Patrick Comerford
The Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in Gospel) has announced details of this year’s conference on the theme of ‘Justice & the Church,’ taking place on 16-17 June.
USPG’s conference next month is exploring the theme of justice across the Anglican Communion. This is an opportunity to hear from guest speakers and to engage with workshops and bible studies focused on the themes of race, gender, and climate action.
This year’s conference is moving from the traditional venues of High Leigh in Hertfordshire and Swanwick in Derbyshire, and is taking place in Yarnfield Park in Stone, Staffordshire.
The conference is exploring what justice means throughout the Anglican world. The programme includes keynote speakers, workshops and bible studies and tackles questions such as:
• What is justice?
• How might we recognise it?
• Where as Christians and Church are we falling short?
• How do we seek God’s justice on earth for all, whilst acknowledging the huge diversity within our church and communities?
The speakers include Dr Sarojini Nadar, who is a theologian and biblical scholar and the Desmond Tutu Research Chair in Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape. The Revd Dr Al Barrett is the Rector of Hodge Hill Church in the Diocese of Birmingham and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Queen’s Foundation. He is the author of books such as Being Interrupted: Reimagining the Church’s Mission from the Outside, In.
Through a series of participatory workshops and bible studies, the conference will explore how these histories continue to foster injustice in the present – particularly in relation to race, gender and the environment.
Although the time this year will be challenging compared to conferences in previous years, the programme will be framed by fellowship and prayer.
Participants are being asked to be prepared to be thoughtful and inclusive, to create a safe space for discussion so that the time together will be underpinned by mutual respect despite differing opinions.
The organisers hope that all who attend will have time to share, listen, reflect, and discern how they can be agents for justice in their own churches and surrounding communities.
The conference programme runs from 11 am on Friday 16 June until 4 pm Saturday 17 June. A limited number of rooms available on the Thursday night for participants who may like to stay over the night before.
Yarnfield Park is a leading training venue, conference centre and religious retreat venue in Staffordshire.
Bookings can be made HERE.
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