Labs

Monday – Joshua Luke Smith – I am a Temple

“Did you not know… You are a Temple of the Holy Spirit? You are not your own”. (Corinthians 6:19) This question, penned thousands of years ago has the power to transform the way we define our humanity. These ancient words are a call to revolution, the manifesto of a resistance, the witness that the Divine is using us, yes us, in all our contradiction, confusion and chaos, to rebuild what the empire tore down. We are the Temple, the evidence that God’s presence is not afraid of the trenches, that hope will have the last word and every moment matters. This workshop will equip, empower and challenge us to live like every moment matters, we’ll create a unique manifesto for our lives and explore how we can use our voice, the work of our hands and every part of our life to change the world around us.

Tuesday – Jo Herbert & Andy Flannagan – Boring God

In our worship, do we bore God by only connecting with some aspects of his character, those we find palatable? How can we be so sure he wants what we offer? Are we missing out, and is the world poorer for it? How can our feet be in the dirt and our hands in the air, as the words we use catch up with our actions? Join singer-songwriter Andy Flannigan & advocate Jo Herbert’s ongoing, practical conversation about fully stepping into worship and justice.

Wednesday – Tearfund Advocacy Team – Becoming Modern-day Prophets

How can we be modern-day prophets, challenging injustice and offering hope amidst brokenness? What is the place of the church as we see growing inequality and environmental breakdown? It’s hard and sometimes dangerous, but how do we speak up and offer hope for the future? This practical workshop will help us consider how we, as the church, can speak boldly and live prophetic lives in our world.

Monday
Joining Forces to Eradicate Slavery. Pipe Dream or Possibility? – Christian Guy
The UN has set an objective to end slavery by 2030 – to which the church, so often at the forefront of the fight, says a hearty amen!  But to hit the target, 9,000 victims will have to be freed every day and the flow of children being trafficked halted.  It will take a mammoth effort – one in which churches, Governments, businesses, individuals, police and others work together.  Possible or just a pipeline dream? Let’s discuss…

Tuesday
Details coming soon!

Wednesday
Details coming soon!

Monday
Understanding revelatory components of prophecy – John Scott
Understanding the revelatory components that make up the gift of prophecy namely word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, distinguishing of spirits and prophecy.in this session we will look at how each gift interacts with the others.

Tuesday
Exploring the seer dimensions of prophecy – John Scott
Exploring the seer dimension of prophecy ” all seers are prophets, but not all prophets are seers”. In this session we will explore making sense of what you see.

Wednesday
Three stages of prophetic ministry – John Scott
In this session we will explore the three stages that prophecy passes through to fulfilment.

Monday
Leadership with Ele and John Mumford
Ministry is meeting the needs of others with the resources of God.” So why would we not want to get good at it ? Jesus modelled how understandable and teachable his methods were, but also that they were transferable and do-able. For a generation of activists this should be music to our ears and put a new spring in our steps, as we commandeer those resources and seek to meet those needs. 

Tuesday
Investing for Change with James Thomas
In his day job, James Thomas has bought, developed and sold companies. His firm’s investments have included Jimmy Choo and Radley.  In his spare time, he’s been a driving force behind anti-human trafficking organisation Justice and Care which he continues to chair. In this leadership lab, James will be speaking to Mike Andrea about how his head for business has shaped his approach to charity and the impact that’s had at Justice and Care.


Wednesday
Your Challenge is Leading Yourself – Simon Benham
The hardest person you will ever have to lead is yourself. Get it right and you can flourish whatever other challenges you face. Get it wrong and you’re on a road to disappointment, disillusionment and burnout. 

Monday
Anonymity and Secret Formation – Miriam Swaffield
Jesus’s twenties were anonymous carpentry. How do we grow in times of obscurity, when we feel like we are waiting, living in the tension of life not being all we think it could be, and how could the secret life be the secret to fullness of life? 

Tuesday
Christian Meditation, Mindful Contemplation and the Inner Path of Gratitude – Maggie Ellis
Our non-church friends and colleagues are getting better than us at meditating! This session will combine teaching and practise of Christian meditation that drops your brain waves from busy brain to creative brain. You will learn single focus contemplation, mindful gratitude and emotion focused meditation. It creates a healthy mind,  aids regenerative  sleep, gives skills through which to hear from God and tap into your inherent ability for insight and creative thinking. As you are guided through experiencing these different forms of meditation, Maggie will help us understand the differences and overlaps between Christian and other forms of meditation. 

Wednesday
Building Strong Families – Ness Wilson
Family life presents the greatest challenges and the greatest rewards. There’s nothing else that affects our emotions quite as deeply as how our family is doing. What can we do to build a strong, resilient, fun and flourishing family life? Let’s share our experiences and best ideas with each other.

Monday
The Problem with Power – Adam Dyer
Looking at the gospel of Mark to understand both the problem with Power in our culture, our systems and our faith, and also how we handle power well.

Tuesday
Music can change the world – Jake Isaac
Looking at the how our music & creativity can bless, heal, and help people beyond the four walls of the church.

Wednesday
Plastic Planet – Jo Herbert-James

Unpacking Theology with Westminster Theological College

Monday
The Character of God the Father
Dr Matt Lynch will talk about the character of God the Father as revealed in the Old Testament.

Tuesday
The Life and Identity of God the Son
Dr Lucy Peppiatt will lead us in a session on the dynamic life and identity of God the Son.

Wednesday
The Politics of Life with God the Holy Spirit
Dr Stephen Backhouse will lead us through the Kingdom implications of a Holy Spirit life. 

Understanding Revival with Mark Sayers

Monday – The foundations of renewal
Throughout history God grows and strengthens his church through renewals, revivals and awakenings. What are the foundational building blocks of a move of God and why may this cultural moment be ripe for renewal?

Tuesday – Renewal and you
The beginning  of renewal starts with a ripe moment, a ready God and individuals with a holy discontent and heavenly hunger. How can you participate in what God wishes to do next.

Wednesday – Remnants and When Renewal goes Viral
Renewals are birthed out of remnants, small groups of people who come together to partner with God is his next great move. Then at a key moment the move breaks beyond the remnant and renewal goes viral, resulting in revival. How can we build remnants for God’s next renewal.

A Working Theory of Change with John Mark Comer

Monday – A working theory of change Pt. 1
How do we change to become more like Jesus and our real, true self? Why is it so many of us feel stuck in our maturity? Could it be we’ve bought into some myths and misconception around change? In this lab series, we explore the world of spiritual formation – the process by which we are formed into the image of Jesus. In the first lab, we give an overview of spiritual formation as a whole, and then explore “Unintentional Spiritual Formation” – how we change simply by waking up in the morning and going about our day. 

Tuesday – A working theory of change Pt. 2
We continue our exploration of spiritual formation, and attempt to answer the question, How do we change? We uncap “Intentional Spiritual Formation” – the counter intuitive movement of Jesus away from dysfunction toward health and wholeness.

Wednesday – A working theory of change Pt. 3 
We end our overview of spiritual formation with the idea of active and passive spirituality. Active, the practices we “do” to make space for God to transform us. Most of us get that intuitively. But passive spirituality is just as – if not more – important. How do we welcome the invitations of Jesus in our life? And allow him to transform us in our pain? Not just rescue us out of it?