Auswahl der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema „Covenant Family Community Church“

Pastoral interventions have generally assumed a linear, cause-effect approach. General systems theory and family systems theory (Bowen Theory) provide a more sophisticated approach to the complexities of working with the congregation as a living system. This article explores the crucial question of biblical congruency by examining the biblical witness to the church as the family of God, the body of Christ, and the covenant community. In the context of affirming substantial congruency, a final theological critique of the assumptions of systems theory is offered.

The analysis covers the main determinants of the legal doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church that pertain to the dignity and greatness of matrimonial vocation and the Catholic family. They are: a) establishment of a deep communion of the married couple and family life on the sacrament (i.e. covenant); b) the generous procreation and upbringing of children in the Roman Catholic faith. They are based on the incorporation of this family into the same Church, as well as on respecting her laws, which integrates the community of faith on the way to salvation. Hence, the 1983 Code of Canon Law contains a system of requirements (i.e. the so-called obstacles, as well as powers or indications) to protect marriage and exclude situations in which the interest of the Catholic faith or of prospective spouses would be threatened.

Grundtvig and the »Rationalists« in the Years 1825-32 - Views and DevelopmentBy Jens RasmussenThe article describes the development of Grundtvig’s view of the Church and of Baptism in the debate with the »Rationalists« in the period 1825-32, and not least Grundtvig’s positive promise to his readers, made in »Kirkens Gienmæle« (The Rejoinder of the Church), of a historical proof of the origin of the Apostles’ Creed in the Christian Church.In the entire conflict with his opponents - not least the Clausen family - Grundtvig described the leading theologians and clergymen as »Rationalists«, a much too unsubtle term which eventually came to preclude others from understanding what was his real purpose. Both moderate forces and prominent university scholars such as Professor H.N. Clausen had emphasized the overall importance of the Scriptures, in relation to the tradition and historical evidence of the Church.But not so Grundtvig. A distinct development in Grundtvig’s church view had taken place since 1825, with the discovery of the Church, partly as existing before Scripture, which assigns a special significance to Baptism and Communion, and partly as a community bound to the Apostolic Creed. In Grundtvig’s treatises in »Theologisk Maanedsskrift« (Theological Monthly) after »Kirkens Gienmæle« in 1825, his whole church view found its conclusion as early as 1828 in an understanding of the unchangeability of the baptismal covenant - everything was given already in Baptism through baptismal faith and baptismal covenant. Kaj Thaning dates this development conclusively to 1832, but it happens gradually already in the first years after the publication of »Kirkens Gienmæle«.In the years following 1825, Grundtvig showed uncertainty with regard to a historical proof, since the historical church evidence behind the Scriptures eluded ordinary historical demonstration. It was not a matter of a historical proof. A precondition, however, was the historical perspective: the living oral confession carried unbroken through time. It did not primarily have to do with history, but with the Church. The main emphasis was on »our Confession of Faith in Baptism«. What was essential was the defenceless Word from the Lord’s own mouth, as it was heard by everyone in the renunciation and faith of the baptismal covenant. Grundtvig came to recognize that the layman’s confession of faith in Baptism was »det ægte christelige« (genuine Christianity)- In the ritual debate of the 1830s - not least in the controversy over the baptismal ritual - Grundtvig maintained these views, and the line of development goes back to 1825.

Latter-day Saint (“Mormon”) liturgy opens its participants to a world undefined by a stark border between the transcendent and immanent, with an emphasis on embodiment and relationality. The formal rites of the temple, and in particular that part of the rite called “the endowment”, act as a frame that erases the immanent–transcendent border. Within that frame, the more informal liturgy of the weekly administration of the blood and body of Christ, known as “the sacrament”, transforms otherwise mundane acts of living into acts of worship that sanctify life as a whole. I take a phenomenological approach, hoping that doing so will deepen interpretations that a more textually based approach might miss. Drawing on the works of Robert Orsi, Edward S. Casey, Paul Moyaert, and Nicola King, I argue that the Latter-day Saint sacrament is not merely a ritualized sign of Christ’s sacrifice. Instead, through the sacrament, Christ perdures with its participants in an act of communal memorialization by which church members incarnate the coming of the divine community of love and fellow suffering. Participants inhabit a hermeneutically transformed world as covenant children born again into the family of God.

