News from Churches together in Kent

Sign up for the Forum Welcome back from the summer break. It is now less than two weeks to the Churches Together in Kent annual forum. Saturday 13th September. If you are planning to attend, THE TIME TO SIGN UP HAS COME. Please sign up now. It will be a great day to meet Christians from across Kent, hear more about what is going on ecumenically, share ideas, thought provoking worship, a great main speaker with Matt Bird from the Cinnamon Network, AGM of Churches Together in Kent. It would be great to see you.

Mission Shaped Ministry The Salvation Army, Rochester & Canterbury Diocese, South East District of the Methodist Church, URC and the South East Baptist Association are delighted to bring you the Mission Shaped Ministry Course in Maidstone from this September. It for those exploring how to create, sustain and grow a fresh expression of church. Open to all Christians. The Rt Rev Dr Brian Castle, bishop of Tonbridge, has said, "The mission shaped ministry course provides ordinary parishes with an excellent tool to help people to review the mission in their local situation and to discern where God might be calling them to engage with the many thousands of people who do not yet encounter the Christian faith." This is an excellent course. Starting this September, Ten evening sessions and an awayday over 12 months. Click here for more information. Churches Together in Medway have produced a great little promo video. As our largest Local Churches Together Group, they have over 120 churches and mission organizations in membership. Click on the link to go to the youtube site. This month our featured chaplain is Tim Parsons,  chaplain at Edward Moore Nursing Home, Gravesend. If you would like to be salt & light in the world, and want to find out more about chaplaincy, contact Kent Workplace Mission. Ride & Stride Last year's Ride & Stride, in partnership with Friends of Kent Churches, raised £135,000 for church projects across the county. 745 churches and chapels were involved. There were nearly a thousand riders and walkers, who visited an average of 14 churches each. For more info about this year's event, read more here. In some not so great planning, it's the same day as our CTK Forum. Any cyclists are welcome to pop in for a bit to St Luke's, Maidstone, for some en route refreshment.   The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture has challenged the Archbishop of Canterbury to a cricket match to be held at Kent County Cricket Ground on Friday 19 September. The Vatican team is made up mainly of students for the priesthood and the Archbishop's XI are mainly theological students. The game will be a 20-Over match, beginning at 4.00pm. Entrance is free but there will be a bucket collection for the Global Freedom Network (GFN), the joint churches' campaign to against people-trafficking. Contact Mark White for more information. The World Council of Churches has published materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2015. This is in a basic format. In due course, the usual booklet will be published for our use in the UK, but if you're preparing for the week, you might find this material helpful. The bible passage is John 4. Details here.  The Detling Celebration is a holiday gathering of Christians like no other. Its family-friendly atmosphere where you’re surrounded by your best friends and Christian family makes you feel  at home straight away. Watch the video below, take a look around, and join us this summer!  - See more at: http://www.peoplewithoutlimits.org/summer-celebration/index.php#sthash.bdcrfsGu.dpuf The Detling Celebration is a holiday gathering of Christians like no other. Its family-friendly atmosphere where you’re surrounded by your best friends and Christian family makes you feel  at home straight away. Watch the video below, take a look around, and join us this summer!  - See more at: http://www.peoplewithoutlimits.org/summer-celebration/index.php#sthash.bdcrfsGu.dpuf The Detling Celebration is a holiday gathering of Christians like no other. Its family-friendly atmosphere where you’re surrounded by your best friends and Christian family makes you feel  at home straight away. Watch the video below, take a look around, and join us this summer!  - See more at: http://www.peoplewithoutlimits.org/summer-celebration/index.php#sthash.bdcrfsGu.dpuf The Detling Celebration is a holiday gathering of Christians like no other. Its family-friendly atmosphere where you’re surrounded by your best friends and Christian family makes you feel  at home straight away. Watch the video below, take a look around, and join us this summer!  - See more at: http://www.peoplewithoutlimits.org/summer-celebration/index.php#sthash.bdcrfsGu.dpuf The Detling Celebration is a holiday gathering of Christians like no other. Its family-friendly atmosphere where you’re surrounded by your best friends and Christian family makes you feel  at home straight away. Watch the video below, take a look around, and join us this summer!  - See more at: http://www.peoplewithoutlimits.org/summer-celebration/index.php#sthash.bdcrfsGu.dpuf The Detling Celebration is a holiday gathering of Christians like no other. Its family-friendly atmosphere where you’re surrounded by your best friends and Christian family makes you feel  at home straight away. Watch the video below, take a look around, and join us this summer!  - See more at: http://www.peoplewithoutlimits.org/summer-celebration/index.php#sthash.bdcrfsGu.dpuf For those of you who use the Churches Together in England logo in your advertising, it has been 'tweaked'. For the mose up to date version, available is sizes for web design, leaflets and large banners, follow this link.

I have been in post almost a year now. If I've not visited your local Churches Together group yet, please do ring or email me. Once again, do sign up for the FORUM. If you haven't signed up, you can still come, but you won't get any lunch! I look forward to meeting you there. September 13th, St Luke's, Maidstone. Every blessing. Chris Ruddle. County Ecumenical Officer. 07808 728670