fxca september 2011 update
Late last month the Fresh Expressions Canada (FXCA) team had a conference call to update each other about fresh expressions related things we are aware of going on in our respective necks of the woods. This is my first opportunity to share some of that with you.
Edmonton, AB, is a happening place with three Mission Days planned for the fall, and various mission-shaped and shaping initiatives taking place in a variety of settings.
In the Diocese of Toronto, five “Re-imagining Church: mission shaped” courses will run this fall, with Bishop Linda Nicholls teaching one of these five week corses. More information here. They have been busy producing a video highlighting all their missional and fresh expressions projects, it will be premiered at their synod in November. Their Reach Grants program ( “to enable local ministry that will reach people who are not currently being reached by traditional forms of church.”) has to date made seven grants to parishes!
New videos of Bishop Steven Croft
Bishop Steve Croft sat in front of our camera for half an hour last June, and answered twelve of our skill-testing questions! See the first two of them here and here. Thanks to Andy & Sue Kalbfleisch for doing such a superb job with the videoing and editing. Thanks to Bishop Steve too for his patience with our incessant questioning.
We will be releasing a new video each week on the FXCA website. So please keep your eyes open for them!
The first two in a series of podcasts featuring all of the plenary sessions and some of the workshops from this year’s
Beth Fellinger
Vital Church Planting Conferences. Each month another set of podcasts will be posted on this site. Here are the details of the first set featuring plenary speaker Pastor Beth Fellinger.
My travels
I will be visiting Saskatchewan for the Diocese of Qu’Appelle, in late September. The visit includes giving two presentations to their Clergy Conference in Regina on the 28th & 29th. In late November I will be visiting the Diocese of Fredericton for a day with clergy on Friday Nov. 25th and a Vision Day on the Saturday. It will be great to meet new friends in both of these dioceses.
Fredericton, NB are holding their first Vision Day on Saturday, November 26th. Location to be announced
Planning has begun for a Regina, SK, Vision Day on Saturday 25th February, 2012 at All Saints Church, Regina. Please let your friends in the area know.
Mission Shaped Intro. This excellent six-session, free to download, course, has been adapted for our Canadian context.
A new four-five sessions course, developed in Canada, for Canada, and by Canadians, is undergoing testing in a variety of locations. We will report the results in future updates. For enquiries about Mission Shaped Intro email msi@freshexpressions.ca
Mission Shaped Ministry-Take Two starts September 17th in Toronto. Once again we are inviting clusters of three or more people to form “distance learning sites” to follow this course “where you live.” The course is of most use to those groups which are planning and implementing a “fresh expression of church.” To find out what last year’s participants thought of the course click here. Watch a video of one of those particpants here.
Contact msm coordinator John Bowen at msm@freshexpressions.ca for details, or here for more details of this year’s course.
A number of Messy Fiestas (Messy Church workshops) are being planned for the fall
New Hamburg Ontario on Saturday, November 12th from 10-3. Click here for information and to register.
If you are interested in holding a Messy Church workshop or wish to receive the monthly MCeNewsletter, please contact Sue Kalbfleisch at Sue.Kalbfleisch@freshexpressions.ca
I trust that you find these FXCA updates helpful. Please let me know if there is any way in which we can help you. Please pray for the team as we continue to work together to a see a more Jesus-centred and mission-shaped emerge from coast to coast to coast.
The next time you should receive one of these updates is October, until then to keep up to date with FXCA follow us on the website or our FXCA Facebook page.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Nick Brotherwood
team Leader-Fresh expressions Canada
nick.brotherwood@freshexpressions.ca
Nick Brotherwood is Assistant Director of the Institute of Evangelism. Since January 2011 he is also incumbent and pastor of St. Stephen's Church, Westmount, QC. In 2006, he was made a canon of Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal. In 2003, he and his wife Sue led a team which planted a new church—Emerge—focusing on 18-25 year olds in downtown Montreal. He was Bishop’s Missioner to Young Adults in the Diocese of Montreal from 2003 until the end of 2010. From 1989 till 2002, he was on the staff of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Westmount QC, where he served first as Assistant, then as Associate and finally as Priest in Charge. For a part of this time, he was also a chaplain at McGill University. Nick has extensive experience in Christian camping. In the 1970’s, he was a professional rock drummer—a skill he has never lost. Nick is married to Sue, and they have six children and four grandchildren at the last count. Nick has a long-term commitment to congregational health and evangelism, has wide experience of the church and its ministries, and a passion for seeing Fresh Expressions of Church spring up throughout out country. Click here to read all articles by Nick Brotherwood
