Moments of Recognition
Towards the end of my favourite Bible story there is a telling moment. A couple, Cleopas and Mary, have been in conversation with a stranger they met on the road. They invite him to stay the night. As they are sit at table, the stranger breaks bread and gives thanks. “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.” (Lk 24:31) It is a moment of recognition. They realise it’s Jesus who has been with them.
I’m reminded of a conversation that I once had with a friend in a pub. This person really listened to me. They grasped the depth of what I was struggling with. I felt truly heard. As I travelled home, reflecting back, I realised that God had been present to me in my friend, showing attentive love. Just as, in retrospect, Cleopas and Mary recognised that God had been present with them, on their journey back from Jerusalem.
I wonder, as you look back, whether you realise that a conversation that you had with someone was more than just a casual exchange. It may have been a friend. It may have been a neighbour or a relative stranger. But your eyes were opened. In retrospect, you were able to recognise that God had been present to you, in and through the other person.
Let us find ways to be more attentive to how we might meet God among friends, neighbours and strangers who cross our paths. And through listening deeply to others amidst their struggles, perhaps we might offer a glimpse of God’s presence, as they look back on a conversation with us.
Revd Dr Alastair McKay, Executive Director
Inside this newsletter you will find:
- An update on our 2027 Reconciling Mission programme.
- A brief report from our first Flags, Englishness and the Church of England workshop held in Exeter Diocese.
- News on RI’s pilot work in Kenya.
- Details of two Dwelling in the Word balcony-view workshops in November.
Reconciling Mission 2027: Recruitment underway
We are now recruiting diocesan groups to form a new cohort for our revised Reconciling Mission programme to start in May 2027. Reconciling Mission is a continuing formation programme for small groups of clergy from different dioceses. The programme is a distinctive learning process which offers participants vision, capacity and practices for leading in mission and missional change:
- as a journey towards God’s preferred and promised future in reconciling all things,
- marked by public engagement in mission with local communities,
- drawing on the principles and practices of both the missional church and asset-based community development (ABCD).
Follow this link to read more about the Reconciling Mission programme or download our brochure here.
We asked former participants “what’s one word you’d use to describe the course residential?”
- Provocative
- Spiritual
- Empowering
- A banquet
- Enriching
New workshop: Flags, Englishness and the Church of England
Carey Haslam and Al Barrett, two of our Associates, have designed a workshop to help lay and ordained members of the church to have a safe conversation around a live topic. In September they had the opportunity to offer this workshop for a group from the Diocese of Exeter.
Many of us have struggled to find appropriate ways to respond in the current national unease that for some has manifested in displaying St George cross flags. This workshop provides a structured and safe space where participants can reflect on what this means for them and can explore how we enable diverse perspectives to be heard.
The workshop discussions focus on our identity, our sense of belonging and place, our history, and our faith. There is no attempt to offer easy solutions. Instead the workshop helps participants recognise that we must engage with the current context carefully, critically and theologically.
Carey said: “It was a real pleasure to work with the Exeter group. They were very open to exploring and reflecting on the complex issue of Flags, Englishness and the Church of England. Being able to stay curious and to understand and hold the nuances of these complex and inter-related issues is key to maintaining the connections in our communities.” Contact Carey Haslam for further information
Practical peacemaking in Kenya
At the end of October, Bishops and their spouses from the coastal Tsavo region of Kenya will gather for a residential Practical Peacemaking training course. This is designed to help participants navigate the complex realities of leadership in times of tension and conflict through a peacemaking training programme rooted in Christian faith, conflict transformation insights, and mutual learning.
The group will include the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Most Revd Jackson Ole Sapit, and the ACK Provincial Secretary, Rt Revd Prof. Joseph Galgalo, and their wives, along with the Bishops and their wives from the Dioceses of Kitui, Machakos, Malindi, Mombasa, Makueni, and Taita Taveta.
Meanwhile, RI is providing some ongoing support for participants in May’s training of trainers’ programme through online gatherings of an emerging community of practice.
Ven. Julius Njagi Kiura, of the Diocese of Kirinyaga, seen here with Rev. Fedis Nyagah earlier this year. Julius was part of the May training of trainers’ programme, and has been offering local training in better handling conflict for groups in his diocese.
Dwelling in the Word: balcony view online gatherings
Dwelling in the Word is a “faithful disruptive” missional practice where the Bible is read for discernment of God in community. It was introduced in the UK through the Partnership for Missional Church process and has now found a life of its own in many churches and the systems that support them, like dioceses. It has also been introduced to most of the Reconciling Mission programme participants during their initial residential.
From time to time it is helpful for practitioners to gain a “balcony view” on what is happening when communities practice it – not least because often there is serious resistance. So our Missional Change Lead, Nigel Rooms, will be leading two workshops in November to do exactly that. They will take place online and are on Wednesday, 11 November, from 7-9pm, and Tuesday, 17 November, from 2-4pm. Please contact Nigel Rooms for more information
Prayer requests
We welcome your prayers for Reconciliation Initiatives. In particular for:
- Raising a 6th cohort of diocesan groups to participate in next year’s Reconciling Mission programme.
- Effective delivery of the Practical Peacemaking training in late October for ACK Bishops and spouses from the coastal Tsavo region.
- Graduates of the Peacemaking Training of Trainers‘ course as they share their learning in their dioceses in the Mt Kenya region.
- The 5th cohort of Reconciling Mission participants, as they continue to take forward new missional thinking with their churches.
- The trustees and staff of RI as they discern plans and direction for 2027.
Thank you for remembering us in your prayers. May you be blessed as you join us in God’s reconciling work.
Grace and peace to you,
Revd Dr Alastair McKay, Executive Director
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