“Come with me, sing with me, weep with me, and dance with me for the journey is long,” so the animators sung at morning worship, led by the Mission Enablers Network, on the final day of Conversations at the Crossroads.
Dr Robert Pope led the gathering in its third Bible study, exploring Deuteronomy 30:11-20. The exiles, and all of us, are challenged to “choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Robert asked the animators to reflect on what it is about their faith gives them life.
In the penultimate session of the conference, Dr Nigel Pimlott set attendees off with Play-Doh and pipe cleaners, asking them to make something that would most help the URC’s new communities of worship and discipleship flourish.
One innovative contribution featured a pipe cleaner text box and heart, with a golden thread connecting the two, reflecting the need for love, relationships, and communication in the URC’s communities of worship and discipleship.
The final session challenged the animators to think about what three words they would use to summarise themes from the consultation. Nigel then fed back on outcomes and themes he had heard from all the conversations over the course of the consultation, which the animators further refined.
In support of new worship and discipleship communities, the outcomes and themes were:
Outcomes
- Be more intentional about everything
- Develop and deepen relationships
- Increase evangelism
- Animate local change; with central support
- Embed “both/and” thinking
- Lessen organisational burdens
- Take more risks
Themes
- Death and resurrection – midwiving, hospicing, rhythms of life
- Being responsible – who’s here, taking action, laying down and taking up
- Little consensus – value this and be a network movement
- Seek the kingdowm; as a church movement
These outcomes and themes represent the beginnings of a set of principles, which the planning group and Church Life Review Steering Group will distil and refine. The intention is that the principles will become the future basis for decision making about the URC’s new communities of worship and discipleship. Conversations from the consultation will continue to evolve both locally and as part of the Church Life Review.
The conference closed in worship, led by the event’s planning group.