Living God's Future Now: w/c 14 November 2021

Living God’s Future Now is our online festival of theology, ideas and practice. Join us for talks, workshops and discussions. Living God's Future Now is designed to equip, encourage and energise churches—from leaders to volunteers and enquirers—at the heart and on the edge.

The online programme includes:

• Regular weekly workshops: Sermon Preparation (Tuesdays) and Community of Practitioners (Wednesdays)
• One-off workshops on topics relevant to lockdown such as ‘Growing online communities’ and ‘Grief, Loss & Remembering’

Find recordings of earlier Living God’s Future Now sessions here.

For future events, check out the revamped events section of our website. HeartEdge partners can now promote their own events through the HeartEdge website. Just log in to the Partners' Area to submit your event details for both online and in-person events.

What's on this week

Monday

Autumn Lecture Series: A Dream for a New Social Order
Monday 15 November, 19:00-20:30 (GMT)
Register here to attend in person or here to watch online.

In the final lecture of this year’s Autumn Lecture Series, Sam Wells considers the long shadow of Archbishop William Temple’s 1942 book, Christianity and Social Order, which was so influential in the establishment of the welfare state. Is such a contribution from the church or a theologian appropriate in a much more plural society 80 years later? If so, what might such a vision encapsulate? Liz Adekunle responds with her own perspective on these questions and Sam’s proposals.

Tuesday

Sam and Sally's Sermon Preparation Workshop
Tuesday 16 November, 16:30-17:30 (GMT)
Livestreamed on the HeartEdge Facebook Page.

Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner discuss this Sunday's readings and offer practical tips on preaching.

Communion and Community: The Pandemic’s Refining Fire (HeartEdge and CEEP Transatlantic Conversation)
Tuesday 16 November, 20:00-21:00 (GMT)
Register here.

What has our experience of virtual church revealed theologically and pastorally about communion in all its many and varied forms? Join HeartEdge partners in the UK and USA for a discussion about how the pandemic has reshaped our congregational and liturgical life Panelists include Sally Hitchiner, Sam Wells, Andrew McGowan, Winnie Varghese and Manoj Mathew Zacharia.

Wednesday

Community of Practitioners
Wednesday 17 November 16:00-17:00 (GMT)
Email Rose Lyddon here to take part.

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. This week we will be discussing Howard Thurman's Jesus and the Disinherited. Newcomers are very welcome.

Thursday

Creation Care Course Week 4: Taking Action
Thursday 18 November 19:30-21:00 (GMT)
Register here.

This 4-week Creation Care Course is a unique collaboration between Chester Diocese, HeartEdge, Melanesian Mission UK and Southampton University. In this session, we will hear about various options for climate change mitigation and adaptation that we can take as individuals, as parishes and as a Christian community.


If you would like to receive emails about our weekly events, sign up to our mailing list here. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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Julie & Buddy Miller - Orphans Of God.

Living God's Future Now - w/c 19 September 2021

'Living God’s Future Now’ is our mini online festival of theology, ideas and practice.

We’ve developed this in response to the pandemic and our changing world. The church is changing too, and - as we improvise and experiment - we can learn and support each other.

This is 'Living God’s Future Now’ - talks, workshops and discussion - hosted by HeartEdge. Created to equip, encourage and energise churches - from leaders to volunteers and enquirers - at the heart and on the edge.

The focal event in ‘Living God’s Future Now’ is a monthly conversation where Sam Wells explores what it means to improvise on God’s kingdom with a leading theologian or practitioner.

The online programme includes:

• Regular weekly workshops: Biblical Studies (Mondays fortnightly), Sermon Preparation (Tuesdays) and Community of Practitioners (Wednesdays)
• One-off workshops on topics relevant to lockdown such as ‘Growing online communities’ and ‘Grief, Loss & Remembering’
• Monthly HeartEdge dialogue featuring Sam Wells in conversation with a noted theologian or practitioner

Find earlier Living God’s Future Now sessions at https://www.facebook.com/pg/theHeartEdge/videos

This Week

Monday

Culture Clinic
Zoom
Monday 20 September, 11:00-12:00 (GMT)
Register here.

An opportunity for 1:1 support on developing church cultural initiatives with HeartEdge Culture Development Coordinator, Sarah Rogers.

Tuesday

Sam and Sally's Sermon Preparation Workshop
Livestream
Tuesday 21 September, 16:30-17:30 (GMT)
Livestreamed on HE Facebook Page here.

Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner discuss preaching from the Revised Common Lectionary in the light of current events and general good practice.

Wednesday

HeartEdge Southwest Day
In person
Wednesday 22 September, 10:00-15:30
Register here.

A day with Sam Wells and guests on mission, developing cultural activity and commercial enterprise in rural and coastal communities across the Southwest. Featuring workshops with our HeartEdge Cultural Development Coordinator Sarah Rogers, Transformation Cornwall and The School for Social Entrepreneurs.

Community of Practitioners
Zoom
Wednesday 22 September, 16:00-17:00 (GMT)
Email Jonathan Evens here to take part.

This is open to all, including ordinands and lay leaders. Church leaders join in community, share and reflect together on their recent experiences in the form of wonderings with one of the HeartEdge team.

