MISSION PARTNERSHIP INFORMATION SHEET APRIL 2018

Deadline dates for items to be included in our Monthly Mailing Information Sheet: May 2018 issue – deadline Wednesday 11th April 2018 June 2018 issue – deadline Wednesday 9th May 2018

Items for inclusion should be sent to Ann in the office – email missionpartnership@talktalk.net

***************************************************

COMPASS COURSES – SUMMER 2018

This term we are delighted to offer 4 different coMPass courses/trips. Once again, and responding to demand, we have a mixture of day trips, shorter courses and a half day retreat at St Michael’s Priory for the Summer term. ▪ The Bible at the Museum and Library – 2 evening sessions on a Tuesday

at Cross & Stable, Downs Barn, starting 10th April. Followed by a day trip to the British Museum and British Library on Saturday 28th April. Led by Peter Ballantine and Steve Chilcraft. Numbers are limited.

▪ Away from it all….at least for the morning: Recharging the batteries of life. Half day Retreat at St Michael’s Priory, Willen. Friday 11th May. Led by Brother Anthony Purvis.

▪ Exploring Faith – Through Creative Writing – 2 evening sessions on a Wednesday at All Saints, Loughton starting 16th May. Led by Carolyn Sanderson.

▪ The Wonderful Christian Legacy of Olney – Half day trip and talk. Saturday 23rd June. Led by Steve Chilcraft and Peter Ballantine. Numbers are limited

Full details can be found in the leaflet attached, or on our website - http://www.missionpartnership.org.uk/compass/ If you are interested in attending, do contact us as soon as possible to secure your place as our courses do get oversubscribed.

We hope you can join us.

***************************************************

MISSION PARTNERSHIP ASSEMBLY AGM Wednesday 11th July 2018

7.30pm – venue tba All Welcome

***************************************************

“CITY ALIVE” MUGS

Milton Keynes: a City Alive to God mugs for sale! Costing £4 each, you can order them via our website http://www.missionpartnership.org.uk/city-alive-mugs/ and either cut and paste the form and send it with your cheque to our address or order via PayPal following the link. We will then contact you when your mugs are ready for collection.

***************************************************

DIARY

FRIDAY 6 APRIL – BUSINESS CHRISTIANS BREAKFAST. 7.00 – 09.45am at CleanSlate Business Christians, Atlantic House, Michigan Drive, Tongwell, Milton Keynes, MK15 8HQ. Join us as we continue our series "Be Strong and Courageous" with David Illingworth, rescheduled from our cancelled meeting in March. The foundation of knowing who God is and who we are in Him, forms the basis of knowing what to do. But how do we employ scriptural principles into our businesses and workplaces to move from Vision to Values into Visible Results? In this session, David will be equipping attendees to take some practical ideas away with them, which they can apply to whatever they are doing. In preparation for this session, please can you tell us what your three biggest challenges are? David is an internationally renowned trainer and has worked with major multinational companies. Register for this event here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/april-business-christians-2018-tickets-43706417070

SUNDAY 15 APRIL – MUSIC AT CORNERSTONE. 6.00 – 7.15pm at Christ the Cornerstone, Central MK. Join the choir for a festive celebration of Eastertide. No charge for admission. SATURDAY 21 APRIL - LADIES BREAKFAST. 8.30 – 10.30am at Frosts Garden Centre, Woburn Sands. Speaker: Val Symon - ‘Malawi’. Tickets and more info from Fay 01908 282423 or Chris 01908 583922 or email: jclangford@btinternet.com SATURDAY 21 APRIL

Last year we raised just over £700, as well as having a fun evening, so we're doing it again! Grateful thanks go to our hosts Pat and Neil Hodges. Tables fill up fast, so don't leave it too late to get a ticket... (Singles welcome!)

