Discovered this from Bosco Peters on http://www.liturgy.co.nz/resources/badge.html

"Worship, I contend, is essential in the church's mission - whatever your denomination. Parish and other Christian community mission statements regularly highlight this centrality. Worship, liturgy, especially the Eucharist is understood by most to be "the source and summit of the Christian life" (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 11). St Ignatius Loyola understood "The human person is created to praise, reverence, and serve God" (The Principle and Foundation).

Sometimes, however, and most surprisingly, worship does not feature in significant church and denominational mission statements. . . I would argue there has been a loss of the pivotal place of worship and liturgy, Along with this loss of worship's primacy has been the loss of the unifying power of common prayer, of common worship.

In the (even recent) past a variety of interpretations could be held around common spiritual practice. WORSHIP FIRST is a call to restore the central and unifying aspect of our Christian life and mission - whatever our denomination."

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Some similar concerns of mine are on http://roxborogh.com/mission.htm

John

Telephone Evangelism: I have just been trying to contact a retired Anglican church leader. Various numbers and no English accents (it used to be you could sort out the Presbyterians and the Anglicans just by accent).

A retreat house answerphone repeated a cell phone number as if announcing a hymn from Ancient and Modern. "Please ring cell phone number xyz, pause, number xyz."

A diocesan answerphone declared in authoritative tones "Please make your choice carefully after the tone." I felt my eternal life depended on a correct answer and fully expected to hear "press 2 for heaven, press 3, number 3, for hell."

It was a relief to get a helpful person with a neutral kiwi accent - and not to wind up in the wrong place.

Here goes with another reactivation! There are a number of other blogs I would like to link to, and some things to say and share.

I am now retired from the School of Ministry, renamed the Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership, but chuffed to see how the transition to an internship model of theological education has taken shape. http://www.knoxcentre.ac.nz/ My succesor Jason Goroncy http://www.blogger.com/profile/13581661 will be starting next year and I feel that the teaching of Presbyterianism can be fun will be in good hands.

In August Jenny and I attended the 12th International Association for Mission Studies conference in Balatonfüred Hungary before visiting family in Oxford, catching a few days in Paris (Versailles and Chartres) a visit to Sissinghurst gardens in Kent, and a wedding of the daughter of Malaysia friends in All Souls Langham Place in London.

We are currently completing the renovation of our holiday "crib" on the Otago Peninsular. Jenny is hard at work - and I am meant to be marking papers.

New Zealand, like the States, is in the midst of an election. It will be interesting to see if Labour can pull off another term in office, but the McCain Obama show is a bit more exciting.

John