On the 19th July 2012 at the Moot Community of the Guild Church of St Mary Aldermary in the City of London and in front of a packed crowd, Charles Eisenstein explores the theme of developing a gift economy drawing on his writings and his most recent book, Sacred Economics. This is the first of two podcast recordings.

Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth. Today, these trends have reached their extreme – but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great opportunity to transition to a more connected, ecological, and sustainable way of being.

The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of the Moot Community or the Guild Church of St Mary Aldermary. In a world facing significant threats and questions, Charles Eisenstein contributes his thinking into the public arena.

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In the culmination a weekend spiritual retreat at the Guild Church of St Mary Aldermary, Pádraig Ó Tuama gave this homily on the subject of baptism in the waters of incarnation. Pádraig is an acclaimed poet, theologian and justice and reconciliation worker, and a member of the Ikon Community in Belfast Northern Ireland. This podcast was recorded at the Evening Service Eucharist of the Moot Community at the Guild Church of St Mary Aldermary on Sunday 9th August 2011.

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It was with great excitement that Ian Mobsby had the opportunity to dialogue with Fr Richard Rohr concerning the importance of contemplative Christianity to the contemporary World. Fr Richard is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, which seeks to deepen the impactfulness of Christian discipleship and wisdom drawing on non-dualistic, ego-transcending and gospel inspired activity. Fr Richard is a Catholic Franciscan Brother with an international speaking and teaching ministry. He has written many books and DVDs and has contributed much to the development of the Christian contemplative tradition in Western Europe and North America. In this interview Richard Rohr discusses a number of issues and thoughts pertenant to many of us who are explore new ways of being church engaged in contemporary mission who do so drawing on a distinctively contemplative Christian perspective. This podcast was recorded on 27th May 2011.

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In this the final of three podcasts recorded on the 1st Febrary 2011 at the London Centre for Spirituality for the launch of the new book New Monasticism as fresh expressions of the church (Second book in the Ancient Faith Future Mission Series), a panel of practitioners and missioners dialogue with a gathered audience to explore the importance of New Monasticism. The panel includes Aaron Kennedy and Ian Mobsby from the Moot Community, Graham Cray the Archbishop’s Missioner and Leader for Fresh Expressions, Ian Adams from CMS Small Missional Communities, Cris Rogers of the All Hallows Bow Church Community, Andy Freeman of 24-7 and the Reconcile Community, Diane Kershaw of the Order of Mission, Tessa Holland of Contemplative Fire, and Brother Sam of the Anglican Franciscans.

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On Good Friday 2011, Ian Mobsby explores the meaning of Tridium, in the passion story of the death of Jesus Christ, recorded after the Westminster Churches Together Procession in Central London.

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In the first Sunday of Epiphany, Sarah Edwards, participant in the Moot Community and Head of Policy and Campaigns for the International Charity Health Poverty Action, explores the nature of Christ as the Prince of Peace and of Justice.  Further, Sarah explores the practical implications of living with a focus on justice.

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In this, the second of two podcasts, the conversation between Phyllis Tickle and Ian Mobsby continues with an exploration of models of church, participation and commitment to faith communities and new monasticism. We apologise for the loss of sound quality at points in this recording caused by an electrical storm over Phyllis Tickle's house in the south of the USA. So listen nd enjoy, Phyllis is a great person to converse with.

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In this podcast interview, Brian McLaren dialogues with Ian Mobsby exploring the future of church and mission in the US and UK. Brian is an international author, speaker and pastor associated with emergent and emerging church in the USA and around the world. Brian addressed the International Anglican Lambeth Conference in 2008. In this podcast, a wide range of issues are discussed including new monasticism, mission to spiritual seekers, and the challenge of church in the twenty first century.

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In this podcast Lucas Mix, Chaplain to the University of Arizona and former Curate to the Church of the Apostles in Seattle, explores the parable of the Good Samaritan to explore the theme of what keeps us from crossing the road.

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In late 2010, Ian Mobsby chatted with Brother Samuel, the leading Friar for the Anglican Franciscans in England. Brother Samuel is well known in UK New Monastic circles, because he has participated in a number New Monastic conferences and gatherings.

