Eurobishop

  As part of my continuing education I have been participating in a programme called "Equipping Christian Leaders in an Age of Science". Today, the Feast of the Epiphany, by happy coincidence one of the topics in our sessions turned our gaze to the stars and galaxies as we explored issues related to SETI, the search for extra terrestial intelligence. A wonderful lecture was given by the Revd Professor David Wilkinson, of St John's College Durham, a noted astrophysicist as well as theologian, with doctorates in both fields. Professor Wilkinson, from a scientific point of view, would surmise that at present we are likely the only intelligent life in this galaxy, although with 100 billion stars in the galaxy, with about 70% having planets, and 100 billion galaxies in the universe one cannot be sure! As a theologian, he maintains that SETI is important for Christians for a number of reasons: It invites us to observe and wonder at the complexity and vastness of the universe...

From 21-23 November, the Director of Training, Canon Ulla Monberg, hosted an Introductory Weekend to Spiritual Direction, which will be the start of an ongoing programme within the Diocese. 9 persons who are presently engaged in spiritual direction or who are interested in developing this ministry attended the weekend which was held at St Cuthman's Retreat Centre in Sussex. The Revd Dr Mark Godson, Director of the London Centre of Spirituality, was the joint facilitator for this course, along with Canon Monberg. The programme is in response to a desire for training in spiritual direction which emerges as a frequent theme in ministry reviews with our diocesan clergy and readers.

Los Olivos is a retreat centre in southern Spain whose director is an Anglican priest, the Revd Daniel Mu ñoz. Daniel recently wrote to me to draw attention to a special week of theological reflection and conversation at the centre, exploring Anglican ecclesiology in the light of current challenges and opportunities. The event is called "Re-imagining Anglican Ecclesiology". It will be held from 14 - 18 July and is geared towards senior Anglican leaders and senior diocesan staff.  If you are interested, more information can be found here .  The full programme on offer at Los Olivos can be found here .