Patrick Comerford
The Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) has announced the programme for this year’s annual conference, which takes place in the High Leigh Conference Centre at Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire from 9 to 11 July 2024.
‘So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3: 26-28).
Elections have taken place in India in recent days, and the announcement of an election date in the United Kingdom is imminent. More than 60 countries are holding elections this year, with over 2 billion voters expected to go to the polls.
Elections in countries like India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the US will determine the political landscape for years to come, with key decisions being made on immigration, peaceful co-existence, warfare and climate.
We live in a world where in many ways, it can feel as if walls are going up and borders are closing.
So this year USPG is exploring what it looks like to be ‘United Beyond Borders’.
In an increasingly volatile and bordered world, how can we as members of the one global Church embody Christ’s love and build bridges across the borders that divide us?
Are we, as the Church, brave enough to welcome the stranger and challenge prejudices against displaced people or people on the move?
How does a mission agency, and the Church, confront its past of benefitting from colonisation?
The USPG conference brings together volunteers, supporters, representatives from the Anglican Communion, USPG staff and trustees and more. All are welcome to take part in this three-day residential conference which involves keynote speakers, workshops and several times of fellowship and worship.
This year, USPG is returning to the beautiful High Leigh Conference Centre for the conference, from Tuesday 9 July to Thursday 11 July 2024, with the option to attend for the day on Wednesday 10 July.
People attending the conference are invited to arrive at High Leigh in Hoddesdon from 10 am on Tuesday (9 July), and the conference begins at 11 am.
The speakers include the Very Revd Professor Kelly Brown Douglas, Dean of Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, Canon Theologian at Washington National Cathedral and Theologian in Residence at Trinity Church, Wall Street, New York.
Kelly is considered a leader in the field of womanist theology, racial reconciliation, social justice and sexuality and the Black church. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Dr Douglas was one of the first 10 Black women to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. She was an associate priest at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Washington DC for more than 20 years.
She has written seven books, and her most recent books are Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter (2021) and Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God (2015).
The Rigevd Dr Dalcy Badeli Dlamini is the Bishop of Eswatini, the second woman bishop in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), and the fourth woman bishop in the Province of Southern Africa.
After an early career as a teacher, Bishop Dlamini was ordained in the Diocese of Swaziland, where she ministered in various capacities, including at the University of Swaziland, until 2020. She has been Diocesan Dean of Studies and Rector and Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Polokwane. She was a member of the International Anglican-Lutheran Commission and is a member of the Steering Group of the International Anglican Women’s Network.
Bradon Muilenburg is the Anglican Refugee Support Lead in Northern Calais. He is originally from Michigan, and spent time as a volunteer with the Taizé community in France, before moving to work with an ecumenical Catholic Worker house of hospitality, Maria Skobtsova House, in Calais.
He has been based in Calais with his wife, Marie, since 2021. His role is the outcome of a joint partnership between the Diocese in Europe, the Diocese of Canterbury and the USPG in response to the growing numbers of migrants around the Channel ports in Northern France.
I was at the USPG conference in High Leigh two years ago, ‘Living Stones, Living Hope’, (25-27 July 2022), but missed last year’s conference, ‘Justice & the Church,’ in Yarnfield Park in Stone, Staffordshire (16-17 June 2023), so I hope to be able to take part in this year’s conference.
An individual standard conference ticket for two nights is £160; for ordinands this is £75; and a couple standard ticket is £300. A Tuesday day ticket, including lunch, is £50. There is a limited number of Individual three-night standard tickets at £200.
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