The deacon journeys with seekers, hungry for faith they cannot name. Walk beside them, until they find their rest in Him.
Category: Resources
The deacon is to be a bridge between people and God, between suffering and hope. Take the world seriously. Take God seriously. And help the Church hold them together in prayer.”
“You’ll spend plenty of time outside— on estates, in care homes, with those forgotten. But you are also called inside. To serve the covenant community with tenderness in private, and with leadership in public worship.”
Very very good news! Focused diaconal training is a huge gap in the CofE vocational resources. Some time ago we started to put resources on the national church support hub, and Deacon Jonathan Halliwell has just sent this cheering update. PLEASE DO ALERT YOUR DDOs, TRAINING INCUMBENTS AND TUTORS TO THESE RESOURCES. They are unlikely to know, unless we inform them.
“The deacon is like a rescue ship.
Not tied in safe harbour,
but out in storm seas.
Searching for the battered,
the bruised,
those close to the rocks.
It is not reckless,
but it is risky.
For that is the way of Christ.”
Though truth be told—
we’re all forgeries.
Imperfect copies.
But God uses us still.
Remember this:
the stole placed crosswise,
diagonal over the heart—
that sign is never taken off.
“The gospel is not opinion. It is news. The news that Jesus— crucified, yet risen— is King. The one who brings peace.”
“Deacons are heralds of Christ’s kingdom,”
he begins, almost whispering.
“Not masters.
Not architects.
Heralds.
James remained in Northumbria, living mainly at a village near Catterick (now in North Yorkshire) and took an active part in the preaching of the gospel and baptising throughout the region. James represented Christianity in the face of hostility from Penda of Mercia, ensuring the survival of Roman Christianity in the region. Preaching the gospel under a pagan ruler was a risky occupation, and James was often in danger of his own life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGhesczcOv4 Words by priest-poet Malcolm Guite. Music by Steve Bell.
CofE Network of Distinctive Deacons 