Millennium thoughts

The countdown to the end of the second Christian Millennium and the beginning of the third is well and truly on. In this first of a series of special reports, JOHN BREEZE asked a number of Christian leaders in Norwich to say what the moment will mean to them.

We also take a look at what resources are available for churches and how the city of Norwich is proposing to celebrate.

Gospels as a 'souvenir'

A secular publisher is offering churches hardback versions of the Gospels at 30p, which it is claimed could be delivered to every household as a Millennium "souvenir". The Gospel gifts, published by Robert Frederick of Bath, are a rival to the Churches' Millennium candles which are also being sold at 30p each.

Chairman Robert Hicks said: "The candle will burn out but the Gospel will stay with them for years." The price of the Gospels has been subsidised with donations from Christian trusts. Details on 01225 445121.

Making it count

By Peter Barnes, Eastern Europe co-ordinator, the Saltmine Trust.

" I want to make the Millennium count for Jesus. I want to see something significant done in His Name, which reflects His character and the reason why He came. First on the international level. The Saltmine Trust is working in Bulgaria to refurbish an orphanage as a specific Millennium project. The initiative involves building an accommodation block for up to 30 girls, a craft and practical skills centre for the children at the home and other youngsters living in this remote area. The aim is to train them in knitting, dressmaking, cookery, wood and metal-work as well as home economics and family life skills. We want to introduce an income generating scheme, probably based on livestock or agriculture. This will be supportive to the orphanage school educationally and, of course, it will supplement their meagre food rations, currently at 4p per child per day i.e. a bowl of watery soup and a chunk of bread. We want to make Burzitsa Orphanage a model which can be used as a pattern for others.

One of the orphans at the Burzitsa orphanage
who are fed on 4p a day.

It's going to require a lot of resources in manpower, finances and material. We want to earn the right to share the Gospel with these children who are aged between five to 16 years of age. The second level is to be part of the national initiatives and influence how the birth of Jesus will be celebrated and remembered throughout the land. Fortunately we have a Millennium committee at Dereham Road Baptist Church which has been keeping a watching brief on what is happening at the local and national levels.

Thirdly, at the local level. Dereham Road Baptist Church is working with other churches in the Heigham area - that is St Barnabas and City Church - in a period of mission and outreach. This will continue well into the next Millennium although there are lots of events and activities taking place now. One of our aims is that everybody in the Heigham area at least can have some knowledge of what the Millennium is really all about.".

Putting Jesus on centre stage of celebrations

" I was appointed to this position way back in September 1998 and during the time of going around the churches and finding my feet I began to ask questions about the Millennium. I thought that this was such a wonderful opportunity for putting Jesus centre stage and for the church to have a celebration of the 2000th anniversary of his birthday. Then I heard about Fanfare for a New Generation whose aim is to get the church to look at itself in relation to the way it relates to modern culture. The programme is called Making Sunday Best but it also carries the rider "and every day of the week", because of the need to recognise that the gospel relates to more than church on Sunday but impacts every other day too. Every fellowship needs to pick up the challenge to look at the way church is constructed and works in relation to the culture of this age. We need to get Christians to see the great spiritual hunger that there is in modern society, that the great centres of commercialism do not meet that need. I'm in the process of preparing an audio-visual presentation that I can take around churches to explain the need for and value of a programme like Fanfare. The resources include an information pack, a questionnaire about church and the local community, a book Generation to Generation and a schools pack for use by teachers. The main idea is of a ten-point plan to enable the church to evaluate its character with regard to things like language and liturgy. It aims for a user-friendly church for the first Sunday of 2000 when it is expected that many unchurched people will go to church to celebrate the new century. We need to be clearly focused on Jesus for the new year and, if we are not, we need to address that matter and come away from the pick-and-mix theology of a pick-and-mix generation." Contact Jayne Loades at Carpenter's Lodge, Toad's Green Farm, Smallburgh. Ring Fanfare on 0171 450 9070.

Jane Loades

Chance for churches to show unity

By Canon Hereward Cooke, chairman Greater Norwich District Churches Together.
" This time offers a unique and important occasion affording a wonderful opportunity for churches to work together and show a face of unity. In fact, the hallmark of all the talks and discussions has been the idea of churches getting together to mark the 2000 anniversary of the birth of Jesus. In the months of September to Christmas an advertising campaign is to be run with a series of posters explaining the significance of the season. There are two main areas of activity. There's the Millennium weekend itself with candles and a Millennium resolution being distributed to each home in a church's area . There is a reference to Jesus because as well as the resolution, the card will carry a message that the candle is a gift from the local church to mark the birth of Jesus as the light of the world. It's interesting that Norwich has designated itself the 'City of Light' so on New Year's Eve lots of the buildings in the city - shop windows, buildings and the like will be lit up creating a carnival atmosphere.

