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Monday, 21 October 2019

Reflections on the HeartEdge conference

Scott Rennie and Philip Dawson have offered thoughtful and affirming reflections on the recent HeartEdge conference in Edinburgh. See and hear their reflections at:
Scott writes:

'I had the privilege of being a speaker at the #HeartEdge Annual Conference in Edinburgh. It was a marvelous occasion which brought together leaders from the Church of Scotland, the Church of England, and other British and European Protestant Churches ... We @QueensCross joined the ecumenical #HeartEdge movement (founded by our friends at St Martin in the Fields in London @SMITF) because we share with them the belief in the renewal of the Church in our increasingly secular society, and believe that our churches to be at the heart of community life also need to find themselves on the edge.

The Network is based on 4 C’s - Compassion, Congregation, Commerce and Culture, as a means for achieving that renewal. We @QueensCross are in different ways trying to renew our life and witness through all of these pathways, and have found the encouragment of journeying with others on these paths of immense encouragement and support.

Most of all it is wonderful to work and share ecumenically with others committed to the same vision of church as we are.'

Philip writes:

In his introduction to the delegates pack for the 2019 HeartEdge Conference, Sam Wells wrote: “HeartEdge believes the Spirit is alive and working both within and beyond the church, and is especially concerned to focus on the beyond.”

Day Two of the conference sought to continue that trajectory; the first “beyond” of concern to us today being the world of finance and commerce. During Day One, I felt awash with wisdom flowing from those ‘in’ the church. Today, I felt there were times when the tide could turn the other way - when the conference might have usefully heard more from those outside. Such as the 5.5 million “micro enterprises” which make up over 96% of businesses registered in the UK today. Even if each is owned and run by just one person (people like me), that accounts for 8% of the population. Winnie Varghese said at the opening of the conference, that we “do theology with our lives.” If that is so, I think we have a lot to learn from their lives - which happen to be greater in number than those who attend church on a Sunday ...

I heard a lot of words during my first visit to Edinburgh. Some of the many that will stay with me include a quote from the Scottish poet Edwin Muir, which Peter Sutton, Minister of St Cuthbert’s Church read to me after I attended an excellent ‘Soul Space’ service there; words which perhaps serve as a warning about forgetting The Word;

“The Word made flesh here is made word again
A word made word in flourish and arrogant crook.”

October 2nd & 3rd was an excellent, stretching, affirming and challenging two days. Thank you to all involved in organising the 2019 HeartEdge Conference.'

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Voces8 - The Deer's Cry.

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