jonnybaker

see - week 2 of pioneer practice this thurs evening

thank you so much everyone who came along to last week's webinar and especially the guests. the chat was buzzing! in the poll of which of 5 things best described those present in relation to pioneering the top answer was 'seeing and imagining new possibilities'. so i am delighted to say that 'see' is the theme of week two where we will be exploring how you see possibilities, come up with ideas and use imagination. i have four guests this week related to three projects. susannah baker and khadeja, sue steer, and anna hembury. come and hear their inspiring stories of practice. i am looking forward to it.

if you missed week 1 you are still really welcome. register here and you will be sent the webinar info the day before. and you will get sent a link to week 1 so you can catch up should you wish to though no pressure to do so. hope to see you there. the series is a partnership between church mission society and heartedge.

be you - pioneer practice webinar week 1 this thursday

i am really looking forward to the pioneer practice webinar series. week 1 is exploring the idea of be you (and as it's the first an intro to pioneering and how you might get started). i have three guests joining me. it will be informal, chat show style. it's free to join - register here and if you do register you'll get links to any weeks you miss. 

the series will follow the four themes i explore in the book pioneer practice - be you, see, build, change. it's a partnership between cms and heartedge.

betwixt and between

been thinking about the threshold, the between space, the limin, the doorway.

walk a labyrinth this saturday

i have always loved labyrinths since i was first introduced to them by kev and ana draper back in the nineties! this year should see a new one land at wolf fields as we (grace) are creating an outdoor one there for friends in southall. it should be ready by easter i imagine - you can see progress above.

but meantime as seems to be our wonderful habit there will be a labyrinth at grace this saturday - it's a pretty easy thing to remain socially distanced on as we are small in number. do join us. 

end of 2021 playlists

as always a couple of playlists at the end of the year. i listen to quite a lot of quiet instrumental music and find that makes for a better experience as its own playlist rather than mixed in with the other tunes hence there are two. i have added them on apple music and spotify. there is one tune that spotify didn't have so apple win that contest!

• 2021 tunes - apple 
• 2021 tunes - spotify
• 2021 horizontal - apple
• 2021 horizontal - spotify

towards a pioneering diocese

in pioneer practice one of the themes i explore is change. for those who see new possibilities and make new paths to make what they see happen (i call them pioneers) they almost invariably find themselves navigating change in a wider system or organisation. this is as true of pioneers in the church as it is elsewhere. in research i did with pioneers which is in the book the top answer given as to what is most likely to derail pioneering was the powers that be. and yet in my experience very little training is given on systems and culture change and how to navigate those powers. we do some in leadership at cms but i think we could do more. there is actually quite a bit written in this area around organisations which are somewhat different and there are definitely insights to be gleaned though not everything translates - this piece in anvil is excellent by way of example. i have been reading quite a lot in this area recently as it seems to me that not just pioneers but a lot of leadership now at least in the church space requires this ability to navigate change, adaptability, resourcefulness, flexibility, imagination, awareness of systems and culture change and so on. and yet leaders are largely trained to lead worship, teach, do pastoral care and so forth. 

all that is to say i was delighted to read a blog post by tina hodgett on enabling culture change in a diocese in the church of england towards a pioneering culture. her blog has a series of 16 suggestions and the gold is further developed in the attached paper which you can download at the bottom of the article. whether dioceses have the appetite for this i am less sure but i hope some might! anyway it's definitely worth a read and trying to provoke a conversation about if you are involved in a diocese. tina worked in diocesan structures in bath and wells diocese so it comes from her own experience and learned wisdom.

the pioneer journey - graduation 2021

huge congratulations to cms pioneers who graduated yesterday. it was wonderful to be able to celebrate with a mix of on site and online (the new hybrid normal). two also became lay pioneers in the church of england admitted by bishop guli of chelmsford. every year since we started graduations we have given students a tile made by artist iain cotton. there are now eight iterations of it which is fun - it has a life as a project that continues... the tiles always mark a pioneer journey on a landscape - making a way where there is no way. this year's has a boat crossing a sea and the jounrey is graced with a touch of gold. iain has done such a great job with these and this year's is just beautiful. if you want one come and study a course with us at cms pioneer mission leadership training!!!

