A Readers residential was held at the weekend with over 30 Licensed Lay Ministers from across the Diocese coming together at our diocesan retreat house, Holland House near Pershore. These gatherings allow time for fellowship and to connect with the Word and reflect on it together.
Commenting on why these weekends are important, Tracey Skidmore, LLM at Brierley Hill, said:
“It’s great to stay in an amazing place like this and come together with other people you don’t often see, to talk about faith and the bible from a perspective you don’t often get. I find it to be a top up of energy. You can get so caught up in parish life. This helps refocus you on what it’s really all for.”
During the weekend, those present explored the Prophets of the Old Testament, with Holland House Warden, Helen Stanton, leading five sessions on the topic.
Christine Knight from Kingswinford attended the residential for the first time and said:
“I’ve really enjoyed meeting together with the others and having time for fellowship. Everyone has been so friendly, and I’ve found the insights Helen has shared very interesting.”
Charles Morgan from the Halas Team in Halesowen said:
“The sessions have been fascinating so far. I always think it’s a good sign when I leave with more questions than I came with! We’re looking at the Prophets and what prophecy means. It made me wonder where the dividing line is between a saint and a prophet, a point I’m still pondering!”
“We’ve also been discussing how prophets are often actually identified by other people and not the person themselves and perhaps the most important people are those that included these stories in our Bible, so we still hear about the Prophets today.”
He added:
“I really welcome these weekends. It’s wonderful to get together with the other Readers, and gain a different perspective, you can learn so much from each other. The socialising is really important too; it helps build the bonds to support each other as we all go on this journey together.”
Please continue to pray for our LLMs and that this weekend will prove to be refreshing and fruitful, assisting them with the important work they do across the diocese.
