Bookings are now open for the Diocesan Lay Conference, Together in Faith, which will bring together more than 1600 participants from across the diocese.
'Together in Faith' , the first diocesan-wide conference for lay people in the Diocese of Leeds, will take place on Saturday 9 June 2018 at the Harrogate Convention Centre and is designed to support church members and boost their efforts to live out their faith in parishes, schools and workplaces.
Keynote speakers include the head of the Church Army, Mark Russell, and the Bishop of Dorking, the Rt Revd Jo Bailey-Wells, Cal Bailey (ex-Director of Sustainability, NG Bailey) and Kate Nicholas (author of Sea Changed).
A full programme of 'self-select- sessions' will be led by both the speakers above and others such as David Runcorn, the Bishop of Bradford Toby Howarth, Denis Alexander, and Paul Hackwood. See the full programme here
Each parish is being asked to send between two to six delegates, chosen for their potential to play a leading role in parish life, for their strong interest in relating faith to daily life or because they are already engaged in church-based ministry.
Register for the Lay Conference here
Together in Faith will also be the launch pad for new ways of supporting and training lay ministers. Director of Ministry and Mission, Canon Andrew Norman, says that plans being developed will aim to offer training and support for many different forms of lay ministry. “The Lay Conference is going to be a really exciting day in itself, but it also marks a new and exciting chapter for Lay Ministry across the diocese.”
Extra places will be available for four young people (aged 14-17) per deanery and for people with disabilities or who are BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnicity), in line with national efforts to increase inclusion and encourage diversity.
Full information is available online at www.leeds.anglican.org/lay-conference