Abstract: Children are whole human beings created by God, just as adult humans are created in the image and likeness of God. Children are an essential part of the covenant community. Considering based on Bible truth how precious children are to God, children should get good service and education from various circles, especially from the church. The church must grow and develop in providing comfort and peace for children as well as the next generation and the future of the nation, church, and family. Child ministry is very important because children must grow and develop. The church through the ministry of children can listen to the wishes of children in expressing their views, needs, hopes and dreams. Children need to be cared for and educated to be what God wants them to be. The Bible emphasizes that children need to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, “Let the children not prevent them from coming to Me; for such people will have the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). The church has a responsibility and a biblical mandate to care for children both inside and outside the church. Keywords: church, children's ministry, education. Abstrak: Anak adalah manusia utuh yang diciptakan Allah, sama halnya dengan manusia dewasa diciptakan menurut gambar dan rupa Allah. Anak-anak adalah bagian esensial dari komunitas yang terikat perjanjian. Mempertimbangan berdasarkan kebenaran Alkitab betapa berharganya anak-anak bagi Allah, maka sudah seharusnya anak mendapatkan pelayanan dan pendidikan yang baik dari berbagai kalangan terkhusus dari gereja. Gereja harus bertumbuh dan berkembang menjadikan dalam memberikan kenyamanan dan kedamaian bagi anak-anak juga sebagai generasi penerus dan masa depan bangsa, gereja, dan keluarga. Pelayanan anak menjadi sangat penting karena anak-anak harus bertumbuh dan berkembang. Gereja melalaui pelayanan anak dapat mendengarkan keinginan anak-anak dalam mengungkapkan pandangan, kebutuhan, harapan dan impian mereka. Anak-anak butuh diperhatikan dan dididik untuk menjadi seperti yang dikehendaki Allah. Alkitab menegaskan bahwa anak-anak perlu memiliki hubungan dengan Allah melalui Yesus Kristus. Yesus sendiri berkata, “Biarkanlah anakanak itu janganlah menghalang-halangi mereka datang kepada-Ku; sebab orang-orang yang seperti itulah yang empunya Kerajaan Sorga” (Matius 19:14). Gereja memiliki tanggung jawab dan mandat alkitabiah untuk peduli terhadap anak-anak baik di dalam maupun di luar gereja. Kata Kunci: gereja, pelayanan anak, pendidikan.

The Church, gathered by liturgy, is a community of suffering (cf. 1.9). The time of the origin of the Revelation was the time when Domitian was ruling. He was not a bloodthirsty persecutor of Christians, yet he was ruthless when faced with lack of respect to himself or his position, and to the state as well. The overall atmosphere of tension and danger felt throughout the Revelation, are all connected with the conflict between the Churches of Asia Minor and the Roman Empire. Accusations of Christians from pagans and Jews partially illustrate this conflict.The community gathered in the Day of the Lord is aware of the presence of the Risen Lord. As the people of the New Covenant in his blood, they praise the Lamb’s love in a liturgical celebration and they recognize their calling as kingdom, priests to God (1.6). The gathered Church is the community summoned to obey the Word and pass it on. Proclamation and meditation on the Word reveals God’s Mysterium manifested in Christ the Lamb. Christ gathers the community and stands in the center of the Church as the one who speaks. His word penetrates as a double-edged sword and purifies the Church. Gathered around the Risen Lord, who is present in the power and majesty of God, the Church perceives itself as a community called to share the eternal liturgy of the New Jerusalem, in which the temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (21.22).At the same time as the earth is being liberated from evil, the preparation of the People of the Covenant for the eternal wedding is being carried out. The People of the Covenant, prepared by the Lamb, pass through the history towards the celebration of the eternal wedding in the common and universal Kingdom of God. Sincere Love of God to his people, described by the prophets, is totally fulfilled in the Lamb’s love, who calls the People of the Covenant his Bride – Spouse and leads them to God’s Kingdom.

Abstract: Meredith G. Kline supported conservative views of canon by arguing that ancient Near Eastern treaties and Deuteronomy contained canonical clauses, meaning that their texts were authoritative for the vassal community when they were written, as were biblical books performing functions governing that community. Based on discontinuities between the Old and New Testament forms of the covenant community, Kline redefined canon as documents structuring and implementing the polity of the various phases of the vassal community. Thus, the Old Testament counts as Scripture, but not canon, for the church. Critical scholarship perceives Kline’s views as conservative dogma rather than historical argument; conservatives approve his demonstration that all Scripture is covenantal, but dislike his distinctions between faith, individual-life, and community-life (polity) norms.

Confessing church today? The article responds to the question from Reformed ecumenical circles regarding what it could mean to be a confessing church today. It revisits Karl Barth’s influential contributions to the same discussion during the 1920s and for several decades after that. It calls to mind some major claims from Barth’s authoritative paper for the ecumenical Reformed world in 1925 on the question of whether the Reformed community needed a general confessional document – a proposal in regard to which he strongly rejected both the possibility and the desirability. It then traces the legacy of these claims through the reception history of the Theological Declaration of Barmen, the Confession of Belhar and the Accra Covenant on Justice and the Ecology, and thereby suggests possible answers to the original question.

Rowan Williams, a theologian who has long stressed the importance of ecclesiology, served as Archbishop of Canterbury at a time when the Anglican Communion was consumed by an ecclesiological crisis. This paper explores the ecclesiology Williams has consistently articulated as archbishop and then holds it against Williams’ support of the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant and finds a disjuncture. Williams’ ecclesiology is rooted in the nature of a globalized world, which tends towards exclusion. In this context, the church is to be the embodiment of God’s purpose of ‘unrestricted community.’ In order to do so, the church must share a common language and be rooted in trust-full relations that can only develop over time. As the Covenant struggles to gain approval among Anglicans, it seems an apt time to return to Williams’ ecclesiology and patiently work towards understanding the different Anglican other.

Jonathan Mitchel, minister of the Cambridge Church (1656–67), used the extension and liberalization of baptism in the 1650s and 60s–later denigrated as the halfway covenant–to bring the unchurched and their children into fellowship, thus indicating a strategy of reaching out to the community, not of appeasing a lapsing or fastidious second generation.

