How to be a Just Church in an Unjust World

How to be a Just Church in an Unjust World

Saturday 22 April 2023 starting at 9:30

Join us for a day of learning, sharing and worship with a buffet lunch provided. It will provide an opportunity for you to renew existing connections across the District and to meet new people.

Within the District Gathering we will hold the life of Methodism across our district in prayer, renew our relationship with our wider Connexional church, and make any formal decisions required of us as a district – the work of the representative synod.

Revd Jill Marsh, Connexional Inclusive Church Implementation Officer, will lead us in looking at the question "What does it mean to be a Justice Seeking Church?". There will be several "How To .." groups that will offer practical suggestions and advice about how your church can be a church like that! These will include:

• Turn Vision into Action: Introducing Faith Rooted Organising – led by Deacon Kerry Scarlett, part of the Methodist Learning Network West Midlands team – We know how challenging it can be to move from vision into action, particularly at a time when so many of us are feeling overwhelmed by busy-ness. Faith rooted organising practices offer a way of doing things differently, and not by just expecting you to 'do more things'! Come and explore how, through intentional of listening, discerning, and acting, faith rooted organising helps us to rediscover many of the practices which enabled early Methodism to flourish.
• Act Justly with Money – led by Rosie Venner, programme manager at the JustMoney Movement – It is not easy to talk about money, but we can't afford not to. What we do with money, how wealth is shared and how money is used by investors, banks, and companies, shapes the kind of world we live in. Explore practical ways to connect your faith and your finances on the issues you care about, from the local to the global.
• Influence your MP – led by Roo Stewart, a member of the Joint Public Issues Team – Like it or not, politics matters. Political decisions shape our country, our communities, and our everyday lives. Christians are called to be engaged with the world, as Jesus was, and this includes political engagement. Building a relationship as a congregation with your representative in Westminster helps them better understand the activities and concerns of their local community. How to get started, and how to do this well?
• Become a Church of Sanctuary – led by Revd Inderjit Bhogal – Church of Sanctuary is a faith-based initiative and is a call to a prophetic Christian witness and expression of hospitality as a clear challenge to hostility. The aim is to take steps to build hospitality which is mutually enriching. The hope is that churches will become places for all and proud to foster welcome, hospitality and safety to people fleeing violence and persecution, as a clear demonstration of Christian discipleship.
• Become more accessible – led by Maria Brown and Beth Wright from Mencap – Welcoming people with a learning disability into our modern congregation. How to make 'reasonable adjustments' when providing a service to encourage a fully inclusive space for everyone. An interactive workshop that focuses on integration and accessibility to activities for people with a learning disability.
• Hold an "Ask Me Anything" conversation – led by Revd Jill Marsh – How to create a safe space to hear from 'Experts By Experience'. A space where we hear to listen and to learn and, through our listening, we are be changed by God, individually and together. A space in which we accept that none of us are perfect and all of us have things that we need to continue to learn. A space in which we can allow ourselves to be challenged without judgement or criticism.

There will also be a Market Place where you can to explore other ways in which you can help to work towards a more just world and purchase resources, so don't forget to bring your purse/wallet!

Book now: https://230422-JustChurch.eventbrite.co.uk

Registration will close on Wednesday 12 April