nine - grace this saturday

we've had a lot of fun at grace with nine over the years - respinning the traditional readings and carols with nine readings and tunes. it will be live in ealing at st mary's but it will also be online - hybrid and all that. if you want to join online let me know and i can send the link.

gather wilderness june 2-5

after last years gather event online we have decided to gather in person this year making the most of the double bank holiday first weekend in june courtesy of the queen. it's in a beautiful location and that time of year the weather should be great for camping and hanging out. we have worked out we can make it work for about £100 a head which we hope is doable. it's family friendly too.

more details and book here

we have an amazing site organised on anglesey in wales, with breath-taking views and sunsets, where we will gather around conversation, fireside inspirational talks and family activities. it's a chance to recharge, reconnect, be inspired. it's an opportunity for bringing conversations together around pioneering activities, enterprise and community building. it is a space that you can connect with others - friends old and new.

 

as well as the hanging out we'll have a few speakers, hosted conversations, a dj, acoustic musicians, a small local bar, foraging activities, local beach walks and activities for young people.

 

i cannot wait! hope you can make it 

 

we will also be hosting conversations days again this year both in the north and south of england in april with an online option to boot so this is not replacing those in case you were wondering. more info on that in the new year.

 

webinar series is back in january - pioneer practice

last january i ran a series of four webinars just imagine exploring creativity and imagination which was a lot of fun. i am pleased to say i am hosting another series this january on pioneer practice. it's a partnership with heartedge and the guests and conversations will explore the themes of pioneer practice and the areas heartedge focus on. register here (it's free). the dates are

• 13 January: Be You
• 20 January: See
• 27 January: Build
• 3 February: Change

here's the blurb...

As a pioneer, you see something — a possibility, an idea, a way that things could be better or new of different. Then you make something happen out of what you see.

This webinar series explores over four weeks how pioneering happens in practice. Its focus is how things happen on the ground. Each week Jonny will have two or three guests and get into the gritty day to day of how they pioneer. It’s ideal for you if you have started something or if you have an inkling or an idea you want to explore and get started. It would also be really useful to attend with a couple of others who you might pioneer something with. If you are a church leader it would be great for you too and do think of people in your church who might have the pioneer gift, whether they know it or not, and encourage them to come along.

That idea might be starting a new Congregation — the Church of England, for example, is encouraging every parish to pioneer one. It might also be an idea related to Compassion in your community. It might be related to Comerce as a way of making good in the world through enterprise. Or it might be related to Culture. These are the four Cs of the HeartEdge network.

recordings will be made available for those signed up to the series so if you can't make a session you can catch up. hope to see you there!

register here

the gift of african diaspora churches - new edition of anvil

the latest edition of anvil journal is online and free as ever. i read the articles over the weekend. it's powerful and inspiring exploring the contribution of african diaspora churches to mission in britain. find some time, grab a coffee and have a read. it is edited by harvey kwiyani and colin smith and i was delighted to see contributions from a current and former student too! 

harvey leads the new route through our ma which is now up and running with 10 students signed up. they study three modules related african christianity, theology, mission and three related to pioneer mission. it's fully online so you can study it now from anywhere in the world.

liturgies for the earth 3

in response to the challenge i issued of needing more liturgies for the earth,  grace saturday night was a really lovely thoughtful evening. as we met, world leaders finalised the statement from cop26. steve has added pretty much everything from the service to the grace site including prayers and links to photos of stations. i really love the photos of leaves with things written on that we lament as loss. feel free to use anything - lots of it was borrowed or recycled from elsewhere!

my improvised watermelon station - last minute sub for pumpkin worked well. 

the prayers and so on were really good. I think the one that has lingered with me the most is this liturgy against ecocide by sam donaldson from amost trust's download

I love you earth, you are beautiful
I love you earth, you are beautiful
I love you earth, you are beautiful

I love you rivers, you are beautiful
I love you rivers, you are beautiful
I love you rivers, you are beautiful

I love you trees, you are beautiful
I love you trees, you are beautiful
I love you trees, you are beautiful

