Churches in Kingston Borough

Christmas in Kingston

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat, or so goes the old Christmas tune. If you are a student at Kingston University in 2008, Christmas isn’t best summed up by a fattening bird but rather by a range of emotions.

Firstly for those returning home after their first term away from home, Christmas is a time of home cooking, catching up with old friends and getting some clean clothes! For other students, away from home or not looking forward to that return visit, the Christmas celebrations only come to represent what they are missing out on, providing a reminder to what others have that they don’t.

There is another Christmas story, one that draws together those two strands in one moment of both vulnerability and hope. This is a tale of a baby in a manger, a baby who was the son of God, that had taken himself to the margins to be born amongst a poor and broken people but in so doing brought a new hope as he paved the way for God and Man to be brought back together in a wonderful new kind of life.

This month, this Christmas story of vulnerability and hope will be talked about celebrated in churches across Kingston Borough. It will be brought alive in traditional and modern songs, shared in words through candles and represented by loving kindness. Then on Christmas day, for those students without somewhere else to go, it will be represented by the churches who are themselves offering lunch and friendship to any students left in Kingston whilst others have returned home.

So instead of waiting for the goose to get fat this Christmas, why don’t you take time to go and take part in the Christmas story at a church near you. Click here and you can download the Christmas service timetables. Then if you wanted to have somewhere to go on Christmas Day and join others for Christmas lunch then email us at Christmas@oxygen-online.org to register your interest.

Walk This Way: One day conference

Walk This Way is a one day conference which will examine how Jesus taught and how we learn and will include input from, amongst others:

• Prof Richard Bauckham, one of the world's leading New Testament Theologians on how Jesus taught
• Prof John West-Burnham, a leading authority and pioneer in personalised learning and the role of education in society
• Dr Rebecca Nye, who will bring a different dynamic to the day as she invites delegates to get involved in Godly Play
• Prof Alister McGrath, Head of the Centre for Theology at King's College London, who will be looking at how we take learning to new levels in the church.

This a fantastic opportunity for people involved in working with young people to find out more about the teaching methods employed by Jesus, models of best practice from church history and up to the minute developments in educational theory as well as discovering ways to teach that will really reach young people.

Full conference information can be found at www.springharvest.org/walkthisway

Welcome to Kingston: Curry

This Sunday saw the wantachurch Kingston Universtiy Fresher Fare 'Big Free Curry'. This free food welcome event was arranged by the churches of Kingston Borough to welcome students from Kingston University to Kingston. Through this joint churches event, attended by around 30 students, and the presence at the fresher fare where they met thousands more students, the team had a chance to chat to the team about life, faith and belief. In the process they also gathered around 500 student email addresses, these students will be contacted once a term between now and the end of the year so that they can hear about special church sevices and other christian events being run locally. You can see the photos online, or contact Richard James about getting your church and its events listed on the wantachurch site.

Tags: oxygen, fresher fare, kingston university

Sacred Space Kingston: Interactive Art & Spirituality

Sacred Space Kingston was born as an art and spirituality exhibition in All Saints, Kingston Marketplace developed in response to the phenomenal interest of people wanting prayer and answers to spiritual questions at the annual Kingston Green Fair. Those involved in organising prayer at the fare, knew there had to be a new ways to engage with those who have an interest in the spiritual but who all to readily dismiss Christianity

Sacred Space Kingston now occurs about 3 times a year and is organised by representatives from St Pauls - Kingston Hill, Kingston URC, The Community Church - Surbiton, Kingston and Surbiton YMCA, Oxygen and All Saints. Each event has taken a different theme and explored it through art and reflective stations to challenge and provoke people's thinking about faith and its relevance to everyday life. So far Sacred Space has brough together people to look at issues of identity, peace and reconciliation and love and dreams. from September we will be starting an 'Artist's Way' course which is a 12 week course on unlocking your creativity, then again in Septmeber, with Kingston Council a series of events will be run to mark Kingston's contribution to London Week for Peace between 15th and 21st September.

IN future Sacred Space Kingston hopes to start running a book club and occasional movie nights to discuss issues of faith and morality raised in our popular culture. the ultimate aim is to create new and revisit some traditional ways to worship where people can bring and share the fruit of our creativity as well as bring questions to God to others on a similar journey.

