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January 7th, 2008

Five short posts

As hinted at in the title, five short posts:

Unicyclist makes the 6pm service
I was impressed to read in the comments of the ‘absenteeism’ post that Sam, a reader of this blog, still made it to the 6pm service having finished his successful 24 hour unicycling world record attempt on the Sunday morning. Sorry Sam, I should have linked to your world record attempt when you were doing it back in September, but was overtaken by events. Very belated congratulations.

Walkers first rule of DIY
“Regardless of the time and energy you have expended getting the tools, equipment and materials together in order to undertake a DIY task a last minute trip to the DIY superstore will always be required within 10 minutes of starting the job.”

This time around it was the 8mm drill bit.

After many hours of toil over the weekend I now have two extra shelves in my office. We hadn’t really got the hang of things for the first one though, so I may only use it to store polystyrene bicycle helmets.

Paypal postage problem persists
After two months I’m afraid people who pay for CartoonChurch licences via Paypal are still being wrongly charged a pound for postage which I’m refunding order by order. Paypal are still unable to resolve this problem, so apologies to all affected. This also means I am delaying sending out some way way waaaay overdue licence reminders. If this is you then just keep using the cartoons and I will hopefully be able to invoice you before too long. I still want to stick with paypal as these things take days to work out and set up, and I don’t have time to do that with a new system.

Mobile phone joy
Talking of technical problems, I’ve finally upgraded my Nokia 6600 phone because if I missed a call it couldn’t tell me who had called me and also when the phone rang it didn’t tell me who was calling. Apparently mobiles should be able to do that by now, but neither Nokia nor Orange could make it do so in three and a bit years. You would think that changing from one Orange pay as you go phone to another Orange pay as you go phone would be easy wouldn’t you? Well, 4 days, several phone calls and a bit of stress and anxiety later I’m hopeful that the new phone is finally up and running. And it seems to work. I’m overjoyed.

Unusual ‘Fresh Expressions’ appeal
Lastly a small ‘idea appeal’ post. Today’s subject is ‘Fresh Expressions of church’ (do a Google search if you have no idea what that means). Have you come across any odd and unusual ‘Fresh Expressions’? Is there a hitherto forgotten group of people for whom a new Fresh Expression is required and if so, what would be different about the service / event?

Rubbish example: Church for lollipop ladies (and men these days) - extra brackets at the ends of pews for their signs and an absence of dilly dallying when crossing the aisle.

Any ideas, creative or otherwise - please do post them in the comments.



This is a single Cartoon Blog entry, posted by Dave on Monday, January 7th, 2008 at 3:57 pm.

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33 Responses to “Five short posts”


  1. infidel says:

    I know of at least one person who says that ‘fresh expressions’ is all about toothpaste.

  2. Phill says:

    “Is there a hitherto forgotten group of people for whom a new Fresh Expression is required and if so, what would be different about the service / event?”

    Um… Fresh Expressions of Church for cartoonists named Dave?

    Perhaps everyone deserves their own ‘Fresh Expression’. I certainly wish I had a fresh expression, particularly when I’m looking at a photo of myself grimacing or something.

    I’ll fetch me cassock…

  3. Andy says:

    Unusual ‘Fresh Expressions’ appeal…
    Church for geeks? Lots of people sitting at home talking in a chat room…

  4. Mary says:

    Fresh expressions for fruit and veg sellers

    Fresh expressions for shower manufacturers

    Fresh expressions for mime artists

  5. Mandy says:

    Fresh expressions for cats - large hassocks or is it cassocks (Anglican friends know - I forget) to curl up on and meditate or reflect or sleep; handy pews or chair seats for scratching the surface of deep thoughts or toe nails; fonts with fish in for practical discipleship - “I willl make you fishers of fish”; optional bird watching - stained glass windows permitting - for reaching out into the wider community. Time for a sleep - zzzzz

  6. RecusantRector says:

    Fresh Expressions for the Prayer Book Society (lots of nice new BCPs in really big print?

  7. Aaron says:

    Fresh Expressions church for people who have no idea what “Fresh Expressions” means?

