Extracts from December 07

Watch with Mother?

 Today’s children are born into a media–driven society and we can’t stop it – but how can we manage it better for our children?’ Bryony Wood investigates...

Not so long ago I had a desperate call from my daughter.  She’s married to a parish youth officer and has just had her second baby. ’Mum I’m in trouble,’ she squealed. Thinking the worst, I sat down to prepare myself for bad news. ‘The telly is broken.’

Like me you may smile; or you may be slightly disgusted that such an incident should initiate panic. The reality is that for most people, especially those with young children, the TV, the computer, the dvd/video is actually an integral part of life nowadays.

Almost before they can even talk, toddlers are able to connect with the media, playing with toy mobile phones, and pre-school computers and games. We’re helping to raise a generation of technological whizz kids. So as never before, parents and carers need to be vigilant, one step ahead with technology and how to use it…

Alone in a Crowd

Jo Foster asks: What can we do to make single people

of all ages feel more included in our churches?

It’s Sunday morning – you check the service rota at your local church as you can’t remember which Sunday it is. Ah, Family Service . . . hmm, perhaps not. Not having a family can make you feel rather left out of things, so you don’t attend.

This scenario is one that applies to a large number of ordinary Christians who find themselves, for whatever reason, on their own. You might expect that your local church would be a place to find friendship and solace, even, perhaps a partner, and yet for many people, a church can be an intimidating place, sometimes even indifferent to their needs…

In the Frame - Interview

How many jobs provoke the response ‘thanks for a better life...’

Andrew Redfern has the demanding but fulfilling role of running Nottinghamshire  charity, Framework. They recently won a national Gold Award for tackling homelessness. He talks to Jane Wyles about how Christianity has influenced him and what makes Framework tick.....

Andrew Redfern was born forty-four years ago in Wirksworth, Derbyshire to Salvationist parents. He went to Methodist Sunday school and studied Politics, Philosophy & Economics at Oxford University.  He was particularly interested in politics because he wanted to change things, but soon decided it wasn’t for him as he wouldn’t have been able to tow a particular party line; he was too much of an independent thinker.

“So I looked for other ways to improve things, and asked myself what I believed in,” said Andrew. “I had been heavily influenced by Christianity, especially the instruction to be with the poor, vulnerable, and suffering. It’s not so much about what you do but who you’re with and where you are. The concept of discipleship, of being where it’s difficult to be is very powerful…”

Holiday Heaven?

If you’re worried that you might get sermons served up with the sausages or roped into a creche rota on a Christian holiday, read on....

“One of the reasons people enjoy Oak Hall so much is because it is so relaxed – there’s no pressure. It’s very refreshing, and reasonably priced for what they offer. They are well organised, and always in beautiful locations,” said Bishop Tony Porter, who has been away with the holiday company to Venice twice, on a summer walking and winter skiing holiday in Austria – and to Norway.

“There is excellent input with Bible teaching and informal worship. But it’s a mix of Christians and people who are interested  - or who are perhaps looking for a holiday without the pressure to form relationships or drink excessively, so they feel safe. They are invited to take part in worship but not pressurised...”

Mission with a Difference

The team of volunteers from St Nic’s, Nottingham, who travelled out to the Dominican Republic this summer with Mission Direct nearly didn’t make it after their mini bus broke down on the motorway!

Hannah Cook tells their story: “Our first day was orientation and this included a trip round the villages. I’m not sure anything can prepare you for it. We arrived at Los Algodones, the ‘road’ there was little more than a track and this should have warned us of the level of poverty. This is a village where people wait to die – food, jobs, sanitation, shelter and hope are in short supply. As we vacated the minibuses, children started to gather. There are no words to describe the moment when a tiny little hand grasps your fingers, begging to be loved. There was no turning back, our hearts were stolen by these beautiful Haitian children who had nothing to give but a song of praise and their love…

School of Faiths

Like many schools in the diocese, the community of pupils and staff at Nottingham Bluecoat School is not exclusively Church of England. They have established an ecumenical Chaplaincy team which welcomes and reflects the diverse backgrounds of their school, and have recently taken a further step in welcoming other faiths by developing the Religious Studies and Resource centre in the new building at the Aspley Road site. There is also a chapel and multi-faith prayer room, plus adjacent teaching and study rooms, and a 300-capacity recital hall available for courses and conferences...