This paper examines the Army Community Covenant, a formal document intended to strengthen the official and unofficial relationships between U.S. Army posts in the United States with their surrounding civilian communities. Critical Discourse Analysis is applied to trace the genealogy of the verbal and visual constructs and semiotics of the document, from the rhetoric of George Washington that acculturated the Continental Army to the present day, and considering the perspectives of nationalism and familial relationships in the deliberate selection of key terminologies. This research concludes with the recognition of the documents' potential effects, both positive and negative, upon its intended participants and audience, and proposes extensions for further research in the areas of the U.S. Army and army families, as well as the perceptions of identity and struggles for representation that exist.
Master of Arts

The question I address is: how might a theology of authority be conceived in the light of questions raised by what is termed 'post-modernity'? Is it possible to articulate a theology of authority coming to the church community 'from God' that avoids an oppressive and alienating heteronomy? The thesis explores the question of authority as of vital importance in the sociological dimension of religion, calling for legitimisation (in light of claims made for itself) and as obligatory in the theological sphere. For this reason the project involves two methodologies (theological and sociological/ethnographic). While this investigation is relevant to all sections of the Christian church, particular attention is paid to Baptist churches in the UK, since they hold a concept in their tradition that I suggest is valuable in answering the question of the thesis, namely that of covenant. Within the Christian tradition there is an inner 'problematic' relating the personal authority of Christ to the forms of institution (church) and text (scripture). I explore this with a brief survey of theological authority as found in the fourfold foundation of scripture, tradition, reason and experience. From this is developed a brief theological and Christological reflection on divine authority and covenant theology as found in Karl Barth and his response to the 'inner problematic'. Within contemporary culture I view authority through the lens of so-called 'postmodernism', identifying four challenges to the notion of 'external authority' (all of which exemplify a move from the external to internal, and objective to subjective approaches to authority). This is further explored by means of qualitative research with one-to-one interviews conducted in a Baptist church in York. This data is reflected upon by means of ethnography and 'judicious narratives', especially in dialogue with material from Guest ('congregational study'), Heelas and Woodhead ('subjectivised-self') and Healy ('theodramatic horizon' and 'practical-prophetic ecclesiology'), providing an intersection between the language of theology and sociology. The concept of church as covenant community is explored in Baptist and (more briefly) Anglican traditions, leading to a constructive proposal that both the inner-church 'problematic' and the 'postmodern' challenge to authority might begin to be resolved with the notion of covenant. It is within this context of relationship, human and divine, that the authoritative and revelatory Word of God, the story that is Christ, is found in community and praxis. Here is a 'triangulating' relationship between authority, story and covenant revealing divine authority in a non-coercive way and relevant to contemporary culture.

Increasing rates of obesity across all race, ethnic, gender, and age groups over the past thirty years have generated significant public health concern. Black children face disproportionately higher risk for overweight and obesity compared with their White peers. Substantial evidence suggests that parent involvement improves pediatric obesity treatment outcomes. Moreover, churches are feasible and culturally congruent places to host health promotion interventions within the Black community. The current study examined the feasibility of disseminating an existing pediatric obesity intervention, NOURISH, in Black church communities. Twenty-five families participated in baseline assessment of the NOURISH-C. Five churches hosted the intervention and eight individuals were trained to lead the sessions. It was hypothesized that parent participation in NOURISH-C would be associated with improvements in child dietary intake, quality of life, and physical activity. Significant increases in quality of life were found, but no other hypotheses related to child health outcomes were supported. Nonetheless, this study offers a unique contribution to the pediatric obesity literature through its focus on implementing a community based intervention in a primarily Black sample. Outcomes from the primary aim, which assessed feasibility, provide important guidance for future research. Specifically, barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of NOURISH-C are reviewed to inform future church based health promotion interventions. Additionally, current findings provide a framework for future community based iterations of NOURISH.

