‘Living God’s Future Now’ is a series of online seminars, discussions and presentations hosted by
HeartEdge. They are designed to equip, encourage and energise church leaders, laypeople and enquirers in areas such as preaching, growing a church, shifting online, deepening spirituality and responding to social need.
Here's the next instalment in the HeartEdge Living God's Future Now programme:
- Sermon Preparation Workshop: Tuesday 21 July, 4.30pm (BST), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/.
- Growing community online - Part 4: Thursday 23 July, 4.30pm (BST), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/. Sally Hitchiner, Lorenzo Lebrija and Katie Tupling explore 'how to' build community online. Practical tips, stories, keeping in touch, sharing insights, finding support, promoting your services.
- Difference, Diversity, Deviance: Friday 24 July, 4.00 pm (BST), zoom meeting. Join Rev Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes and guests for talks, interview and discussion. Each Friday in July. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/difference-diversity-deviance-tickets-111287620268.
- PassionArt: The Art of Belonging: Monday, 27 July, 14:00 – 15:30 BST. Register for a zoom invite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/passionart-the-art-of-belonging-tickets-112450346012. PassionArt aims to recover beauty at the heart of our communities through collective acts of creativity. In this workshop artists, curators and hosts from PassionArt projects will be in conversation with Azariah France-Williams.
- In the shadow of your wings: Friday 31 July, 4.30 pm (BST), Zoom meeting. An Interactive Online Event Presented by Deus Ex Musica which is a musical bible study on the Psalms. A unique ecumenical event that combines new musical interpretations of psalms with small-group discussion. Register for a zoom invitation at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/in-the-shadow-of-your-wings-tickets-111528470658.
- Book Launch | Ghost Ship: Saturday 1 August, 4.00 pm (BST). Join Azariah France-Williams and guests for readings, music, discussion and debate. Guests include Winnie Varghese and Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launch-ghost-ship-tickets-113436305042.
Growing community online - Part 4:
Thursday 23 July, 4.30pm (BST), livestreamed at the HeartEdge facebook page. Sally Hitchiner, Lorenzo Lebrija and Katie Tupling explore 'how to' build community online. Practical tips, stories, keeping in touch, sharing insights, finding support, promoting your services - via the mainstream press, and websites including 'ChurchNearYou' for the C-of-E, or across denominations Find a Church. With news of apps, websites and resources plus alternative approaches and structures. Watch the first three workshops at
https://www.facebook.com/pg/theHeartEdge/videos/?ref=page_internal Sally Hitchiner is Associate Vicar for Ministry at St Martin-in-the-Fields. Her work includes liturgical and organisational aspects of the church. She currently leads ministry to the dispersed congregation of St Martin's via a confidential online community space and pastoral care groups. Sally set up an online Christian community as a university chaplain and founded the Diverse Church initiative with over 1000 participants across the UK. Diverse Church grew from one community to a community planting organisation, launching a new community of 60-100 Christians across the UK and Ireland each year.
Fr. Lorenzo Lebrija is founding director of the TryTank, the experimental Lab for church growth and innovation. He is responsible for the entire process of development and implementation of experiments for innovation in the church. (It's a staff of 1, so don't be that impressed!) Prior to launching TryTank, Lorenzo was the Chief Development Officer for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. He served as the Pastor on behalf of the Bishop at St. John's Episcopal Church in San Bernardino, CA, and as priest associate at St. Athanasius Episcopal Church at the Cathedral Centre of St. Paul in Los Angeles.
Rev Katie Tupling was a parish priest for 16 years before becoming Diocesan Disability Advisor and Lead Chaplain amongst Deaf people for the Oxford Diocese, in March 2019. She was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at the age of 2 1/2 and is now the proud owner of purple crutches, a purple wheelchair, and a red scooter (it didn't come in purple!). Katie is also Co-founder of ‘Disability and Jesus’, a user led task group wrestling with theology, discipleship, and church practice. In the lived experience of disability. She has co-authored the book ‘Pilgrims in the dark’ - the story of how Disability and Jesus came into being, and co-authored a Grove booklet ‘Worship and Disability, a Kingdom for all’ (both 2018). Katie's social media presence includes: working with UCB Radio as well as BBC local radio, a weekday live feed on Twitter and Facebook, a ‘recorded as live’ Sunday service with Disability and Jesus, and a YouTube channel.
