after having to work that morning, and wandered past snow & rock in covent garden. The 40% off sale sticker in the window was the thing that drew me in...
One of the shifts in perspective that this Lent thing has done is to spark my longing for the mountains - spring on the horizon might be something to do with it too, but gear at discount is a temptation too far. So i was led astray by climbing equipment. It went on my credit card, so I won't pay it till after easter... no excuse I know.
But apart from that some good things. Ang and I sitting down for a chat, watching tv together, doing the washing up. All seem like nice, normal things to do, when in most weeks they just don't happen very much.

2005-02-22T12:38:00.000Z

Interesting that the Lent challenge is challenging us to more than living on less.
To Quote Garmon "Hmm, God really isn’t going to be let this purely be a game or an interesting academic exercise. I would like not just to get by on £50 a week but also to try and live the experience more."
I want to get to grips with the purpose behind Jesus teaching on simplicity & money. Its purpose is surely bring liberty and peace "You are truly blessed because you do not have the cares of this world". To allow us to live for Gods Kingdom, instead of the cares of this world, and to discover the fulness of life that comes from relationship with God. It is the manna principle - that God provides for the daily needs of the birds, and how much more does he care for us, so stop worrying about those things.
Perhaps the main reason for our lack of real intimacy & knowledge of God is our lukewarm attitude to possessions and wealth.

What can we do to better live the simple life, and find real life?

2005-02-18T16:57:00.000Z

£10 in my pocket

Well not sure what happened, but it is Friday night, and I have still got £10 in my pocket to last until Sunday. I have been a bit ill this week, just an annoying cough & cold, so rather easier to just lay low. Doesn't feel like such a bad week though, my Starbuck quota was not particularly low but I guess I haven't been to the pub much. Wierd that saving money comes down to coffee & beer - two of the most common Lent sacrifices for people. Visiting my folks today, means a low cost day off. And little chance of clubbing in Wokingham, so should be a cheap evening too.

2005-02-15T12:37:00.000Z

Following Jesus in the Urban Desert

A day in the life... by James Mortley

The third bus is full to the gunnels again, it's 8.37 and I am not sure I going to make it to work on time, taxi goes by with a light on, but the woman ahead in the sharp suit steps in quicker. i missed my alarm again... agitated start to the day... trying to stem the frustration at indiscipline within. Ken why can't you sort the buses?
In the city, the streets team with grey and black as people hurry their way to offices the Bank Of England towers over us reminding us of a former age of magnificent wealth... the mercedes show room on King William street... Clinton cards has cheap red ballons for valentines day... the smiles from the starbucks sellers... cafe latte... the grins of the security guards at the front desk... 6th floor and the long walk across the floor to my desk with Tony and Lisa at the end... black screen springs to life for another day of staring at the monitor... morning... chat... croissant... order lunch... emails... legal agreements... numbers... banter... complaints.... chicken curry... a treat... bbc website for the latest football news... afternoon and the more of the same... sunset over Southwark cathedral but the blinds are closed, so take a walk... afternoon cafeine... 5.30... the journey home... it's raining... my feet slide on the pavement... people slipping away in the shadows to their homes... bus is on time... lights on the Gherkin... Old street roundabout... short walk past the northgate pub... the alsation is quiet tonight... no one is home at Oakley yet.

Where do I see God or meet him in the day that goes by? What do I see of Him in the world around me that inspires me or gives an image of relationship with Him, either absence, presence, joy etc? Lent is a time of reflection and drawing closer to God in preparation for Easter coming. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert: lonely, frustrated, tempted, hungry, thirsty and tested, battered by the elements, tested in his identity as the Son of God.

The city with its many pressures and voices of desire and persuasion can have a similar impact on our lives, deceiving and distorting our grip on eternal realities, of who we are in Christ.

