humbler church Bigger God - w/c 6 March 2022

 

Welcome to our exciting HeartEdge programme for 2022. We hope you will be able to join us, whether at online events or at our in-person events around the world. You can find all our events on our website — and if you're a HeartEdge partner, you can upload your own events through the members' area.

Last year, we launched Living God's Future Now, an online festival of theology and practice. We hosted workshops, webinars, spaces to gather and share ideas, lecture series, and more. This year, we're continuing our programming with a new theme — humbler church, Bigger God.

HeartEdge is fundamentally about a recognition of the activity of the Holy Spirit beyond and outside the church, and about a church that flourishes when it seeks to catch up with what the Spirit is already doing in the world. There was a time when church meant a group that believed it could control access to God – access that only happened in its language on its terms. But God is bigger than that, and the church needs to be humbler than that. Kingdom churches anticipate the way things are with God forever – a culture of creativity, mercy, discovery and grace – and are grateful for the ways God renews the church through those it has despised, rejected, or ignored.

We hope this reflects the lessons we've learnt from the past year: still trying to live God's future now, re-imagining our faith and our calling as a Church in a changing world. Thank you for joining us for the journey — we can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Tuesday

HeartEdge hub launch – Harlow Archdeaconry

Tuesday 8 March from 09:00 - 12:30, St John's Church St John’s Road Epping CM16 5DN. Register here.

Join the Rev'd Dr Sam Wells and other representatives from HeartEdge as we see how the Network can help to resource and equip ministry within the Harlow Archdeaconry. While this is an event within the Harlow Archdeaconry, everyone is welcome to attend. The event will also be available online.

Sermon Preparation with Sally Hitchiner and Sam Wells

16:30 (GMT) Tuesday 8th March, livestreamed here. Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner discuss Sunday's readings and offer practical tips on preaching.

Wednesday

Community of Practitioners workshop

16:00 (GMT) Wednesday 9th March, Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register. This is a space for practitioners, lay and ordained, to reflect on theology and practice. Each week, we alternate between 'Wonderings' and discussion of a work of theology. Book to be read is ‘Improvisation’ by Sam Wells. 'Wonderings' help us to reflect and pray on what has stood out for each of us in the last week. Newcomers are very welcome.

Friday

Shut In Shut Out Shut Up: Disability & Church: Intersectionality

Friday 11th March, 16:30 GMT. Register here. Intersectionality is a way of describing how social categories (eg disability, race) combine to create overlapping systems of discrimination or disadvantage. In this 4th series of Shut In, Shut Out, Shut Up we explore the intersectional experience of disability and neurodiversity, gender, mental health, sexuality, race and poverty. What are the key issues in the context of faith? What are our calls to the church? Topics· 11 March – Gender.

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Deacon Blue - Peace And Jobs And Freedom.