Please join us for the annual service of Licensing and admission of new Readers and renewal of Reader Vows.

Run by Chichester Diocese, as part of the Black History Month Celebration, this Study Day will equip you to preach on racial justice in your churches.

This Conference, open to all who are interested in rural mission and ministry (lay or ordained), will provide both encouragement and inspiration, as well as practical ideas and advice, on how the rural churches and communities we represent can be faithful and flourishing. Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford (and former Bishop of Lewes), will give a Keynote Address and facilitate discussion on the encouragements, challenges and opportunities of being the rural church. While Jeremy Kerswell, the Principal of Plumpton, will give a presentation on the College’s vision: ‘People, Place and Purpose’ - which resonates with what is important to most rural Communities. There will be an opportunity to visit the working farm at Plumpton College. £30 covers refreshments on arrival, buffet lunch. Email: Gary.Cregeen@chichester.anglican.org If cost is an issue, contact the Rural Officer.

A day of rest & nourishment for mind, body, and soul. Your feedback last year demonstrated how much you enjoyed one another’s company, so our 2024 Wellbeing Day is designed to give you time to relax, connect, and consider together the correlation between our relationships and wellbeing.

Planning for Retirement Day, for Diocese of Chichester Clergy & Partners. This is an event aimed at Clergy who are within 5 years of retirement.

According to the Scriptures: How the Bible became Doctrine. Led by The Revd Canon Dr Earl Collins. In this last seminar on the New Testament before we begin the Year of Faith, we will consider how Christian teaching emerged out of Holy Scripture. We will examine especially how the doctrines of Christ and his work, the Holy Trinity, grace, and the sacraments are rooted in the biblical texts as they were taken up by the Church in prayer, worship and witness. Zoom detail will be provided nearer the event. Image with kind permission of Revd Jane Willis.

Living Faith is for lay Christians to find and develop their gifts and explore what discipleship and calling means for them. The course is a blend of input from speakers and group work facilitated by a lay mentor.

Led by The Revd Canon Dr Earl Collins. Based as it is on Holy Scripture, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (fruit of two councils) which we use regularly at the Eucharist, is the key summary of Christian faith. This seminar will look at how we got the Creed, what its shape tells us about how God has revealed himself, and how it summarises developing Christian doctrine in the crucial years between the first and second general councils of the Church (325AD-381AD). Image from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository.

Led by The Revd Canon Dr Earl Collins. This seminar will consider how the Early Church in its worship and witness understood the coming of Christ as the unique manifestation of God’s mystery. Drawing on biblical and liturgical sources it will look at Christ’s manifestation in the ‘three great wonders’ of Epiphanytide: his revelation to the Magi, baptism in the Jordan, and transformation of water into wine at Cana. The aim will be to sharpen our contemplative focus on Christ as the revealed ‘Image of the invisible God’ (Colossians 1.15). Zoom detail will be confirmed nearer the time. Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

Led by The Revd Canon Dr Earl Collins. Clergy often approach their Trinity Sunday sermon with some trepidation: how to explain that three supposedly equals one? Yet a biblically based presentation of the Mystery of the Trinity and the Creed – not as a problem but as a mystery revealed to be adored - should proclaim the heart of our faith: God creating, saving, and transforming the world through his Son and Holy Spirit, thus inspiring prayer and worship. We will look at some ways in which the revealed Mystery of the Trinity can be communicated using the resources of Holy Scripture and worship. Zoom detail will be confirmed nearer the event. Photo by By AnonMoos, Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository.

Led by The Revd Buff Stone, Diocesan Environment Officer, for Chichester Diocese. The Climate and Environmental Crisis is the issue of our age. We start with the foundation training from the national church to enable us to explain the science of what is happening and the theology of why Christians should be part of the solution. As Christians, we offer hope for a world in turmoil. In the afternoon session we take a deeper look at the theology of creation.

Led by The Revd Jules Middleton. The afternoon session of 'An Introduction to Eco Theology and the Climate Crisis', we take a deeper look at the theology of creation. The Climate and Environmental Crisis is the issue of our age. As Christians, we offer hope for a world in turmoil. The session will be a 1 hour presentation, with time for group work and discussion.

Led by The Revd Canon Dr Earl Collins. Knowledge of the Church Fathers (Syrian, Greek, and Latin) shows that their vision of salvation was much wider than the sometimes narrow understanding that prevailed in western Christianity in later centuries. Drawing on the teaching of specific Fathers this seminar will show that in addition to considering redemption from sin, the patristic vision saw salvation as entailing much more: the glorification of the cosmos through sharing in the divine life revealed in Christ and given to us in the Spirit. Zoom detail will be confirmed nearer the event. Photo source https://www.pallasweb.com/deesis/hagia-sophia-thessaloniki.html

Led by The Revd Canon Dr Earl Collins. Western theology has often been described as a ‘footnote to St. Augustine.’ Building on the foundations of Nicene faith, he was the preeminent Church Father for all later western traditions, Catholic and Protestant. Yet such a towering figure cast a very big shadow. This seminar will look at the highs and lows of Augustine’s influential theology, from the Trinity to predestination. It will aim to show that while Augustine’s reputation is justly deserved, the Church has always received his insights critically. Zoom detail will be confirmed nearer the event.

Led by The Revd Canon Dr Earl Collins. The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed massively clarified the Church’s understanding of God’s revelation but was also often under attack. Some of its chief defenders were monks, who recognised that its teaching about God has profound implications for a Christian vision of contemplative prayer. We will look at several traditions of monastic prayer (Evagrius, Pseudo-Macarius, and Augustine), to demonstrate how the monks contemplated the mystery of God expressed in the Creed. *Venue may change depending on number of bookings. Photo sourced from freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/praying