Annual  Justice and Peace Conference 

19-21 July 2019

The Hayes Conference Centre,  Swanwick

National Justice and Peace Network with Church Action on Poverty

Forgotten People,
Forgotten Places;
finding church on the margins 

Confirmed speaker;

 Keith Hebden:

Urban Theology Unit:   http://utusheffield.org.uk/

Conference Chair;

John Battle 

Former Labour MP

Chair, Leeds Diocese Justice and Peace Commission

Pope Francis calls us to be ‘… a Church which is poor and for the poor’.  Such language, however, can be problematic, objectifying people in poverty and robbing them of agency.  To be a poor Church calls us to commit ourselves to be with those on the margins as equal partners, enabling them to find their own solutions to the issues they face.  But is this where the Churches are choosing to be?

Conference 2019 will work with Church Action on Poverty who are undertaking a three year project on Church of the Poor which will promote mission, theological activity and social action with people who have been pushed to the margins of society by poverty.

Church Action on Poverty looks to support and build churches that:

  • are interested in building the kingdom, not growing the church;
  • listen attentively to voices from the margins and work to be visibly present to the community around them (especially ‘those who don’t sit in the pews on Sundays’);
  • expect to be challenged and changed by their neighbours, especially by people on the margins;
  • put an emphasis on sharing food and hospitality;
  • are hungry and thirsty for justice.

Conference 2019 will hear from ‘communities of praxis’ who are already involved in the project, and engage in social analysis and theological reflection from the perspective of those on the margins.

Save the date, perhaps we’ll see you there! 

       

Conference Reports