Clergy Conference

No Small Change 2008 Diocesan Clergy Conference The Hayes Conference Centre Swanwick Alfreton Derbyshire DE55 1AU 15th–18th September 2008

The 2008 Diocesan Clergy Conference is approaching, and here you will find the information that you need to know. This page will be updated regularly as details are confirmed, so do keep checking back for updates.

If there is anything that you need to know and cannot find the answer to here, please contact Helen Hickman at the Old Deanery at Helen.hickman@bathwells.anglican.org 

The Basics

Dates and times

Please plan to arrive at Swanwick, Derbyshire, between 2pm and 3.30pm on Monday 15th September 2008. The conference will finish with lunch on Thursday 18th September.

Accommodation

We intend to accommodate everyone in single room accommodation (except married couples of course!). Swanwick has improved its accommodation markedly in recent years.  As we have slightly more people than beds, a small number of people will be accommodated at a nearby Travelodge.

Special dietary or other requirements

If you have any concerns about accommodation, food, or other practical arrangements, please do contact Helen Hickman (email above).

Emergency contact

There is a phone number which can be used as a contact number in case of emergencies whilst you are at Swanwick. You may like to give it to those who may need it: 01773 526000 (7.30am - 11.30pm).

Site plan

A site plan of The Hayes Conference Centre is available for your reference.

The Conference

Theme

The conference picks up the Diocesan Changing Lives initiative and is intended to be a wholesome and refreshing time for all who attend, and a space to confer and make new friends in a few days of worship, mutual learning and relaxation.

Principal Speakers

John Abbott
President of the 21st Century Initiative – an international research organisation seeking to create a synthesis from the social and biological sciences on how humans learn. John Abbott speaks to those who are responsible for their nation’s educational policy all around the world and has a particular interest in recent insights in to the working of the human brain and the implications for adolescence.

Mark Williams
A distinguished academic and Non-Stipendiary Minister, mark Williams is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Wellcome Principal research fellow at Oxford University, interested in the interface of science and spirituality and author of The Psychology of Religious Knowing. He is also conducting important research in to the contemporary treatment of depression.

Paula Gooder
Now freelance, Paula Gooder was recently Bible Teacher at Queens, Birmingham. Paula will be leading Bible exposition and discussion on transformation texts.

Artists in Residence

Mandy Patterson and Anneke Kai will be both exhibiting their work and giving opportunities for conference participants to respond to the themes of the conference through visual art.

Programme

The programme will include a variety of workshop styles, films, Conference Fringe and entertainment. There will be over twenty practical workshops from which to choose, many repeated. We intend there to be plenty of time for conversations, meals and other spaces in the formal programme.

The Conference Planning Team

The Conference Planning Team, chaired by Edward Mason, comprises:

Bishop Peter (T)
Graham Dodds - Bible Studies and AV
Sue Greatorex & Veronica James - Creative Environment
Helen Hickman - Administration
Robin Lodge - Worship
Roger Medley & John Thorogood - Workshops
Steve Tilley - Welcome
Rod Corke - Fringe
Stephen Lynas - Cluster Groups