TUESDAY 24 APRIL - CITIZENS:MK ACCOUNTABILITY ASSEMBLY 2018. 6.30 – 8.15pm at Christ the Cornerstone, Central MK. The annual Accountability Assembly, attended by 15 or more delegates from each member institution, is where campaigns are presented. Here power-holders are asked to commit to action and/or held to account for previous commitments. Leaders from non-member institutions and members of the public are welcome to book places to attend. Book here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/citizensmk-accountability-assembly-2018-tickets-36562231619?aff=es2

FRIDAY 27 APRIL – MK SOUP. 7pm at Foundation House, The Square, Aylesbury Street, Wolverton. MK Soup is a social enterprise which supports social enterprises - with soup! Based on the Detroit Soup model, MK Soup is a meeting place for people who would like to make the world a better place - whether through food, community action, sustainability or another idea. MK Soup is organised by the MK Food Revolution and the MK Christian Foundation.

On the night of MK Soup you buy a £5 ticket for a bowl of soup and in return, you get to listen to four people pitch their community ideas. At the end of the night, the crowd votes for its favourite idea and the winner takes the profit of the night. Two months later, the group then hears back about what has been achieved with the money. If you would like to apply to present please go to their website: http://www.mkfoodrevolution.org/mk-soup/ SUNDAY 29 APRIL – THE CALL Monthly Prayer Gathering for the entire city of Milton Keynes. From 7pm at Christ the Cornerstone, CMK. All welcome.

SATURDAY 12 MAY

NEWS

SABBATICAL

Please note that Rev. Dawn Saunders, our Methodist Area Superintendent, will be on

Sabbatical from Monday 26th March to Wednesday 4th July 2018 inclusive.

In her absence please refer any matters to:

Nicola Martyn-Beck, email: nicola.martyn-beck@Methodist.org.uk

For more information contact: Rev. Ruth Maxey: mkcommunityministry@gmail.com or 07791 901467

or come to the Information evening on Tuesday 10th April 7.30pm at St Michael’s Priory, Willen Also see the leaflet accompanying this Information Sheet

For more information, please see the flyer and poster that accompanies this Information Sheet.

Anyone will be welcome to attend in groups or individually.

Find the latest news from Citizens:mk here - http://www.citizensmk.org.uk/

* House the Homeless – Day of Action 16.3.18

* Children Question Homeless People at YMCA

* Campaign Leaders Meet Leader of Council at Civic Offices

* Police Host Restorative Justice Workshop in Fight Against Hate

DEANERY ORGANSING

MK Deanery writes: “We are running an experiment with Deanery Synod between February and July. The aim is to see how "Community Organising" might help us to identify projects that will make a difference - and develop new leaders. At the Synod meeting in March we identified four project teams who will develop their ideas into more concrete proposals. In May we will have an opportunity to vote on these proposals and turn some of them into action!

The projects are:

* Domestic Violence

* Finance (ie parish and deanery)

* Mental Health

* Young People.

The teams have agreed to meet at least once before May. If you want to join a team, please let us know and we'll get you in touch with the team convener.” Tim Norwood (Area Dean) - tim@mkdeanery.org

More info here - http://mkdeanery.org/2018/03/19/whats-the-big-problem/

ECUMENICAL COURSE

The next ecumenical Introduction to Spiritual Direction Course run by the Spiritual Direction

(SpiDir) Network for Berks, Bucks and Oxon begins in September 2018, and finishes in

June 2019.

For further information please see the website: www.soulfriend.org.uk or email Sue Sheppy,

who is one of the course tutors: susan.sheppy@btinternet.com

Participants from counties bordering on our area are welcome to apply.

Also see the flyer accompanying this Information Sheet.

MILTON KEYNES MONEY ADVICE

We are sad to inform you that Milton Keynes Money Advice will no longer be giving debt advice at the Ridgeway Centre in Wolverton Mill South. Our staff and volunteers and active clients will be transferring to MK Money Lifeline.

If you need to refer anybody for free debt advice in the future, please would you contact

Citizens' Advice Bureau: 01908 604475 based in Acorn House, Midsummer Boulevard.

MK Money Life Line: 0300 123 5198 also based in Acorn House, Midsummer Boulevard.

