Blackburn Diocesan Conference 2022

Matt Allen
17 November 2022

Last week, in the familiar setting of The Hayes Conference Centre, a number of us from Emmanuel attended the Blackburn Diocesan Conference centred around the Gospel of John. From the very beginning we were immersed into the drama of John’s gospel as we watched the story acted out on stage. This was a powerful moment where God’s presence was tangible and it set the tone for all that followed. A comment, made by one of the speakers on the second day, described perfectly the atmosphere and sense of expectancy when they said: “It’s like you have been to the wedding at Cana, and are excited because you are expecting to see more miracles”.

There was an engaging schedule with speakers such as Richard Bauckham, Debbie Lewer, Ruth Valerio, Anderson Jeremiah and our very own Dean, Michael Leyden. Worship in a broad variety of styles framed the talks and sessions, as we sought to renew ourselves in God’s love through Jesus Christ and deepen our faith and commitment.

Some of our students responded with these testimonials:

The conference was an amazing and thought provoking few days together exploring John’s gospel. Rachel Gardner’s keynote really encouraged me to think about how we present ourselves to young people. Do they see the real us, the not cool us that is real and raw? How can we share our faith that enables them to grow in their faith in Jesus and encounter life in all its fullness?…Another thing that stuck out for me in one of the workshops was teach heads to engage and hearts to change.

Tash

It was a real privilege to be part of the opening drama… I personally found that putting flesh on the words of a page gave new insight into the Gospel, hearing some of the most well known of Jesus words and realising that they were actually delivered more as a whisper than a proclamation. I was moved to tears as we walked off stage to the simple command: “Love one another”.

Stuart

Part of the acting troupe

I found the conference really inspiring in several ways. There was a feeling of being at a party, several times people commented on how much laughter there was. It really had a sense of joy and expectation of what God was up to in our midst and in our diocese…. the teaching and worship were spectacular. The musicians were inspirational and the variety of services reflected the breadth of our diocese beautifully.

Kathryn

What I noticed most though was that the spirit of excitement and enthusiasm was maintained even as the delegates were leaving the conference and heading back to their parishes. There is a definite sense that God is at work in our diocese, and the clergy/lay leaders in attendance displayed a constant and a genuine excitement and passion to be a part of that work. Despite the many hardships and frustrations which can come from ministry, there was true excitement and expectation that God would continue to work miracles in our churches and in our communities. I found it inspirational to be part of such a group.

Joe

The workshops were also very varied and valuable. The art / photography workshop gave me lots of ideas and appreciation of using more visual prompts for worship and study. The fellowship was fun and meeting clergy and lay people from many different places and backgrounds was both interesting and affirming.

Margaret

Our Conference Collect (below) petitioned God and found him to be be faithful in responding to what we asked throughout this time together.

Heavenly Father,
we thank you for the witness that your servant, John,
bore to the Word made flesh.
Through John’s teaching
may we abide in Christ,
be built up as members of his body,
and find life through his cross.
For he is alive and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit
one God, now and for ever.

Amen

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