Category: Candidates’ Conference

  • Nuggets to ponder

    Many of the sessions at conference were worthy of note and I’ll probably be reflecting on some of them in due course. But here are some choice little nuggets from one session in particular. They’re probably somewhat paraphrased rather than accurate words and I offer no commentary, simply letting them stand as they are. The…

  • Endings and beginnings

    Yesterday marked the last day of my final candidates’ conference: today marks the beginning of probation. Endings and new beginnings are, I suppose, the very marks of a Christian’s story. That grand meta-narrative of scripture is a cycle of endings and new beginnings; enslavement and redemption, death and resurrection.

  • The good, the bad and the ugly

    Another conference done and dusted. This time, “Church and Society”. It was the usual mixed bag although I have to say this one was, I think, biased towards the better end of the spectrum. The Good Some very challenging and encouraging presentations on HIV/AIDS, working with children and work-life balance. The Bad The “you will…

  • Protected: 2 school services

    There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

  • A time to laugh

    There is a time for everything… … a time to weep and a time to laugh. It would seem that the task of training for ministry is a serious one – and none would deny it. But it seems that some candidates just don’t take their spiritual formation seriously enough. After all, every task must…

  • More blogging

    At the recent Candidates’ Conference, Ministries Council outlined their revised plans for the ongoing assessment part of the training. Candidates are now encouraged to continue journalling to record their thoughts on situations and challenges encountered during training. Many will continue using diaries and the like, and I will continue to blog my thoughts (nobody forces…

  • I’ll never be in a UPA

    … and other choice quotations (or should that be quotes?) from Candidates’ Conference. I’ve been away all week at my second Candidates’ Conference held at Gartmore. I am absolutely shattered but the week was really excellent. A bit of a mixed bag for the workshops – some really challenging ones and some that were a…

  • Candidates’ Conference Reflections – Disability

    David and Stewart have both been blogging about the Paralympics and both making similar points about the lack of coverage. I confess I haven’t watched any but then I didn’t watch the Olympics either – only what I’ve spotted on the BBC News website. But what’s that got to do with Candidates’ Conference? Well, one…

  • Candidates’ Conference Reflections – Presuppositions

    Sometimes the biggest thing that gets us into trouble, I would suggest, is presupposing a person’s position on something. Despite having been gently reminded of the dangers early in my field assessment, it’s still something which catches me out now and again (and again, and again). These pre-judgements are based on all sorts of factors…