Finding the Treasure: Good News from the Estates
Ebook
"With its compilation of stories and theological reflections, Finding the Treasure uncovers the positives that a local church fosters when it engages with its neighbourhood." - Ann Morisy, Community Theologian and author of the bestselling Beyond the Good Samaritan and Journeying Out
The fruit of two years of 'deep listening' in five different estate neighbourhoods across England, Finding the Treasure brings together local ministers and academic theologians to attend to the voices of estates residents. What do they love about the place they're in? What brings them joy as well as grief? And what do hope and good news look like?
Rooted in the real-life contexts of these local communities, rich in theological insights, and bold in the challenges it presents to the wider Church, Finding the Treasure offers inspiration and practical guidance for readers willing to engage in similar deep listening within their own communities.
In areas and churches that have all too often been labelled 'needy', 'failing' and 'deprived', Finding the Treasure shines a spotlight on an abundance of wisdom and resourcefulness, faith, hope and love that can be found in our estate churches, neighbourhoods, and beyond.
Finding the Treasure highlights the wisdom, faith, and love that can be found in our estate churches and neighbourhoods, and the inspiration and challenges their insights present to the wider Church community.
Foreword by Ann Morisy viii
Contexts and contributors xi
Introduction 1
1 Finding the treasure: Rooting our reflections 7
2 Wythenshawe: The Garden City of God 15
3 Twydall: From here to the church 31
4 Rubery: Borders and boundaries 46
5 Eltham: The limits of being Christian 55
6 Durrington: The place of beauty 70
7 Listening for good news: Reflections on the process 82
8 How can I do this where I am? 97
The Twydall Declaration 100
Notes 103
The methodology displayed in this book provides a template for future theological reflection and commentary. It provides a lens through which to give value to often unnoticed and undervalued outcomes that flow when the church engages with seemingly unloved places.
This is not a book for the theologically faint-hearted. It is deconstructive, wild, brave, and disturbing. It's the theological equivalent of a Big Dipper ride . . . This is an asset-based theology to challenge the deficit-based missiology that pervades much of the Church today.
Buy this book, but don't leave it on the shelf: hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.
. . . a creative, interdisciplinary contextual missiology, which breaks new ground by incorporating a multidimensional analysis (race, class and gender) . . . an essential 'action book' for individual Christians and churches seeking to interrupt the long history of oppression(s) from, and in British churches.
- Title: Finding the Treasure: Good News from the Estates
- Author: Al Barrett
- Publisher: SPCK Publishing
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9780281088065, 9780281088058, 0281088055, 0281088063
- Resource ID: LLS:9780281088065
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-05-02T17:40:02Z