The aim of this study was to investigate the specific role that the nuclear family as a primary faith unit has to play in a postmodern context, and the challenges that confront it, as well as the ways in which the church can support the family in this. The study was done through a basis-theoretical investigation of Biblical evidence about the family and about its destiny as well as about the historical development and vicissitudes of the family over the past two millennia, through a meta-theoretical investigation into and analysis of sociological and psychological evidence and views about the relationship between the family and value transfer and faith formation, and through a qualitative empirical investigation into the situation of a number of families in a suburban reformed church, the latter part being informed by the insights derived from the basis- and meta-theoretical study. On the basis of the aforesaid a practice theory was formulated that aims to support the ministry to families. In the basis-theoretical study of Biblical evidence it was indicated that, in spite of widely divergent family forms and situations over many centuries, there were a number of basic functions always common to families, among which the most important is that of the family as the conduit of salvation, as well as its role of nurturance and education. Strong emphasis was also put on the interactive relationship between the church and the family, not only in the family being a part of the church but also in it being a metaphor for the church. On the basis of an analysis of the history of the family over centuries, certain basic aspects of the family were again identified. In this part of the study specific attention was paid to the postmodernism as phenomenon and its implications for the experience of community and for the family. In the empirical study interviews were conducted with six families on the basis of a number of essential themes identified from the study thus far, to determine what their experience of and problems with those facets of their family life are. An interview with a focus group about the same themes was also conducted. On the basis of these conversations the basic themes were further reduced to six in number, and a variety of common concerns or problems, or merely ways of handling certain matters, were identified. In the development of a practice theory emphasis was put on the fact that the address of such a theory or model cannot be in the first place only the church as it performs its work through its offices, but it needs also be the faithful, with the family itself as the autonomous body. Without running the risk of making to rigid a distinction between the various responsibilities of these three, recommendations were made about a number of fields in which the ministry to families can concentrate to counteract the growing danger of privatisation and isolation of families, and again to make families viable building blocks of the church of Christ.
Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The aim of this study was to look at the vocation of the Afrikaans-speaking male between 30 and 40 years within the family, church and society. The following procedure was followed: A base theoretical investigation was undertaken to establish Scriptural perspectives on the subject. The model of Zerfass was used. It was found: The male as representative of God on earth must live in an intimate personal relationship with God. He should therefore be peacemaker, acting in love towards all, even his enemies. A man should accompany his wife as his equal with unconditional sacrificial love so that she is able to grow spiritually. His family should be the highest priority in his daily programme. Metatheoretical perspectives were subsequently obtained from the two disciplines, namely Psychology and Sociology. An empirical study was simultaneously undertaken in order to determine the shortcomings in a man's life. The following conclusions were made: The male between 30 and 40 years-old is in a phase where he critically evaluates certain religious systems and values. The male between 30 and 40 years regards his marriage and family as one of his four "enemies" because it feels as if his family expects too much of him. The male between 30 en 40 years also struggles to maintain a balance between time at work and time with his family. Theoretical guidelines from practice were subsequently established by synthesising the above information in an hermeneutical way. The following guidelines were set: Through the love of Christ a man should be "the salt of lie" to counteract perdition and a "light for this world" to indicate direction in life. A husband should make time for his family in order to spend quality time with them. His behaviour and the way that he communicates with them will show them that he loves them, appreciates them and understands them. A man should do his work as if were doing it for Christ, and not for people. This, however, means that he should work in such a way that he does not lose valuable time that he could have spent with his family. A man must be aware of his own sinful nature and continuously profess his sins before God and his neighbour. This study aimed to give men a vision so that they would have a conception of what it means to be a man of God in a troubled world.
Thesis (M.Th. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

AbstractThis is the story of a community hub in an independent South Australian faith-based school. The aim of this community hub is to address multi-generational disadvantage with an agile approach that is personalised to the needs of local families. While co-located infrastructure exists—comprising a school, church, kindergarten, public sector children’s centre, opportunity shop, community shed and emergency housing—there is a need to promote connections within and beyond this infrastructure through a dedicated community hub space. To address this need, in 2020 we prepared an architectural design concept for a welcoming community space located at the intersection of school, church, and kindergarten, providing a physical structure to ‘wrap around’ the existing personal services. This space has yet to be built but will ensure the community hub can help people develop the capacity to change their own lives. The ethos, culture, and approach that has been adopted for this community hub is based on the ‘Family Zone’ model developed by Lutheran Care. The vision for this hub has wellbeing as the focus which resonates with the shared values and mission of school, care agency and church. In this chapter we, the school’s principal and the architect who developed the architectural design, reflect on the school community’s journey. The common theme is that it takes time to build cooperative relationships, connections, and trust. ‘You are welcome’ and developing a sense of belonging is at the heart of developing this community hub.

Abstract Those Who Attend family reunions, church and cemetery homecomings, and camp meetings in the summer fall into an overall pattern of gathering and dispersal that defines the Protestant community and the Protestant individual. By going one’ s separate way and yet returning periodically to affirm one’ s affiliation with a broader network of kin, friends, and congregation, the Protestant pilgrim fulfills his or her calling to be faithful. The symbolic center for the gathering of the faithful within each denomination is the denominational summer community or conference center, where all the themes of sacredness can come into play. One such pilgrim center is the community I have studied in depth, the conference center and cottage community of Presbyterians at Montreat, North Carolina.1

Abstract This chapter discusses how Black Americans relied on family, church, and community as a source of strength to achieve freedom. Blacks developed their respective concentric circles of resistance and opportunity in response to the concentric circles of white people’s social control which were used to confine Black people. The chapter cites the solidarity of the Black community that began with family, whose moral compass was rooted in the church. It notes that the foundation of family, church, and community would lift Black Americans out of repression and into the full promise of racial justice. Survival itself was a form of defiance against the period of Jim Crow as it allowed Black people to lay the groundwork for resistance and confrontation.

Abstract I will begin by addressing in very broad strokes the history and tradition of the African-American religious community with respect to same-sex orientation, preference, and conduct. What follows is an outline of a moral stance that argues for strong prescriptive advocacy of covenanted monogamous heterosexual unions in light of the ongoing disintegration of family and parenting structures in the African-American community. I will conclude by noting some key implications of this particular moral stance for African-American participation in the formulation of law and public policy regarding legal protection from discrimination on the basis of same-sex domestic partnerships.

