For those that remember, two Bishops visited a number fresh expressions/emerging churches in the USA and UK including the Moot Community, Bps Michael Perham (CofE) and Mary Gray-Reeves (Episcopal Church) collaborated over this important book.  It is a great and positive read.  After the il-informed polemic and parody written in the book ‘For the Parish’ it is great to read an obviously informed book sensitively handled by those deeply rooted in the Anglican tradition gathered through participation and dialogue with the subject matter, (we remember that the authors of ‘For the Parish’ gathered their information through google searches and never visited a single project!).  Moot and the Church of the Apostles in the US have a lot of coverage, as do a number of other fresh expressions of the church.  The book is really refreshing, insightful, questioning and engaging, and a great read for those involved, exploring or interested in the whole area of liturgy, formation and the worship life of emerging and fresh expressions of the church.  Well done Michael and Mary, this is an excellent book – for a link to Amazon click here

In this the first of 3 podcasts recorded on the 1st Febrary 2011 at the London Centre for Spirituality for the launch of the new book New Monasticism as fresh expressions of the church (Second book in the Ancient Faith Future Mission Series), a panel of practitioners and missioners discuss the importance of New Monasticism. In this first podcast we hear from Bishop Graham Cray, the Archbishops Missioner and Leader for Fresh Expressions, Andy Freeman of the 24-7 Prayer Network and Reconcile New Monastic Community in Reading, Tessa Holland of the Contemplative Fire Community, Aaron Kennedy of the Moot Community and Diane Kershaw of the Order of Mission.

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Really pleased to see that Stephen Cottrell has been nominated for becoming the next Bishop of Chelmsford. Bp Stephen is a great Bishop and a major encourager to me personally, Moot and fresh expressions of church drawing on the contemplative and catholic anglican traditions. This is great news for any Emerging and Fresh Expressions of Church in East London and Essex. He just gets the importance of Mission and Evangelism in our post-secular post-christendom context.

I was hoping that he may be nominated for Southwark Diocese, to help that Diocese face and embrace the need for emerging and fresh expressions of church within South London, but at least he may be involved with an aspect of London’s life.

Chelmsford, you are a very fortunate Diocese!

Click here to listen to the podcast. This is the second podcast from Martin, scroll down below to listen to the conversation between Martin and Ian Mobsby.

Apologies for the slight interference in this recording. We have worked out why, and it won’t happen in future recordings.

In the second of two events, Dave Tomlinson leads a Moot Wednesday evening gathering to discuss his new book Re-enchanting Christianity. Dave explored the idea of a ‘second innocence’ developed by a number theologians, to explore the reconstruction of a faith that can engage with the reality of the twenty first century. For more information on Dave’s book, click here. Dave has been a major support to the Moot Community. We hope to develop greater links between St Lukes Church Holloway and the Moot Community.  Click here to listen to the podcast.

People are no less spiritual today than they were in the past, but they are a lot less religious – at least, in a formal sense. A disconnect has ocurred between religion and spirituality: people no longer see religion or Church as the natural setting in which to explore or express their spiritual aspirations. So they are drifting away from churches in droves. However, they are not doing so because they no longer believe in God, or because they have no hunger or interest in the spiritual aspect of life, but because, in their experience of Church, they are neither finding a faith they can believe in, not an existential spirituality that can sustain their souls in an age of anxiety and estrangement.

In a previous podcast, Jonny Spoor of the Moot Community talked to Ian Mobsby about his experience of participating and living in the L’arche community in France. He went there for his summer holiday from studying. Here he lived in a house with Jean Vanier and loved and served in L’arche, possibly one of the most important new monastic inspired communities in the world. Jonny recently went back to interview Jean Vanier about his experiences, theology and thinking to write an article for the Student Christian Movement magazine, and whilst he was there, he recorded some of the wisdom of the conversation. So this podcast is more unusual than the ones we usually do, in that it pulls together Jean Vanier’s thinking where you can’t hear the questions Jonny has asked. It however, allows the listener to engage with the remarkable wisdom of this important visionary and activist. For those in the emerging church, fresh expressions and new monasticism, there is much here to aid us in our quest to build ecclesial communities out of contextual mission.

Following a recent number of requests, we publish a short film played at the Moot Rhythm of Life Service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Easter Saturday 2009.  The film uses the stories and hopes of a number of people involved in the Moot Community, as we await the birthing of our vision of starting an arts cafe lounge in central London as a place for radical mission and hospitality, and our longer term hope of launching an intentional community.  The Moot Community recommits to its rhythm of life as a new monastic community before the Bishop of London in the season of Easter every year. This follows the ancient practice of christian priests, monastics and friars to recommit to their vows and for the whole people of God to recommit to their baptismal covenant.

To see the video post click here.