Simon explains: I shall be reflecting on the lessons learned in accompanying refugees on both sides of the channel and especially the temptation to assume that we can fix things. More specifically, I will explore the temptations to not be a witness, to assume expertise we haven't got, and to misrepresent the situation to gain support for our cause. In particular, I shall reflect on the place of prayer in keeping this work rooted in the lives of those we are accompanying and resisting the evil that would see us doing good things for all the wrong reasons.
Simon has recently retired as vice-principle of Spurgeon’s College, and is involved with the AMN project Peaceful Borders, which works with refugees.
Anabaptists are often using their imagination in order to enter into creative ways to live out the beatitudes and walk the path of justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit in our current contexts. So the Jewish tradition of midrash meets Anabaptists in this creative space. In Judaism, tikkun olam means “repairing the world” through social action and spiritual engagements intended to bring about healing of our broken world. Writing a midrash is one of the ways to bring healing into a silence in scripture. After leading several group workshops on Midrash, it has become evident that this form of engagement enables transformative encounters with the living word and continues as we share and discuss our madrishim together. This seminar will explore the role of imagination and midrash as an anabaptist impulse toward participating in tikkun olam.
Sally, who lives in Sydney, is an experienced spiritual director and has written a book on Silence which was recently reviewed in Anabaptism Today. She and her husband Jim spent some time with the Anabaptist Network here in the UK in 2019.
We will be gathering together (in person) in Birmingham. Details and booking information can be found
here.
These meetings are all held via Zoom. Please download and read our Online Protocols document to understand how our meetings work.
