So I’ve been going on about this for ages I know but it seems that God is taking the whole #MovementOfLove thing to another level. So as you know I’ve been writing and preaching about this theme for a while and I have been promoted to actually do something with it. But you know I never felt it was the right time and anyway I’ve been preparing for Ordination and Curacy, and if there was ever a time not to take on something new it would be now, I have enough ‘new’ to keep me going for a while!
However earlier this week I was praying and I felt God prompting me that now was the time. Well, my reaction was not entirely positive for the reasons I just said. So I put a short line on my FB and Twitter to see if anyone might be up for joining in with it. At the same time I prayed, Lord I need a sign! I’m not normally one to do that, I’m happy to be led by prayer and prompting, but this needed more.
So, cue masses of positive feedback and support, emails from people in positions of responsibility who thought it was a good idea. Hmm, ok God…. But in a moment of ‘me of little faith’ I asked for another sign, so the following day I headed off to a Christian conference and left it in God’s hands. Mid afternoon there was a prophetic word given out that pretty much matched what I had been thinking and when I went to talk to the person who gave it after, he went into more detail and I knew I couldn’t ignore it any more. Plus by that evening I had a few people committed to helping run it and one key person in Cate Williams (Mission and Evangelism Officer for Gloucester Diocese) who was up for helping getting it all going.
So I know it’s crazy, I have enough to be doing right now, and I am well aware of time constraints and being careful but I just know God is in this and so ‘Movement of Love’ is launching Monday morning… (and yes my Training Incumbent does know about it!)
So if you want to know more, here’s the blurb below, but do sign up to the Facebook page and Twitter and please join in, the idea is to be a community where everyone inputs and everyone receives, it won’t be me and Cate running the whole thing (apart from anything else neither of us have the time for that!). The launch will be at 8.30am Monday so we’re asking people not to start sharing the page or links until then so as to create a real buzz, but for now please do like the page 🙂
Movement Of Love is a new online community (launching officially Monday 4th July) for people who want to spread a message of love across our nation, to counteract the hate. It is for anyone and everyone who wants to see a difference and bring a more positive atmosphere to their communities, towns and country. We have an opportunity and a desire to speak love and life into our nation from the ground up.
Why?
Like many, we are struggling to come to terms with what we are hearing in the news and concerned at the current levels of hate and anger in our nation. Recognising the disappointment, anger and hurt that many are expressing we realise we have a choice at this point about whether to despair, or, to hope.
We may not be able to do anything politically or change decisions that have been made but we can choose not to partner with hate, darkness and ill feeling. We can be a part of the healing of our nation’s divisions and the making of a better society.
What?
Movement Of Love is a new online community of people who want to see an attitude of love prevail across the nation. Anyone can join simply by agreeing to try and be a more loving presence in their daily lives.
The group of people who have started this off find inspiration in the Christian faith and in a passage many people will have heard read at weddings, 1 Corinthians 13, love is described as:
patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…
We hope that others will join us and pledge to have an attitude of love like this, impacting our nation from the ground up, regardless of their beliefs. We have set this group up for people of all faiths or none, for anyone who wants to be a part of a movement of love in our nation. We will be open and honest about our inspiration but we have no expectation that all who want to be a part of this movement share the same faith. We want and need to work together, because healing of what divides us is what this is all about. The message of God is that love is abundant, extravagant and beyond expectations. Our aim is to see more of this and less hate and bad feeling.
How ?
Anyone can join and we encourage you to:
- Take the pledge: Simply agree to try and be a person of love. Sign up to the Facebook page or Twitter and join the community.
- Put it into practice: We will be sharing ideas of things you can do to be a loving presence and we encourage you to share what you are doing, or ideas of how you can impact your community on a smaller or larger scale.
- Get others involved: Use your networks – perhaps your school, workplace, church or organisation to share a message of love
What it is not!
Movement Of Love is not political and does not stand for any agenda other than sharing love and encouraging an atmosphere of love. There are plenty of places and ways to express criticism, hurt, pain, anger or strong opinions and agendas, so our aim is that this will be a community or place of peace.
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