2006 Conference
Friday January 27th 2pm - Sunday January 29th
at the Carlton Hotel, Sandown, Isle of Wight
We are especially privileged this year to have the Rt Revd Mike Hill, Bishop of Bristol and Revd Anne Faulkner as our speakers. Mike has spoken at many major conferences both nationally and internationally. Anne, who now lives on the Isle of Wight, brings with her a depth of knowledge and understanding from her time in the Oxford Diocese and particularly from working with Mike Hill when he was a suffragen bishop in that diocese. A great team, both are very inspiring speakers.
The theme of the conference is releasing the potential. As you are aware local church communities consist predominately of Lay people. Readers are often key Lay leaders in those communities and are therefore in a good position to model to the wider church, the vast potential of the laity. However, we need to understand what we should model.
Theologian, Leith Anderson wrote, "While the New Testament speaks often about churches, it is surprisingly silent about many matters that we associate with church structure and life. There is no mention of architecture, pulpits, lengths of typical sermons, rules for having a Sunday school. Little is said about style of music, order of worship, or times of church gatherings. There were no bibles, denominations, camps, pastor’s conferences, or board meeting minutes (PCCs). Those who strive to be New Testament churches must seek to live its principles and absolutes, not reproduce the details." Italics mine.
Why does the New Testament say nothing about those things upon which we spend so much time and effort? Answer, they were not of primary importance then, and so is their importance overrated now? Most of those matters Leith Anderson mentioned (see above) will take care of themselves when what is of primary importance is addressed. So what are those primary New Testament principles and absolutes? Come to the conference and you will begin to discover the answer to that question.
In Acts 2 we have a glimpse of a particular New Testament church that experienced signs and wonders, that consisted of a community of believers who met together constantly and shared everything they had. They worshipped together each day in the Temple (i.e. in a non Christian public place and in view of the public); they met in homes for the Lord’s Supper and shared meals together. They praised God and the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
The local church is the hope for the world, and should therefore be concerned about people’s relationship with God and their eternal destiny. So why do so many people who claim to believe in God reject the church as we represent it? (Anglican Church regular attendance is about 1.4% of the population) Can we recover some of the dynamic of that early Jerusalem church? Local church has tremendous potential, but for a number of reasons that potential all too frequently is not fully or effectively released. Discovering how to release that potential is very significant and important, for every Reader.
The conference will be at the Carlton Hotel, Sandown, from 7.30 pm Friday 27th to 2 pm Sunday 29th January 2006. It is important for you, your local church, the diocese and those who live in your communities that you make every effort to be there, for what promises to be a significant and stimulating conference.
As you are probably aware our conferences are rated highly by those who have visited us in recent years from other dioceses, e.g. typical quote "this is light years ahead of anything in ……. diocese". The opportunity is there for you. In January 2006 by attending the conference you will be helped to release your potential, and be equipped to help others release their potential. When the potential is released then perhaps your local church will really be a hope for the world, or at least your community.
This particular conference is so significant, that your incumbent has been invited to attend on the Saturday. This will better provide you and your local church the opportunity to release the potential for God’s glory.
