Sion Community today

membership:

At the present time, we have three distinct strands of membership: Core, Formation (Discernment or Induction Programme) and Associate Membership

Fellowship & Membership

Sion Community is a committed fellowship - all our Core, Associate and Formation Members make a formal commitment. We also have a Volunteer Visitors Programme for people who do not feel ready to make a formal commitment. Potential members work with us for a period of time before making any such commitment.

Core Membership:

Is for those who work in full time ministry with Sion Community. As the name suggests, Core Members make up the core of the Community. Committed for the medium to long-term, most Core Members live in a community base and work full-time in each area of ministry that Sion Community is involved in. New Members who join Sion Community full-time with the intention of staying long-term spend some time as Induction Members before becoming Core Members.

Formation Membership:

Is for those preparing for Core Membership on our Induction, Discernment or Youth Programmes and wishing to spend one year, or more, in Sion Community.

YOUTH PROGRAMME:
Young people who are aged between 18-25 and are looking for a one or two year commitment follow our intensive training and formation programme.

If they wish to stay full-time for longer then they can become Induction and Core Members.

DISCERNMENT PROGRAMME:
for people who are exploring how long a commitment they want to make to Sion Community and about their future call from God.

INDUCTION PROGRAMME:
for people who are joining Sion Community with the intention of making a medium to long term commitment and who have already had a period of Christian and Community Formation.

Associate Membership:

Most of our Associate Members are involved part-time in the direct ministry activity of Sion Community but full-time in their personal missionary call to evangelise, be that in their family, their workplace or university. A growing area of membership, most Associate Members live in their own homes.

Priesthood in Sion Community

Sion Community has its own structure for training for the priesthood. Presently, the Church has a tremendous need to train men in a specific way, so that the exhortations of Vatican II can be properly implemented. It is also vital that a style of Missionary Priesthood emerge so that evangelisation can be a high priority in the life of the Church and the world.

Getting involved - New Members

If you are...
Looking for a challenge
Want to make a difference
Called to Evangelise
Seeking to grow in love through community
Sion Community is looking for you.

Like every other group we are constantly on the look out for new members. We are looking for people of all ages and for all areas of ministry.

So whether you are experienced evangelist and accomplished musician, or someone who simply wants to share Jesus with people then we probably have something for you.

All we ask is a desire to evangelise and to be part of the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Experience in evangelisation is desirable but not essential - we will equip you for the work and community life. Some of our members have studied theology, others have not - we ask that you be teachable. We aspire to use the talents God has bestowed upon us - new members bring new opportunities and potential to our work.

Here are just some ways of being involved in mission with Sion:

Parish Mission Team

We are looking for people for our well established Parish Mission Team who have a strong desire to help renew the Church at grass roots, are well motivated, have a good understanding of parish life, recognise the importance of Team work, can be creative & have the ability to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Youth Ministry - Cross Purposes

We are looking for dynamic people to take up a number of interesting and varied opportunities in Youth Ministry this coming academic year including someone to lead our Secondary School Mission Team. Working across the UK, the team leader will be responsible for planning, delivery and evaluation of the mission week, pre-mission, follow-up activity, training and support of team members. We will provide on the job training, but for more information, visit our website www.sionyouth.org.uk

Family Ministry

Building on our expertise in Primary School Missions, we are developing this new Ministry to embrace the whole of family life. To help pioneer this ministry, we need people with the ability and desire to work with children and families. Music and creative skills would be helpful but not essential.

S.E.N.T Training Center

We are looking for people to join a small residential House/Hospitality Team (picture on the left) living in community and providing hospitality to the many groups using the facilities of our National Training Centre. The experience of community life, prayer & service for a year or more makes this a unique opportunity for anyone including students or young people from home or abroad. Why don’t you contact us to learn more about these and other opportunities.

Volunteer Visitors Programme

Priests, religious and lay people with an interest in the task of evangelisation but unable to commit on a full time basis, can still contribute and participate by becoming a Volunteer Visitor.

People from all walks of life are encouraged and helped to gain first hand experience of house-to-house parishioner visitation by working alongside specially trained members of Sion Community on a one week placement during the visiting week on one of our Parish Missions.

To ensure that Volunteer Visitors are properly equipped, new volunteers attend one of Sion Community’s twice yearly practical training courses on One-to-One Evangelisation called “Pass-It-On”, which include teaching, group discussion and practical assignments. The weekend long courses examine and explore effective ways of communicating the Gospel message in today's society.

There is also a requirement that everybody that does visiting with us must be CRB checked. If you have not gone through the procedure you can obtain more details through your Parish.

Current membership make-up:

Our membership includes priests, religious, married couples, and single people of all ages and backgrounds.

At present, we are 31 full time Core Members, 4 full time Youth Members, 3 full time oversees Volunteers and 37 part time Associate Members.

We are also open and committed to having people from other countries live and work with Sion Community.