Lindisfarne - Special Feature (May 2010)
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Just what is ‘Celtic Christianity’?
The answer to this intriguing question can depend upon just who you ask! In June Mark Clavier, Anglican priest and historian will be leading a small group of Lindisfarne students who will be asking this very question, and we are inviting you to join them for this 'once only' Lindisfarne opportunity to investigate the foundations of Christianity in Northumbria. During two weeks in June you will study the significance of a range of key people and major events, and will visit Wearmouth/Jarrow, Hexham, Durham Cathedral (where we hope to have access to the ancient manuscripts) and Holy Island, not as a tourist, but to examine their religious, historic and cultural significance.
While studying the past is interesting for its own sake it's surely at least as important for what it teaches us about the present. With this in mind we will also take a look at a range of resources and contemporary expressions that draw their inspiration from this early foundation and tradition.
For those who are registered students this study is required for the Durham University validated module: Christianity in Northumbria - Origins and Impact; those who are not registered as Lindisfarne students are invited to take part without undertaking any written assessment.
If you would like to take up this invitation you will need to be available during the day from Mon 7 to Weds 9 June and from Mon 14 to Thu 17 June. You will need to be able to get to both Durham city centre and Church House at Percy Main, North Shields, but you won't have to find your own way to the historic sites as people will be encouraged to car share.
The tutor, Mark Clavier, has moved to Durham with his family from the US; he has a research interest in early Christianity in Britain and is also currently working for a PhD on 'the role of delight in the western theology of late antiquity and the early middle ages'. Alongside this he is teaching Anglicanism at Cranmer Hall.
There is no residential aspect to this study, for which the total fee is £100. To book a place on a first come first served basis e-mail the Lindisfarne Administrator: jennycrawford@lindisfarnertp.org
or to find out more phone her on 0191 270 4144.
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One Year In – and Lindisfarne Expands Opportunities for Study
Lindisfarne, the Church's Regional Training Partnership in the North East, is delighted to announce additional study opportunities for the coming academic year. In addition to its current delivery in Durham and North Shields, Lindisfarne is responding to requests to deliver its Durham University validated course in more venues and at different times of the day. In September we will be delivering the course, mostly during the day, in Northumberland, and (as long as numbers make it viable) also intend to offer daytime classes at Church House, North Shields, avoiding the need to travel on those dark winter nights.
Steve Metcalfe attends Whitley Bay Baptist Church and is studying as an independent student for a BA in Theology & Ministry. He writes, "Studying with Lindisfarne, as part of a group of students from different backgrounds, gives me a broader understanding of the overall Christian faith, and that in itself is a good thing. Ideas are shared between the students and all have a chance to join in the discussions. I am enjoying the course immensely, especially the residential weekends - and having the chance to study locally is a bonus. "
In Lindisfarne's first year 60 students have been studying on its Durham University validated programme. Some have been training for ordination, others for Reader ministry, and quite a few as independent students. A small number have attended the course just out of interest, without wanting to commit to essay writing.
Jenny Gilbertson is coming to the end of her first year of Reader training; at the end of three years she will have completed a Diploma in Theology & Ministry, "All of the modules I have taken so far have been stimulating and relevant, not only to my future ministry as a Reader but for my own spiritual growth as well."
In order to find out more, why not come along to our Lindisfarne Enquirers' Evening on Thursday 29 April 2010? This event is for anyone who may be interested in studying on our validated course (or any of our other programmes) from this autumn. The Enquirers' Evening will be held at St Ninian's Church Hall, Ivy Lane, Gateshead, NE9 6QD from 7:30- 9:00pm. Contact Jenny Crawford jennycrawford@lindisfarnertp.org or 0191 270 4144 if you would like to attend, or if would like a conversation about any of this. Visit www.lindisfarnertp.org for further information about all our courses.
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Ordinands off to Germany!
As part of our link with the Lutheran Seminary at Ratzeburg, ordinands will travel to Germany for Lindisfarne's first Summer School in June. Early in its life, Lindisfarne staff met with Paul Philipps, Director of the Lutheran Seminary at Ratzeburg (just to the west of the old East/West German border) as he wanted to talk with us about how people train for Non-stipendiary ministry in the Church of England. The German Lutheran Church is quite different; their pastors are in full time paid posts and people are not eligible to apply for training as Pastors until they have completed a Masters Degree in Theology!
In preparation for this visit, Cathy Rowling, Principal and Richard Bryant, Director of Studies, made a trip out to Ratzeburg earlier in the year. Cathy says, "We are really excited to be able to build on our initial contacts with the seminary at Ratzeburg. We were very warmly welcomed on our visit there and our Summer School will provide an excellent opportunity for a great deal of mutual learning and growth in understanding. Ratzeburg is a stunning historic island city with a beautiful cathedral. It provides a wonderful setting for this year's Summer School and we are very grateful to Herr Philipps and his colleagues who have generously offered to host us in their guest house."
Whilst there our students will engage in a variety of seminars, fieldwork and conversation with practitioners, as well as worshipping and socialising with the seminary staff and students. They will explore with Lutheran Pastors-in-training the nature of the ministries to which God and our respective churches have called us. As part of the visit we will spend two nights in Hamburg where we will look at the Lutheran Church's response to the challenges presented by this major city.
All those training for ordination in the Church of England are required to attend a week long residential school as part of their formational training. This is Lindisfarne's first ever Summer School and we are very fortunate to have been invited to spend it in Ratzeburg. We hope very much to be able to return the favour in the future by welcoming some Lutheran ordinands to the North East.
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