PassionArt: The Art of Belonging, Monday, 27 July 2020, 14:00 – 15:30 BST. Register for a zoom invite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/passionart-the-art-of-belonging-tickets-112450346012. PassionArt aims to recover beauty at the heart of our communities through collective acts of creativity. In this workshop artists, curators and hosts from PassionArt projects will be in conversation with Azariah France-Williams. PassionArt explore issues around art and faith through exhibitions, art trails, projects, teaching, resourcing and creative gatherings.
Based in Manchester they have built links and partnerships with churches and secular cultural institutions to encourage the creative exploration of Christian festivals and to integrate faith, beauty and creative practice within the city. They aim to push creative boundaries using contemporary art and installation to visually critique our time and culture and to consider ways to increase beauty and hope in our place.
Lesley Sutton is an artist, curator and founder of PassionArt who has worked with churches, community groups and the cultural sector in Manchester for over 20 years. Her work aims to help bridge the divide between sacred and secular space using the Arts as a means of conversation to explore the universal human condition.
Micah Purnell is a Manchester based, award winning, multi-disciplined, concept driven creative. He specialises in quality book design and carefully crafted public messaging.
Elizabeth Kwant is a Manchester based artist, researcher and curator whose interdisciplinary practice incorporates film, photography, performance, installation and print. Her work investigates contemporary geo-political and social issues; migration, immigration detention, legacies of colonialism, modern day slavery and associated concerns of representation.
In the shadow of your wings: Musical Bible study on the Psalms
Friday 31 July, 4.30 pm (BST), Zoom meeting. Register for a zoom invitation at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/in-the-shadow-of-your-wings-tickets-111528470658. An Interactive Online Event Presented by Deus Ex Musica, A unique ecumenical event that combines new musical interpretations of psalms with small-group discussion. Participants watch pre-recorded live performances of brand-new vocal settings of three beloved psalms (13, 57, and 148), each of which has been set to music by a composer representing a different Christian tradition.
After viewing each set of performances, participants engage in moderated small-group discussions. Since each psalm is set to music by more than one composer, participants hear how different musical responses to the same text bring to life various dimensions of each psalm. This provides a unique and memorable way for participants to experience the depth and beauty of Scripture in ways that promote both learning and discipleship. It also provides a rare opportunity for Christians of all stripes to gather in fellowship and dialogue about something we all agree on: the power and importance of the Bible. No musical experience or expertise is required by any participants.
Deus Ex Musica is an ecumenical organization comprised of musicians, educators, and pastors, and scholars, that promotes the use of sacred music as a resource for learning and spiritual growth.
www.deus-ex-musica.com.
Book Launch | Ghost Ship: Saturday 1 August, 4.00 pm (BST). Join Azariah France-Williams and guests for readings, music, discussion and debate. Guests include Winnie Varghese and Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launch-ghost-ship-tickets-113436305042.The Church is good at saying all the right things about racial equality. But the reality is the institution has failed to back up these good intentions with demonstrable efforts to reform. It is a long way from being a place of black flourishing. Through conversation with clergy, lay people and campaigners in the Church of England, A.D.A France-Williams issues a stark warning to the church, demonstrating how black and brown ministers are left to drown in a sea of complacency and collusion. While sticking plaster remedies abound, France-Williams argues that what is needed is a wholesale change in structure and mindset.
For the online book launch join Azariah France-Williams and guests for readings, music, discussion and debate - and the launch of 'Ghost Ship - Institutional Racism and the Church of England'.
With: Guli Francis-Dehquani, Samantha Lindo, Randolph Matthews, David Neita, Sharon & Calvert Prentis and Winnie Varghese.
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