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Introduction – Formation:

Extracted from a letter written in the course of 1997 by Claire Peppiatt, the first SPA Chair, to serving SPAs, the full text is included in another section of the Publications pages as is Claire's sermon from the 2004 SPA Commissioning at which she was guest preacher.

Both documents remain both visionary and inspirational and give a perceptive insight into SPA ministry and service.
I took over as Chair of this now not so newly set up Council just over a year ago, and found myself most impressed by the work which they had been doing on our behalf, work which this present Council has been able to build on.

By far most important questions which we have been thinking about on the Council, and on which we would greatly value your views, are:

What do we see as being the nature of SPA ministry, and what role do SPAs play within the whole ministry of the Church? What is it that distinguishes SPA ministry from ordained ministry, and from the ministry of all ordinary committed Christians ?

And, crucially,

What is the vision which we, as SPAs, have of SPA ministry? Where does this vision come from, and how do we nurture it, and put it into practice?

We have no definitive statement on this, only some thoughts which I would like to share with you, and invite you to respond to.

First and foremost we believe that our ministry must be rooted and grounded in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in his reconciling, healing, and forgiving love for us and all creation. And we know that if we are to bear fruit of any kind in our lives and in our Christian ministries we must continue to abide in Him, through prayer, through listening to His Word, through our reliance and trust in the Holy Spirit and through our membership of the Body of Christ. Without Him we can do nothing, and our lives will not bear fruit.

We also believe that our ministry is to be in the world, and to serve the world, and that the best way, for us, is to do this as lay Christians.

If we remain in Christ, we can, remain confident in carrying out our own unique ministry, just as every Christian can remain confldent in carrying out their unique ministry in those places to which God has called them. There will be no need for status, or some imaginary place "higher up" in the hierarchy. We need only to know that this is where He wants us, and that we have a job to do for Him. We will be given the strength we need to remain in the world, and, secure in Him, we can relax, and enjoy carrying out the very important ministries which he has entrusted to us.

Dudley Buchanan, in an article which she has written for The Bridge gives us her vision of SPA Ministry:

"a vision of anarchic, lively, innovative response, gloriously averse to definition”

and adds,

“SPA ministry has now succumbed to councils and committees; perhaps inevitable, as' apparently without joining the power structures there is sadly no recognition or voice. Whatever the system, let us keep the vision.”

What is your vision of SPA Ministry?

If you share your views with your Archdeaconry SPA, or write to me, we will print them in a SPA newsletter which Pat Beddison and I will be working on, and which I hope we will get out some time in November.

May God richly bless us all, in our lives and in our ministries.

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