Edwin Stephen Griffiths Lectures 2011

Edwin Stephen Griffiths Lectures

Wednesday, 2^nd March 2011

1.30 & 3.30pm,

at South Wales Baptist College

Given by: Revd Dr Anne Phillips MA, PhD (Co-Principal, Northern Baptist Learning Community)

Lecture 1 Daughters of God: Girls Growing in Faith

Children’s spirituality is a growing area of interest and research. However children come in two varieties, and gender differentiation increases at puberty; we therefore do girls (and boys) a disservice by ignoring, as most popular studies do, that they may ‘do faith’ differently. In this lecture, Anne will explore the ways early adolescent girls understand themselves, God and their faith within the contexts of home, church and school, setting their self-understanding within a framework of research into a spectrum of developmental theories.

Lecture 2 The Power of Un-naming: Girls and the Bible

Why are so few biblical girls named? Is motherhood a girl’s only God-given purpose and destiny? How does it feel that ‘there aren’t many parts for girls’ in biblical drama? Where do girls find their biblical role models?

These questions identify some of the issues many girls and women face when they read the Bible. This second lecture breaks new ground in taking a scholarly look at pre-adolescent girls in scripture, and through studying their place in God’s story argues for a ‘theology of girlhood’ that defines their distinctive role in salvation history.

After graduating in Theology from St Hugh’s College, Oxford, Anne worked for several years as a secondary school teacher and mother. After her call to Baptist ministry, she served in a local pastorate before joining the staff of Northern Baptist College (now Learning Community) where she is now Co-Principal. She has for many years been involved in the Baptist Union of Great Britain’s work on children in the church, abuse and domestic violence, and women in leadership, interests which demonstrate her passion to seek justice for people the church too often marginalises. Her book, The Faith of Girls, is due to be published by Ashgate in 2011.

We extend a warm welcome to all ministers and church members who would like to join with us for these lectures

New Morning Class

Mark's Gospel: A manifesto of radical Christian discipleship

With Rev Simon Woodman

Hosted by Cardiff Adult Christian Education Centre, City URC Church, Widsor Place, Cardiff.

Mondays 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
Four sessions starting 31 January 2011

This course will explore ways in which Mark‘s gospel can speak directly to the world we live in today. We will encounter again the call to radical Christian discipleship which so transformed the lives of those who first heard it, and we will investigate ways in which that same call can be heard in the twenty-first century. With an emphasis on the social, economic and political dimensions of discipleship, the words of Jesus can be heard to echo down the centuries, raising vital questions for those who would follow him today.

31st Jan 2011 - Encountering the radical messiah
7th Feb 2011 - Engaging in radical relationships
14th Feb 2011 - Living a radical life
21st Feb 2011 - Asking radical questions

Core Text: Ched Myers et al, “Say to This Mountain” Mark’s Story
of Discipleship, Orbis Books, New York: 1996

Course Fee: £20

Simon Woodman is a lecturer in the South Wales Baptist College

'Prophetic Voices From the Margins: The Contemporary Witness of Anabaptists, Celts and the New Monastic Movements'

Or see the Facebook Event

A first note from a leaving student but a new dad!

I find it a proud and special moment that my first entry to the college blog is to announce the safe arrival of my first born son Reuben James O' Herlihy, who was born on June 1st at 5:24 pm and weighing 8.2 lbs. Mum (Rachel) is good and recovering well and our bundle of joy is changing all the time, starting to look more like his mum which is a good thing. I was told shortly before the birth by a good (female) Friend that the closest a man will ever get to giving birth is writing a book, well I'll stick to sermons and essays because, well let me just say 'respect to the mothers of the world'. I have lost my cable for my camera so photos will have to wait, but let me tell you he is lush.

Ian

Job Advert: Principal of South Wales Baptist College

As advertised in the latest edition of the Baptist Times:

South Wales Baptist College Cardiff

Seeks to appoint a Principal

Applications are invited from persons with suitable experience and academic qualifications to lead this well-established College in its work of ministerial formation, as from September 2011.

The College prepares candidates mainly from the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Baptist Union of Wales, and engages with churches in seeking to facilitate the mission of Christ in and beyond South Wales. Facility in the Welsh language would be an asset but is not a requirement.

SWBC is a constituent member of Cardiff University's School of Religious and Theological Studies.

Details of the application process and further information can be found on the College website www.swbc.org.uk

Closing date for receipt of applications: 21 June 2010. Interviews 21 July 2010.

"Persecute me - I'm after the Brownie points"

Ian Thomas has picked up this very interesting Times Online column article by Frank Skinner, entitled

'Persecute me – I’m after the Brownie points: We Christians thrive as a minority. A bit of strict us-and-them keeps up the quality'

The church that I am a part of are in the process of the consultation the association offers. On Saturday we had a day together that marked the midway point in this and we concluded together that an area in church life that we need to give serious attention to is that of Evangelism. We need to see people coming to their own faith in Jesus Christ and that is going to be largely down to the personal witness of each of us that part of our church. I was at a the Ignite Youth event last night and it was so exciting to see teenagers make a decision to follow Jesus at that event. It is always a huge joy to see anyone discover the reality of a personal relationship with Jesus, something that all of us as Christian ministers surely desire to see. Some of us made a promise at our Ordination and Induction to do the work of an evangelist. The normal form of words these days are that we promise “to lead and enable God’s people in their mission to the world, seeking God’s kingdom, proclaiming the gospel in word and deed and seeking to make Christ known in every way”. People need to know that they need to be saved! Enabling people to discover for themselves ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10) is both our duty and our exciting privilege. Let’s go do it!