Just got back from a 2 day conference for UK Church Leaders entitled Vista Community. Based at The Oast Houses in Kent, which is a christian conference centre with a difference - the difference being great food, sauna, swimming pool and tennis court! Definitely reccomend the venue it is excellent.
Anyway Vista Community is nothing to do with Microsoft, it is just a bunch of friends who connect together through various friendships and want to spend time networking with each other and learning together.
Co-ordinated by Billy Kennedy amongst others we had an excellent time eating, drinking and chatting together with a couple of sessions to get us all thinking.
Roger Ellis ran a session on Monday evening looking at the history of the New Church movement since the 60's and asking the question of what next? It got me thinking about about church and the value I place on meeting together, which is really important - but how could and should it look in the future? Is there anything wrong in structure? To be a New Church do we have to be weird to ensure we are distinctive or can we just be brave enough to allow God's Spirit to work through us and see what direction he takes us in. Anyway, some food for thought!
Then we had the honour of the Bishop of Maidstone, Graham Cray this morning looking at the whole issue of Ministry (work?) / Life balance and how it is so important to "attend to ourselves". We talked about character and some practical tips on how to keep developing our character through long obedience and yielding ourselves to Christ. He also talked about having monthly quiet days and 3 month sabbaticals - sounds good to me!
It was great to be with friends and meet new ones, be challenged in our thinking and all in a great location with great food and a bottle of wine or two - God is good!
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