Ministries Council |
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PRIORITY AREAS
New Models of Church
| Many parts of the Church in Western
Europe are in decline and no-where is this decline
sharper than in the poorest communities.
In this area of work, the Priority Areas Committee
supports a range of activities which are designed
to help local Christians and congregations to
share the Gospel in more appropriate and inspirational
ways. |
Holy Trinity Church, Westerhailes
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You can find out more about these activities below:
ALTERnativity
Children in URBan situations
Soul Marks
Unlock Glasgow
Ministries in Priority Areas
Priority Areas Staffing Fund
Urban Expression
Worship - Nudges from the Edge
Youth Work
ALTERnativity
ALTERnativity (www.alternativity.org.uk/)
aims to look for ways in which worship can more readily
reflect the reality of the first Christmas and bring its
meaning and value to help people understand the implications
of excessive consumerism, both environmentally and for
people across the world. It explores practical ways in
which we can simplify the celebration so that it becomes
more sustainable - at a personal level, at a global level
and environmentally.
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Children in URBan Situations (CURBS)
CURBS (www.curbsproject.org.uk/) aims
to provide Christian resources specifically geared to
the needs of inner city children and those on outer urban
estates. It also provides support, training and encouragement
for children's workers in such areas by means of networking,
training and resource days and partnerships.
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Soul Marks
Soul Marks (www.soulmarks.co.uk/)
encourages and enables creativity using all the senses,
particularly through the visual arts to express and
inspire faith in God.
The Priority Areas Committee in collaboration with
Soul Marks has organised a number of workshops around
the liturgical themes of Advent, Lent and Pentecost
and will continue to provide other relevant workshops
to congregations in priority areas. See our forthcoming
events to find out if there are any upcoming workshops
or if you wish to have a specific event/workshop organised
around your individual congregation needs, please feel
welcome to contact our offices.
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Unlock Glasgow
Unlock Glasgow (www.unlockglasgow.org.uk) aims to
give a helping hand to the church to relate the gospel
to lives of ordinary people living in our tower blocks
and city streets. It offers a range of free resources
to help unlock the real life stories of urban people
and helping them realise their life changing skills
and confidence.
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Ministries in Priority Areas
Over the last number of years the Church of Scotland
has committed to doubling the existing levels of staff
serving in churches in Scotland's poorest neighbourhoods.
These cover a wide range of ministries including youth
workers, community workers, deacons and ministers of
word and sacrament.
On-going
support and training, through retreats, conferences
and coaching, is also offered through the Priority Areas
Committee to those currently engaged in ministries in
priority areas.
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Priority Areas Staffing Fund
| The Parish Development
Fund manages the Priority Areas Staffing Fund
on behalf of the Priority Areas Committee. This
fund gives grants of up to £45,000 over a
three year period to part-fund the |
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employment of additional staff in priority area congregations
undertaking community work. This fund also supports congregations
which are on the Priority Areas
Supplementary List.
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Urban Expression
As well as supporting existing churches, the Priority
Areas Committee also seeks to encourage the development
of entirely new Christian communities. This involves encouraging
a range of different organisations including Urban
Expression (www.urbanexpression.org.uk) - a church planting movement which
is committed to planting Christian communities in the
poorest parts of the UK.
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Worship - Nudges from the Edge
Over the next couple of years, the Priority Areas Committee
has determined the development of worship as a priority
and urgent need to be addressed. A round of regional consultations
across the priority areas in January 2008 brought to the
fore several concerns and hopes of churches in priority
areas. The outcomes of the regional consultations are
below.
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Youth Work
Being a young person in a priority area brings with
it a particular set of issues. The Committee is committed
to encouraging the best possible quality of youth work
and is currently undertaking a piece of research into
youth work within priority areas.
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