Gifts outside the Box

Gifts outside the Box

10-16 May

This was a week of online events to discern how we can use our gifts from God to serve others in safe and gracious ways. Organised by the Yorkshire North and East, Yorkshire West, Sheffield, Darlington, and Newcastle Districts.All the session were recorded and you can find the videos and other resources here.

The Gift of Community

Who: Deacon Tracey Hume (Community Engagement Enabler)

What: How is the church reaching out into community situations in different ways? How has this changed over the last year because of Covid19? How can we safely engage with the community? How do we include the digitally poor and those on the margins of church?

The Gift of Empathy

Who: Deacon Eunice Attwood (Church at the Margins Officer)

What: Walking with people of all ages who have experienced loss (bereavement, health, jobs etc). How can we empathise with people without getting drawn in too deep? How to have good boundaries in pastoral practice.

The Gift of Place

Who: Revd Richard Teal (President of the Conference)

What: What does a sacred place look like now? Are changes to sacred spaces still safe places? How do people find a sense of place between the physical and online? How do we broaden our definition of what "church" looks like?

The Gift of Confidence

When: 13 May, 7-8.30 pm

Who: Phoebe Parkin (Youth President) and Lynne Norman (Children, Youth & Families Officer)
What: How do we learn to live with uncertainty and the anxiety it brings? How do we encourage confidence and resilience in times of uncertainty? Children and young people, and many others, can face uncertainty about jobs, housing, exams, and university – how can we offer support in a safe way?

The Gift of Resilience

Who: Revd Michaela Youngson (Chair of the London District)

What: How we nurture our own resilence in order to support others. Can we use creativity to help ourselves help others?

The Gift of Togetherness

Who: The District Safeguarding Officers

What: Drop-in and chat. Ministers, circuit safeguarding officers and church safeguarding reps can drop in and chat with others in a similar role from around the region.

The Gift of Peace

When: Sunday, 16 May Who: Revd Stephen Lindridge (Chair of the Newcastle District)

What: online worship, pre-recorded and available on YouTube in advance for all to join with or use locally