Review - Finding Abundance in Scarcity

 

Philip Welsh has reviewed 'Finding Abundance in Scarcity: Steps Towards Church Transformation - A HeartEdge Handbook' in the latest edition of Church Times:

'this lively account of the response from St Martin-in-the-Fields over the first months of the pandemic provides plenty of pastoral and theological food for thought to take up as the story moves on.'

This new book from Canterbury Press includes contributions from myself and others at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

The publisher's description is as follows:

'All churches have had to learn to do things differently during closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. None has been more imaginative or inventive than London's St Martin-in-the-Fields. Through its HeartEdge programmes, it has continued many aspects of its ministry, and developed significant new initiatives and is now a virtual college with an impressively varied programme for practitioners.

Here the St Martin's team reflects theologically and shares its newly found pastoral and practical wisdom in many areas:

Finding God in Lockdown
Meeting God and One Another Online
Rediscovering Contemplative Prayer
Facing Grief amidst Separation
Preaching at Such a Time as This
Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Time
Hearing Scripture Together in Difficult Times
Praying through Crisis
Creating a Community of Practitioners
Finding Faith at Home
Conclusion: A Strategy for Transformation

Contributors are all on the staff at St Martin's and key figures in HeartEdge: Sam Wells, Richard Carter, Sally Hitchiner, Fiona MacMillan, Jonathan Evens and Andrew Earis.'

The book uses a similar format to our earlier Liturgy on the Edge: Pastoral and attractional worship in which I wrote about the creation of Start:Stop at St Stephen Walbrook.

Both books can be bought from the online shop at St Martin-in-the-Fields, as can my own The Secret Chord, an exploration of what makes a moment in a 'performance' timeless and special, co-authored with Peter Banks.

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Switchfoot - Meant To Live.

Finding Abundance in Scarcity: Steps Towards Church Transformation - A HeartEdge Handbook'

'Finding Abundance in Scarcity: Steps Towards Church Transformation - A HeartEdge Handbook' is a new book from Canterbury Press which includes contributions from myself and others at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

The publisher's description is as follows:

'All churches have had to learn to do things differently during closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. None has been more imaginative or inventive than London's St Martin-in-the-Fields. Through its HeartEdge programmes, it has continued many aspects of its ministry, and developed significant new initiatives and is now a virtual college with an impressively varied programme for practitioners.

Here the St Martin's team reflects theologically and shares its newly found pastoral and practical wisdom in many areas:

• Finding God in Lockdown
• Meeting God and One Another Online
• Rediscovering Contemplative Prayer
• Facing Grief amidst Separation
• Preaching at Such a Time as This
• Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Time
• Hearing Scripture Together in Difficult Times
• Praying through Crisis
• Creating a Community of Practitioners
• Finding Faith at Home
• Conclusion: A Strategy for Transformation

Contributors are all on the staff at St Martin's and key figures in HeartEdge: Sam Wells, Richard Carter, Sally Hitchiner, Fiona MacMillan, Jonathan Evens and Andrew Earis.'

The book uses a similar format to our earlier Liturgy on the Edge: Pastoral and attractional worship in which I wrote about the creation of Start:Stop at St Stephen Walbrook.

Both books can be bought from the online shop at St Martin-in-the-Fields, as can my own The Secret Chord, an exploration of what makes a moment in a 'performance' timeless and special, co-authored with Peter Banks.

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Great Sacred Music - Giving Thanks.

Liturgy on the Edge: Pastoral and attractional worship

Liturgy on the Edge has been reviewed in Church Times. Reviewer Philip Welsh concludes: 'Liturgy on the Edge is an enjoyable, inspiring, provocative, and useful book. In one way or another, we all find ourselves (in Francis Thompson’s words) “betwixt heaven and Charing Cross.”'

He notes that: “we’re trying to find appropriate ways to help other organisations make the kind of journey we’ve made; but what we can’t do is offer them techniques for fixing their problems — we can only offer them inspiration and support for entering deeper into their mystery.”

and say that, "Reading about the experience of St Martin’s — including what it has learned from its occasional mistakes — is a stimulus to think more imaginatively, more collaboratively, more inclusively, and more theologically."

Liturgy on the Edge: Pastoral and attractional worship is a practical companion to creating pastoral liturgies arises from the vibrant ministry of St Martin-in-the-Fields which is designed to aid local ministry teams in devising forms of worship outside and beyond the scope of authorised church liturgy, yet in sympathy with its purposes and structures.

It includes outline liturgies for:

• regular pastoral services, such as an informal Eucharist, worship for small groups or for a church away-day, a dementia-friendly service, a healing service, interfaith ceremonies.
• acute pastoral needs, such as services for communities affected by local tragedy, those experiencing loss through violence.
• outreach services in the open air or welcoming people into sacred space.
• special services though the year for Homelessness Sunday, Prisoners Week, Holy Week, Harvest, Remembrance, a community carol service and more.

Each section is introduced with a reflection on theory and practice, and each item has a commentary on theological, liturgical and pastoral choices made with the aim of enabling practitioners to adapt and create liturgies for their own contexts.

Liturgy on the Edge: Pastoral and attractional worship is edited by Sam Wells with contributions from Richard Carter, Andrew Earis, Caroline Essex, Jonathan Evens, Katherine Hedderly, Alison Lyon, Alastair McKay, Fiona MacMillan and Will Morris.

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Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields - Amazing Grace.