If you would like to know more about Sacred Space Kingston look at the website: www.sacredspacekingston.org.uk or e-mail Andrea Campanale on campanale@blueyonder.co.uk

Artistic Workshop Evenings

St Nicolas Church Hall, Bury Street, Guildford GU2 4AW  

Monday nights 8-10pm  

Open workshops no booking required  

All explore the theme Golden Dreams  

   

21st April WRITERS WORKSHOP  

Using the language of movement to explore the subject of hope and dreams, we will develop text, poems or dialogue to create words for dance. This work will them be used by the dancers in the second workshop to inform their movements. However, the piece could also stand on its own merit.  

   

28th April DANCERS WORKSHOP  

Taking the words and ideas devised in the writers workshop, we will develop this individually and in groups how movement can progress out of the spoken word. Dancers are asked to come on the next workshop, music, and if needed the last one to develop their piece, you will be encouraged these weeks to work under your own supervision.  

   

19th May MUSIC WORKSHOP  

Please bring your own instruments, here we will be taking the words devised in the writers workshop. We will use free association music, non specific sound, chord progression, harmonic singing or rhythmn sequences to enhance the movement already started to develop and explore our own interpretation of what the theme is saying.  

   

2nd June ARTISTS WORKSHOP  

Using the medium of watercolours, acrylic and chalk we will explore how the theme inspires our work. Artists are encouraged to come to all previous workshops to see how the words, dance and music impact their choices. Please note some materials will be provided.  

   

The artwork created will be presented to friends and family at St Nicolas on 16th June.   

 

E-mail edenpeople@edenpeople.org.uk 

or call Yvonne Rowe on 07962 596202 for more info.  

Training in Prophetic Evangelism

With a desire to see people equipped The Community Church, St Stephens Twickenham, Sacred Space Kingston and Eden People Guildford are putting together training to help people make the most of every God orientated conversation they have. Led by David Holl, who has experience of using prophecy to engage with spiritual seekers in shopping centres as well as psychic fairs, this is the second of a 2 part course in Prophetic Evangelism.

The first session took place in March but you do not have to have done this to now book for the second session focused on biblical dream interpretation. However, we do recommend that you have had some sort of experience or training in using the prophetic in evangelism before undertaking this more advanced course.

The training will take place on the evening of Friday 23rd and all day on Saturday 24th May at St Peters Church, Norbiton. To book your place then please complete and return the form below with payment.

Download Sacredspaceweekend2flyer.pdf (1462.4K)

Welcome to Suburban Soul 2007

Suburban Soul is a half term of youth activities run by a number of churches from across Kingston & New Malden and is coordinated by local youthwork charity Oxygen. The aim of Suburban Soul 2007 is to celebrate Gods good creation and bless the community. By doing this with the church.energy and passion of young people we hope to be an inspiration to the wider community.

Activities during Suburban Soul Kingston include:

• A Jungle Zone Cafe at the Kingston United Reformed Church (2-4pm)
• A Odd Cafe during the week, built out of recycled materials and based at All Saints Church

Activities during Suburban Soul New Malden include:

• A Family Cafe with crafts and activities at New Malden Methodist Church
• Senior Citizens Tea Dance and Fun at New Malden Methodist Church

All Groups will come together for a full fun day on Sat 27th at Christchurch New Malden where there will be a family fun afternoon between starting at 2 and with a family dedication service at 3pm. For more information on any of the Surburban Soul Activities visit: suburbansoul@oxygen-online.org

Kingston University Big Free Roast Dinner

Up to 100 people filled the Hall of Kingston United Reformed Church on Sunday 30^th Sept as churches from across Kingston Borough came together to welcome Kingston University Freshers to the area with a big free Roast Dinner. Over their roast chicken, vegetarian lasagne and Apple Crumble the students had a chance to meet representatives from the various churches, chatting and getting to know about different services and exploring Christianity Courses.

technorati tags:fresher, univeristy, kingston university, kingston, chaplaincy

Kingston Biggest ever FREE Sunday Roast

Churches from across Kingston Borough are coming together to cook Kingston Biggest ever Sunday Roast for new Students starting at Kingston University.

At the university Fresher's fare, which takes place on the 20th & 21st Sept students will be able to sign up for the free Roast dinner which is set to take place at 1pm on Sunday 30th Sept at Kingston United Reformed Church (opp. the Works). At this lunch they will also be able to meet and find out about churches and local christian groups.

For more information, or to sign yourself up to help or be helped at the lunch  then email  richard@oxygen-online.org 

 

technorati tags:WANTACHURCH, kingston university, fresher, roast, roast dinner, kingston, rbk, royal Borough of Kingston

Sacred Space Kingston: identity

Now open in All Saints Church in Kingston, Sacred Space Kingston (see more pictures on the gallery below)

technorati tags:sacred space, identity, alternative, art, prayer, spirituality