[TSSF-studies] Re: From the Chaplain

[Dnswain77 at aol.com]

Hi everyone,
And welcome to those who have recently joined.

My name is David Swain,
I am the Chaplain to this venture. It is still in its very early days and we are all learning, so we are really interested in your ideas!

There is  a Steering Group.  It is chaired by Adrian Noble the Provincial Formation Guardian for the European Province.

This site is managed as you know, by Andrew Dochin, who is also the editor of the Third Order Chronicle for the European Province. He is also a member of the Provincial Communications Team. All technical questions regarding this site and how it works or might work , should go to Andrew direct, (as he sets out in the introduction to the digest, as it is circulated each time).

Other members of the Steering Group are Nancy Adams who is very interested in issues of Justice Peace and the Integrity of Creation.Very shortly on this site we will be posting up a paper by Nancy entitled 'In Community .. In Communication..' I am sure we will all find it very helpful.

Hugh Beach has introduced himself and many of you will know him. He has, as a General in the British Army, grappled with the complex issues of peace for a life time. With Hugh some of us hope to post up something on the TSSFStudies Website in the coming months - as to why Francis recommended the Song of Roland to his folowers.

Nell Slocock is the Secretary to the Steering Group and brings to it her experience as Area Minister of Sussex.

As a Consultant, we have too, John Morrison who is also our Provincial Chapter Secretary and on the Governing Body of the International Francican Study Centre in Canterbury. This is particularly helpful to those members who are undertaking, or who would like to undertake, study at the Franciscan Centre in Canterbury. We hope to have more information to share with you about the Centre shortly.

Brother Austin SSF is also a consultant, to keep us linked with the first Order Brothers and sisters.

Discussion Subject:

For those of you who have recently joined; the subject for discussion at the moment is 'Local Groups'. You will find in the Third Order European Province Website, a section headed TSSFStudies, and there are already a number of papers on various subjects.

Two papers in particular 

1. Towards a theology of meeting and belonging to a Local Group in the Third Order by David Swain and Brenda Stephenson.
 
and 

2.The Theology and nature of Local TSSF groups, by John Wiltshire, are the starter papers for thought and response.

John Wiltshire is also a member of the steering Group and together, we shall after we have collected various responses and thoughts from members, come back to you all with further thought for discussion.

We are with Brenda Stephenson, particularly interested to know if anyone has read John English SJ,  'Spiritual intimacy and community' and the thought of Hanri Nouwen on community life? 

It may be too that some of you are aware of other books on the subject of Christians in Community. If you do know of some helpful titles, please do share them with us.

Books for York General Chapter:

I have also been asked by Dick Bird our Minster Provincial to collect titles for a bookstall  to be provided and set up by SPCK at our York General Chapter this year.

If you could share with us the titles of books you have found helpful, or that your local group has found helpful and studied, I should be very pleased to learn about them.

In this way, we can really begin to help each other and particularly isolated Tertiaries for whom this means of communication by email, may be increasingly helpful in time.

Pax et Bonum

David
Chaplain 

-- 
The Revd David Swain TSSF
77 Trent Boulevard
West Bridgford
Nottinham
NG2 5BE

Tel 01159 821222