Jesus Shaped People

JSP became a Charitable Trust (‘C.I.O.’) in January 2017 An initial group of eleven Trustees have met regularly in the past two years to guide the future course of JSP. The Trustees seek to be ‘Jesus-Shaped’ in their leadership, and so have adopted Values, Principles, and Commitments that reflect this, such as:

Preparations are going ahead for ‘Moving On’, JSP’s first National Conference in March 2019. Church JSP leaders from across the country will gather at The Briery in Ilkley, West Yorks, to share their experience of how JSP is facilitating a re-shaping of their churches, and is bringing fresh confidence and renewed vision to congregations. 

JSP recently appointed its first National Children and Young People’s Advisor. Dawn Savidge began work in this vital part-time post in September 2018, having already spent a year working for JSP in the Diocese of Leeds. Dawn’s work includes oversight and development of JSP resources for children and young people, and ensuring that churches that adopt JSP across the UK find good support for their work with children. Dawn recently presented her vision for this work to the JSP Trustees, reminding them of Jesus’s priority for including and protecting children.

JSP’s special contribution and message to the church today is very simple—and yet seriously challenging: ‘Let’s get more Jesus-Shaped’. If the church in the UK is to survive, especially in the most disadvantaged areas of our land, there is need for a radical re-shaping of its life in a way that is inspired and informed by the three year ministry of Jesus. Gordon Dey, JSP Team Leader comments, 'JSP offers fresh vision for churches to move out of their cul de sac and rediscover the Way of the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught and modelled.

Jesus Shaped People is growing steadily across the UK, and particularly in churches that serve urban estate communities and other areas of social disadvantage. Originating in Bradford, West Yorkshire, it is now making a significant contribution to churches in the Anglican dioceses of Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Blackburn, Chester, Rochester, Peterborough and Southwark, and is currently emerging in the dioceses of St. Albans, Lichfield, and Norwich. There is also interest appearing in London, Wales and Scotland. JSP is also being explored by other Christian denominations. 

JSP's plan to provide extended materials that enable churches to focus in on each of the 'Five Priorities' has take a step forward recently with the creation of a 10 week programme on 'Team Building'.  St Wilfrid's Church Calverley has been trialling this for us, and we're glad to publish their experience of this below. A final version of the material is being drafted, and will become available on the website in due course.  Work is also proceeding with a similar 'extension' to Priority One - 'People'.

A big part of Jesus Shaped People is our trying to offer ongoing missional support to the parishes which have engaged with it.

One of the things that has come up is a desire to develop good resources to help estate parishes with prayer.

We are going to be holding a day on Saturday 16th February to think about what resources there are, what we use and find helpful, where we might develop new ones.

The day will be in Birmingham, at The Old Rectory, Hodge Hill from 10.30am.

Happy Christmas!

I have always loved the Kings College Cambridge introduction to their Festival of Readings and Carols that invites us to go ‘in heart and mind to Bethlehem’. I’m incredibly fortunate to have made regular visits to Bethlehem over the past twenty-seven years. I’ve been inspired both by the landscape round Bethlehem and by the Palestinian people who live today in this ‘City of David’.

As part of our continued efforts to make the JSP web site easier to use, we have moved resources to the Programmes menu. Downloads for each individual JSP course are now only a single click away from the homepage. Just point to the Programmes menu and choose the course you need.

Following the links to the downloads will prompt you to login, if you haven't already. If you're not already signed up you can find out more, and view sample resources, at our What Next page.

A one day Cinema showing of a dramatised version of Handel’s Messiah is taking place on March 28th as a preparation for Easter, in cinemas across the UK. The high quality production features the English Concert Baroque Orchestra, the Erebus Ensemble, and internationally acclaimed soloists. For more information go to:
http://www.cinemalive.com/index.php?p=view&id=241