Or give people information about

Step Change: 0800 138 1111 or on line at www.stepchange.org. Debt Remedy on-line tool https://www.stepchange.org/DebtRemedy.aspx.

The Money Advice Service 0800 138 7777 or on-line https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en.

Best wishes, Teija Alexander Debt Advisor Milton Keynes Money Advice

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY:

TUTOR – BASIC MATHS AND ENGLISH FOR REFUGEE CHILDREN

Building Bridges MK is a volunteer run organisation which provides supplementary

education for young refugees in Milton Keynes that have been referred to us by the British

Red Cross. We provide transitional English and Maths support in their own homes for

4 - 6 months.

Our aim is to provide basic English and Maths support for newly arrived children to build

their confidence in communicating and integrating in school. No prior teaching experience is

required. A full induction will be provided, and your initial session will be attended by a

member of the administrative team as part of your training.

Further information can be found here -

https://communityactionmk.org/2018/03/13/volunteering-opportunity-of-the-week-tutor-

basic-maths-and-english-for-refugee-children/

WORLD VISION’S 2018 GLOBAL 6K FOR WATER

Six kilometres is the average distance that people in the developing world walk for water—water that is often contaminated with life-threatening diseases. On Saturday, May 19th, 2018, thousands of participants around the globe will walk or run 6k to bring life-changing clean water to communities in need. We are thrilled to be bringing this event to the UK for the first time, and to be launching it in Milton Keynes. Hosting a Global 6K is a simple and engaging activity for your church and community… World Vision’s Global 6K: • is one of the best community outreach events you can bring to your church this year • is one of the easiest invitations for your congregation to make to their friends and family • hopes to unite over 1,000 churches around the globe on the same day, for the same cause: clean water

Family fun. Local outreach. Global impact. Learn more at worldvision.org.uk/Global6K or call Katherine on 01908 841034

APPLY TO BE A CO-OP LOCAL CAUSE

The Co-op Local Community Fund gives money to local causes, helping to bring people

together and make a difference. Co-op is looking for causes that need funding, particularly

projects run by small, local organisations that make a real difference in their community.

Qualifying projects will meet the Co-op’s values and take place or will still be running after

October 2019. The application dead line is 8 April.

Find out more here -

https://causes.coop.co.uk/?utm_source=vanity&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Lo

calCommunityFund

CHRISTIAN FILMS AT UK CINEMAS

Mary Magdalene opened at Milton Keynes Cineworld on Friday 16th March.

Performance times are daily at 11.20am, 2.10pm, 5pm and 7.50pm

It stars Rooney Mara as Mary Magdalene, Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus, Chiwetel Ejiofor as

Peter (star of Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave); and is directed by Garth Davis (director of

Lion).

See www.filmblog.damaris.org/mary-magdalene-companion-booklet-2/ for a discussion

guide. For a review by the editor of Premier Christianity magazine google:

Why Mary Magdalene is the Hollywood film Christians have been waiting for

Paul, Apostle of the Christ opened on Good Friday.

James Faulkner (Downton Abbey) plays Paul; Jim Caviezel plays Luke (Jesus in Mel Gibson's

The Passion of the Christ).

Samson opens on Friday 25th May

God's not Dead: A Light in Darkness also opens on Friday 25th May. Third of the God's not

Dead series. Parts 1 and 2 showed in UK cinemas four and two years ago.

Trailers to the above can be found by visiting www.imdb.com/calendar/?region=gb and

clicking the relevant opening dates.

* Please note: we welcome entries for our Monthly Mailing from a variety of sources. An entry in the Monthly Mailing does not imply an endorsement of the listed event or the sponsoring organisation by the Mission Partnership.

This information sheet is produced by Milton Keynes Mission Partnership

Director of Ecumenical Mission: Rev. Canon John Robertson Administrator: Ann Harris

tel: (01908) 311310 e-mail: missionpartnership@talktalk.net www.missionpartnership.org.uk

Items for inclusion in the May 2018 edition should be emailed to the Mission Partnership Office by Wednesday 11th April 2018