Social Media: Saintly or Sinful (The Church’s People and Social Media Today)
Zoom
Wednesday 22 September, 20:00-21:00 (GMT)
Register here.

How should we navigate social media as Christians? Hosted in partnership with the CEEP Network, a panel of experts and active social media users will discuss ethical and theological issues raised by being online.

Coming up soon

Autumn Lecture Series – We Have a Dream | Online and at St Martin-in-the-Fields
27 September - 15 November

After the ravages of the pandemic, it’s time for church and society to learn to dream again. Dr Martin Luther King Jr, had a dream of racial equality and social justice. Inspired by his dream, we’re gathering a chorus of dreamers from different walks of life to inform and shape our dreams for the years to come.

These lectures will be live, in person, at St Martin-in-the-Fields, and will also be live-streamed online. There will be a chance for questions from the audience, and we hope to gather with the speakers afterwards at a reception.

The first lecture will take place on 27 September with the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell Archbishop of York, on 'A Dream for the Church.' Register here.

Commerce Clinic | Zoom
Monday 27 September

Commerce Clinic is for anyone and everyone looking to develop their church commercial activity. Stuck? Ideas? Check in for 1:1 support with Dave Nicholson, HeartEdge Commercial Development coordinator. Register here.

I Wouldn't Start From Here: A HeartEdge Introductory day by The Team Parish of St Luke in the City Liverpool | In person at Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas)

An ecumenical day exploring theology and the future of the church in Liverpool and the North West. Join Sam Wells of St Martin-in-the-Fields for a keynote talk, Miranda Threlfall-Holmes from St Luke in the City, Kathy Versfeld from Strawberry Field, Kath Rogers from Crosby, Jackie Belfield Methodist Hospital Chapain, Dave Nicholson Commerce Consultant for HeartEdge and many others. Helen Jones of BBC Radio Merseyside will chair our panel. Register here.

Catch up with missed sessions...

Why not catch up with the lectures, workshops and conversation you've missed in the last 14 months or so? If you head over to one of the following platforms you will find a wealth of resources that will inspire and equip for your work, whether you are ordained, lay, or simply enquiring.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWUH-ngsbTAKMxCJmoIc7mQ

St Martin's Digital - https://stmartins.digital/heartedge/

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The Neville Brothers - A Change Is Gonna Come. 

Visual Arts and HeartEdge (2)

 

HeartEdge is programming some excellent sessions on the visual arts over the next few weeks:

Art and the Liturgical Year: Bringing the Church Kalendar to Life
Monday, April 26th, 3:00pm EDT

Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/149461829355.

The visual arts have the power to change our perceptions and even transport us to unfamiliar places. Think about how you feel when you sit quietly and contemplate a stained-glass window or wander the halls of an art museum. Art offers us opportunities to transform our vision and perspective and to step into someone else’s shoes and community.

Imagine the way art influences our thinking about our faith - a painting in an English cathedral will likely bring a much different perspective of Jesus than one portrayed in a Coptic icon. In viewing each, we expand our vision of what our faith means and how different cultures express fundamental truths. Art is a means to stir our imagination and bring fresh meaning to our faith.

During this workshop, our panel will discuss engaging artists with parishes and congregations to explore art in the context of the Church calendar. We’ll also look at how our liturgical year can be a source of inspiration for artists and explore how artists can use their talents to open up our understandings of the faith in new ways.

Attendees will leave with tangible approaches to using visual arts in conjunction with scripture and our Church calendar to bring concepts from the liturgical year to life for congregations. Learn how exhibitions and installations can amplify the message of seasons like Advent or Lent and hear how this work benefits both artists and congregations. This workshop is presented by the CEEP Network in partnership with the HeartEdge Network and CARAVAN.

Panelists include:

• Janet Broderick - Rector, All Saints Beverly Hills; Beverly Hills, California
• Paul-Gordon Chandler - Bishop, Diocese of Wyoming; Jackson Hole, Wyoming (moderator)
• Catriona Laing - Chaplain, St. Martha & St. Mary’s Anglican Church Leuven; Associate Chaplain, Holy Trinity Brussels; Brussels, Belgium
• Ben Quash - Professor, Christianity and the Arts & Director, Center for Arts and the Sacred, King’s College London; Director, Visual Commentary on Scripture Project; London, United Kingdom
• Aaron Rosen - Professor, Religion and Visual Culture; Director, Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion, Wesley Theological Seminary; Co-founder, Stations of the Cross Public Art Project; Washington, D.C.

Introducing the Visual Commentary on Scripture

Thu, 29 April 2021, 14:00 – 15:30 BST. Register for a Zoom invite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducing-the-visual-commentary-on-scripture-tickets-148377347641.

The Visual Commentary on Scripture, TheVCS.org, is the first online project to introduce visitors to the entirety of Christian Scripture in the company of art and artists.

Celebrated with a launch event in November 2018 at Tate Modern, TheVCS.org seeks to connect the worlds of art and religion as a ground-breaking resource for scholars, educators, churches and interested readers looking for insightful, original explorations of art and the Bible.

In this talk, Canon Ben Quash, the project’s director, will share some of the challenges and discoveries he has encountered so far in this ambitious undertaking.

