We are looking for a Chaplain to journey alongside us, provide spiritual direction and pastoral support, and to celebrate the Eucharist on a regular basis with the community.

The Chaplain would join us often (but not always); help us with prayer and prayerfulness; and help us to interact with the wider Church.

The post is part-time (4 – 8 hours per week).

A stipend is available pro-rata at incumbent priest level.

Application deadline: 30^th September 2011

The hours of work are negotiable and this role could be taken on as a secondment.

The Chaplain would work with seven ‘mayBe Guardians’, who meet regularly to plan, guard and support the life of the community, and the mayBe Sacristan who provides administrative support. The Chaplain would join the whole community in sharing responsibility for preparing and leading worship.

Though planned, community life and gatherings are flexible to accommodate the other commitments of members and Chaplain.

Personal specification

The Chaplain will be:

• A team player, able to work collaboratively with mayBe guardians and community members.
• Comfortable and supportive of mayBe community’s inclusive ethos and informal approach. See ‘the spirit of maybe’.
• Able to minister to an all-age community.
• Someone with an active spirituality; and an understanding of the realities of everyday life.
• Able to challenge and inspire the community to keep to our true spirit and move forward.
• An ordained priest within the Anglican communion.

Recruitment process

Candidates should send a letter, responding to the personal specification (and may attach a supporting CV) to sacristan@maybe.org.uk by the deadline above.

To guide the decision making process for both parties, shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to meet the whole community and take part in different aspects of community worship. This will be followed by panel interviews.

This appointment will be approved by the Bishop of Oxford and is subject to a CRB check.

The successful candidate will take on the role for a probationary period of 6 months, within which either party could give a months notice. After this 2 months notice could be given by either party.

For further information about this role please contact Emma – sacristan@maybe.org.uk

We hope that the new mayBe Chaplain will join us for our advent retreat from 9 -11^th December.

Notes on our discussion of the Greenbelt theme, “Dreams of Home”.

Reflections on Home

• not just nuclear family, think of community as home.
• home sicknesses – when stuff is rubbish, familiarity takes you home.
• weird how in New Zealand they move their homes – something disconcerting about this.
• safe place to share -  there are 5 levels of sharing/intimacy (includes sharing peak experiences)
• on your mobile – what is the ‘home’ number. have you every changed it?
• Yellow brick road – yearning for a home
• things you do when hosting, offer food, make guest comfortable, take coat…etc….

Practical Ideas

• perhaps decorate paper plates,
• something physical to take away, give out keys (blanks?)
• giving out snacks – hospitality.

And Finally…

• Try and keep what we do “Earnestly mayBe”

Our own piece of Desert in South Park. Complete with tempting snake. Sun 13th March 2011.

It was a huge privilege to join with many others from his very rich life to date to celebrate this landmark birthday at St Michael’s, Marston.  A fine lunch and fun party followed a very moving and inspiring mass for the unity of all creation, which ended with these words, summing up Fr David’s approach to life and calling us all to spend ourselves likewise in the service of God, our fellow men and women, and all that is, seen and unseen:

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing; put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you or laid aside for you;
exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full; let me be empty;
let me have all things; let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.  Amen.

We gathered at Toby’s for an Indian feast and a return to Ian Adams’ book.  By popular demand we went back to chapter 5: the road.  As we shared how we happened to be where we currently were, we heard tantalising snippets of each other’s earlier lives.  We thought about our encounters on the road and what the road had taught each of us.  We prayed very simply, making a road with card and placing lit candles upon it for those we had met that day, and dwelling on that meeting as an encounter with Christ.  We drew luggage, and scattered along the road things we wanted to be able to leave behind, to help us travel more lightly.  And we tried out some blessings we hope to have the courage to offer on the road.

We were given a lovely warm welcome by the prior and brothers at the Carmelite Priory on Boars Hill, and made the most of the beautiful setting with some great woodland walks and a very mayBe-style open-air eucharist overlooking the city. I found the sessions led by Johnny Baker really thought-provoking – helping us to evaluate our personal spiritual lives as well as how we are as a community. There were some moments of real calm and reflection as well as plenty of lively discussion and, of course, play. I really enjoyed it. Cara

we had a great lunch at the Isis. Thanks!

Had a fun time on Saturday painting Bethlehem Chapel. Worked through the day fueled by tea, biscuits and enthusiasm. Thanks everyone. Sister Jean was really appreciative!

Prayers we’ve written for the Chalgrove Taize service, 5:30pm, Sun 26th Sept 2010.

1.  Blessed are the poor in spirit or blessed are those who realise their need.

When we think we are strong are we really strong?  Sometimes at our lowest we confront our vulnerability and the vulnerability of others is revealed to us.  There can be a clarity that is lacking when all is going well and we are being carried along by a busy life.

When the rat race spits us out and drops us to the floor then we begin to understand.  We feel the despair of the world.  We remember the despair of Christ Jesus at his lowest hour.

Blessed are the poor in spirit.

2.  Lord we pray for those who mourn at this time.

For those who mourn the past.  We pray you would inspire hope for the future.

Where words and needs have been left undone help us to accept what we cannot change and give us strength to change that which we can.

3.  Lord we give thanks and ask for blessings upon those who give silently and often unnoticed by society.

For the carers, nurses, teachers, parents and others who give their lives over to helping those around them.

We pray also for those who commit humbly to a life of prayer.

We thank you for the love shared by these people for the benefit of those around them.

For this we thank you and ask your blessing.

4.  We consider what our lives would be like if we did not have enough to eat, if we went to bed every night without knowing where tomorrow’s meals would come from.

We pray for people for whom this is reality.

Help grow in us a hunger and thirst for justice for the poor and hungry around the world.

In silence we think of or say aloud situations of concern in the world.

5.  We pray for a harvest of mercy:

- we pray for mercy for all victims and their abusers

- we pray for mercy within all damaged family relationships

- we pray for mercy to heal nations torn apart by civil war

Lord, help us to be merciful.

6.  Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.

We thank you for the everyday saints that live among us.

Mother figures and Father figures who hold our community together.

For the principles who campaign unrelentlessly for justice.

For those who speak up for the forgotten, take the hand of the lost child.

For those that are an inspiration and lead by example.

Blessed are the pure in heart.

7.  We pray for peace.  Jesus, Prince of Peace:

We pray for your peace to be planted, take root and grow in our own hearts and minds.

We pray for your peace to be planted, take root and grow in industrial relationships.

We pray for your peace to be planted, take root and grow in all areas of the world blighted by war.

We pray for your peace to be planted, take root and grow in conflicts between human resource needs and natural habitats.

Lord help us to be peace-makers and in this way to be your true children.

8.  Lord we thank you that in this country we can meet to worship you without fear of imprisonment or death.  We know that in many countries our Christian brothers and sisters do not have this luxury.

We pray for those for whom being a Christian is a dangerous reality.

We pray for those who are persecuted daily in your name and pray forgiveness for their persecutors.

This Thursday we ate our meal in silence before moving onto our night prayer. It was a tranquil and reflective experience. So amazing watching how peaceful the children could be. Thanks to everyone for going along with it.

Here are some comments from the evening…

• in peace we are allowed to be
• love the noises usually drowned out – cutlery on plates
• praying to God thinking about new life
• more togetherness and cooperation – less noise and less of the unnessecary
• be still and know that I am God – Psalms
• words are the net that hold us together but without the net we can swim free in the sea
• when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut the door, pray to your father who is in that secret place, and your father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. Mt 6:6