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DERBYSHIRE CHAPLAINCIES |
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The Website of Workplace Chaplaincy in Derbyshire |
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Welcome to the recently-created page where interested readers can discuss matters of relevance to faith and work! This is not intended to replace SOWNews (due to be issued imminently); rather that SOWNews can reflect discussions to a wider community. The existing chaplaincy hub discussion group (for chaplains) will continue as before; chaplains please register and participate! The discussion topics all have questions within them. We would like to hear from you! Please mail your responses to: mailto:imd02@queenshall.plus.com The list of topics in this page is as follows: Latest contribution 15th July 2011:
Created 15 July 2011 Money and Morality - do they co-exist? Can they ever be brought together?
His article raises some interesting questions. Try some of these:
with your contributions. Everyone has a view or perspective that is helpful for us all to find common cause!
Created 1 July 2011 19.1 Is the Euro the new Babel? You have got to read this!
It is an important contribution for all who attend or minister in workplaces,
for all of us are affected by what is being done, often supposedly in our name. Here are just a few lines from the article that the Greek financial crisis prompted him to write (our hightlighting):
Read full text: and wonder what we do, and how we seek God, so that our world may be brought back from the brink.
Created 24 June 2011 18.1 How do we bring the Chaplaincy closer to those Churches focused on home life? Correspondent 2 - Rev'd John Rice: Rev'd John Rice has produced a very well thought out response to our request for impressions about the IMD AGM. He covers a range of issues that should have a wider hearing and consideration given to. He asks: How do we bring the Chaplaincy closer to those Churches focused on home life so that their worship become more:
There are a lot of thoughts to read about at: Impressions of iMD AGM - John Rice Thank you so much, John. 17.1 What are they saying about the Royal Wedding?
Almost everybody has something to say, or some encounter or event, over the last
week [Not forgetting - the IMD website did this subject in last week's PRAYER TOPICS]
"They've got this royal wedding all wrong. I know because ............." Royal wedding - LICC
"This is the reality of the faith that we proclaim. There are many who want to privatise it;" Royal Wedding - ICF.pdf
the Archbishop... quoting his daughter, people “want to test whether the milk is good before they buy the cow.” http://www.christian.org.uk/news/royal-wedding-marriage-vital-for-society-says-archbishop/
"........where of course we also celebrate another significant milestone this year, the 200th anniversary of church schools*......." Royal Wedding - Bucklebury Church school
Yours? Please tell us your stories about workplace encounters. In particular, did you have any conversations in which the Christian side of the event was mentioned? Please let us know - imd002@googlemail.com - of your insights in any topic addressed there.
Created 2 March 2011 16.1 Census, Christian country, and sharing the message Last week's chaplains letter from the Rolls-Royce chaplains, written by Miles Mitson, contained an interesting statistic that raised the old question of "Is Britain a Christian country?" In August 2009 the article Is This a Christian Country? was posted on this website. The answer to the question matters and affects how we relate to others and certainly affects chaplaincy activity and much else that goes on in our communities. A follow-up item on the issue of how all this affects the way in which those who reckon themselves to be Christian people, of all varieties, then go about relating to others, and why the figures in the next Census matter even more that in 2001, can be viewed at: Census, Christian country and sharing the message This item is posted on the DISCUSSION TOPICS page, where there are other items to chew over. If you get a thought, please let us know at: imd002@googlemail.com. Created 6 August 2010 15.1) Reviewing Industrial Mission Funding In the January 2010 edition of IMAgenda, the main theme was climate Change, but there was an important secondary one: funding of industrial mission work. IMD did a review of this subject, starting from the pieces of evidence in IMAgenda. The review can be read at: IM_Funding_Ja10_IMAgenda Question: How should industrial mission be funded in the current spiritual and economic circumstances? Created 7 June 2010 14.1) Failing with dignity - commentary on LICC paper LICC's paper of this name - LICC Connecting with culture - failing with dignity - reflects on Gordon Brown's exit from Number 10 and how the political leaders and the rest of us reacted to this. For review and discussion click: LICC Connecting with culture - failing with dignity - commentary 14.2) Business as usual? - commentary on LICC paper LICC's paper of this name - LICC Connecting with culture - business as usual? - makes a note of how we might all slip back to our old ways of looking at political life and issues, if we are not careful. Worth looking at! For review and discussion click: LICC Connecting with culture - business as usual - commentary? Created 26 April 2010 13.1) Do Resurrection Cycles exist, and can they be broken? Dr Paula Gooder spoke to the recent IMA Conference, touching upon Resurrection Cycles in her morning devotion of Tuesday April 20th. Question: Is the current financial insolvency just a part of the normal cycle of things, with restoration under way, or this is a case where God will end the cycles and do something else with us? See the following discussion of the subject of resurrection cycles, and how they can be broken, through Biblical examples to the present day: Resurrection Cycles discussion
