We Together is our diocesan biennial family reunion. It's an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and a time to make new ones. Together we learn about, pray about and share what God is up to in our lives, strengthening ourselves, as the diocese of islands and inlets, for the journey God is calling us to.
We are very excited about this year's conference, which will provide space to consider our role in building the peaceable kingdom imagined and longed for in scripture.
The conference will begin with a wine and cheese reception (cash bar), followed by a keynote address on Friday evening. On Saturday two keynote addresses will be complemented by two opportunities for attendees to take part in small group workshops exploring topics such as: peacemaking through art, peacemaking with children, finding inner peace, songs of protest & songs of peace, non-violent resistance and more.
ABOUT OUR KEYNOTE
Pádraig Ó Tuama is a poet, theologian and conflict mediator from Ireland. From 2014-2019 he was the leader of the Corrymeela Community, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation community. His published work incorporates poetry (Readings from the Book of Exile; Sorry for your Troubles), prose (In The Shelter) and theology.
A profoundly engaging public speaker, Ó Tuama has worked with groups to explore story, conflict, their relationship with religion and argument, and violence. His work is marked both by lyricism and pragmatism, with an ethic of evoking stories and participation from attendees at his always-popular lectures, retreats and events.
Ó Tuama has been a featured guest on On Being with Krista Tippett twice, and is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio on topics such as Religion in the public square, Loneliness, Conflict and Faith, LGBT inclusion, Reparative Therapy and the value of the Arts in public life.
Ó Tuama’s theological interests span his concerns with violence, language and poetics: using biblical texts, he explores the civic and artistic dynamics of language, narrative and impact. Most recently he has published a widely acclaimed essay on Celtic Spirituality in Lutterworth Press’ volume “Neither here nor there; the many voices of Liminality” (2019, Tim Carson ed., introduced by Barbara Brown Taylor)
He holds a BA Div validated by the Pontifical College of Maynooth, an MTh from Queen’s University Belfast and is currently engaged in a PhD in Theology through Creative Practice exploring poetry and the bible. In addition to these qualifications, Ó Tuama has numerous professional accreditations in conflict and group mediation.
SCHEDULE
September 27, Friday Evening
6:00-6:45pm Registration, Wine and Cheese Reception
7:00-8:00pm Keynote—Peace Hurts: The practice of We and Together
September 28, Saturday
8:00-8:30am Coffee & registration
8:40-9:00am Opening prayer and welcome—Bishop
9:00-10:00am Keynote—Grief and the Gospel: People of pain in the presence of God
10:00-10:30am Coffee break
10:30-11:45am Workshops:
- Everything Will Live Where the River Flows—Jasmin O’Brian
- Painting the Timbers White: How interfaith temples foster community —Tara Saracuse
- The Wide Plains of My Peace—Christopher Page
- Borders and Belonging in the Book of Ruth—Pádraig Ó Tuama
12-12:45pm Lunch
1:00-2:15pm Workshops
- Art and Empathy—Cornelia van Voorst
- Dismantling Racism—Patrick Sibley
- Do you Hear the People Sing?—Logan McMenamie
- People Building Peace: Stories from frontline filmmaking—Brad Leitch
2:30-3:30pm Keynote—The Gospel of Encounter: Paying attention to the power of human engagement
3:30-3:45pm Sending