Many people will be attracted into the city centre so there will be an opportunity for city centre churches to make their buildings available for shelter and quietness and maybe offering opportunities for worship. Into the New Year there'll be bell-ringing on New Year's Day and churches will hold their Millennium services on the Sunday. A big celebration of 2000 years of Christianity is being organised for the Pentecost weekend of June 10-11. The local March for Jesus will take place on Saturday and there'll be another great Christian celebration in Chapelfield Gardens on the Sunday. It could be seen rather like this. The actual Millennial weekend will be a personal and individual time of reflection and rededication, rather private like the birth of Jesus. Then the Pentecost celebration will be very public and open, rather like the first Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to the world. There is a need to get together a team of people or churches even, so that these plans will come together. If anyone can help catch the vision of what can be done to make these celebrations really count I would be pleased to hear from them." Contact Canon Cooke at 31 Bracondale, Norwich NR1 2AT.

Norwich is the 'city of lights'

By Helen Selleck, Norwich City of Light Millennium Festival co-ordinator.
" Pathways of light into the city centre as we reflect our past, celebrate our achievements and look forward to the future. This is the purpose and strategy of Norwich City of Lights, the vision to take the city into the next Millennium. The topic of light will provide an exciting focus for the New Year celebrations in the year 1999 and 2000, and will set the theme for the whole year. Light, floodlights, colour washes, and lasers will be used as the key to create a unique identity for Norwich. There will be pathways of light through the city centre which will attract people into the city for the Millennial celebrations. We see the whole of the centre being transformed into an art-form where there will be opportunity for drama, dance, music and celebration. We've commissioned a choral piece which will be recorded and then broadcast through the PA system just before the midnight service in the cathedral. We want to provide a facility, a sort of background which anyone and everyone can link into. Community groups can put together their own projects and then join into the main centre. One idea, linking in with the churches' candle theme, is that there be a flower display in the cathedral cloisters with candles at the centre and then those displays can be floated off down the river, past Pulls Ferry to the station creating a spectacular impression. This is primarily a Christian festival and with the churches working together it can be a tremendously powerful event and relevant to other faiths who will also be celebrating the Christian faith, for which most of them have great respect. There will be three domes in Chapelfield Gardens. One will be a 'hands-on' science exhibition on the theme of light, another with multimedia presentations by youth groups showing how they view their lives and expectations at the turn of the Millennium and the third will be a sensory exhibition with exhibits appropriate to those with sight impairments. After the actual turn of the Millennium celebrations there will be services in churches around the city on Sunday and then many other projects throughout the new year. We do want this to be a spiritual experience rather than just a boozy fog."

Norwich cathedral will be a focus of Millennium celebrations

Celebration of jubilee

Every year Comic Relief raises about Ł26 million. Every day African countries pay back Ł26 million to service debt! This startling statistic is one of the facts behind the Jubilee 2000 campaign to get overseas debt relief for the poorest countries. "By now," says Norwich co-ordinator Carol Milner, "many people should know about this initiative and be registered with Christian Aid for the Campaign Action pack. There has been a remarkable response to the Paper Chains sent to ambassadors of the G8 countries and to the lapel badge idea, with many MPs sporting Jubilee 2000 badges. The third form of action is to write letters to MPs." In the coming months the following events are being planned:

Debt relief will be the main thrust for Christian Aid Week from May 9-16, under the title Life or Debt. During this week many local events are planned. There will be opportunity to sign a petition at these events or petition forms may be obtained from Christian Aid. Following the great success of the Human Chain at last year's G8 conference in Birmingham, further chains are planned for June 12 in Edinburgh, June 13 in Westminster and June 19 in Cologne (Germany) at the G8 conference. More details from Christian Aid on 0171 523 2248, or Carol Milner 01603 626669.

New beginnings

An Easter message from the Rt Rev Peter Nott Bishop of Norwich, as told to Anne Forbes.
In the spring everyone is aware of the surge of new life. New beginnings in the world of nature awaken in many of us an unaccustomed optimism. The approach of the new Millennium seems to be having a similar effect and many people are looking for new opportunities and initiatives. "One of the reasons for my retirement later this year is to allow a new bishop to be in post in time for the dawn of the next Millennium. My message to fellow Christians at this time would be "hold fast the faith once delivered to the saints". By this I mean: Stand firm in an age of many anti-godly influences. Be open to one another. Remember Paul's picture of the body and accept diversity within it. And finally, rejoice in the Lord. Being a Christian should be fun." For the Christian, the traditional Easter Day greeting "Jesus Christ is risen!" and the response "He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!", expresses the absolute assurance of forgiveness and new life - cause indeed for rejoicing.

Bishop of Norwich

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