Ben Quash came to King’s College London as its first Professor of Christianity and the Arts in 2007. Prior to that, he was a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College and then of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and lecturer in the Faculty of Divinity in the University of Cambridge. He is fascinated by how the arts can renew people’s engagement with the Bible and Christian tradition, and is directing a major 7-year project to create an online Visual Commentary on Scripture. He runs an MA in Christianity and the Arts in association with the National Gallery, London, and broadcasts frequently on BBC radio. He is a Trustee of Art and Christianity Enquiry, and Canon Theologian of both Coventry and Bradford Cathedrals.

His publications include Abiding: The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book 2013 (Bloomsbury, 2012) and Found Theology: History, Imagination and the Holy Spirit (T&T Clark, 2014), and he has written catalogue essays for exhibitions at Ben Uri Gallery, London, the Inigo Rooms in Somerset House, and the Vatican Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2015.


Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story

‘Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story’ helps people explore the Christian faith, using paintings and Biblical story as the starting points. The course uses fine art paintings in the National Gallery’s collection as a springboard for exploring questions of faith.

Register for a Zoom invitation at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inspired-to-follow-art-and-the-bible-story-tickets-148401610211.

• Sunday 2 May, Session 16: The Resurrection. Text: Luke 24:25-35. Image: ‘The Supper at Emmaus’, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1601, NG172.
• Sunday 9 May, Session 17: The Ascension. Text: Acts 1:1-12. Image: ‘The Incredulity of Saint Thomas’, Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano, about.1502-4, NG816.
• Sunday 16 May, Session 18: Pentecost. Text: Acts 2:1-39 (extracts). Image: ‘Pentecost’, Giotto and Workshop, about.1310-18, NG5360.
• Sunday 23 May, Session 19: Death of Stephen. Text: Acts 6:8 – 7:60 (extracts). Image: ‘The Martyrdom of Saint Stephen’, Possibly by Antonio Carracci, about1610, NG77.
• Sunday 30 May, Session 20: Saint Peter. Text: Acts 10:30-48. Image: ‘Christ appearing to Saint Peter on the Appian Way (Domine, Quo Vadis?)’, Annibale Carracci, 1601-2, NG9.
• Sunday 6 June, Session 21: Saint Paul. Text: Acts 9:1-19. Image: ‘The Conversion of Saint Paul’, Karel Dujardin, 1662, NG6296.
• Sunday 13 June, Session 22: The New Jerusalem. Text: Revelation 21:1-5, 9-11, 22-27, & 22:1-5. Image: ‘Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven’; central predella panel, probably by Fra Angelico, about 1423-4, NG663.1.

Navigating the Dark: A conversation between an artist and a theologian

Thu, 6 May 2021, 19:00 – 20:00 BST. Register for a Zoom invite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/navigating-the-dark-tickets-148323582829.

Join us as artist Jake Lever is interviewed by Dr Paula Gooder, Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

Jake Lever is an artist who is interested in the power of visual art to draw us into an encounter with the sacred. He seeks to make work that invites a slowing down, a return to the liminal and the "real". During the pandemic, he has developed a new participatory project, making hundreds of tiny, gilded boats that people have sent by post as tokens of love, gratitude and solidarity to family and friends around the world. Website: www.leverarts.org.

Dr Paula Gooder is a writer and lecturer in Biblical Studies. Her research areas focus on the writings of Paul the Apostle, with a particular focus on 2 Corinthians and on Paul’s understanding of the Body. Her passion is to ignite people’s enthusiasm for reading the Bible today, by presenting the best of biblical scholarship in an accessible and interesting way. She is currently the Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Website: www.gooder.me.uk.

Art, Scripture and Contemporary Issues

In a short series, curators for the Visual Commentary on Scripture will speak about their experience of curating for VCS in order to assist in understanding more deeply the value and potential uses to which the VCS exhibitions can be put by churches.

The sessions will demonstrate a central premise of the VCS’s approach i.e. that the ‘world(s)’ of experience and action that the Scriptures describe can speak meaningfully to the ‘world(s)’ that present-day interpreters of the Scriptures continue to inhabit; and that the ‘world(s)’ to which art has responded in every epoch can speak meaningfully to both.

Session 1: Tue, 11 May 2021, 14:00 – 15:00 BST. Register for a Zoom invite at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/art-scripture-and-contemporary-issues-tickets-149131206453?aff=erelpanelorg. In this session Deborah Lewer will speak about her experience of curating an exhibition on Proverbs 11 exploring why she made the choices and decisions she did in relation to both text and images. Proverbs 11 is part of the oldest collection of proverbs in the book. It opens with a statement about the righteousness of true and accurate measures: Yahweh abhors a ‘false balance’ and delights in ‘an accurate weight’. Balance, uprightness, constancy, steadfastness, and diligence are characteristic of the ordered worldview of the proverbs. When their equilibrium is upset—by wickedness, crookedness, cruelty, avarice, folly, and violence—the ensuing consequences are both just and inevitable. Debbie is Senior Lecturer in History of Art at the University of Glasgow. In addition to her specialism in 20th-century German art, she is interested in relationships between visual art, faith and theology. She works extensively as a retreat leader and with churches, clergy and ordinands to open up the potential of a wide spectrum of visual art in worship, theological reflection and in pastoral contexts.

