Recommended Resources
- Archive
- September 2010 - One World Week
- Summer 2010 - Back to Church Sunday
- May 2010 - Holiday Clubs
- Spring 2010 - Gift Ideas
- February 2010 - Inspirations e-library
- December 2009 - Holocaust Memorial Day
- November 2009 - The Big Read: Luke
- October 2009 - Living the Questions: Discipleship Courses
Featured Resource - September 2010
One World Week 2010:
17th - 24th October 2010
Peacing Together One World
One World Week, a registered development charity, is hoping that as many people as possible will participate in their 2010 theme, 'Peacing Together One World'. Could your faith community or school have a special assembly/service/event to raise the theme of peace and social justice? We've suggested a few resources on our shelves that may help.
Our Earth, Our Home - Helen Teague
(this item can be found in class 268.13 at both branches)
This book has no pictures but lots of ideas for 'Green Assemblies' for Key Stage 1-2. Each assembly comes with suggested preparatory activities (including internet stimuli), a script for several children (which at first sight isn't very interactive but does build on the classroom preparation), a prayer and a hymn suggestion. Themes include the seasons, water, food, praise for the Creator and the sacraments.
Values for Life - Vickery, Coster & Holloway
(this item can be found in class 268.13 at the Durham branch)
This is a comprehensive resource written by Diocesan Schools Advisers in the South West and published in 2008. 18 Christian values (courage, trust, creativity, justice, forgiveness, peace, humility, truth, thankfulness, compassion, hope, friendship, generosity, respect and reverence, wisdom, service, perseverance & responsibility) are explored in 6 weekly sessions and linked to acts of collective worship. A variety of stimuli are suggested, many of which are resources you can borrow from the Resources Centre!
Get Global - Joanne Price with NE school participation
(this item can be found in class 268.15 of the video stock at both branches)
This is a teachers guide designed to facilitate active global citizenship. Although developed for the Key Stage 3/4 classroom (with help from NE schools) its process and skills-based approach means it could be used in both the school and faith context. Get Global encourages participants to move beyond thinking about an issue to taking some positive action which they can then reflect upon and evaluate. It sounds heavy but the 6 steps are clear and well supported and the process clearly empowering for young participants who too often feel disenfranchised.
One World Week
One World Week (OWW) exists to provide the space for people from diverse backgrounds to come together to learn about global justice, to spread that learning and to use it to challenge inequality, discrimination and degradation, locally and globally. The OWW website is a fantastic resource. It has resources for children and adults, in both faith and educational settings. Although firmly associated with the Christian faith, OWW's Ubuntu project has generated interesting material from a Muslim perspective and the site includes resources for those of no faith at all.
OWW takes place from 17-24th October 2010 but the theme can be celebrated throughout the year. Have a look and see what you can do!
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Featured Resource - Summer 2010
Back to Church Sunday 2010:
26th September
Dorothy Robinson from the Newcastle Evangelism Task Group writes:
"Back to Church Sunday has developed around what is probably the simplest step in evangelism: one person inviting someone that they know to something they love – inviting their friend to their church." Invitation and Welcome is an important aspect within Mission and Evangelism. Amongst resources available are:
Everybody Welcome - Bob Jackson
(review by Alastair Macnaughton, Director of Discipleship Development, Lindisfarne RTP)
But IS THERE a good welcome in our church?
Rev Bob Jackson writes in the forward to a new course, 'almost invariably, if church leaders have told me in the vestry what a friendly church this is, then my wife will have assuredly been ignored at the door...'
EVERYBODY WELCOME covers six sessions, including:
- making the church more visible
- making the premises more inviting
- a welcoming God and his welcoming people
- belonging to the church community
- training a Welcome team
New in 2009 from Church House Publishing, this looks very practical; I expect it to get under the skin and behind the façade! Statistics show that 10% of people who tryout churches actually join them! If we want to improve on that statistic, maybe this course is what we have been waiting for...
'Everybody Welcome: Complete Pack' by Bob Jackson
Can be borrowed from the Resources Centre or it can be purchased until 31st October 2010 at the special price £29.99 (+ £2.50 p+p) only direct from:
Norwich Books and Music
St Mary's Works
St Mary's Plain
Norwich
NR3 3BH
tel: (01603) 612 914
Make sure you quote the code: 'BTCS 2010'
Creating a Culture of Welcome in the Local Church (Grove Booklet) - Alison Gilchrist
(review by Captain Steve Dixon, Church Army)
Once new people have stepped over our church threshold, what kind of welcome do they receive, if any?
