EP#05 Listening with the Spirit in our neighbourhoods - with Avril Bagient

In this episode Al Roxburgh and Jenny Sinclair are in conversation with Avril Baigent, from Northampton in the UK. Avril works with parishes and leaders as they adjust to deep change in the church. Sometimes it's too easy to characterize what's going on in local congregations in terms of struggle and decline. But much more is happening. Across many churches there’s something stirring - Christians coming together to listen and discern the activity of the Spirit in their communities. Avril shares stories about the synodality* movement in the Catholic Church, what she sees happening on the ground and what it is that makes this new energy so significant. 

Avril is Pastoral Ministry Advisor for the Diocese of Northampton in the UK, developing chaplaincy and new forms of lay ministry. She is also co-director of the School for Synodality, which promotes *synodality (an ancient Catholic practice; meaning 'walking together with the Holy Spirit'), a posture of listening, currently being re-introduced as a new practice across the Catholic Church globally. Avril is studying for a PhD at Durham University in youth ministry and helps out in her parish as a musician and children’s liturgy leader. 

- Links -

For Alan J Roxburgh:

http://alanroxburgh.com/about

https://www.themissionalnetwork.com/author/alan-roxburgh/

https://journalofmissionalpractice.com/alan-roxburgh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alanjroxburgh?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alan.roxburgh.127/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonsnetwork

Joining God in the Great Unravelling https://www.amazon.ca/Joining-God-Great-Unraveling-Learned/dp/1725288508/ref=sr_1_

Leadership, God’s Agency and Disruptions https://www.amazon.ca/Leadership-Gods-Agency-Disruptions-Confronting/dp/1725271745/ref

Joining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World: The New Shape of the Church in Our Time https://www.amazon.ca/Joining-Remaking-Church-Changing-World/dp/0819232114/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2NHGW8KB7L0SQ&keywords=Alan+J+Roxburgh&qid=1687098960&s=books&sprefix=alan+j+roxburgh%2Cstripbooks%2C130&sr=1-3

For Jenny Sinclair:

Website: https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/from-jenny-sinclair

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-sinclair-0589783b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/T4CG

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TogetherForTheCommonGoodUK

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t4cg_insta/

For Avril Bagient:

https://www.schoolforsynodality.org.uk/

https://pastoralministryoffice.org/home-copy/staff/

https://northamptondiocese.org/chaplaincy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/avrilbaigent/?originalSubdomain=uk