Session 2: Thu, May 13, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM BST. Register for a Zoom invite at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/art-scripture-contemporary-issues-tickets-149683719033. In this session Caleb Froehlich will speak about his experience of curating the Cities of Refuge exhibition exploring why he made the choices and decisions he did in relation to both text and images. Numbers 35, Joshua 20, and Deuteronomy 4:41–43 record the appointment of six Levitical cities as ‘cities of refuge’ to ensure that if there was an accidental killing, the accused killer could flee to one of these cities and be protected from the menace of the ‘avenger of blood’. This session will consider the provisions of the biblical cities of refuge from the perspective of sanctuary-seekers. Caleb Froehlich is a researcher for the St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology and an editor for De Gruyter’s Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception. He holds a PhD in Religion, Art, and Culture from the University of St Andrews and has two principal areas of research: the intersection between religion and popular culture (with a focus on twentieth and twenty-first century religious history) and culturally engaged theology (with a focus on art and media as spiritual, religious, and/or theological in potentia).

Session 3: Tue, 25 May 2021, 14:00 – 15:00 BSThttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/art-scripture-contemporary-issues-tickets-148748287131?aff=erelpanelorg. In this session Susanna Snyder will speak about her experience of curating the Ruth 3-4 exhibition exploring why she made the choices and decisions she did in relation to both text and images. The brevity of the book of Ruth belies its significance. It offers an answer to some of the most important questions the people of Israel grapple with throughout the Old Testament. How are we to respond to refugees? How should we understand and inhabit boundaries? Susanna Snyder is Lecturer in Ethics and Theology at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and an Associate of the Centre for Theology and Modern European Thought, University of Oxford.

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T Bone Burnett - Image.

For a Time Such as This: The Church as Witness

 

HeartEdge is proud to partner the CEEP Network in their 2021 Digital Annual Conference 'For a Time Such as This: The Church as Witness', March 2 - 5, 2021. We're going to be there with lots of
@HeartEdge_ info, a Gathering of US partners and Sam Wells and Azariah France-Williams in conversation.

Information and registration at https://www.ceepnetwork.org/2021-conference-online/.

From COVID-19 to economic anxiety to the racial reckoning taking place across our Church, in our nation and around the world, we are witnessing change, challenge, and opportunity unlike any other time in our lives. In this historic and defining time, the CEEP Network is excited to announce we will gather on-line to bear witness together at the 2021 Annual Conference.

The CEEP Network is honored to present the most influential thought leaders in the Church today to share their wisdom and insights with you:

• The Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church: The Most Reverend Michael Curry was installed the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer and is the Chair of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church.
• Carey Kelly, Consultant and Former CEEP Network Board President: Cary Kelly has spent the majority of her career to working with non-profit organizations and churches. She focuses on helping these organizations effectively promote their mission through bold visioning and board governance practices. She also has served as a certified leadership coach to priests and executives with a focus on building self-mastery and effective leadership practices. Cary has served as consultant and board president for the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes and chaired their search for a new executive director.
• Catherine Meeks, PhD, Executive Director, Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing: Dr. Catherine Meeks is executive director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing. Prior to the center’s opening, she chaired its precursor, Beloved Community: Commission for Dismantling Racism for the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.
• Darren Walker, President, The Ford Foundation: Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, a $13 billion international social justice philanthropy. His is co-founder and chair of the President’s Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy.
• The Reverend Kathleen Walker, Missioner for Black Ministries, Diocese of North Carolina: Reverend Kathleen (Kathy) Walker joined the bishop’s staff in February 2020 to focus on the contributions and vitality of historically Black congregations by helping to weave their diversity into a closer bond of inclusion with other parishes and with the diocese. The goal is to ensure all predominantly Black congregations have the best opportunity to make the fullest use possible of the resources of their parishes, partnerships, and diocese.
• The Most Reverend and Right Honorable Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury: The Most Reverend and Right Honorable Justin Welby became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013. He was previously Bishop of Durham, Dean of Liverpool Cathedral, and a Canon of Coventry Cathedral, where he worked extensively in the field of reconciliation. Archbishop Welby has three main priorities for his ministry — Evangelism and Witness, Prayer and the Renewal of Religious life, and Reconciliation. He is a member of the High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation for the United Nations. He is the author of Reimagining Britain and Dethroning Mammon, both published by Bloomsbury.
• The Reverend Dr. Sam Wells, Vicar, St. Martin-in-the-Fields: Reverend Dr. Sam Wells has been Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields since 2012. He has served as a parish priest for 20 years — ten of those in urban priority areas. He also spent seven years in North Carolina, where he was Dean of Duke University Chapel. Dr. Wells is a Visiting Professor of Christian Ethics at King’s College. He is a regular contributor to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4’s Today program. He has published 35 books, including works on Christian ethics, mission, ministry, scripture, liturgy, and preaching.
• The Reverend Azariah France-Williams: Azariah France-Williams has over a decade of experience within the Church of England and has been a pioneer priest at Ascension Church in Manchester since the summer of 2020. The role is strongly supported by the HeartEdge network and is a new initiative to stimulate the work and worship of the church, embedded within its community.

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Buddy Miller - There's A Higher Power.

Living God's Future Now - January 2021

'Living God’s Future Now’ is the HeartEdge mini online festival of theology, ideas and practice.

We’ve developed this in response to the pandemic and our changing world. The church is changing too, and - as we improvise and experiment - we can learn and support each other.