    Of course, if you’re not a churchgoer, the same thing the church has been doing for almost 2000 years would BE a fresh expression. I’m just sayin’.

  8. Rhys says:

    I don’t have any problems with the concept of ‘fresh expressions’, but the term itself is just horrible. I’m afraid it sounds a bit too much like a euphemism for an unspecified very unpleasant something or other. Well, it does to me anyway, e.g. “Oof, that’s a right fresh expression Rover’s made there. Where’s the mop and bucket?”

    (Sorry. Those are probably just my terminological issues, and not terribly helpful. Some of my best friends run fresh expressions churches, etc.)

    I’ve been to at least five services featuring morris dancers in my time, if that helps. Not sure how fresh they were, but they were certainly expressive.

  9. Phil says:

    fresh expression incorporating fundraising idea:

    VIP church: people pay to sit on strategically placed sofas at the back of church, and are brought regular refreshments by the youth group.

  10. jody says:

    cynics

  11. jody says:

    as in, try a fresh expression for cynics.

    I wasn’t just calling you all cynics.

    hum

  12. Simon says:

    How about Christian Naturists - surely that’s a Flesh Expression?

  13. Simon says:

    Having thought long and hard, I think a church specifically for those age under 2 is the only way forward for future growth.

    It is of course a Crèche Expression.

    I’ll get my cassock.

  14. Anne says:

    Oooohhh, noooo! I thought I was modern and liberal, and after reading that it turns out that I’m actually stodgy. Is Fresh Expressions kind of like when we stop by the Worship Center to chat about the Ten Really Good Suggestions? At least I’ve answered your question. You need a Fresh Expression for Olde Phartes.

  15. joe says:

    I heard of one where a bunch of men sit around drinking whisky. Oh no, that’s Deanery Synod.

  16. Dave says:

    Rhys - yes, not a great name, but it’s there now so we have to run with it. Never did get to a morris dancing service alas.

    Anne - I think Fresh Expressions is more about new ways of doing things rather than new beliefs, if that makes sense.

    Phil - I like your sofa idea. Not as a fresh expression really, but just as an idea.

    Thanks for all the good suggestions.

  17. Phelim McIntyre says:

    Near me is a very succesful (ex)Fresh Expressions for BMX bikers, skate boarders and others. This has got me thinking about Fresh Expressions for other sports players. Would we have problems with one for Tiddlywink players - especially if they tiddle into the chalice. What about one for croquet players or bridge fanatics? Of course there are always Whonatics (Dr Who fans), Trekees and Star Wars nuts - though I’m yet to find one for us Harry Potter fans.

  18. Russ says:

    FEX+ (my shorthand, copyright pending) are needed for:

    - bowls players [in the teahut]
    - post office queues [in an envelope]
    - builders [in the foreman’s hut]
    - road diggers [somewhere at the bottom of the hole]
    - coffee drinkers [a frappe expressochino]
    - phone box users [solo meditative groupings]

    Toodlepip

  19. Richard says:

    Would we have problems with one for Tiddlywink players - especially if they tiddle into the chalice.

    I have heard a certain diocesan bishop confessing to having accidentally tiddlywinked a wafer into a communicant’s hands.

  20. Chris says:

    For a church that does a “Psalm Drummers” type service with their “traditional” congregation - individual sound proofed rooms for drum playing (so it’s not “too loud” for everyone else).

  21. Sam says:

    I came across a Harry Potter liturgy a while ago which someone I knew had used.

    As for Fresh Expression ideas, I had the idea of serving rural communities with a specially-fitted lorry which would fold out in one way and turn into a church, and afterwards would fold out in a different way and be a pub. Thus providing two of the most important things often lacking in small villages. (Okay, it wouldn’t have to unfold, but you get the idea.)

    Looking at other people’s comments, isn’t there more to Fresh Expressions than serving new/specific groups of people? Surely part of it is providing worship that “ordinary” people can relate to in different ways.

  22. Phelim McIntyre says:

    I’d love to see the Harry Potter liturgy - Hogwarts and all (sorry). Ok, how about a Fresh Expressions for Muppet fans. Of course the creed would be “Its not easy being green”. And instead of saying Amen we would say “hiii-yahh” in a Miss Piggy type voice.

