« Registration for the Diocesan Conference is open till Sunday, April 30th »
21-04-2023 
The Diocesan Conference is due to take place from May 26th - 28th, 2023 at the High Leigh Conference Centre, Hertfordshire. Registration is open until Sunday April 30th at www.sourozh-conference.org.
The Sourozh Diocesan Conference is an annual gathering of clergy and laity from Britain and Ireland. It was established in the 1970’s by the ever-memorable Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom). Each year there is a theme addressed by invited speakers and discussed by the participants. The Conference also provides a valuable opportunity for the members of our extensive diocese to meet one another face to face.
This theme of this year's Conference is '"Thy Kingdom come": the Church in the world but not of the world'.Our Lord taught us to pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God, for the will of God to be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven. In the Beatitudes, He gives us indications of how this may be accomplished : 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, the peacemakers, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are persecuted for righteousness ' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven '. He describes the Kingdom as the 'salt of the earth' or the 'leaven' that changes everything around it.
In the history of Christianity we see two contrasting approaches to fulfilling the Lord's command. On the one hand, the attempt to sanctify human society and culture, to bring it into a certain harmony with the Gospel: on the other hand, flight from the world to the 'desert', and the attempt to live strictly according to the Gospel precepts, usually in the context of monastic life in its various forms. The question of how to hold in balance a comprehensive and transforming engagement with the world, and a martyric and prophetic witness from the 'desert' remains, it seems, permanently open. The various theological, historical and cultural aspects of this vital theme will be explored in the presentations of our distinguished speakers as well in a series of workshops.
There will be a special children's programme for those aged 6 and over. As always, our common prayer and fellowship will be at the heart of the conference.
For further information and to register go to www.sourozh-conference.org