This chapter explores the 1838 drawing of the Shaker Village at Watervliet, New York, that testifies to the economy of this intentional community. It includes a drawing of the village showing the scale and diversity of the Shakers' economic operations that enabled a remarkable degree of independence from the regional economy. It also describes the strategic location of the Shaker Village on the main roads to the cities of Schenectady, Troy, and Albany that provided the Shakers with easy access to trade and travel. The chapter mentions that the double-gated entrance of the Shaker village required visitors to stop at the brick office of the trustee before passing through a second gate into the heart of the community. It clarifies how the gates made it known to outsiders that while the Shakers welcomed visitors, they also set their own terms for wider engagement with the world.

Abstract The belief in ethnic election was developed in various ways by different communities across the ages, and covered a wide range of ideas and concerns. Some of them adhered, more or less strictly, to the prototypical elements of divine choice, promise, collective sanctification, conditional privilege, witness, and sacred law. In other cases, these elements are attenuated or altered, and other ideas are grafted onto the original beliefs. In this chapter, I shall look at four covenanted peoples-the medieval Gregorian Armenians and Amharic Ethiopians, and the modern Afrikaners and Zionist Jews. In the next chapter, I consider a wider field of ‘missionary’ chosen peoples within the monotheistic traditions. In Christian doctrine, closeness is transferred from a particular ethnic community to the universal Church of believers, verus Israel.Yet, in historical fact, we often find some tension between this universalism and the profession of Christian faith and practice of particular communities. Such was the case of Armenia from the fourth century. Despite many attempts by the Gregorian Apostolic Church to convert the heathen, and with considerable success, the Armenian kingdom’s geographical location and political circumstance, between Sasanid

Today, both university and church management follow strict economic principles, along with scholarly accreditation rules that grant more academic freedom. The canonical order, on the other hand, is what has traditionally defined the spiritual confessional hierarchy of relationships among theologians. Simultaneously, moral choice and commitment to values are essential pillars of humanitarian and theological professionalism, as well as of most of the fields that share social practices with the Orthodox Church. Theological and clerical professionalism is the basic requirement of many services that are shared along the development of church lifestyle, ethos, and liturgical life with religious communities who need education in faith, encompassing the entire Christian Church. While the hierotopy of scared church space and community had been mystically integrating the entire range of human attitudes toward theological perfection into one sacramental liturgical whole, media began sharing that process with global society more and more openly. Everyone could freely, instantly, and dynamically access Eastern Orthodox Christian Church and try to find their special place in the whole church organism, where every part is to be perfectly bonded with the others, without live adjustment of one's individual state of spiritual growth according to collective perspectives.

The family is a community of love, the greatest treasure of our people. A person becomes a person only in the family. Modern society is interested in a strong, spiritually and morally healthy family. This is due to the fact that the family plays an important role in strengthening the health and upbringing of the younger generations, ensuring the economic and social development of society, improving the demographic processes of our state. It is in the family that the foundations of a person's character, his attitude to relatives, work, moral, social and cultural values are formed. The family is the first Church. The Church views the family as a supernatural and primary institution of society based on the voluntarily entered into God-blessed union of man and woman. Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskytaught: "The future belongs to those nations in which marriage is a sacred thing, in which family life is pure and holy!". Key words: family; happiness; parents; children; family education; Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky

One of the most important aspects of medieval human life was being in a community. On the one hand, medieval city itself was such a community, whereas on the other hand, there still remained social, economic and occupational differences between its inhabitants, which in daily life dissociated people. In addition to the community in the city, the church and the family, another type of community developed in medieval cities – professional or artisan associations, fraternities or guilds. For a very long time, the studies dedicated to these organizations focused mainly on their economic, legal and organizational aspects, and hence guilds are mainly associated with their economic activities. However, the religious and social life they yielded was no less important and provided people’s daily lives with activities that complemented their spiritual and social life. The aim of the study is to review and analyse the social practices found in the source material, whereby such aspects of socialization as the formation of beneficial social contacts, maintenance of relationships, as well as mutual assistance were practiced in medieval artisan associations. Examples and their similarities in various artisan associations in Europe, including Riga, which are reported in medieval written sources, especially the statutes of these associations, will be discussed. The obtained information collected in the study confirms that associations extended beyond economic goals, as their practices promoted social contacts between members, strengthened friendships, fostered respect and responsibility for each other.

