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The Queen’s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, joined more than 600 lay Readers at a service in London last week to celebrate 150 years of Reader Ministry. Prince Philip was the guest of honour at All Soul’s Langham Place, in London, for the service which was led by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu. Dr Sentamu interrupted his six-month sabbatical pilgrimage through the Diocese of York to lead the service, which was also attended by around 40 other bishops. “We were honoured that Prince Philip was able to join us and are grateful to him for his very many years as patron of the Readers Council,” the Bishop of Sodor and Man, the Rt Revd Robert Paterson, chair of the Readers’ Council, said. “Readers are the unsung heroes of many churches, supporting clergy and congregations as well as conducting funerals and acting as chaplains in places such as prisons and hospitals. It was important to be able to shine a light on this valuable form of ministry and give thanks for generations of quiet dedication and commitment.” Readers are lay people from all walks of life who are licensed by their bishop to a teaching and preaching ministry. They work with ordained and lay colleagues, usually serving within a ministry team. There are currently over 9,000 active readers in the Church of England and the Church in Wales. Each diocese has its own programme of training. Many C of E Readers now receive a training award that is accredited by the University of Durham under the Common Awards scheme. Training usually lasts three years and is intended to develop both theological understanding and practical ministry skills. “Reader ministry has never been static, and, partly as a result of the pressures of two world wars, Readers drifted, willingly for the most part, into the multiple roles of general ecclesiastical factotum, eucharistic minister, often churchwarden, priest’s assistant, omnipresent helper,” Bishop Robert said in his sermon. “That can’t be right: the Church trains Readers to be competent with the Bible, and with the application of Scripture in their context. “It is a distinct ministry with a distinct potential and a clear integrity, helping other people to hear and make sense of what God is saying to them in their unique place and time. You are trained in theology; God-talk is your specialism, which is why the training is tough and demanding. It’s not about being other-worldly, or technically competent in the dating of Deuteronomy or the symbolism of the Revelation, but being a person who can bring God into the conversation with people who are searching and with those who have lost their way. “Being a theologian in a secular culture is, in the words of Archbishop Michael Ramsey, ‘to be exposed to the vision of heaven and to the tragedies of mankind.’” Festivities marking the 150th anniversary will continue on 16 July with a day festival in Leicester’s De Montfort Hall. “Following the All Souls service of thanksgiving for what has been and what we have, this festival will look forward – growing lay discipleship,” the Readers’ Council secretary, Alan Wakely, said. Speakers include the writer and biblical studies lecturer Paula Gooder; the chief executive of Church Army, Mark Russell; Mark Greene, author and speaker from the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity; the Bible Reading Fellowship’s (BRF) Debbie Thrower; and the founder of the Street Angels movement, Paul Blakey. As part of our ongoing efforts to keep people safe on our streets CNI Network have teamed up with BigRedButton a new personal safety support service.
By pressing the BigRedButton app on your phone you are immediately connected to BigRedButton’s safety support team who are available 24/7 to help keep you safe. The team know who you are, where you are and will support you while you handle the situation. If extra help is needed they can call the contacts on your profile and can conference Mum, Dad, a friend or work colleague into your call. If you feel you are in real danger they will conference in 999. The service has just been launched in the UK and CNI Network local projects are being invited to pilot the program. To help BigRedButton make this the best service it can be they are giving a free year’s subscription, normally £9.99, to the Street Angels team. If you do decide you need support calls to the service are charged at £1.75 per minute. Simply go to https://bigredbutton.com/invite/ and enter your mobile number to apply the offer to your phone and you will be directed to the iPhone app download. BigRedButton is available for iPhones only initially butollow BigRedButton @urbigredbutton for updates on the android app release. We think the service is a great idea and would encourage you to download the app and participate. Please circulate this email to members in your group. Thanks, Street Angel projects across the UK will join with Redcar Beacons on Saturday 30th April in celebrating the life of Lynne Freeman.
