You may have noticed that things have changed a bit in the blog recently. In our effort to diversify the contributors– and we really hope you’ve been enjoying the different voices – we have settled into a new pattern. In the first and second weeks of the month we continue to hear from our usual core writing team, Richard & Paul; on the third week we hear from one of our Associates; and then on the fourth week we hear from one of our staff team.
But what about fifth Thursdays, like today? Well, on them (which happen about 4 times a year) we want to share with you where we are seeing God at work in and around the ministries of Living Leadership - what we are praising him for and what we are praying about going forward. We hope this is an encouragement to you too.
Refreshing leaders and spouses in Hertfordshire and the Lakes
At the start of this month, we had the joy of gathering with around 200 leaders and spouses across three Pastoral Refreshment Conferences (two in the Lakes, run in partnership with Keswick Ministries, and one in Hertfordshire).
At Pastoral Refreshment Conferences we try to create a place for leaders and spouses to be able to rest, reflect and receive from the Lord. Some people come feeling worn out or discouraged and is our hope that they can find a space where they can exhale and experience rest and encouragement, others come as part of a healthy rhythm of refreshment that they have built into their life.
Like most conferences, at PRCs we have a theme and this year’s was “The Way of Wisdom”. At the Central (Hertfordshire) Conference the teaching was brought by Peter Comont, a pastor from Oxford, and at the Lakes the teaching was brought by Ian Coffey, Baptist Minister and Lecturer at Moorlands College. One of the things that was really appreciated by many delegates was Peter and Ian’s honesty in sharing their own experiences of leadership and faith, both the ups and the downs, and the practical nature of their teaching.
The “secret sauce” of PRC has little to do with us as the organisation running it: It is always such a joy to hear of how the Lord uses the conferences to meet people in a variety of different ways as he speaks to them through his word, as they reflect and pray with other delegates and the pastoral care teams and as they take time to be physically replenished.
Here’s what some delegates said about this year's conferences:
“PRC is when I come up to breathe and a spiritual MOT. That now I’ve discovered it, I never want to stop going. It feels like a lifeline” – PRC Central Attendee
“A beautiful location, wonderful worship, great teaching and authentic, vulnerable fellowship all combined to provide real refreshment for this thirsty soul” - PRC Lakes Attendee
As in all things, we also want to continue to grow these Conferences to be as helpful as possible to as many leaders and spouses as possible, so if you are a recent delegate (or interested person), we’d love to hear your feedback on what else we can do to make the conferences a welcoming and supportive an environment. Do get in touch – info@livingleadership.org
Looking ahead: Refreshment Days
With nine spring Refreshment Days and two Autumn Refreshment Days currently open for booking (with more to come), we are looking forward to a year ahead of being able to support more leaders and spouses to receive pastoral care and refreshment.
This is especially a cause for celebration for us, as it marks a growth in the regions of the country we have been able to support. We are especially excited to host our inaugural Refreshment Day in the North East of England and further establish Days in other regions.
We acknowledge that for a variety of reasons, Pastoral Refreshment Conferences are not viable options for some so it is our hope and prayer that the shorter Day format will still be an oasis for leaders and spouses, and that the Lord will be at work mightily to comfort and encourage his people.
We’d love it if you could join us in praying for this work, and maybe even join us at a Day near you. Find out more: www.livingleadership.org/days
Looking ahead: Growing our team
We are currently looking to appoint a part-time Ministries Administrator. If you are reading this before March 2nd, do direct anyone you think might be a good fit to our website: www.livingleadership.org
This role marks a small restructuring of our team, but we hope it will enable us to continue to serve more leaders and spouses in the coming years.
We are also overjoyed to be further expanding our Associates Network, with four more associates due to come on board in the next few weeks (and a few more in conversation). This is particularly exciting as this increases the number of Associates we have in Yorkshire and the North of England, as well as increasing the overall capacity of the Network to support leaders and spouses.
Please do pray for our team at this time of growth and change – that the Lord may lead the right people to be able to support leaders and spouses to the best of our ability.
Find out more about our growing team: www.livingleadership.org/our-people
For more updates on the work of Living Leadership, you can sign up to our main "update" mailing list: www.livingleadership.org/subscribe