“Me tiro whakamuri, ki te haere whakamua. We must look to our past in order to move forward.” This whakataukī (proverb) speaks to Māori perspective of time and the importance of knowing your own history in order to move forward. We must look to our past and move as if we are walking backwards into our future. The present and past are certain, however, the future is unknown. Tangohia mai te taura: Take This Rope - is a practice-led research project, that enquires into a disputed narrative of the past. The thesis study involves researching, directing and producing a feature documentary about historical grievances within Te Whakatōhea and Te Whānau ā Mokomoko. The project artistically explores the potentials of documentary form in relation to Mātauranga Māori (Māori customs and knowledge) and kaupapa Māori (Māori research approaches). The research seeks to exhume stories from iwi members and question certain Pākehā constructed narratives (The Church Missionary, 1865; Taylor, 1868; McDonnell, 1887: Grace, 1928). Accordingly, the documentary will communicate outwards from accumulated experience and storytelling within my whānau. Thus, it will interweave the narratives of people whose whakapapa (genealogy) has been interwoven with historical events and their implications, related to the execution of my ancestor Mokomoko in 1866, and the preceding murder of the Reverend Carl Sylvius Völkner in 1885. Artistically and theoretically, the project constructs a new form of Māori documentary through a consideration of pūrākau (Pouwhare and McNeill 2018). The significance of the study lies in the potential to rethink documentary form based on the tenets of pūrākau. In so doing, the study will not only expand the corpus of research about Mokomoko but also extend how indigenous documentaries might be thought of as structures. Four key concepts that will guide the development of the film are: WHAKAPAPA - GENEALOGY Through genealogy, it builds my personal connection with the film, the interviewees and the community. But it also holds a strong responsibly for me to complete this film with the utmost respect and care. WHENUA and WHANAU – LAND and FAMILY With land and family at the centre of the film. Embodiment is an important part of how this film is created. I reconnected more with my extended family and actively seek out opportunities to attend wānanga (discussions) and perform kapa haka (Māori performing arts) specific to our land and family. TIKANGA – CUSTOMS The process and structures of making this film have followed tikanga Māori (Māori customs). Practising karakia and waiata (Māori prayers and songs) to perform before and after we film were key customs we believe are important when creating this film. These protocols are practised by the crew and affirm our rōpu (group) as a family. KOHA - RECIPROCATION Unlike traditional filming structures that schedule films to be completed in an economically and efficient way. Koha reinforces the concept of reciprocation, to give and receive. As the community gifts their time and stories, the film will be gifted back to those from which it came. Myself as the ringa toi (artist) must make conscious effort to go back to the iwi (local tribe) and being an active member within the town and supporting community initiatives. In addition, the study will demonstrate how the process of documentary making inside iwi can function as a form of raranga (weaving) where collaborating fragments may take form and through this increase feelings of value, healing, and historical redress.

The paper examines the perception of time in the Old Icelandic ‘chronicle’ Hungrvaka ‘Awakening hunger’ (13th century) in the aspect of the correlation of local and foreign traditions of time counting and time markers. The paper discusses the specifics of usage of natural temporal names (winter and summer, day and night, etc.), indications of the time of power and death of foreign and Icelandic leaders, the role of genealogies and chronology ‘from the Birth of Christ’, as well as that of church holidays. The author comes to the conclusion about the combination in this work of the old local tradition, dating back to oral literary activity, and a new foreign tradition that came from Latin sources along with the introduction of Christianity. It is argued that the temporal characteristic of Hungrvaka is not reducible to a chronical list of years. A significant place is occupied in it by the ‘natural’ (often specific) and ‘genealogical’ perception of time (characteristic of the tribal community, which did not know the state and royal power), which brings this work closer to the family sagas. At the same time, the correlation of the time of power and death of the Icelandic bishops (and also that of the secular leaders of Iceland) with the time of the power and death of foreign leaders, as well as with the chronology ‘from the Birth of Christ’ serves to elevate Icelanders and Iceland in a world-historical perspective.

The school-family-community partnership (SFC) is given by the collaborative relationships between school staff and families, community members, organizations (companies, church, libraries, social services) to implement programs and activities to help students succeed in graduation. successful studies. The clearer operationalization of the concepts of parental involvement and participation allows the differentiation of the following aspects: - two types of parental involvement, namely spontaneous (starts from the bottom up) versus planned (from the top down); the latter refers to interventions or programs built in order to solve the problem of insufficient participation or absence of parents; - involvement at home - for example, a discussion at home about school activities and involvement in school - for example, parents' participation in school activities or aspects of organizing school activities: communication with the school, school-parent relationship. Trust is vital for collaboration and is a predictor of improving school results. In a world where the use of IT and communication technologies is a key feature, they represent the core element in education, involving changes in educational policies, both in setting goals and in developing strategies, providing resources and training specialists. One of the recommendations of the new education focuses on the organization of learning contents so they can use computer applications in learning, teaching and assessment processes. The present article "Integrating educational software in the activity of preschoolers" aims to demonstrate the need to use IT technologies by introducing educational software in the study process of children in kindergartens. The use of educational programs at kindergarten level proves to be an effective learning tool that causes significant changes in acquiring knowledge and changing attitude towards learning. Children prefer to gather knowledge through educational programs rather than through traditional methods and means, which contributes to creating a positive attitude towards learning and improving the quality of their results. At the same time, in order for new technologies to prove their effeciency, it is absolutely necessary for teachers to respect the instructional design of digital materials, the rules of didactic planning and the individual and age particularities of children.

