February 2019
Schools workers gathering
When: Monday 25th February, 12:30 – 3:30 pm
Where: Stanway Evangelical Church, CO3 0PU
How much: £10
An afternoon for Christians working in education as Chaplains, mentors or school visitors in the Colchester and north east Essex area.
Starting with lunch (provided) and time to catch up and share news.
This time we’ll be looking at children and young people’s spirituality with Ronni Lamont.
Ronni is currently Faith and Nurture adviser for Canterbury Diocese and an Associate Tutor in Pastoral Theology at St Augustine’s College of Theology. Ronni has years of experience in developing children’s spirituality in schools, Spiritual Styles workshops, Godly Play workshops and training in leading Assemblies/Collective worship. Previously editor of assemblies.org.uk Ronni has also written loads of books.
“You will be aware that some people are ‘people people’ and others are not. That some folk like to get outside, even have to get outside, while others can be indoors for days and not notice. That some people are very good at language and have a huge vocabulary while others struggle to bring the right word to mind.
Spiritual styles is a theory that helps us to get inside the huge differences that we experience in the people we live and worship with. Why some people like one sort of church, and others go elsewhere…and if we understand how these difference impact upon our spiritual lives, we can begin to build better prayer experiences for those we serve in school or church, so that all can be included.
A simple questionnaire helps you to understand your own style, and as we work together on the impact of our own styles, we are set free to think about worship that truly includes everybody, and so allows the Holy Spirit to minister to all.”
Ronni’s work on Spiritual Styles has been a real help to us recently and we’re delighted to be able to welcome her to Colchester.
For more info and to book: tim@cyocolchester.org.uk
March 2019
CYO Celebration
When: Sunday 31st March, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Where: Kingsland Church, CO3 9DW
Great worship, inspiring stories from the world of schools and colleges and special guest Rachel Gardner from Youthscape.
Rachel is the founder of Romance Academy, a sex and relationships project which featured in the three part TV series, ‘No Sex Please, we’re Teenagers’ broadcast way back in 2005. A youth leader at her local church, Rachel now works with Youthscape where she leads their work on young people and relationships, is president of Girls’ Brigade England & Wales, a trustee of the adoption charity Home for Good, and author of The Girl Deconstruction Project.
[Photo: Youthscape]
June 2019
Godly Play Training
When: Saturday 29th June, 10:00am – 4:00 pm
Where: St Mary the Virgin, Church Hill, Lawford, Manningtree, Essex CO11 2JX
Cost: £25 Tea/coffee provided. Please bring your own lunch.
This day will explore many aspects of Godly Play : its distinctive approach to Bible storytelling, listening and wondering skills, using child-directed imaginative and creative activities, and strategies for positive relationships. There will also be hands-on time to explore key stories and resources. Rebecca has been involved in Godly Play training for almost twenty years and is passionate about taking childhood spirituality seriously. Her book, Children’s Spirituality : What it is and why it matters, will be available at 33% discount.
Please book on the UK Godly Play web site here:
https://www.godlyplay.uk/2019/01/09/manningtree-essex-introductory-day-godly-play-and-childhood-spirituality/
Or to find out more please contact Gill Heron at CYO
Dr Rebecca Nye is a specialist on childhood spirituality. Her published work has explored this in church, school, hospital and home contexts, from infancy to youth. Applying her training in psychology to issues in Christian ministry, Rebecca spent eight years in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, where she first introduced Godly Play, a Bible-focused spiritual nurture approach, to the UK. She has since been responsible for the intensive training programmes in Godly Play for many years, which attract all denominations. Rebecca is also an Associate Lecturer for the Open University where she teaches child psychology, approaches to listening to children and children’s rights, and about researching with children. She is married with three children who have always been her inspiration.