[TSSF-studies] Re Ministry - Church/TSSF/balance/david Burrows paper

[Penelope Fletcher]

Brother Ramon ...' This means taking the Gospel as your rule of life without getting involved with the machinery or complication of any monastic pattern......directing a newly awakened evangelical fervour into disciplined channels of love, joy, and peace towards God and humankind.'

To me this means living out our franciscan vocation wherever God has put us -and if by some chance we are not in a church situation that values our contribution -then we go where called but if we are in a local church congregation then we are part of the living stones rebuilding it.   Yes, it is often to the local group and area that some of us rush with gratitude when battered and bashed knowing that we will meet love, joy and peace and re-energising to go back into life and giving it to others who need cherishing

Our Rule of life gives us  the framework for working out our calling and into it goes family, work  etc.

Wendy believe me you are not the only one to find difficulty in a local church situation and it is difficult to work out what is best -but it does come. I was only saying that our franciscan way can be used to build the local church (which is for many the first christian group to which we belong) because we are living stones and it is important but the franciscan framework is to undergird our whole life. Believe me in times of stress it does just that!

Enjoy it.
Penny
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: wendy davies 
  To: tssf-studies at justus.anglican.org 
  Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 3:00 PM
  Subject: [TSSF-studies] Re Ministry - Church/TSSF/balance/david Burrows paper


  Andrews advice about the most recently posted paper (David Burrows - reflections on Collaborative ministry)plus Penelope Fletchers comments last week about the need to be Living Stones in our own churches and to beware of closed cells - plus Sister Avrils thoughts on being "knocked back" (how familiar that was!) have made me wonder if I could ask if anyone has yet found the right balance between ministry in TSSF and "Church"/Real life out there?

  Its something I am struggling with at the moment - the TSSF group I am in feels more like community than my church to which i feel  i can offer increasingly less in terms of ministry. Its limited to a monthly teen worship group at the moment which the main church seldom seems to take notice of - and I feel i cant cope with anything but the quiet of an 8am Eucharist (held in one of two sister churches on alternate weeks) As often happens "my" church is dominated by a small group who effectively say how everything goes and after years of battle in industry i dont feel inclined to battle on this front too (when i did try I had Avrils experience and I still bear the scars - though similarly to her case I found it possible to grow in a better relationship with one of the 2 dominants!)
  Must we have a ministry in TSSF or Church - Maybe for some of us our Franciscan ministry is simply in family life or in another group??

  i dont know.
  Any views welcome - Andrew has just suggested I try AngFran so i will do that.

  Apologies if this is too trivial for most of you - I hope it doesnt result in too much emailexasperation. thanks for any thoughts
  Pax et Bonum!
  wendy
  ps I am a novice - not sure about profession yet.


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