Summer Reading Challenge helps us see Jonah in a new light

First published on: 19th September 2019


Our second summer reading challenge saw hundreds of disciples across the diocese signing up to www.ruleoflife.org.uk to receive weekly reflections and challenges from Bishop Paul. We were also reading the Denis McBride book “Journeying with Jonah” which helped inform our thinking.

The main challenge also inspired Suzanne Finch from Newburgh and Westhead who put together a reading challenge for her Sunday school which she kindly shared with us all. This proved a popular addition and reminded us that we need to continue to develop resources for all ages to journey on the rule of life.

We asked those who took on the challenge what they thought. 86% of respondents said they completed the challenge with those who didn’t saying they didn’t have the time. Most people took on the challenge on their own with only five respondents stating they did this in a small group or with their church. Nearly all said they would do the challenge again which is really pleasing,

Encouragingly 95% of those who took the challenge found the Monday reflections useful or very useful while 89% appreciated the Friday challenges.

We asked people how they felt about the challenge as a whole and

93% said they found it inspirational
97% said they thought it helped develop their faith
88% said they found out something new about the book of Jonah
87% said they learnt something new about themselves
94% said they will put into practice something they learned.

It is clear from our research and the response to this challenge that people appreciate this structure and as we journey on the Rule of Life together we will keep finding ways to reflect and challenge ourselves to Pray, Read, Learn, Tell, Serve, Give.

Bishop Paul said “we are all disciples on a journey together, we learn from each other and we grow as we learn. I am encouraged by the numbers and response to Jonah’s challenge. We have a building block where, as a diocese, we can grow together as we work to have a bigger church to make a bigger difference.”

 

Take part in the Bring One Friend Challenge

One of our aims on the rule of life is to tell others about church. Advent and Christmas offers us a great time to invite people to church. It is a time when the wider world is talking about what we talk about. It is a time when the national church promotes its Follow the Star campaign.
So leading up to Christmas we will have a Bring One Friend Challenge with reflections and challenges to help you discern, pray for, invite, and bring at least one friend to your worshipping community.

The challenge starts on October 21st and will last into November with a pattern of reflections and challenges.

Sign up now

Sign up now to be part of the challenge. 
(if you are already signed up then you will automatically receive the challenges)

Why not encourage others in your church to sign up and we can all journey together.

 

Missed out on the challenge?

It's not too late

It’s not too late. Both the Journeying with Jonah and Young Person’s Challenge are available on the www.ruleoflife.org.uk website. So why not sign up to do them, find a range of other helpful resources and take part in other challenges.

Our next challenge will be to Bring One Friend to an advent, Christmas or Epiphany service and then throughout 2020 we will be issuing challenges around doing ten things; a challenge for Lent and another book to read during the summer.

We want as many people to sign up and journey with us on this Rule of Life so if you have signed up then do so now. And why not encourage others to join you?

Sign up here 
(if you are already signed up then you will automatically receive the challenges)

#RuleOfLife
#CalledToRead

Powered by Church Edit