In this podcast, Brother Samuel shares his insights into the contribution of Franciscan Spirituality to the ongoing Christian tradition, as well as explore a particularly Franciscan reflection on New Monasticism.

Brother Samuel like Abbot Stuart are wise and very encouraging for those exploring new, emerging and fresh expressions of church. Ian found ther advice about engaging with spiritual seekers, particularly helpful. So take in the wisdom of this committed Franciscan Friar!

Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

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On February 3rd, Martin Newell who is a member of the Catholic Worker movement in the UK, and Trident Ploughshares, came to discuss the essence of community and his own personal story with the Moot Community. The choices Martin has made and his insights from his faith are rich and challenging.  The catholic worker movement offers great wisdom concerning 'being counter cultural' to a world obsessed with the free market and competition.  A disposition that always oppresses the poor and the vulnerable.  This podcast includes the discussions between the moot community and Martin.

This is the second podcast from Martin, scroll down below to listen to the conversation between Martin and Ian Mobsby

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In a previous podcast, Jonny Spoor of the Moot Community talked to Ian Mobsby about his experience of participating and living in the L'arche community in France. He went there for his summer holiday from studying.  Here he lived in a house with Jean Vanier and loved and served in L'arche, possibly one of the most important new monastic inspired communities in the world.  Jonny recently went back to interview Jean Vanier about his experiences, theology and thinking to write an article for the Student Christian Movement magazine, and whilst he was there, he recorded some of the wisdom of the conversation.  So this podcast is more unusual than the ones we usually do, in that it pulls together Jean Vanier's thinking where you can't hear the questions Jonny has asked.  It however, allows the listener to engage with the remarkable wisdom of this important visionary and activist.  For those in the emerging church, fresh expressions and new monasticism, there is much here to aid us in our quest to build ecclesial communities out of contextual mission.

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Ian Mobsby discusses with Shane Claiborne, the vision of New Monasticism, and the practical implications of living this particular form of ecclesial community, and the calling to a radical lifestyle. Shane is one of the leading voices in a growing movement of New Monasticism in the United States.

His first book, The Irresistable Revolution is a key envisioning texts for all those interested or involved in New Monasticism. It has been a core text for many involved in New Monasticism in the UK and Europe. In this book Shane outlines his experiences of working as a volunteer in Calcutta in India, in a community overseen by Mother Teressa, and how this opened up a whole way of being Christian that up to that point, he had been unaware of. Shane is a founding Member of the Simple Way Community in Philedelphia, one of the early new-monastic communities.

Be prepared to be inspired! Lets keep up with Shane's visit to Iraq in January 2010, and hopefully we may even have him a long to a moot event in the not too distant future.

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As we approach advent, Ian Mobsby explores the context of God's presence in the midst of binge spending on presents.

Part of disappointment with this time of year, is that we sense within ourselves that merely exchanging presents with each other doesn’t really honour the birth of the incarnation of God.

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In this podcast, Ian Mobsby interviews Fr Martin Newell, who is a member of the Catholic Worker movement in the UK, and Trident Ploughshares, which seek to challenge the use of weapons of mass destruction and the arms trade by protest and direct action.  Martin is a Roman Catholic Priest, and has gone to prison for his involvement in this radical approach to the Christian life. In this interview Martin shares his thoughts about a radical approach to Christian discipleship focused on justice, resistance and a focus on the poor.  The Catholic Worker movement has much in common with new monasticism in seeking to build a new society and the importance of community living out shared values through a rhythm of life.  Most interesting, was Martin's thoughts of seeing Prison as a New Monastry as a consequnce of living out this form of discipleship.  Martin and the Catholic Worker movement are a real inspiration and hope!

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In the Moot Alt Eucharist on the 11th October 2009, Jemma Allen explores friendship as the sacramental outpouring of God's love. Jemma reflects on the key Gospel phrase 'I have called you friends...' with a God who identifies friendship with sinners and drunkards.  So it is through friendship that God's purposes are outworked, transforming all things back into restored relationship with God.  Therefore, friendship lies at the heart of the Christian life, that changes us and draws us into closer relationships with the divine.  Loving our neighbours and our God.  Friendship is the antedote to the structures of dominance and individualism that stand in opposition to  the justice, peace and liberation that we proclaim when we confess a faith in Christ.  Jemma is Chaplain at Waikato University and the Ex-ile Alternative Worship Community in Hamilton, North Island New Zealand.

