ruth white – Metanoia Project

Heritage has moved to Sundays!!

Posted on 25th January 2020 by ruth white

Dates for 2019/20

Sundays

15th September

17th November

19th January

15th March

17th May

5th July

Summer Ball

Posted on 22nd July 2018 by ruth white

Our wonderful Young Leaders decided that we needed a summer ball so they set about planning and organising an extravaganza with music, food, an impossible quiz (thanks Anto), games, decorations and even a photo booth. The ball was for all our young people aged 14+ and included some of the gang who were back from University too. It was a brilliant night with lots of fun and I was struck by the love the young people have for one another with younger members immediately included in their family. Special mention and thanks go to Tushar who carried the vision and made it happen. I think the video of unedited pictures captures the evening quite well…

Living Water Social

Posted on 22nd July 2018 by ruth white

It was great to spend an evening of food, fellowship and a few dodgy jokes with some of the Thursday Night group. Most weeks we spend time sharing in small groups but it was fantastic to relax together and get to know each other in a more social environment. That’s it for the summer now but we look forward to seeing everyone in September

End of term celebrations

Posted on 22nd July 2018 by ruth white

We’ve had a wonderful year with our Seekers, Anointed and Sent youth groups who continue to astound us with their dedication, eagerness to seek God, love for one another and openness to all Jesus wants to

do with them. We’ve had trips, residential experiences, group work, games and more games, dramas, artwork, friendship, obstacle courses,

dressing up, teaching, silliness, music and of course lots of Scripture and prayer. They keep coming back for more because Jesus is the only one who truly satisfies. It has been beautiful to see the young people (and groups) grow and a real privilege to be able to share in their lives. God is so good!!

New Seekers Youth Group starts

Posted on 22nd July 2018 by ruth white

In May we started a second Seekers group based in a different Parish – St Andrew’s in Cottam. It is early days and it has had a bit of a slow start but we are hopeful that when we return in September it will go from strength to strength. We’ve loved getting to know the new children who attend and look forward to walking with them in the years ahead.

Back to School…

Posted on 22nd July 2018 by ruth white

We had a fantastic time in June with 8 Primary School afternoon visits and a whole day with around 60 Year 3s from the Small Schools Cluster. We explored themes from trusting in God to following Jesus to the Eucharist! The children loved their sessions and joined in so well. They had some amazing ideas and answers too. Our Yoke Young Leaders helped us to lead the days which added a boost of energy too. These sessions were so successful that we are now looking at setting aside regular time each week to work with Primary Schools.

Welcome to Nora!

Posted on 22nd July 2018 by ruth white

There has been so much going on over the past few months that there has been no time to write about any of it!! A huge bit of brilliant news though is that Nora Lord joined our team here in April as Children and Families Coordinator. We are very blessed to have her with us and to receive the benefit of her enthusiasm, joy and hard work. There are already a few new plans in the pipeline and we can’t wait to see the impact Nora has on our ministry. Please keep her (and all of us) in your prayers.

Family Afternoon

Posted on 11th May 2018 by ruth white

We are really excited to present our first event for families. Come along for family fun and prayer and to meet other families who are passionate about growing in faith together. All the details are on the poster but please get in touch with Nora if you want any further info.

Seekers Trip

Posted on 15th March 2018 by ruth white

Last night the Seekers Youth Group spent the evening using up huge amounts of energy at Rascals play centre. Having the place to ourselves meant that there was more than enough room on the climbing frames, slides, trampolines, scramble nets etc to keep the young people entertained for a couple of hours only stopping half way through for pizza and chips followed by jelly and ice cream. Everyone had a fantastic time – we managed to get one sensible photo of them all but the following photo probably captures their personality and their evening more accurately!

YOKE Young Leaders Retreat

Posted on 25th February 2018 by ruth white

In February Half-Term we took our young leaders away for a retreat full of teaching, prayer, creativity and training. They responded so well with their openness to the Spirit, their love for one another and all their hard work. We stayed with Fr Philip Conner (and of course Bosco the dog) at St Joseph’s in Lancaster where we were made to feel really welcome and at home. The church in Preston is blessed to have such a dedicated, talented and holy bunch of young people who are leading the way for others. Here are what a few of them said:

This mid-week residential in Lancaster was a more in depth, personal and mature retreat in which I learnt some answers to questions about my faith and formed more questions. The blend between praying, learning and getting to know everyone was perfect as it didn’t leave me bored or fed up; but instead got me realising the importance of God which I may have been neglecting. Tushar

