Most of this year's 13 residents at our Community of the Tree of Life have attended a Welcome Service with Bishop Martyn, their Abbot. Two of the residents are due to arrive shortly following quarantine. You can read more about them here: https://leicestertreeoflife.
At the service the Prior, Rachel Bennetts, introduced the invitation to community life and gave an explanation of the Community Rule. Each resident shared their hopes for the year ahead and the Prior presented each new person by name to the Abbot. Each resident committed themselves to the Community saying: "I seek the Lord. I seek to become rooted, flourishing and fruitful and I seek to journey as a disciple with this Community." You can read the order of service here.
Nine of the 13 residents are the new intake of Mission Apprentices to the diocese; young people aged 18-25 who will be spending a year growing as disciples, serving local churches and living in community together.
The year is about training and investing in young adults; helping young people to explore their identity in Christ and their vocational call. It is one of the significant strands in our emerging Young Vocations strategy. There is an option for those feeling called to church leadership to continue the programme for a second year with a step up in terms of ministry and a bespoke training programme is found.
The Mission Apprentice programme is partnership between:
Ministry Experience Scheme (MES) – a national church of England initiative to support growing young vocations. The Diocese of Leicester is consistently the largest MES in the country. You can read more about our Youth Ministry here.
New Wine Discipleship Year (NWDY) – Based at Holy Trinity Church, Leicester, the NWDY not only provides us with two residential weekends away and a national conference each year but is the primary route through which young adults join the programme and forms the basis of the teaching aspect to the programme which is a day a week and covers, discipleship, theology, leadership and mission.
Placement Churches – these are local churches that invest in the young adults by providing ministry experience, mentoring and line management; giving young adults a safe space to serve and explore vocation.
CTOL - The vast majority of young adults on the MA programme are now residents in the Community of the Tree of Life (CTOL). The young adults living there are not novices but rather residents and the Community’s role is to help build a sense of community with the young adults and provide them with some pastoral support and space away from placements and the demands of ministry.
Resourcing Church Project – The funding for 10 of these roles comes through the Resourcing Church project (part DBF and part SDF) with placements being in the designated Resourcing Churches or one of their church plants.
Mike Kelly, Youth Ministry Officer for the diocese, said:
"Please pray for the young adults as the begin living in Leicester and in the Community of the Tree of Life as well as those involved in leading this programme. Every year there is joy and encouragement as we see young people commit to serving God and stepping out in faith."
The photo shows some of the new residents and the Community's Companion Team with Prior Rachel