Friendship is not some gimmick that we can market as a way of successfully living a Christian life.  It is not even primarily about about an act of will or making friendships in a calculating way.  Friendship as a spiritual practice, as the mark of a disciple, as a proclamation of the Good News of the Reign of God  – this friendship is about entering into authentic relationships, relationships of vulnerability and trust, relationships of mutuality and care.  In allowing ourselves to be affected by who we live with and how we live with them, by the gifts we receive in and from our friends, we open ourselves to being transformed by love and so enlarging the realm of God: the kinship and new community proclaimed by Christ.  That, my friends, would be Good News!

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In this podcast, Ian Mobsby explores the implications of Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 and John 14: 15-21.  As Moot is part of the emerging and fresh expressions of church movements, it is founded on the vision of building ecclesial communities out of contextual mission.  It is within this vision of being a follower of Christ and seeking to be part of a radical community, that we need to consider the issues of personal identity and issues of taboo.  In the Ecclesiastes text, we are challenged by the need of an identity centred on God, where our lives are often hard and relatively short.  The second text again returns to the idea of building ecclesial communities out of contextual mission, where the mission in question was to a hated people, the Samaritans, and a hated woman who was possibly a prostitute.  Jesus in this text breaks many religious and social taboos by even talking to the woman at the well and to the local people.  So this text allows us to see on the one hand the importance of a faith and our identity to be in God in an I-God relationship, but further, we are called to challenge those who put obsticles in the way of people knowing God, particularly where social taboos are concerned.  So this text has much to say to the modern church, and the importance of God's love mission to the world.

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In this podcast of Moot's Little Service in February 2009, Ian Mobsby explores why accountability is so important in the areas of justice, love and spirituality. In the service, people explored their perceived accountability to God, to themselves, and to others.

At this time, the Moot Community is exploring its 'new monastic' elements of its Rhythm of Life, to dig deep, in preparation for the community to recommit to these vows on Easter Saturday 2009, in the Crypt of London's St Paul's Cathedral.

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Doerthe Rosenow, a member of the Moot Community explores the importance of Hospitality in new forms of church. She challenges the default position of consumption - a cultural norm, and the call for Christians to be counter cultural in seeking to get beyond individualism and me-isms. She draws on Moot's Rhythm of Life Section on Hospitality:

hospitality We wish to welcome all who we come across, when we are gathered and when we are dispersed, extending Christ’s gracious invitation to relationship, meaning and life in all its fullness through our deeds, words and thoughts.

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This year more than ever, the times don't seem to fit with the traditional pattern of Christmas. Yet into this complex season, Christmas does enter once the schools have broken up, the office parties have ended, and work slows we are left with this uncomfortable pause when we remember that we are human. This reflection seeks to reflect on the significance of the birth of God in human form for us today.

‘Look, Mary shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’

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In this alternative eucharist on the third sunday of advent, Ian Mobsby and the moot community explore the example of mary regarding discipleship, call waiting, the expectation of the Incarnation and the birthing of the Kingdom of God. The podcast begins with a reflection on the Song of Mary recorded in the Gospel of Luke:

My soul proclaims to the greatness of the Lord My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour For he has brought favour on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed, The Almighty has done great things, and Holy is God's name.

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Drawing on the famous text in Matthew, Ian Mobsby (drawing on the writings of N.T.Wright) explores the implications of Jesus' call to give to Caesar what is Ceasar's, and to give to God what is God's. For the last 500 years, there has been a divide between the sacred and the secular. However, recently, we have redescovered that not only is this wrong, but it is a myth. The truth as this text says, is that we find the sacred in the secular. Hence why Jesus acted and did what he did, with an incarnational sense of vocation. The change then for us is explore what this dual Citizenship means practically

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