The retreat definitely helped me to develop my own personal relationship with Jesus. It made me realise how much I need Jesus in my life and that being without him is not an option for me. It also helped me to bond with my peers, deepening my relationship with other Christians as well as God. Richa

It helped me to develop a deeper understanding of why I am a Christian and to understand the importance to open up my heart to him. The retreat also allowed me to delve further into my purpose in the world and how I can help bring the word of God to others as a community. Alvina

The retreat allowed me to know Jesus better and gave me the opportunity to experience his love more. The times of prayer were really good as it gave me time to reflect and allowed me to be opened up to the Holy Spirit in a way that I haven’t been before. All in all, it was 3 days filled with spirituality, teaching and chances to bond with others in a way that may not have been possible without the retreat. Anto

The retreat has helped to form a much deeper personal relationship with Jesus. It has also helped me to understand how I can spread the word of God and what makes me a Christian. I also believe that I have formed a closer relationship with my teammates. Alfi

The retreat has changed the way I see my faith. I feel like I have grown closer to god and have been more willing to let the holy spirit in. It has also helped to bond with others in our group allowing us to come closer as a community. I have realised that god loves us so much that he won’t force his way into our lives, we have to let him in and after this retreat I feel more willing to let him into my life Ellie

If you would like to share your own reflections on this passage and read reflections from other people you can join our Facebook Group. More info here

22 hours ago

**Gospel for Sunday 7th August, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C: Luke 12:32-48**

**After the Gospel passage, you will find some thoughts from Ruth to hopefully help you reflect further. Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments.**

**Gospel:
**Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.
‘Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming”, and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.
The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.

**Reflection:**

What a wonderful opening to the Gospel we hear today: There is no need to be afraid, because our Father is pleased to give us the Kingdom. Not, He will give it to us grudgingly if we happen to fulfil all the correct criterion, or He will give it as some sort of bribe to get us to behave in a certain manner, but He is pleased to give this wonderful gift to each of us because He is our Father.

How do we receive this wonderful gift? Jesus tells us to stand ready, to be like servants waiting for their master to return, eager to welcome him as soon as he knocks.

In order to really get excited by this promise, we need to understand what the Kingdom is. It is where we belong, our true home. We were created to live in the Kingdom with God. It is where we will experience complete fulfilment and recognise our deepest identities. In our second reading today, we hear all about how Abraham and Sarah were willing to leave everything and everyone they knew behind and set out not knowing where they were going. They could do this because they trusted in and looked forward to ‘a city founded, designed and built by God.’ So many times in their lives, they had to believe in promises that they couldn’t yet see, but by faith they ‘saw them in the far distance and welcomed them’. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews is using their example to help us understand that ‘only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen’.

So, as we, like the servants, are waiting for our master’s return, we need trust and hope that what He has promised us is true. The Collect at the start of Mass today reminds us that the key to inheriting the Kingdom is adoption as sons and daughters. We pray that this spirit of adoption will be brought to perfection in our hearts, that we would truly understand who we are in God’s sight and what that promise holds for us. And we must not lose focus of this in our waiting and set about trying to do things our own way like the servant who says, ‘My master is taking his time coming’. This servant, rather than recognise the privileged position gifted to him by his master, sets about gaining power and pleasure through his own means: his cruelty inciting fear and his gluttony leading to drunkenness. But what he fails to realise is that his position only makes sense in light of the master. He has no power over other individuals other than that entrusted to him by the master, he has no claim to food and drink other than that given to him by the master to share amongst the people. But he has indeed been given these things and does not need to go about proving his position or the wealth at his fingertips. In our first reading we hear ‘You made us glorious by calling us to you’. We are indeed made glorious by God – You are glorious! But that glory only makes sense in the light of the Master. Any time we lose focus on the One Whose glory we share, and attempt to make ourselves glorious, we end up bringing others down to raise ourselves up and all attempts are futile.

We must be grateful for the immensity of the gift we have been given as adopted sons and daughters and recognise the privileged position that puts us in. Otherwise, not only will we miss out on what God is offering to us, we will not take seriously our responsibility to help others receive the gift too. As Jesus says: ‘what sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household?’ As we explored above, the one who believes what has been promised will come true and who keeps his eyes fixed on the ‘treasure that will not fail you’.

So where is your treasure? Jesus says: ‘For where your treasure is, there will you heart be also’. Are your eyes firmly set on the promises of God, the promise of a true homeland and of adoption? Or is your heart divided by various treasures? We may think that we can juggle other interests and passions alongside our faith but Jesus is making it clear this is not possible. Every single aspect of our lives must be seen in the light of Christ and be for His glory because that is what makes us truly glorious members of the Kingdom.

- Ruth ... See MoreSee Less