Initial letter

An initial letter of invitation and explanation was sent out on 7 January 2004 to various individuals about the formation of Urban Expression Associates. It is reproduced here as an introduction to the purpose of this network.

Dear friends,

I am writing to those who have expressed interest over the past year or so in being part of a network of people involved in urban mission and/or church planting and who share the core values of Urban Expression. I have on my list about 25 individuals or couples (from different parts of the UK, Canada, the US and Australia) who have indicated you may be interested in this. I have visited a number of you and have exchanged emails or letters with everyone else. At the start of 2004 I want to update you on developments and invite your participation and comments.

We are suggesting that we use the term ‘Urban Expression Associates’ to describe this network. This connects us and identifies us without implying that we are structurally linked or that this relationship is anything more than a free association of friends and colleagues. It has been the Urban Expression values and approach that have been the basis for this network, so the name acknowledges this. We hope you will be happy with this, but do let me know if you have other suggestions – this is not set in stone.

By the way, we have recently completed a lengthy process of revising the core values, so I’m attaching the result now. We think we’ve retained all the important elements but have sharpened the way the values are expressed. I hope you’ll find this useful.

What we are proposing is that we use the Urban Expression website as the basis for this emerging network. All of us are on email and the distances involved mean that this will be the easiest way to enable exchange of information and ideas. Joe Baker has revamped the website recently and added a system to it that should facilitate news-sharing, group discussion and easy interaction. Please do check this out: www.urbanexpression.org.uk. Under ‘Associates’ you will find a section setting out some initial thoughts on how the network will operate.

The website will have two sections – one will give open access to anyone who visits the site; the other will require a password and will be accessible only by members of the East London Urban Expression teams and by Urban Expression Associates. This will mean we can put general information on the site but also have the facility for confidentiality. We are hoping that the open access part of the site will grow into a useful resource on urban ministry and church planting. We have plans to add substantially to what is already there.

On the restricted part of the site we plan to initiate a number of activities: invitations to share news and prayer requests, a discussion forum, on-line coaching and problem-solving and interactive training. Obviously these things will take a while to develop, but we’re hoping to make a start very shortly. In the meantime, we need to complete the set-up of the website and ensure everyone who wants to be involved is included.

This does not mean the network will only operate via the website. We want to do all we can to encourage face-to-face networking too. This might mean exchange visits between members of the network, regional gatherings and occasional events to which everyone is invited (though we recognise some of the distances involved are huge). Our hope is that the network will be largely self-sustaining and self-developing as different people take initiatives and forge connections. The information, contact details and discussions on the website will provide the basis for this.

My own commitment to this is to be as available as I can be to members of the network. As most of you know, I operate as a freelance trainer/consultant under the auspices of the UK Anabaptist Network and part of my time is already allocated to Urban Expression. I anticipate allocating further time to the development of the wider network – participating in on-line discussions and consultancy, visiting people in their own situations, producing training resources and continuing to make connections between people. I will respond to invitations and take initiatives.

So…

1. Can you let me know that you definitely want to be part of this network?

2. Can you supply me with some text to be placed on the open part of the website under ‘Associates’? This should describe your context and activities in a way that will make sense to anyone visiting the site. It can include photos if you send them in a format we can use. It can also include a link to your own website (if you have one) and your contact details. But if you are working in a sensitive area, please think carefully about what you want to put on an open-access website. We have had to exercise discretion in relation to some of our activities in East London. NB: If you want to participate in this network but would rather not be named on the website or if your work is not at a stage where you are ready to supply information, that’s fine. Just let me know this. You can still participate in the restricted access part of the site.

3. Please click on ‘Create new account’ on the right-hand side of the website. You will be directed to another page and asked to choose a user name and supply your email address. When you submit this information by clicking on the ‘Create new account’ button you will receive a message that reads: ‘Thank you for applying for an account. Your account is currently pending approval by the site administrator. In the meantime, your password and further instructions have been sent to your e-mail address.’ When you receive your initial password, you can then change this to whatever password you want. There will be a short delay before your account becomes active, while the site administrator approves your request, which will give you access to the restricted part of the site. This approval system is to ensure this part of the site remains confidential and so can be used by us all with confidence.

4. Please let me know if you have any comments on what you have read here or on the website, or any suggestions for this emerging network.

5. If you are aware of anyone else who might be interested in this network, please put them in touch with me.

Thanks for ploughing through the above. I look forward to hearing from you.

Every blessing for the New Year!

Stuart Murray Williams