In her insightful and challenging, yet easily read booklet to encourage a welcoming church culture, Alison Gilchrist draws on her own experiences of welcome as a stranger in different churches and explores the experiences of others for whom church is an alien world. Her light hearted approach soon draws the reader into sympathy with the new visitor before she begins to challenge the prevailing culture of our churches. Gilchrist reveals the scriptural basis for welcome and discuses the psychology of congregations. Her conclusion is that churches tend towards introversion, security and, ultimately, exclusion. However, Gilchrist offers hope through the encouragement of the shadow side of a church’s personality, where extraversion and risk taking can lead to a warm and inviting welcome.
The appendix offers practical assistance to churches including a Welcome Audit and exercises to help empathise with the newcomer. This booklet provides an excellent resource to prepare your church for Back to Church Sunday.
Creating a Culture of Worship
This PDF contains details of (and an application form for) a free preparation morning, on Saturday 10th July based on Alison's Grove Booklet which is aimed to be helpful to parishes whether or not they are signed up to Back to Church Sunday.
Other information about Back to Church Sunday can be found on the website: www.backtochurch.co.uk.
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Featured Resource - May 2010
Holiday Clubs!
With the summer fast approaching, now is the perfect time to start thinking about running a children's holiday club.
Long term Resources Centre member, Elizabeth Screen writes:
At St. Gabriel’s Church in Heaton we have run a Holiday Club every year for the last 13 years. They are usually attended by up to 70 local children aged between 5 and 12 years.
We find the most successful themes are those in which we can transport the children (in their imaginations) to another place - for example. the seaside, the circus, an Olympic Stadium or a tropical island.
We are fortunate in having a church with moveable seats and therefore have the opportunity to transform the whole building into a Big Top or an Olympic Stadium, but any suitable hall would do.
Our favourite titles of the past few years have been Go for Gold, Seaside Rock, Big Top (from The Ultimate Holiday Club Guide) and Pirates. All of these themes, and many more, are available from the Resources Centre Library. This gives you the opportunity to borrow and study various themes before making a decision on which one to use. The staff can then order copies for you to purchase or offer you an extended loan period on the one you choose.
Running a Holiday Club brings so many benefits to your church. Members of the congregation working together across the age range get to know each other better, they build stronger relationships with children who attend church regularly and they get to interact with the parents and children who only attend occasionally or not at all. But best of all it gives you the chance to show God’s love to all these people and to spread the Gospel in a fun and exciting way.
So go on, give it a try and let your imagination take you to – who knows where?
The materials mentioned in this article can be found on our catalogue by searching for the keywords, "Holiday Clubs".
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Featured Resource - Spring 2010
Available at both sites!
Looking for a good Easter gift that won't rot the teeth or add on the pounds?
The Resources Centre has a small stock of items (discounted for Resources Centre members!) that may make a nice Easter Gift for someone you know or as the basis of an activity for an Easter Group...
For the Adults:
St Margaret's Crosses
RRP: £15; Our price: £7
Hand made from 100% recycled wood these limited edition plain 12" wooden crosses are a simple Easter gift. The crosses are made from pitch pine recycled from Victorian chapel pews. The nature of the matured wood means they are suitable for indoor and outdoor display. Thay are not varnished so can be personalised. Each cross is handmade by members of the St Margarets Centre in Durham. St Margaret's provides training, employment and opportunities for creativity for people recovering from a mental illness.
The Usborne Children's Bible
RRP: £12.99; Our Price: £11
These colourful and substantial Children's Bibles (9" x 11" or 22cm x 28cm) are suitable gifts for Primary aged children. Some will want to read it for themselves while others will wish to have it read aloud - the clear text is suitable for either.
The Bible covers many of the major Old Testament stories and key events of the life of Jesus as told in the New (including some resurrection appearances). The chapters are short, well presented and each page brims with colourful borders and illustrations.
