The annual Vocations Sunday of the Church of England will soon take place on 17th April. Churches across the UK will be holding various events and activities to encourage Christians to reflect on their orientation of life and God’s purpose. Spearheaded by the Church of England Education and Ministry Divisions, online resources have been prepared so that churches can organise their workshops effectively.
According to the Church of England, through the work of Christians in local communities, employment and in people's daily lives, they are playing a crucial role in bringing the values of the Kingdom of God into society. Therefore, it urges Christians to discover what God might be calling them to.
Various activities are recommended for the workshops, such as Bodybuilding and Bible study on some stories related to calling. Bodybuilding is a group activity where people are divided into 6-8 a group. They will be asked to identify themselves as one part of the human body and explain about the function relevant to their personal gifts or talents. Worship sessions and sermons are to be planned as well.
The Vocations Sunday of the Church of England is held every year on the fourth Sunday of Easter.
The Revd Stephen Ferns, Vocations Officer for the Ministry Division said, "The aim is to emphasise that all of us are being called by God - not just to the big things but the little things as well, like deciding what you’re going to do with your day, which brand of coffee you’re going to pick off the shelf, who to sit next to at a meal. It’s to do with making decisions in tune with the spirit."
"I hope, as a result, many people will explore vocation in lots of different ways, not assume it’s just about ordained ministry".
In fact, it is recorded by the Ministry Division of the Church of England that the number of those recommended for training for ordained ministry with the Church has been increasing over recent years. In 2003, it rose slightly from 475 in 2002 to 505.
This encouraged the Ministry Division to put more resources in ecclesiastical training in 2004. First of all, 8 extra Selection Conferences were put to meet the demands of candidates wishing to attend to test their call to ordained ministry. Second, the website for Vocations Sunday has been enriched with resources for prayer, worship, sermons and bodybuilding.
Vocations Sunday has been held for some several years and the response has proved to be successful. Please visit The Vocations Sunday website www.cofe-ministry.org.uk/vocsun for more details.