This is 'Living God’s Future Now’ - talks, workshops and discussion - hosted by HeartEdge. Created to equip, encourage and energise churches - from leaders to volunteers and enquirers - at the heart and on the edge.

The focal event in ‘Living God’s Future Now’ is a monthly conversation where Sam Wells explores what it means to improvise on God’s kingdom with a leading theologian or practitioner.

The online programme includes:

• Regular weekly workshops: Biblical Studies (Mondays), Sermon Preparation (Tuesdays) and Community of Practitioners (Wednesdays)
• One-off workshops on topics relevant to lockdown such as ‘Growing online communities’ and ‘Grief, Loss & Remembering’
• Monthly HeartEdge dialogue featuring Sam Wells in conversation with a noted theologian or practitioner

Find earlier Living God’s Future Now sessions at https://www.facebook.com/pg/theHeartEdge/videos/?ref=page_internal.

'Thank you for all you are supporting and enabling - I absolutely love everything that comes out of HeartEdge.' The Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester

January 2021

Theology Reading Group: Sunday 10 January, 19:00 GMT, zoom – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/st-martin-in-the-fields-heartedge-theology-reading-group-tickets-125865341625. The Reading Group will discuss 'Jack' by Marilynne Robinson. Marilynne Robinson is an American award winning novelist and essayist; Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and the 2016 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. Also in 2016, Robinson appeared on Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people. ‘Jack’ is Marilynne Robinson’s latest book, it is a love story set in postwar St. Louis. Love, shame, guilt, segregation, risk and redemption; are a just a few themes that follow the relationship between Jack and Della. 'Grace and intelligence . . . [her work] defines universal truths about what it means to be human' Barack Obama.

Biblical Studies class: Monday 11 January, 19:30-21:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmgrTgsHt2ceY7LepLhQYqQxS1G1ix9. Join Simon Woodman to explore the New Testament Epistles.

The Tawney Dialogue - David Lammy MP, Rev Dr Sam Wells, Dawn Foster - Families or Factions? Monday 11 January, 19:30 PM (GMT). Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/zoom/the-tawney-dialogue-david-lammy-mp-rev-dr-sam-wells-dawn-foster-families-or-fact/902388756833003/. In this world of polar-opposites, divisions and binary choices, are we cultivating community or harming harmony? Chaired by journalist and writer Dawn Foster, our two speakers bring their perspectives on whether our groupings and allegiances look more like families or factions... and what can we do about it? Featuring David Lammy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Rev Dr Sam Wells of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Chaired by Dawn Foster (Guardian, Independent, Tribune, Jacobin Magazine).

Sermon Preparation Workshop: Tuesday 12 January, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/. Discussion of preaching and the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday with Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner.

Community of Practitioners workshop: Wednesday 13 January, 16:30 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register. A gathering for church leaders, lay and ordained, with opportunities for reflection on experience and theology.

Leadership skills for the next 10 years: Wednesday 13 January, 15:00 ET (20:00 GMT), zoom webinar – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trytank-presents-leadership-skills-for-the-next-ten-years-registration-115755687377. For almost 20 years, beginning just after 9/11, futurist Bob Johansen has been wrestling with the question of leadership profiles that will be required to thrive in the VUCA World (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous). He wrote a trilogy of books that share the profile he's convinced will work to help us get ready for the next future shock. The profile includes: Ten skills (think competencies) introduced in Leaders Make the Future; Five literacies (think disciplines or practices) introduced in The New Leadership Literacies; and One mindset (think worldview) introduced in Full-Spectrum Thinking. Join for an impactful webinar with Dr. Johansen as he covers his leadership trilogy, with a special emphasis on the skills required to thrive in the coming decade.

‘Living God’s Future Now’ - HeartEdge monthly dialogue: Thursday 14 January, 18:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/living-gods-future-now-conversation-presiding-bishop-michael-curry-tickets-132832608909. Sam Wells and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will be in conversation to discuss how to improvise on the kingdom. The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church. The descendant of enslaved Africans brought to North America by way of the trans-Atlantic slave routes, his father was an Episcopal priest and his mother a devout Episcopalian. Presiding Bishop Curry maintains a national preaching and teaching ministry and has authored five books: Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Time (2020); The Power of Love (2018); Following the Way of Jesus: Church's Teachings in a Changing World (2017); Songs My Grandma Sang (2015); and Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus (2013).

Book Launch: Towards a Theology of Same-Sex Marriage – Friday 15 January, 16:30 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launch-towards-a-theology-of-same-sex-marriage-tickets-131505206613. Towards a Theology of Same-Sex Marriage: Squaring the Circle is a transformative exploration of queer theology and the debate around same-sex marriage within the Church. In this book Clare Herbert draws on her experience as a priest within the Church of England in a committed same-sex relationship and considers the questions that have shaped religious debate for many years. Interweaving stories from Christians struggling to reconcile their faith with their sexuality alongside wider queer theology and the theology of marriage, Clare explores the unique understanding of God provided by the experience of committed same-sex love, and lays the groundwork for redefining the traditional definition of marriage. Joining her for this discussion are: Dr Philomena Cullen: Researcher working on domestic social justice issues with UK faith- based charities; Charlie Bell: Fellow in Medicine at Girton College Cambridge, and ordinand at St Augustine's College of Theology; and The Very Revd David Monteith (Doctor of Laws), Dean of Leicester.