  23. Rick says:

    Service for pretentious chefs - Creme Fraiche Expressions

  24. Mark Bennet says:

    I have an idea (which might one day hit reality) of a fresh expression of church as museum - as a place to invite children and others to explore the history of our faith and of faithful people over the generations who have worshipped in the place - a living museum like bringing alive the history of “St Agatha’s” as illustrated in ‘Common Worship Today’ ed Mark Earey and Gilly Myers.
    The subversive subplot of this - ‘come for the history - find a living faith’: the rationale - if Churches look and feel like museums to people, let’s take that iconography, and take people through it and subvert it.

  25. joe says:

    I’ve an idea - it is called church for dead people. Every member has a wax-work made of themselves, which when they unfortunately pass away is put in their pew.

    In time, the church would fill up with wax-works. We could then see if anyone noticed.

    It’d be less fresh-expression and more fixed-expression.

  26. Richard Greatrex says:

    ‘Fresh Expressions’ is better than the ponderous ‘new ways of being church’, but does rather presume that the rest of us are ’stale expressions’.

    One I sometimes engage in is Clash Expressions where the works of Mr J Strummer and Co, aided by Mr W Bragg and occasionally Mr R Marley are an integral aspect of worship. The Clash also had an interesting take on Pauline theology (I fought the Law and the Law won)

  27. Phelim McIntyre says:

    Could Richard G, myself and others create a Fresh Expression for ex-SPCK employees? Or may be we just need an old Fresh Expression of SPCK Bookshops.

  28. shirley says:

    In answer to Mary (4) and to your question as well Dave, our Fresh Expression here in the Parish of Walthamstow is currently to the Sunday morning Farmer’s Market on Walthamstow Town Square. Members of one of our churches, St Luke’s (which is in the process of being made redundant) along with people from the other churches in our parish, chat and serve tea/coffee & cake to stallholders and shoppers on a Sunday (yes, shock horror!, a Sunday!) morning. There is also low-key cafe church close by on a Sunday morning but members mainly meet for worship in a home midweek.
    You can read more here
    http://parishofwalthamstow.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/st-lukes-at-the-farmers-market-update/

  29. Simon Boswell says:

    As a new dad the idea of Fresh Expressions brings to mind something completely different…

  30. webweaver.pttw says:

    Hum having read the above comments, #21 by Sam gives me the idea of having a fresh expression of church by having church in a pub. Not sure about your side of the pond, but over in the States, most pubs are not open on Sunday morning and therefore would be available for use.

    just a random idea generated late on a Saturday night when what I really need is a fresh expression of sleep

  31. Phelim McIntyre says:

    Most pubs are open Sunday from Mid day or even earlier - but why not have a frsh expression in an open pub. I know of some churches who have done so including a Vineyard church. I think this comes under the idea of a thirst after righteousness.

  32. shirley says:

    In answer to 30 & 31 in the past year we have held two very successful pub based evening meetings with a large number of church people from our home groups joining together. The first was last year during Holy Week. We hosted an evening of entertainment - definitely not of the cringy type - with good taste stand up comedy, quizzes, an interview about getting involved in the High St (see my earlier post #28) and live music. Some locals joined in - others were happy to listen. The publican welcomed us (and our money!) and we have an increasingly good relationship with him.

    This is an occasional rather than regular event but there is a midweek group who are exploring taking their group out of their home and into the pub.

    One of our congregations is based in a cafe where there is gently led bible study, prayer and discussion over breakfast and cappuccino. Again we have a very good relationship with the cafe owner.

    We do not fit into either the ’singing dreary hymns on hard pews’ mould or the ‘bashing them over the head with a bible enquiring if they are saved’ mould, so discussions with other folk in the pub or cafe are usually interesting!

    Any more good ideas out there for alternative church locations? Could be a good strand for Dave’s cartoons!!

  33. Shirley says:

    … and further to my comment #28 readers might be interested in this link about Fresh Expressions in cafes and the Costa chain which arrived in my Inbox today.