ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE |
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Exarchate of Parishes
of Russian |
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| EPISCOPAL VICARIATE OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND | ||
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‘Life in Christ’ Annual Conference of the Episcopal Vicariate
The annual conference was held at All Saints Pastoral Centre near St Albans, which once more proved an excellent venue. Archbishop Gabriel was able to be with us throughout, and his presence was much appreciated by the hundred and twenty or so participants, some of whom came as day visitors. Here we give a personal account of the conference by Joanna Robins who was chrismated in Keswick last year. As the texts of the conference talks become available we will post them on the website. Meanwhile a collection of photos taken by Deacon Peter Scorer is available at Joanna was not at any of the conference workshops, so there are reports on some of the workshops here To read the talks that are available on the site, follow the links Joanna’s account: This was my first conference – and I loved it. I was looking forward to meeting Archbishop Gabriel and other people in the Vicariate. I had already met Bishop Basil who visited our community and ordained Father John, and also helped me to choose the music for our daily Vespers and Matins in Keswick. We all met for supper and gathered in the conference hall to be greeted by Archbishop Gabriel, who greeted us and introduced Bishop Basil’s talk, ‘Christ in the Gospels: Martha and Mary’. We moved to the Chapel for prayer, followed by refreshments, before retiring for the night.
After coffee we heard Freke de Graaf’s testimony to the Christian struggle in the face of acute suffering, which was outstanding. In it she talked about her experiences working in a hospice in Russia and how the writings of Metropolitan Anthony helped her. We were summoned to the sunny courtyard for the group photo before enjoying another delicious hot meal accompanied by salads. I watched a very interesting film about Metropolitan Antony, ‘The Apostle of Love’. After tea, a number of different workshops and discussion groups were on offer, but at this point I went to my room to rest as my energy levels were low. After supper we attended the Vigil service in the Chapel. It was great to see Archbishop Gabriel and Bishop Basil singing in the choir. Then we all prayed Vespers together in the chapel. After supper there was a party with songs and dances from a number of different cultures. We started Monday with Matins in the chapel and after breakfast we heard a talk by Deacon Peter Scorer, all about deacons, and from which I learnt a lot. Finally there was a panel discussion with many contributions from the audience.
The conference ran smoothly due to the expertise of Lisa von Schlippe and her team – though we were evacuated from the building twice – once after midnight – as the fire alarm had gone off! During my time at the conference, I was taken out of the world for a few precious days to listen to matters of the Church and of the heart and to sing Vespers, Matins and the Divine Liturgy. I felt profoundly close to God. Everyone was so kind to me and by the end of the conference I was chatting for an hour at mealtime. As the days went by I made new friends and relaxed more and more as I listened to inspiring and educational talks. Joanna Robins |
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The conference committee had taken into account all the feedback from last year, and produced a timetable which was as stimulating as ever, but allowed for space in the day, and many people commented on the relaxed atmosphere that this achieved. Special thanks are due to them, and to Karin Greenhead, chair of the committee, as well as to Anne-Marie de Visser who not only conducted the choir for all the services, but also ran a workshop on Church singing.
On arrival at All Saints Pastoral Centre we were kindly shown directly to our rooms; mine overlooked the beautiful grassy courtyard. We were given a list of participants and there were eighty-three names on it, although this did not include everyone present. 
Saturday began with a beautiful Matins service. After breakfast there was a talk by Costas Carras entitled 
Later in the morning Father John Breck gave a talk entitled ‘Communing with God in Christ’. And then there was space for people to give news of things going on around the Vicariate. In the afternoon I listened to a talk about St Gregory’s Foundation, given by Sarah Denis. Discussions and workshops followed (which I missed again!). .jpg)