Diocesan Readers' Conference 2017: the planning is under way!


The planning is now under way for a diocesan-wide conference for Readers (Licensed Lay Ministers) and readers in training. The last conference was in 2012 and since then our Readers have been requesting another such event. Workshops are held once or twice a year, for specific topics, but a diocesan-wide celebration provides an opportunity to celebrate our ministry on a more significant scale.

The planning team working with the Director of Reader Ministry, the Revd Elaine Labourel, the Administrator, Debbie Cunningham and me, are Readers from across the diocese: Celia Paterson (Madrid), Angela Mirani (Varese), Victoria Wadsworth-Hansen (Copenhagen) and Richard Medcalf (Maisons-Laffitte).

The dates are booked: 19 - 22 May 2017, in Kardinal Schulte Haus, Cologne. The conference will provide spiritual input for Readers in their ministry, some cutting-edge biblical and theological reflection, time for considering the practical application of theology to lay ministry in the world, and opportunity for the Readers from across the diocese to strengthen their corporate life as a community of lay ministers. There are about 120 Readers and about another 30 in training at present. We anticipate a full gathering!

The design team is very much aware of the role of Readers in equipping God's people for participation in God's mission in the world. Thus the conference will have a strong outward-facing orientation. Before long, we hope to have a general description of the theme, along with confirmation of the keynote resource people for the conference.

Here are some scenes from 2012:





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