Reconciling Mission: Joining in God’s Work - Monday 18 January, 16:00-17:30 GMT, Zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reconciling-mission-joining-in-gods-work-tickets-131913377463. How might we understand Christian mission as joining in with God’s reconciling work in the world? What are the implications of such an understanding for how local churches approach their missional outreach to a local neighbourhood? And how might this understanding envision and re-energise lay people for sharing God’s good news in their community? Speakers: Alastair McKay, director, Reconciliation Initiatives; Tricia Hillas, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and trustee of Reconciliation Initiatives; Martin Anderson, vicar of Norton, Stockton-on Tees, Diocese of Durham; and Sarah Hills, vicar of Holy Island, Diocese of Newcastle (and former Canon for Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral, and former trustee of RI).

The Church and the Clitoris: Monday 18 January, 18:00-19:30 GMT, zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-church-and-the-clitoris-tickets-133863987791. Drawing on some nineteenth-century claims about the clitoris, this lecture shows how science and religion may interact not just to ignore female sexuality but also to damage women’s bodies. A lecture and Q&A with Helen King, a member of the History Working Group of the Living in Love and Faith project. Part of the St Brides, Liverpool series of occasional lectures, with HeartEdge and the 'Living God's Future Now' festival of theology, ideas and practice.

Biblical Studies class: Monday 18 January, 19:30-21:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmgrTgsHt2ceY7LepLhQYqQxS1G1ix9. Join Simon Woodman to explore the New Testament Epistles.

Sermon Preparation Workshop: Tuesday 19 January, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/. Discussion of preaching and the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday with Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner.

Community of Practitioners workshop: Wednesday 20 January, 16:30 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register. A gathering for church leaders, lay and ordained, with opportunities for reflection on experience and theology.

Theology Group: Sunday 24 January, 18:00 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/st-martin-in-the-fields-heartedge-theology-group-tickets-130240413583. An opportunity to reflect theologically on issues of today and questions of forever with Sam Wells, who will be responding to questions from David Jones, a member of the congregation of St Martin-in-the-Fields. David will also chair the session and encourage your comments and questions.

Biblical Studies class: Monday 25 January, 19:30-21:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmgrTgsHt2ceY7LepLhQYqQxS1G1ix9. Join Simon Woodman to explore the New Testament Epistles.

Art and social impact: Tuesday 26 January, 14:30 GMT, zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/art-and-social-impact-tickets-134763030853. This workshop is a conversation with artists whose work has a social impact dimension in order to explore the relationship between art and social change. There will be discussion of personal journeys in addressing issues of social concern, approaches used, and expectations in terms of impact. The session will also explore ways in which churches can engage with such art and use it for exploring issues with congregations and beyond. Jonathan Evens will be in conversation with André Daughtry (http://www.andredaughtrystudio.com/), Micah Purnell (https://micahpurnell.com/), Nicola Ravenscroft (https://nicolaravenscroft.com/) and Hannah Rose Thomas (http://hannahrosethomas.com/).

Sermon Preparation Workshop: Tuesday 26 January, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/. Discussion of preaching and the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday with Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner.

Community of Practitioners workshop: Wednesday 27 January, 16:30 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register. A gathering for church leaders, lay and ordained, with opportunities for reflection on experience and theology.

CEEP/HeartEdge transatlantic conversation on Homelessness: Thursday 28 January, 8.00 pm GMT, zoom webinar - link TBA. US panellists TBC. UK panellists include: Pam Orchard and Fr Dominic Robinson. Pam Orchard joined The Connection at St Martins as their CEO in April 2017. She has worked in the charity sector for over 25 years, including 17 years based in Edinburgh. She was the Training Programmes Manager at YMCA Scotland, Deputy CEO at Edinburgh Cyrenians and the CEO at Providence Row, a homelessness charity based in Shoreditch. Pam specialises in organisational innovation and change, and has worked closely across the public, private and voluntary sectors to achieve this. Rev Dr Dominic Robinson SJ is Vice Chair of the Society for Ecumenical Studies and Parish Priest of the Immaculate Conception, better known as Farm Street Church in Mayfair, London. At Farm Street he leads a Jesuit and lay team serving a city centre ministry which attracts a large and very diverse group of people. As the Jesuit church in the heart of London they hope and pray that their faith in Jesus Christ truly present in all things inspires them to grow as a community of welcome to all at the service of others.

How to Rage: Saturday 30 January, 10:00 – 15:30 GMT, £10 full/£5 unwaged. Register at https://scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/events. Think about the links between activism, theology and the church. With: Jarel Robinson-Brown: Prophetic Rage: Fire Shut Up in My Bones; Andrew Graystone: How to Rage (With a Smile); Samantha Lindo: Songs and Poems – Why we are Here & Naming the Water; Hannah Malcolm (and panel) – Raging with the Earth; Azariah France-Williams – Raging against Institutions; Ellen Loudon – Tools for Raging.

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Blessid Union of Souls - I Believe.

Restoring Relations: Reconciling Ourselves to God and One Another

Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020, 8:00 PM GMT, zoom - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/restoring-relations-reconciling-ourselves-to-god-and-one-another-tickets-128573259079?mc_cid=60f9bd2d42&mc_eid=22b185552c.