Created 15 March 2010 Updated 12 April 2010 12.1) Is work as sacrament and what does that mean to us? On WORSHIP page there is a link to a talk "WORK AS SACRAMENT", derbytalk.wps, given by Carol Williams, Chair of Industrial Christian Fellowship (see OTHER ORGANISATIONS for ICF), to the Oasis day of local NSMs/MSEs. The convenor of this group has asked for people to send in thoughts about this subject, contributing to a wider discussion about the link between faith and work and what we think of as 'sacraments'. Here are some thoughts on the matter (click link to discussion), covering:-
What do you think? Please send your contributions to mailto:imd002@googlemail.com
Created 23 February 2010 11.1) Does Climate Change matter to workers and organisations? Have a look at the review of the IMAgenda January 2010 magazine, majoring on climate change: Climate Change January 2010 IMAgenda Try some of these discussion ideas (all of which are in the above review), either to yourself, in your groups, or write back to us. The review contains all these questions, and gives some views with which you may agree or not.
Please send your views, and we will publish them! Created 11 January 2010 Read Ben Stein's remarks on the CBS Sunday Morning Commentary: Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning Chaplains to workplaces - do you come across the kinds of views he is claiming that many people bring to the issue of 'where is God in all this?' and 'why should we let God in?'? Anyone - do you meet such attitudes and views in your daily lives, in your workplace, among your friends, or wherever? The centrepiece of Ben Stein's article is the bit where Anne Graham (Billy's daughter) is answering her interviewer's question "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding Hurricane Katrina) So often Christians get awkward about "why does God allow suffering?" questions. Anne Graham and Ben Stein seem to get to the heart of it. Do you agree? You know where to email to have your say! (Clue: nearer to the top of this page)
Created 2 November 2009 9.1) What is the Council of European Churches (CEC)? On the OTHER ORGANISATIONS page, an article has been put up describing the CEC with references to their own website and wording. Two questions arise from that: 1) Is the CEC widely known? After all, this sounds like it is, or would like to be, an overall body for Christian Churches across Europe. Many of us are in Christian Churches locally and, by definition, in Europe.
2) What role would you expect the CEC to play? IMD gets the CSC Europe Updates from this source. [See the write-up of CSC to read them] Those bulletins cover a lot of ground on matters European, particularly anything to do with what the EU is up to. They are at present keeping us posted about ratification of the Lisbon Treaty (something that may be described as at best controversial, in relation to the UK government's handling of it's promises on the matter). So;
Created 10 August 2009 In response to the article below about whether Britain is still a Christian country, the following response has been received:
"Britain is still a
Christian country culturally – for example, Sundays are still a BIT different
from other days, and there are public holidays at major Christian festivals
(Christmas, Easter). In terms of religious belief and practice, Britain is not
still a Christian country; Christians are a minority faith. Thanks, Moira. Come on, everybody, where are your thoughts? This question has simply got to have an affect on you in some way! Created 4 August 2009 8.1) Is Britain Still a Christian Country? That is a question that is often asked. The answer can affect the conditions under chaplaincy work can be undertaken in an organisation. It can lead to battles over Gideon Bibles in hospitals, the creation of multi-faith centres, or the notion of common worship. Have you: 1) Encountered any issues about whether Christianity is still important in Britain? 2) Had to fight a battle over being allowed into anywhere as a Christian? 3) Met people who want you conform to a multi-faith behaviour pattern? Chaplains may well have faced some issues of this kind, and the status of Christianity in national and communal life is up for grabs, affecting us all in some way. The UK 2001 census is a crucially important source in this matter. Have a read of some of the aspects and issues (covering a European example, persecution, Christian history in this land, dark times such as the Crusades, multi-culturalism, Christianity in schools and hospitals, Parliament etc., Church attendance, doing good, prayer, the UK 2001 census and it's authority for Christians, service on the ground, mulit-faith battle) of this question and whether it matters at: Have you say - respond to mailto:imd02@queenshall.plus.com.