Крайняя малочисленность связанных с христианством находок и их неравномерное распределение во времени создает значительные трудности при восстановлении истории Фанагорийской христианской общины. Восполнить лакуны до некоторой степени помогают имеющиеся сведения об истории христианства в других центрах Северо-Восточного Причерноморья, неотъемлемой частью которого являлась Фанагория. Несомненно, новая религия проникает в Фанагорию, как и в другие центры Боспорского царства, в последней четверти 3 в. из Малой Азии, откуда готы, возвращаясь из своих пиратских набегов, привозили пленных христиан. Именно к периоду после морских походов варваров относятся первые зафиксированные на Боспоре признаки христианства: различные вещи с христианскими символами, христианские участки на некрополе в Керчи. Незначительное количество раннехристианских памятников говорит о том, что в этот период распространение религии в регионе происходило, главным образом, благодаря деятельности миссионеров, и число приверженцев христианства было невелико. С включением Боспора в сферу влияния Византийской империи церковь и государство предпринимают совместные усилия по христианизации региона: скорее всего, именно в это время по обе стороны Керченского пролива строятся церкви, в Фанагории учреждается епископская кафедра и строится христианский храм, внутреннему убранству которого, скорее всего, принадлежали два мраморных резервуара для воды, сигмовидный стол и рельеф с изображением Орфея, найденные при раскопках на «Нижнем городе». Форма и материал, из которого изготовлен один из найденных резервуаров, позво ляет интерпретировать его как крещальную купель. Причем небольшая глубина найден ной емкости не означает, что в ней крестили только детей, поскольку в большинстве случаев крещение совершалось без полного погружения: стоявшего в купели крещаемого просто обливали водой. Однако уже с 4 в. при крещении начали использовать стоячую воду, а наполнять купель предписывалось вручную. Поэтому объяснить назначение двух отверстий в фанагорийском резервуаре в случае его использования в качестве купели трудно. Лучше объясняет наличие двух отверстий другой возможный вариант использования резервуара: в качестве реликвария, в котором хранились мощи, их частицы или какие-то другие реликвии. Через верхнее отверстие в реликварий на хранящиеся в нем мощи наливали масло, которое выливалось через отверстие в нижней части. Что касается чаши с ручками-выступами вдоль края, то подобные емкости, как правило, определяют либо как купели для крещения детей, либо, чаще, как чаши для освященной воды, которую в раннехристианское время использовали для ритуального омовения рук перед входом в храм. Известные автору точные аналогии фанагорийскому сосуду происходят исключительно с территории провинций Мезия Секунда и Фракия. Не исключено, что именно оттуда фанагорийская емкость была привезена войсками, присланными на Боспор Юстинианом для подавления восстания против ставленника Византии Грода. Мраморный сигмовидной стол с арочной каймой также мог входить в состав инвентаря христианского храма. В церковном обиходе использование таких столов было вторичным, взятым из светской жизни и идет от раннехристианской традиции совместных поминальных трапез, совершавшихся над могилами мучеников. Позже их использовали в храмах в качестве престолов и столов для приношений, а также в трапезных монастырей. Несмотря на то, что сигмовидные столы, в частности столы с арочной каймой, использовали как в светском, так и христианском обиходе, их находки вне контекста обычно связывают с христианскими храмами. Однако в подобных случаях нельзя исключать возможность их использования и в качестве обычного обеденного стола. Наконец, с христианством может быть связана мраморная плитка с изображением Орфея, образ которого перешел в христианскую иконографию из языческого искусства. Незначительные размеры и сильная потертость фанагорийского фрагмента, к сожалению, не позволяют уверенно определить религиозный статус изображения, который, как правило устанавливают по составу «слушателей» и контексту. Строго говоря, из перечисленных находок только одну, мраморную чашу с вырезанным крестом, можно отнести к предметам интерьера христианского храмового комплекса безусловно. Сигмовидный стол могли использовать и в христианском культе, и по его прямому назначению – в качестве обеденного стола. Образ Орфея одинаково использовался как язычниками, так и христианами. Разным целям мог служить и мраморный резервуар. Но среди аргументов за и против их использования в христианском культе, все же превалируют первые. Кроме того, обнаружение всех предметов на довольно небольшом участке «Нижнего города» позволяет надеяться на то, что в ходе будущих раскопок здесь будет открыт христианский храм, и таким образом подтвердится предложенная интерпретация найденных предметов. Храм, к которому, возможно, относились перечисленные находки, по-видимому, был разрушен в середине 6 в. Тогда же, скорее всего, прекратила существование и Фанагорийская епархия. Какие-либо сведения о фанагорийских христианах более позднего времени полностью отсутствуют, но, судя по информации о христианских общинах, имевшихся в других центрах региона, а также в городах Хазарского каганата, были они и в Фанагории, которая в этот период, скорее всего, входила в состав Зихийской епархии. У нас нет сви детельств о притеснениях христиан в городах Хазарского каганата. Наоборот, согласно сведениям, содержащимся в письменных источниках, жизнь христиан там протекала до вольно спокойно. О благосклонном отношении хазарской элиты к христианству говорят и браки с византийским императорским домом, в частности брак Юстиниана II и сестры кагана Феодоры, после заключения которого он «уехал в Фанагорию и жил там с Феодорой» (Theoph. Chron. 704–705; пер. И.С. Чичурова). 2 Что же касается археологических свидетельств, то число связанных с христианством находок 8–10 вв. чрезвычайно мало, и их невозможно связать непосредственно с христианским населением Фанагории. Extremely low amounts of finds related to Christianity and their uneven distribution over time presents difficulties in reconstructing the history of the Phanagorian Christian community. The information on the history of Christianity in other centres of the North-Eastern Black Sea, a region where Phanagoria played a crucial part, can help fill the blanks to a certain extent. Without any doubt, the new religion arrived to Phanagoria, as well as to the other centres of the Bosporan kingdom, in the last quarter of the third century AD from Asia Minor, when the Goths brought Christians as captives from their pirate raids. The first recorded signs of Christianity in the Bosporos belong to the period after the sea campaigns of the “barbarians”. These include personal possessions with Christian symbols and Christian burial plots in the necropolis in Kerch. A small number of early Christian monuments points to the fact that during this period the spread of Christianity in the region heavily relied on the activities of missionaries, while the number of christians was still small. Later, after the inclusion of the Bosporos in the sphere of influence of the Byzantine Empire, the church and the state were making joint efforts to Christianize the region: most likely, it was at this time that Christian churches were built on both sides of the Kerch Strait, an episcopal chair was established in Phanagoria and a Christian church was built, decorated with two marble water tanks, a sigmoid table and a relief depicting Orpheus. All this was found during the excavations in the “Lower City” trench. 