Evangelisation in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle 2005-2009
Vision
To work towards vibrant, alive communities of Welcome, Worship, Witness and Outreach at every level – parish, deanery and area - thus creating an evangelising diocese based on communion (of groups and parishes) and mission (outreach to others)
Steps towards realisation of this vision
Step 1: preparation
- Formation of Co-ordinating team – meeting monthly, praying together, sharing, being formed, discerning. A forum for exchange of ideas. Largely advisory, supportive and on-going. Feb 2005
b) Formation of Core Groups as need arises for planning and implementation of
particular aspects
Step 2: action in the diocese
We started with 5 Evangelisation Made Easy days held in the 5 Episcopal Areas
April-July 2006
- to raise awareness, allay fears and affirm people in what they are already doin
- to inspire, equip and offer creative ways of evangelising
- to share our stories and see how God is active in the lives of all
Step 3: development - 2006-7
As a result of feed-back from these days
, a 3-year diocesan programme was drawn up. People had asked for a) a deeper spirituality b) scriptural formation c) some help in meeting the challenges of our contemporary culture. This led to:
Stage 1: Spirituality for Evangelisers: Time Apart – days of prayer and empowerment
in three parts of the diocese
Stage 2: Scriptural Formation: How Jesus Evangelised and the power of the Word
held in north and south of the diocese Feb ‘07
Stage 3: Connecting with our Culture – a day on the challenge of evangelising the
society we live in. Led by Kevin Higham of Blowing Your Cover at Ushaw
;May ‘07
These diocesan events brought us into contact with about 1000 people.
Step 4: intensification 2007-9
A two-year intensive programme for a selected deanery (Sunderland) – a pilot scheme ( to be repeated in other deaneries )
Part 1: Formation: a whole deanery approach stressing personal evangelisation
Part 2: Invitation and Calling Forth. Priests would invite individuals to be part of the
Part 3: Training, resourcing and supporting of the Team for Reaching Out to Others
Step 5
Formation of a Deanery Evangelisation Team should impact on parishes in that deanery.
Eventually it is hoped that every deanery will have an evangelisation team and that evangelisation will become the life-blood of the church in that area.