Overview
Date: 16 & 17 June 2023
Times: 09h00 – 16h00
Venue: Langa Baptist Church
Cost: R200 per person (includes lunches)
Come and be inspired, equipped and connected to work for God’s peace and justice in our cities over the next 100 years. Together, we will be listening to God through each other, the world around us and God’s Word towards inspired action through churches and Jesus-followers in our world.
Programme
Friday: Listening & discerning with Jesus for our cities
Saturday: Acting justly with Jesus for our cities
Social Analysis: Describing & examining our contexts
God has painted, through scripture, a picture of a world based on peace and justice, a biblical picture that is called shalom. Similarly, Biblical narratives, especially the prophets and the words of Jesus also provide social analysis of the context of their times.
As we gather, worship and connect with God and each other in this first session, we will name what looks like God’s picture of a just world and what does not.
During this session, our voices will be heard and together will paint the picture of our contexts. Through this active participation, effective tools will be shared and learned that equip us for scripture-inspired social analysis in our own churches, communities and contexts.
Theological Reflection: Reading the Word in our contexts
All Scripture has been born out of specific historical contexts: local geographical spaces, places, political situations and lands. It was written by and about people, communities and societies. When readers of the Word do not connect with the social contexts of scripture (the world behind the Word) we miss some critical clues for the work of peace and justice in our current contexts. When we read with a deeper contextual understanding of the Word, we are able to see the lines of connection between our world and the world of the Word.
During this session we will dive into a piece of scripture together for a deeply contextual reading of the Word and apply it to the contexts we described and analysed in the first session of today.
Co-planning for Action: building collaborative partnerships in our contexts
During day one of the gathering, we will have listened and discerned with each other and God and painted a picture of our world in light of God’s Word. Themes will have emerged that, in this session, we will dive deeper into according to our special interests and passions.
Break away groups will be formed around these themes and be led in action-orientated methodology for ongoing connection, networking and action in our context around the theme.
Groups will have a variety of ways of sharing these ideas, plans and next steps – including feedback to the full gathering, engagement on social media, sign up spaces for further networking and sharing of resources.
Equipping for Action: Practical tools for our contexts
Rooted in two decades of work with churches and communities in our context, The Warehouse team and several of our partners, have identified key areas that Churches and Jesus followers need for being well equipped for the work of peace and justice building in our contexts. In this final session of the gathering, we will move into break – out workshop electives for a deep-dive into several of these available trainings. Participants will be able to attend one of these and each elective will be recorded and made available on YouTube.
The programme will be interspersed with communal worship that centers the gathering on God and God’s peace and justice for the world.
Equipping for Action: Breakaway groups
Churches reading the Word in the world for the world:
During this gathering we have followed a method of scripture reading called “Contextual Bible Study” – an action-orientated way of approaching scripture with commitments towards building the peace and justice of God for our world.
In this session, you will be introduced to the full methodology and how to read the Word in the world together for social transformation.
Facilitator: Caroline Powell
Sustainable leaders for sustainable Churches and Communities:
The majority of priests, pastors and Christian leaders in our cities minister in the context of injustice, inequality and trauma. This session will explore the many aspects of life (relationships, financial, physical and mental health, ministry plans and vision) that need to be tended to in the life of a leader in order to build sustainability and radical resilience in them and their communities.
Facilitator: Luthando Tofu
The Church as a site of liberation?
Engaging with our past for a liberative future.
South African church history is rich with many examples of individuals and collectives doing the work of deep reflection and imaginative action towards enabling the church to be a site of liberation. In this breakout session, we will engage with and reflect on some of this history to see what lessons it may have for us for being the church today.
Facilitator: Thandi Gamedze
eKasi theologies for a just world:
Ekasi theologies offer a unique and powerful approach to theological discourse and practice that prioritizes the experience and perspective of all marginalized communities.
In this session, you will be introduced to the history and future hopes of this emerging school of theological reflections and action and be given the opportunity to explore what it looks like to explore eKasi theologies in your own contexts.
Facilitator: Zenzile Molo
Disaster-ready Churches & Communities:
In the context of vast inequality, disasters of all kinds affect the most economically vulnerable people in our cities. Churches are located in every neighbourhood of our cities and when well equipped and connected for disaster response are able to make a real difference at a time when disaster hits. In this session you will be introduced to the steps a church can take towards being disaster ready and becoming part of a networked coalition of churches that work together.
Facilitator: Lester Sedras
Trauma-informed Churches & Communities:
Living with the effects of continuous loss, grief and trauma influences the way that individuals, communities and the whole of society are able to function. Our minds, bodies and spirits are created to cope in different ways to these effects, but we also live in contexts of unnatural levels of trauma. Churches and Jesus followers are well positioned to be equipped to help their communities understand and tend to themselves in the context of trauma.
In this session you will be given an entry-level understanding of the effects of trauma and how churches can become places of healing and hope in the midst the city.
Facilitator: Colleen Saunders
Churches listening & discerning together for a just world:
If we believe that
- God is already working to bring restoration in the world,
- that God is constantly revealing this restorative work to us,
- that revelation of God’s activity and presence is given to and through the Body and
- that our fundamental work as believers is to discern and align to God’s activity and presence in our communities and contexts
how do we nurture our congregations and communities to do this work together?
The Warehouse has explored various practices, processes & postures for Corporate Listening & Discernment (CLAD) over the years. We’d love to share some of what we have learned with you.
Facilitator: Wendy Lewin