Created 28 July 2009 7.1) How do you respond to workplace bullying? As mentioned last week in the item about the Industrial Mission Association (IMA), their magazine IMAgenda, in it's July/August edition, did workplace bullying as the major theme. This is probably something a lot of people have experienced or seen in some form or another. So, what is workplace bullying? What can or should be done when it occurs or is discovered? See Workplace bullying for discussion of the issues. Please let us know any experiences or thoughts that can be shared, in order to see how best any of us can help victims and how best to try to eradicate the problems altogether. Contents of 'Workplace bullying':- 1. “We don’t allow bullying here” 2. Physical Violence. 3. Cost of speaking out. 4. Haunting Recollections. 5. Bullying and Power. 6. What does a Chaplain do about Bullying? 7. Are there any Answers?
Created 21 July 2009 On the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, we ask what is the moon for? You might ask, what interest is it to IMD? The answer to that lies in the issues of:
The moon landings did and still do raise important questions. The article WHAT IS THE MOON FOR? hopes to bring some questions. But we do need you to send your thoughts in about these things! Created 11 May 2009 5.1) Take your Minister to Work Day (18th to 21st May.) The Industrial Christian Fellowship website www.icf-online.org currently leads with an advertisement for this event. They give 5 good reasons for subscribing to it. it reminded me of the model that IMD is developing of relationships between 1) Church ministers, 2) Church congregations, 3) Christians in Workplaces, 4) IMD supported chaplains. So far we have got as far doing a rudimentary diagram showing connections and a few brief words. relational model That model, created last autumn, actually mentions 'Minister may visit workplace' on the line connecting 'Church Ministers' and 'Christians in Workplaces'! How might a ministerial visit to a workplace help either the minister or the workplace person? How might such a ministerial visit help either to connect faith and work issues together? Does a visit of this kind impact upon the 'Church congregation' in some way? Is there anything for chaplains to consider or be aware of here? Come on, email me! We need your views. Created 20 April 2009 4.1) On the WORSHIP page there is a new item (Thanks to Margaret Cook for sending it in) about a story of someone who came across one of the people who we can often see in our towns cities - who are begging. Only this was no ordinary beggar......... Do you have a pre-conception of what the word 'work' means and what constitutes work as we know it? Please discuss what work actually is, as the answer to that question is something we'd all like to know, and the answer lies partly in each and all of us! Created 30 March 2009 3.1) Is this the Health and Wealth Gospel message on offer here? The Engage Conference people have emailed a 'Warning' to Christian business people, which sounds very like the Health and Wealth Gospel. What do you reckon to that? Created 9 March 2009 2.1) We will not pay for your crisis is a call to join in a march and rally ahead of the upcoming G20 summit in London. Warning:- this could get political! 2.2) Ideal Conditions is an ICF article by an IMD Council Member, asking what really constitutes ideal working conditions - gentleness and serenity or tough but with plenty of opportunity to influences outcomes? 2.3) Christian confidence and the economic downturn This is a discussion based on the launch of the God at Work course with Ken Costa. How much does your confidence affect how you behave in such times? In addition to the original article there is also a response to it. Created 2 March 2009 1.1) Request for Thoughts on economic situation The Rolls-Royce chaplains are asking for thoughts on a Christian view of the economic situation. They would like responses, please! 1.2) Relationships and Mark Greene book in which he asks the question why do "most Christians in the Workplace get Little or no Support From Their Church Communities"?
[Page updated 12-Jul-11] |
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ICF
Vice-Chair, Rev'd Phil Jump [pictured right] (yes, the
same one who appeared on the Ceefax pages last week!) is increasingly active in
writing about current matters affecting workplaces. In the wake of the last
edition of the News of the World, he writes of the phone tapping issues that
have brought this about.
In
ICF
(Industrial Christian Fellowship) Vice-Chair, Phil Jump, isn't the first, and
certainly won't be the last - but his contribution to the issues of the world
economies and where we could all be heading, takes some beating!