An internet search for ‘reconciliation,’ gives the definition that reconciliation is “the restoration of friendly relations.” Our broken world and deep division on any number of issues suggests this definition only names one element of what true reconciliation entails.

For those in the United States, the recent election has exacerbated a years’ long fraying of the social compact. Harsh rhetoric, dismissive attitudes, and a lack of listening have resulted in misunderstanding and fragmentation across society – with some folks literally at each other’s throats.

Throughout the world, COVID-19 has exposed deep divisions based not only on the actual economic and health impacts, but also among people of goodwill on all sides around the perceived threat of the Coronavirus and the impact of measures taken to mitigate the virus spread. Add these elements to an already fractured populace and nations around the world find their citizenry divided and quickly working to unmake the social contract.

Do we stand aside and watch this happen? Or, do we act in ways consistent with our Baptismal Covenant? As Christians, our faith calls us to be agents of reconciliation - as hard as that might be given deep-seated and stridently held convictions. How do we act on this call?

Join our panel for a candid discussion of what it means to be agents of reconciliation and how we go about this work. While answers are often elusive, our panel will explore avenues allowing us to restore civil discourse and engagement… and then move into the work of deep listening, understanding, and compromise.

Panelists include:

• Steve Lawler - Founding Director, The Walker Leadership Institute at Eden Theological Seminary; St. Louis, Missouri (moderator)
• Alastair McKay - Executive Director, Reconciliation Initiatives; Founder, Bridge Builders (UK); Coventry, United Kingdom
• Chuck Robertson - Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Ministry Beyond the Episcopal Church; New York, New York
• Lia Dong Shimada - Mediator and Community Practitioner; Senior Researcher for the Susanna Wesley Foundation at the University of Roehampton; London, United Kingdom
• Josh Thomas - Executive Director, Kids4Peace; Washington, D.C.
• Xolani Diwati - Dean , St Mary's Cathedral; Johannesburg, South Africa

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U2 - One.

Voting Your Conscience: The Role of Faith and Values

Yesterday, with our co-hosts The CEEP Network, HeartEdge presented a timely seminar on voting and how our faith and values factor into where we place our ‘X’ on the ballot. The conversation, moderated by Chip Edens of Christ Church Charlotte, was deep and meaningful. The recording is now available and may be accessed here.

Our panelists - Jan Cope, Provost of Washington National Cathedral; Robert Hendrickson, Rector of St. Philip’s Tucson; Russ Rook, Partner at Good Faith Partnership; Tricia Hillas, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons; and, Kim Jackson, Vicar of Church of the Common Ground and Candidate for Georgia Senate - shared their unique perspectives and important observations on how faith impacts their voting. This outstanding panel also shared what keeps them hopeful in this moment.

We invite you to watch this powerful recording as I am confident you will be inspired.

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R.E.M. - Stand.

Voting Your Conscience: The Role of Faith and Values

Voting Your Conscience: The Role of Faith and Values - Wednesday 28 October, 19:00 GMT, zoom - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/voting-your-conscience-the-role-of-faith-and-values-tickets-125078018721?mc_cid=426b5f0aa1&mc_eid=22b185552c. 

Where you place your ‘X' when you vote is one of the most significant ways you make your mark on society. As we often hear from politicians and political prognosticators, elections have consequences. The question then is how do you choose where to put that ‘X’ on the ballot? And, as important a question is what part does your faith play in that decision? 

Knowing your vote is all the more important in our increasingly divided world, our panel will discuss how to bring our faith - our conscience - into the voting booth with us. We will ask Christians with experience in politics what factors they take into account in voting. Together, we will discuss how scripture, faith, church, and values play into our voting decisions? We may not agree on who should receive our vote, but for the sake of repairing our deep divides, understanding how faith and conscience influence voting can help. 

With Jan Cope, Provost - Washington National Cathedral; Robert Hendrickson - Rector, St. Phillip’s Tucson; Tricia Hillas, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons; Kim Jackson of Church of the Common Ground in Atlanta and a candidate for the Georgia Senate; and Russell Rook, a founding partner of the Good Faith Partnership.

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Athlete - Street Map.

Painful Legacies: Systemic Racism in America and Britain

The CEEP Network
in partnership with
HeartEdge

present

Painful Legacies: Systemic Racism in America and Britain
Friday, August 13
3:00pm EDT

Is this a moment when, as Rev. William J. Barber II recently claimed, we ought to wake up to the ways systemic racism is choking the life out of democracy? The first in a series of transatlantic conversations organized by the CEEP Network and HeartEdge on key issues for churches in the UK and US will enable discussion of the church’s response to systemic racism and the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. Up for discussion are similarities and differences between the US and UK contexts plus areas for collaboration, action and learning.

Outcomes: Identification of areas for collaboration, action and learning.

Panelists Include:

• Debra Bennett - Rector, Church of Our Saviour; Akron, Ohio
• Cornelia Eaton - Canon to the Ordinary of Ministry, Diocese of Navajoland; Farmington, New Mexico
• Azariah France-Williams - Pioneer Priest, The Ascension Hulme HeartEdge Hub Church; Manchester, United Kingdom
• Farai Mapamula - Minister, Castle Bromwich Methodist Church; Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Manoj Mathew Zacharia - Rector, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church; Annapolis, Maryland
• Rosalyn Murphy - Priest-in-Charge, St Thomas, Longford; Coventry, United Kingdom
• Anthony Reddie - Director, Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture; Oxford, United Kingdom

Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/114984959108

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Mavis Staples - Change.