The event 'Lights Will Guide You Home' will see many of the one hundred and thirty projects connected by CNI Network gather in the communities they serve by torchlight for prayer and celebration. Anne Connelly, the coordinator of Redcar Beacons, explains, "The death of Lynne Freeman & Jodie, in such a manner, has caused shock waves in our community and many people are struggling to make sense of it. Lynne was one of our first volunteers and was well known in the night time economy. Our teams of volunteers are themselves shocked but are also being approached to listen to people who need to talk. This evening will be a fitting memorial to a lady who invested herself into the nightlife of Redcar" People are invited to join the event which will be held from 10pm until 11pm on Redcar High Street in front of the old clock with similar events to be held across the UK by Street and Club Angel teams. Redcar Beacons patrol the streets of Redcar on Friday and Saturday evenings helping those who are or could become vulnerable. The team, which Lynne was a valued part of, are a respected and welcome asset to the night-time community of Redcar and have contributed to a reduction in anti-social behaviour and helped to make the town a safer place to visit. They are part of Christian Nightlife Initiatives Network who support one hundred and thirty similar projects across the UK and overseas. -- ends -- For media enquiries please contact Paul Blakey on 07725501465 / [email protected] . Due to the ongoing investigation we will be unable to answer questions relating to the case. CNI Network and its local projects were shortlisted in the prestigious Restorative Practice Awards 2016. The event was held at London's Hotel Russell and had guests from restorative justice projects from across the UK. Although CNI Network didn't win it was an honour to be shortlisted and to be part of an amazing evening.
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A call has gone out for a new generation of guardian angels to help keep people safe on a night out in South Shields. Since the Street Angels project was launched in 2012, volunteers have been out on patrol on Saturday nights in the town centre on the lookout for revellers in need of support. As well as giving first aid to those who have been hurt, they make sure those who are worse for wear are taken safely to a taxi, or rehydrated with a bottle of water. The team also carry flip-flops to help out women in agony after a night of dancing in heeled shoes. Now, the team is on the lookout for more people to join its Good Samaritans who provide support to those whose night out runs into problems. An information evening has been organised where anyone interested can find out more about being a street angel. June Valente, group co-ordinator, said: “If you like team work, are a good listener and want to make a difference then being a Street Angel will be ideal. “All we ask is people volunteer one Saturday a month to the project and in return they will be first aid trained as well as trained in conflict management and safeguarding. “For people looking for a job, these are valuable traits to have and it would also be great to have on your CV.” Street Angels patrol the town centre on Saturdays from 10.30pm until 3am. All angels are trained in basic first aid, conflict management and safeguarding. They are also in constant contact with the CCTV team and are supported by police and door staff. Mrs Valente added: “There is no upper age limit. However street angels should have a reasonable level of fitness, as a shift can involve a lot of walking, standing and possibly kneeling down attending to those who are injured.” An information event will be held on Thursday at The Church Centre at 1 Broughton Road, South Shields, at 6.15pm. People can also contact June on 079736 470212 email [email protected] for more information. Hull Street Angels Trinity are one of the first organisations to be recognised as a Community Brand as part of the Hull UK City of Culture 2017 - see here.
Our founder Paul Blakey MBE is speaking at #Follow2016 on Saturday 16th July at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and would love you to attend and join the celebrations with us.
#Follow 2016: is a day festival, sponsored by the Central Readers Council to celebrate 150 years of Reader Ministry. Held on Saturday 16th July from 10.00am until 4.00pm, the jam-packed programme spans across four main areas within the venue, each of which providing a variety of presentations, activities and performances. With speakers including Paula Gooder, writer and lecturer in Biblical studies, Mark Russell, Church Army Chief Executive, Mark Greene, author and speaker from the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity, Debbie Thrower, former broadcaster and champion of BRF’s the gift of year’s initiative, and Paul Blakey, founder of the Street Angels movement. Pete James, full time songwriter will be leading worship throughout the day and Roger Jones from Christian Music Ministries will be forming a scratch choir and performing his brand new musical “Barnabas”, he will also be hosting a Worship Works seminar, based on the Worship Works book, a practical handbook for church worship. Activities are available throughout the day with taste of Messy Church from Lucy Moore, multi-sensory equipment for adults and children from Leicester diocese, 24-7 prayer space, and entertainment from Christian magician Steve Price. There is also plenty going on outside with Mobile Monastery and RoadHog busses, adult & child bouncy castles together with resource stalls and a delicious selection of food vendors open all day! Tickets have been subsidised to make the event accessible to as many people as possible and are only £5.00 per person! Families are welcome to attend and children under 5 go free! To book your tickets, which are sold on a first come, first served basis, please phone De Montfort Hall on 0116 233 3111 or go to the bookings section of their website www.demontforthall.co.uk (Please note there is a £3 administration charge per booking). For any questions regarding the event please contact: [email protected] |
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ROC Angels - an initiative of ROC (Redeeming Our Communities)
Charity - 1139817 / Registered Company - 7327258 Postal Address: ROC Angels, c/o The King's Centre, Park Rd, Halifax, HX1 2TS E-Mail: [email protected] (founder / CEO) / Phone: 07725501465 |