2005-02-14T19:19:00.000Z

if you call your Dad he could stop it all
New week, new beginning. I am not going to beat myself up about last week - guilt isn't the point of this, though I do feel bad about it. If there is one sense I am realising it is the sense of limited opportunities that I have on this budget. I have to live in a much smaller world, doing less, staying in more, thinking smaller. But I guess like the greek girl in Common people, I will never know how this really feels, because I could always call my Dad/bank manager and make it stop.

2005-02-13T14:42:00.000Z

Lots of people at church seem to be struggling already. The major issues seem not to be the general expenditure, but the regular luxuries. We seem to spend to get us through the tough days, we throw money at problems. Not being able to be indulgent towards ourselves and others is hard. I don't think I realise how much money I spend doing this.
Katie said last week that the 40 days of lent is measured as 6 weeks minus the sundays... I think I understand why now. So today is officially not Lent. Just 24 hours not to have to think about money stuff is a relief. I know this kinda blows out the whole solidarity thing...

2005-02-12T16:43:00.000Z

Sophia's birthday at the Roxy was great fun, even if some questions need to be asked about the music. However I have now blown my entire weeks money, and it is only Saturday. I did try to work it - walked down, got there before 8.30 to get in free, but beer at over £3 a go... well anyway. Not sure what happens now... maybe I can take a bit out of next weeks?

2005-02-10T18:15:00.000Z

"nicotine & multimedia makes up for the shortcomings of being poor"

Day 2. I was applying ashes at the Ash wednesday service. I think I got a bit over enthusiastic and couldn't help laughing as I walked back down the isle to see all thes people with huge black marks on their foreheads. Pub was good, great chat with Rob as ever (he bought me a pint and only wanted a half in return. He is a lightweight but I am not complaining!)
But I have found the first thing that I really don't like about this challenge. It is really hard to be generous. Someone asks me for money, and I think - you must be joking. Met up with a collegue today and I would usually buy them coffee - but not today.
Living frugally is good, but failing to be generous is just not nice. I guess that thinking about money all the time seems a bit shabby too. I guess I am hugely priviledged that most of the time I don't have to think about money. I don't spend a great deal, but I have enough for what I want.
General overspend today though. Had a meeting in town, and Central London is just an all round expensive experience. Walked in to save the bus fare.
Having friends round tonight so that should be nice, not to mention inexpensive. I plan is to catch up on some movies over the next few weeks too - I never have time to watch videos... Lend me your DVD's!

2005-02-09T14:25:00.000Z

Day 1. Ash Wednesday.

I withdrew my £50 this morning, a bit nervous about making it last for the week. I am aiming at £5 a day general expenditure, to give me some slack for other stuff. So I went straight into Starbucks for a meeting - good start! Starbucks normallys account for a lot of my disposable income. Economised with Tea instead of my normal Latte. Good meeting.
Its now after lunch, and I am in the office & hungry but I need to not go out & buy lunch as usual, and instead go home and make something. Already organised a pub visit after the Ash Wednesday service at St Andrews tonight... I don't think I can get other people to buy me drinks for the next six weeks.

Living on minimum wage

2005-02-09T13:20:00.000Z

At Church last sunday evening we talked about taking up the Church Action on Poverty minimum wage Lent challenge.
Lent has traditionally been a time of living simply and sacrificing Luxury, which we tend to have reduced to giving up chocolate. The CAP idea seems to be a good one, painful perhaps, but very worthwhile. It involves living on about £50 a week after rent & bills, for the six weeks running up to Easter. The aim is an act of solidarity with those who have less, and a spiritual discipline of living frugally. Not to mention liberating a chunk of our regular earnings to give to others.

A good number of people at Church on the Corner were inspired by the idea, and wanted to take part. One of the suggestions on the CAP site is to keep a diary of the experience and I thought I would record my Lent experience in a way that others could share and contribute to. So I aim to keep this a daily record of the experience. Please comment (hit the comment link below) maybe sharing your own experience or reflections. We may fail in this - but even that experience of failure will be an important part of the exercise.

If you want to find out more about the challenge you can download the pdf here or the html version here