HeartEdge activity & update

Catherine Duce has spent the past week at the CEEP conference in Louisville, Kentucky where HeartEdge has had an exhibition table.

There are over 25 churches in the USA who have joined HeartEdge. Representatives of these churches are amongst the 650 delegates from across the USA who have gathered to pray, reflect and learn from one another.

The HeartEdge table is in a prominent location in the central lobby and every delegate received information about the work of HeartEdge in their conference packs.

Catherine is learning a lot and enjoying conversations with a diversity of people about mission and congregational renewal. She has also attended seminars on preaching, issues affecting women’s ministry and stewardship.

Future HeartEdge events include:

• Saturday, February 29, 10:00 AM 3:00 PM, Holy Trinity Brussels, Rue Capitaine Crespel 29 Brussels. NWE Mission Working Party Day will feature HeartEdge. 'Resourcing Innovative Mission' is a day organised by the Mission Working Party of the Archdeaconry of North West Europe with HeartEdge. The event will use key HeartEdge concepts including the 4Cs – commerce, culture, compassion and congregation – as a model for mission. Experience Great Sacred Music - a 35-minute sequence of words and music speaking to heart, head and soul with St Martin's Voices Fellows and reflect on use of culture to share faith insights with secular audiences. The day will also provide opportunities to share ideas, identify key challenges and assets for future initiatives. We will gather for tea/coffee at 10:00 and start at 10:30.
• St Martin's Voices concert, 29th February 2020 from 7:00 PM 8:00 PM, Holy Trinity Brussels Rue Capitaine Crespel 29 Brussels Belgium. St Martin’s Voices are an exciting and dynamic professional vocal ensemble, primarily made up of talented past and present choral scholars who come together to sing concerts and special events at St Martin-in-the-Fields and beyond. Recent performances have included Mozart Requiem and Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and Beethoven Mass in C with Southbank Sinfonia. St Martin’s Voices regularly broadcast on the BBC, including Radio 3 Choral Evensong and BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship and Daily Service. They also make regular national and international tours, including recent performances at Greenbelt Festival and visits to the USA – Minneapolis, Washington DC, New York – and Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Holy Communion - Holy Trinity Brussels, 1st March 2020 from 10.30 - 11.30, Holy Trinity Brussels Rue Capitaine Crespel 29 Brussels Belgium. At the 10:30am Holy Communion Service in Holy Trinity Brussels they enjoy many traditional Anglican hymns, a robed choir, and lectionary readings. People from many different backgrounds, languages and generations gather together to worship, to pray, and to share fellowship. There are children and youth programmes at this service, as well as a time to gather socially afterwards.
• 19 March, 2.00-4.30pm ‘Inspired to Follow: Art & the Bible Story’ Mission Model workshop, , St Martin-in-the-Fields. An opportunity to experience one of the sessions of ‘Inspired to Follow’ and to learn how to make the most of the resource. Free to HeartEdge partners, £10 for others. Book here.
• 1 April 2020, Liverpool HeartEdge Day: Exploring mission, sharing ideas, uncovering solutions and finding support, this is an ecumenical day with Sam Wells and guests. Book here.
• 29 April. West Cornwall HeartEdge Day: Details to follow!
• May 18 - 20 San Antonio - Texas. Faith+Finance: Reimagining God’s Economy is a new gathering with a bias for action. We are bringing together pastors and impact investors, theologians and social entrepreneurs to respond with courage and imagination to the most urgent and demanding economic, social, environmental, and spiritual challenges of our day.
• 19 May, 10.00am – 3.30pm, Wessex HeartEdge Day: Christchurch Priory. Exploring mission, sharing ideas, uncovering solutions and finding support, this is an ecumenical day with Sam Wells and guests. Book here.
• Wednesday 20 May 2020, 3.00 – 5.00pm. Nazareth Community Workshop: The Nazareth Community was established at St Martin’s in March 2018, now with over sixty members. The workshop will be led by Revd Richard Carter, and is an opportunity to learn about the life of the community, and to consider how it could be applied in your own contexts. Richard is the leader of the Nazareth Community and author of The City is My Monastery: a Contemporary Rule of Life; published by Canterbury Press in 2019. The afternoon will mirror the Saturday morning sharing time, and will begin in the church. The session will include: Welcome and an introduction to the Nazareth Community’s simple way of life; Prayer & silence; Talk; Q&A; Refreshments; Small groups; and Close. Participant are encouraged to stay on for Bread for the World at 6.30pm, an informal Eucharist with St Martin’s Choral Scholars in which the themes of the afternoon will be taken up and deepened in worship. Book here.
• 21 -22 September - London: HeartEdge Annual Gathering - an exciting smorgasbord of theology, ideas and 'how-to' plus curry, catching up, sharing stories and making connections. Make a weekend of it - from Sunday evening's Nazareth Community gathering to Wednesday visiting projects. Save the date - more details to follow.

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Brandon Flowers - Dreams Come True.