I love you birds, you are beautiful
I love you birds, you are beautiful
I love you birds, you are beautiful

I love you body, you are beautiful
I love you body, you are beautiful
I love you body, you are beautiful

it feels so important to be lovers of the earth our home.

i am adding this to the worship trick series

navigating the powers that be - london pioneer gathering

if you are in or around london do come to the london pioneer gathering on nov 24 in the evening - navigating the powers that be. it will be a chance to meet others, have conversation, catch up, share a drink. i have been invited to give some input to spark some conversation on the theme of navigating the powers that be. that might seem slightly leftfield but in research i did for the book pioneer practice the top answer given to the question of what is most likely to derail pioneering was 'the powers that be'. my experience with pioneers has also made me realise that is a big area and there is not a lot of help out there navigating it. i don't have all the answers but have learned a few bits of practical wisdom - be great to hear from others too. it's free - book a place here so we know numbers.

the last london pioneer gathering was really good so do make the effort if you are in or around london

chiddingfold bonfire

on the way to prospect wood we drive through chiddingfold. over the last couple of months they have been building a huge bonfire on the village green so we decided to visit the wood and then join in the fun on the way back. it was such a magical evening. i have added a chiddingfold bonfire photo set.

woodland ecosystem + church mixed ecology

the church of england vision has mixed ecology at its heart which i really like - it's a rich evocative metaphor. i was invited to write a blog post for the church of england on that idea. i have learned a lot about ecosystems over the last three years through managing a piece of woodland. so perhaps inevitably that's where my thinking went. have a read - what i learned about church as an ecosystem by looking after a woodland

i first had this idea and develop it in imaging mission with john taylor. i think that chapter might be my favourite thing i have ever written.

liturgies for the planet 2

thanks to a pioneer student who put me on to this collection of prayers for the climate and ecological emergency by john swales which is on the arocha web site. he also has a youtube channel with some of the prayers spoken over videos. and on twitter he recently posted this prayer for those feeling overwhelmed

I can’t stop climate breakdown,
But I can play my part,
A small part, 
So small,
That it is insignificant, 
But I will try. 


I can’t stop climate breakdown,
But I can pray,
And act,
So small, 
That it seems insignificant 
But I will try.


I can’t stop climate breakdown,
But I can love,
And be loved.
So beautiful,
That my life has dignity, 
But I will try.


I can’t stop climate breakdown,
But I can rage against the machine,
And say,
Not in my name,
So small,
But I will try.

I can’t stop climate breakdown,
But I can hope,
And dream,
And participate,
In a conspiracy of compassion,
A holy rebellion,
Until that day when all tears are wiped away.

liturgies for the planet

in imagining mission with john taylor there is a chapter called 'enough is enough' which reflects on mission in relation to consumer culture and its impact on the planet. In that we say

We need new liturgies, prayers, songs, theologies, and rituals that articulate connection with the soil. We should lament with sorrow the loss of species and the planet’s warming, and pray and work for its healing and renewal.

of course we need action too, which is also a form of worship. but i am interested in what you might be doing to pray or make an articulation in worship that fits this moment when COP26 is about to take place and we hold our breath to wonder what actions will come out to help us as a world community.

if you have something do message me - leave a comment or email. i will post suggestions and links here.

a few to get the ball rolling.

lectio365 have a series starting nov 1 (which will remain up) of daily reflections 

the planetary mass is still a wonderful liturgy

little spaces of hope collates some prayers and reflections from amos trust who held a climate summit and includes a climate justice liturgy at the end and some other lovely pieces too.

the next grace is the day after COP26 ends and we will be sharing bread and wine using the planetary mass liturgy which still feels so poignant. there will be space for prayer, lament and reflection. 

 

happy accident

and magically a dragon appeared! i had no idea when i took the photo.

whatever you do don't get any...

turning a dream into reality

fresh expressions have revamped their web site. as part of that i contributed an article turning a dream into reality. drawing on pioneer practice i offer some very simple steps for how to see a possibility for a fresh expression and give that idea legs. if you are unfamiliar with the term fresh expression it is a new form of church formed primarily for people who don't go to church hopefully done in a way they can feel at home in.