For Craft Activities:
Wooden Crosses
2" crosses: 38p each or 10 for £3.50
3" crosses: 58p each or 10 for £5.50
We have stocked these plain, unfinished 2" & 3" crosses for some time now and they are as popular as ever. Excellent as the basis for school/church group craft activites they are also nice as individual gifts that can be decorated and popped into an Easter card for family members.
A Bag of Peas
Paul Heatherington has provided an interesting article on the local custom of Carlin Sunday
An Easter gift for teachers and preachers?
Each year REEP (the RE and Environment Project) offers an online Easter and Christmas greeting. This year's Easter greeting tells how flowers and gardens have traditionally formed part of the iconography and message of the Christian Easter story, using interpretations from both art and photography. It may may make a nice (free!) online gift for someone you know: just add the link into an email or E-card!
The link:
http://www.religiouseducationcouncil.org/mailinglist/lt.php?id=ZU5RBllUCkoLVEkEB14%3D
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Featured Resource - February 2010
Inspirations e-Library
Inspirations was brought to our attention by the Revd John Chamberlain of Cullercoats in North Shields. We asked him to review it for us and here's the result...
Inspirations is a "Library of Theology and Spirituality" on a CD ROM. It was assembled and edited by Fr. Patrick Rogers S.T.D. Fr. Patrick is a Passionist priest (R.C.) from Ireland - prompted by the abundance of public-domain texts now available for scanning, as well as the gracious permission given by a number of colleagues in biblical studies to include books of theirs on this CD.
The Inspirations collection is split into several sections:
The Bible : This contains the NRSV text.
Bible Study: This includes the works of Josephus, the Old Testament Apocrypha (e.g. Jubilees and Enoch) and the New Testament Apocrypha (e.g. Acts of Andrew, Acts of Thomas), The Greek New Testament (with NRSV English in parallel), The Gospel Parallels, and various commentaries (e.g. Barrett’s Gospel of St. John , Dunn’s The Theology of Paul the Apostle ). In addition, there are maps and pictures, introductions to the books of the Bible and a Bible dictionary.
Patristics: From Ambrose to Vincent of Lerins. It includes, for example, Augustine, Basil, Clement of Rome, Clement of Alexandria, Ignatius, Tertullian, Polycarp and The Didache.
Theology: this includes Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo , the complete Summa Theologica by Aquinas, Schweitzer’s The Quest of the Historical Jesus , Moltmann’s The Theology of Hope , and works by Karl Rahner and Pope Benedict XVI to mention but a few.
Spirituality: Here we have such works as The Cloud of Unknowing , works by Julian of Norwich, Søren Kierkegaard, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Martin Luther to mention but a few. The Qur’an is also included.
Lectionary: The RC Sunday lectionary is included together with a commentary on the readings. The weekday lectionary is also included: this is essentially the same as the C of E weekday Eucharistic lectionary.
The software has been installed for customer use on the public access computers at both branches. If you would like your own copy, it can be ordered from the author's website - alternatively, if John collects a large enough order, a 'substantial discount' should be negotiable. He can be contacted via e-mail or telphone on: 0191 253 0022.
John also prepared the following notes and instructions for using the Inspirations library.
Inspirations - Notes
Inspirations - Instructions
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Featured Resources - December 2009
Holocaust Memorial Day - 27th January 2009
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is the international day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and of other genocides. It is held every year on 27th January - the anniversary of the date of the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. HMD sets out to motivate people to make sure that the horrendous crimes committed during the Holocaust and in more recent genocides, are neither forgotten nor repeated, whether in Europe or elsewhere in the world.
The Illustrated Holocaust Glossary
- FREE HERE
This Illustrated Holocaust Glossary was completed by Sharon Artley as part of her Fellowship in Holocaust Education at the Imperial War Museum. It's free to download and use with students but it has relevance beyond the teaching environment.
The glossary is clear and useful as an introduction to key places, people and terms. It reminds us of the human cost through photos and snippets of survivor testimony. However navigate to the special feature at the end on Holocaust survivor Zdenka Fantlova to find a gripping account of love and courage that will move and inspire. The glossary is free but the author would like those who use it to complete one of the two questionnaires included in the glossary to ensure that any new additions are improved.
Illustrated Holocaust Glossary
Recommended for students of 14 years and above.
Liberators and Survivors Poster Sets
A series of posters telling an often untold story. Useful for teaching or reflection.
These are poster packs, in dark brown and black A1 folders, fastened with string - kept next to the poster bay at the Percy Main branch.
