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LMC Christmas Open House

6 Dec 2008 - 14:00
6 Dec 2008 - 19:00
Staff and residents of the LMC

Postcard of LMCWe warmly invite you to our leaf raking and open house at the LMC.

Timetable
14.00 Leaf raking (continuing an old tradition!) - please bring your own gardening gloves.
16.00 Refreshments and open house, carol singing and festivities

Christmas Party Invitation

Please let us know if you can come!
t:020 8340 8775

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Brueggemann and New Interpreter's Bible Sale

Good news for readers of Walter Brueggemann and the New Interpreter's Bible Commentaries! For September through November we have a sale of specific Brueggemann titles and the whole range of the New Interpreter's Bible Commentaries.

Download our pdf's and mail your orders in.
Brueggemann Titles
NIB Commentaries

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Threatened with Resurrection?

26 Nov 2008 - 09:30
26 Nov 2008 - 16:00
Simon Barrow

Simon BarrowUnder the influence of civic religion, concerns such as peacemaking have usually been considered ‘optional extras’ for Christians - matters best sidelined into a special arena labelled ‘ethics’, where pacifists clash and those who think violence is necessary continue to disagree.

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Transforming Church Conflict: A Foundation Course for Leaders

8 Feb 2009 - 17:00
13 Feb 2009 - 16:30
Bridge Builders Team

Conflict is normal and inevitable – but Christians often feel ill-prepared to handle conflict in the church. Transforming Church Conflict: A Foundation Course for Leaders is a new training course intended for those in leadership positions in the church, and also for other Christians who want to deal better with conflict. Attend this training course if you want to:

• Develop new skills for handling conflict
• Give time to personal growth as part of a worshipping community
• Be part of a movement that is changing the culture of the church

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Dealing with Difficult Behaviour

28 Feb 2009 - 10:00
28 Feb 2009 - 16:00
Colin Patterson

Colin PattersonJesus taught us to be peace-makers, who pray for our enemies. But what does that mean when “the enemy” is someone you constantly rub shoulders with? Hostility from your family, your workmates, or your neighbours, can leave you feeling blocked at every turn - even under siege. Some people can appear totally unreasonable, wearing you down with a persistently negative attitude. It’s hard then not to be sucked into a downward spiral of despair, blame, recrimination or counter-attack.

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Church Mediation: Three Challenges

Alastair McKay photo

Speaking at a national conference on church mediation Alastair McKay, Director of Bridge Builders, offered three challenges to the church in England and beyond. He says that the first challenge is to change the culture of how our churches think about and engage with conflict, and instead to build a culture of active peace-making in the Church. Second, is the challenge to promote and resource mediation as one way of dealing with conflict, because mediation offers a route through the tangled thickets that we can get caught up in. Third, is the challenge to be realistic about mediation, to recognise its limits, and to take a more systemic view of the conflicts that arise.

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LMC Library now online

LibraryExplore the contents of the LMC's library, which is now online. For more information go to the library page, or search online right now.

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Building a Contrast-Society

Writing over 20 years ago, Gerhard Lohfink challenges the church to grow into a “divine contrast-society.” He continues by saying, “What is meant is not a church without conflicts, but a church in which conflicts are settled in ways different from the rest of society.” This is a vision that I share, and which has been central to the development of Bridge Builders over the last 11 years. (From the Foreward by Alastair McKay, Director of Bridge Builders Bridge Builders Annual Report 2005-2006)

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What if …our church hit a crisis?

Just suppose our church were to hit a crisis. Imagine that some storm blows up over an important issue and we have a significant conflict on our hands. Perhaps it threatens to split the fellowship.

What would you do?

Here are 6 options:
A. Pray that God will sort things out
B. Tell the leader(s) to get a grip on things
C. Leave before things get even more painful
D. Call for others to resign or leave
E. Do what you can to calm things down
F. Suggest getting help from an impartial outsider

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