2 Чичуров 1980, 62. Христианство в Фанагории. Археологические свидетельства 71 The shape and material from which one of the found tanks is made allows for its interpreta tion as a baptistery. The small depth of the found container does not necessarily mean that only children were baptised in it, since in most cases baptism was performed without complete immersion. The baptised stood in the font and water was poured over him. However, from the fourth century AD stagnant water was used for baptism, and the font had to be filled manually. It is, therefore, difficult to explain the purpose of the two holes in the Phanagorean reservoir if it was used as a font. Their presence is better explained by another possible use of the tank – as a reliquary. Oil was poured into the reliquary through the upper opening to cover the relics stored in it, and then came out through the opening in the lower part. Regarding the bowls with protruding handles along the edge, such vessels are considered to serve either as fonts for child baptism, or, more often, as bowls for consecrated water, which, during the early Christian times, were used to wash hands before entering the temple. Their exact analogies, known to the author, come exclusively from the provinces of Moesia Secunda and Thrace. It is possible that it was from there that the Phanagorian container was brought by the troops, which were sent to the Bosporos by Justinian to suppress the uprising against the Byzantine ruler named Grod. A marble sigmoid table with an arched border could also be part of the inventory of a Christian church. In church life, the use of such tables was secondary. It comes from secular life, from the early Christian tradition of communal meals served on the graves of martyrs. Later they were used in temples and monasteries as thrones and tables for offerings. Despite the fact that sigmoid tables, particularly those with an arched border, were used both in secular and Christian everyday life, they are usually associated with Christian churches when found out of context. However, one cannot exclude the possibility of them being used as a regular dining table. Finally, a marble tile with the image of Orpheus, which came to the Christian iconography from pagan art, can also be associated with Christianity. Unfortunately, due to its insignificant size and severe damage, this fragment does not allow us to determine the religious status of the image with any degree of certainty. Usually such assumptions can be made based on the amount of depicted listeners and the find’s context. Strictly speaking, only one of the listed finds, a marble bowl with a carved cross, can be attributed to the items from the interior of the Christian temple. The sigmoid table could be used both in the Christian cult and for its original purpose, as a dining table. The image of Orpheus was used by both pagans and Christians. A marble tank could possibly also serve different purposes. However, between the arguments “for” and “against” its use in a Christian context, the former prevail. In addition, the discovery of all the objects together in a rather small area of the “Lower City” excavation site allows us to hope that, during future excavations, a Christian church will be discovered here, confirming our interpretations. The temple to which the finds may have belonged was apparently destroyed in the middle of the sixth century AD. At the same time, most likely, the Phanagorian diocese also ceased to exist. There is no information on Phanagorian Christians during later periods, but, judging by the information about the Christian communities that existed in other centres of the region, as well as in the cities of the Khazar Khaganate, Christians were present in Phanagoria, which, during this period was likely a part of the Zikhia diocese. So far, we have no evidence of the oppression of Christians in the cities of the Khazar Khaganate. On the contrary, according to the information from written sources, the life of Christians there was a rather calm one. The favourable attitude of the Khazar elite towards Christianity is also evidenced by marriages with the Byzantine imperial family. Of particular interest is the marriage of Justinian II and the sister of the Khagan, Theodora, after which he “left for Phanagoria and lived there with Theodora”. As for archaeological evidence, the number of finds associated with Christianity from the 8th to 10th centuries AD is extremely low, and it is impossible to connect them directly with the Christian population of Phanagoria.

The Family Life Education Project (FLEP) was started in 1986 by the Busoga Diocese of the Anglican Church of Uganda with assistance from Pathfinder International. The project provides integrated MCH, FP, STD, and HIV/AIDS services to more than 500,000 individuals through 48 clinics and 162 trained village health workers (VHWs). Each clinic serves an estimated 11,000 people living in a sub-Parish. Each sub-Parish has a health subcommittee selected by the community that is responsible for hiring clinic staff, identifying VHWs, and mobilizing resources for clinic staff salaries. Data suggest that the program is reaching a large number of clients through the clinic and community-based approaches. The methodology used for the case study involved review of available data and reports, in-depth interviews with management team, modified situation analysis, and guided group discussions. As noted in this report, using simple rural-based health facilities and volunteer community-based workers to provide family planning and STD/HIV services using the integrated approach is possible, however considerable work must be done before the project can provide high-quality MCH/FP and STD/HIV services to every client using this approach.