Please ask staff for details and quote either reference p02608 or p02646.
The Book Thief
The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a nine-year old girl fostered by a family on Himmel Street, Molching, Germany in the late 1930s. We learn about Liesel's obsession with reading, her theft of books and the impact of anti-Jewish actions on the people of Himmel Street. Her story is told to us by Death himself.
One of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust Book Club books. Visit their website and navigate to the Book Group Activites for more suggested books for adults and children. Each entry has age appropriate discussion questions.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The book is one experience and the film another. The Resources Centre has both. Each tells the story of the forbidden friendship formed between Bruno, the son of a concentration camp Officer and Shmuel, the boy in striped pyjamas who shares his birthday but lives in shadow, on the other side of a barbed wire fence.
Powerful, moving, thought-provoking stuff.
The Diary of Anne Frank
Originally shown by the BBC, this episodic presentation of Anne's story is an absolute treasure. Suitable for use in school or at home. Last shown to a group of over 8's who were enthralled (boys and girls).
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Featured Resources - November 2009
For Anglican Christians Advent Sunday, November 29th, marks the beginning of a new liturgical year and the gospel readings will focus on Luke, following the Revised Common Lectionary Year C.
The 'Big Read' is a diocesan initiative which encourages churches to explore Luke in more detail. At our request, the Revd Canon Richard Bryant has recommended a few theological resources for those who wish to look at Luke from a variety of different perspectives... Enjoy!
All the books mentioned below can be found using our online catalogue.
Tom Wright; Lent for Everyone - Luke
This will be available in December (in the shops and the Resources Centre!) but if you fancy doing a little Tom Wright pre-reading try 'Luke for Everyone'.
Leslie J Francis & Peter Atkins; Exploring Luke's Gospel
This explores each passage in Luke from the perspective of each of the four Myers Briggs personality types: Sensing, Intuition, Feeling and Thinking. Essential for those who wish to consider, or present, the gospel from a point of view that they may not otherwise have considered or perceived.
Michael Prior; Jesus the Liberator
This detailed examination of Luke 4: 16-30 from the perspective of Liberation theology is a stimulating attempt to connect the values of the Gospel with a call for contemporary social change.
Christopher Tuckett; Luke
A short, pithy and readable New Testament guide which outlines the "who?", "why?" and "what?" of Luke.
Matthias Wenk; Community - Forming Power
This takes a socio-ethical perspective on the gospel from its Greek and Palestinian setting. An edgy commentary that repays a look.
Fred Craddock; Luke
Written with the Pastor and Preacher in mind, this a supportive text that enquirers as well as preachers should find accessible and helpful.
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Featured Resource - October 2009
The Revd Alastair Macnaughton, Developing Discipleship Officer for Durham and Newcastle Dioceses, reviews:
Living the Questions
For those who are wary of prepackaged ‘take it or leave it’ approaches to Christian Faith this may be a very good starting point. Starting from some of the most difficult questions facing the churches today, it then builds very positively around people’s experience and what might be called a ‘liberal’ approach to the Christian faith. For anyone ‘coming up for air’ from a very ‘conservative’ Christian background this may provide a starting point towards a more resilient Christ-centred faith. Not everybody’s cup-of-tea, but for some it may be life-giving!
Alastair has also made use of the following courses we have available:
ALPHA
I’ve used ALPHA over the years, in a Working Mens’ club, with a ladies’ mid-morning coffee group, with small groups, with a large ecumenical group in a pub room and in a smaller church-based setting. Through ALPHA I’ve seen people make significant steps towards Christ, and turn decisively to Him. For people who are warm and open towards the faith and will ask their own questions, ALPHA is a well-tried process. Some would wish that teaching on the Holy Spirit were in a wider context, e.g sacraments and the wider work of God’s spirit in the world. There is evidence that churches which write their own basic faith courses see the most fruit.
Emmaus
Emmaus has a straightforward worksheet, allowing for plenty of flexibility. There is no sense here of ‘this is the Christian package’, take it or leave it. One of my best experiences of basic faith groups was on an Emmaus when somebody described what was happening in terms of learning, and spiritual new-birth, all in the same sentence! Emmaus allows several views of the atonement, is lively and expectant as regards the work of the Holy Spirit.
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