‘Psst!’ says the voice, catching our attention. Curious, we turn to see where it’s coming from, but it keeps on moving, just on the edges of our awareness. Who does the voice belong to? What would we hear if we stopped long enough to pay attention? What might unfold if we did? And what might change?

Hearing voices – it’s something we associate with madness – or mysticism. But hearing voices – particularly those that people discount, discard, dismiss or disown – is central to the work of pastor, social worker, politician, counsellor, priest, spiritual director or social activist. Not all voices are easy to hear, though, and we have to give conscious attention to the quiet ones, the off-centre ones, the ones that unsettle us, the ones that we suppress – both in others and within ourselves. And then there’s that still, small voice which keeps on saying ‘Psst!’ just when we thought we’d got everything sorted…

The 2010 Continuing the Journey conference invited us to stop for a week and look and listen to hear who’s talking

Chairs:  Ruth Dormandy & Ruth Layzell

Speakers:
* Margaret Silf - Ears to hear
Intro - Talk - Q&A

* John Bell - The still small voice of what?
Talk - Q&A

* Isabel Clark - Voices beyond the threshold  (Slides - opens in new window)
Intro - Talk - Q&A

* Bill Bazely - Lost in translation (Slides - opens in new window)
Intro - Talk - Q&A

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2008 Touch and Go: connecting in a fragmented world


the conference explored what happens between and within people, when they encounter each other and God in our broken world. In a range of ways, the conference  addressed what it means to be 'enfleshed' as human beings, how our physical experience shapes us, and how we touch one another- touch which has such potential to be creative, healing and playful and yet can be so painful and damaging. We considered what the mystery of the incarnation may have to say to us as we get in touch with the gift of an embodied God who wasn't afraid, to 'touch' and 'go' in his encounters, his healing ministry and his suffering.

Chairs: Ruth Dormandy & Giles Charrington

Speakers:
Sophie Hacker – Touch and Go, engaging the gaze mp3
engaging the gaze slideshow

Andrew Walker- Touch and Go, exploring the kiss mp3

Marie Bew- Touch and Go, who touches, who goes? mp3

Dave Wiles- Touch and Go, daring to touch mp3

2006 Home and Astray: travellers, aliens, exiles

This conference explored the experience of feeling “in the wilderness” in our faith communities, our professional communities, in relationship to ourselves, to our clients and to God.
You can listen to the talks given by clicking on the links after each name

Chairs: Hugh Jenkins & Ruth Dormandy

Speakers:
Sister Winsome - Home & Astray with God
part 1 part 2 part 3
Canon Gordon Oliver - Home & Astray in the Church
part 1 part 2 part 3
Kathy Galloway - Home & Astray in Society
part 1 part 2 part 3
Richard Dormandy - Home & Astray with Self
part 1 part 2 part 3

This conference explored both the experienced uncertainty and the implicit faith required when journeying personally and with others.

Chairs: Moy Gill & Hugh Jenkins

Speakers:
Margaret Barker Through the veil: God in our midst
Jim Cotter Trusting the silence for a word to come
David Lyall The healing is in the hyphens: pastoral care as personsin-relationships
Ruth Worsley At home on the boundary? A place of belonging

Chairs: Alistair Ross & Moy Gill

Speakers:
Michael Mitton - De Profundis
Wendy Robinson - Sounding the depths
Chris MacKenna - Holding (on) in the depths
Jeannie Kendall - Jonah’s journey down

Chairs: by Moy Gill & Alistair Ross

Speakers:
Hugh Jenkins - The place of desire in pilgrimage
Keith Roberts - Poverty – curse or blessing in life today?
Rosemary Hutchby - Is what you see what you get? Surface and depth in pastoral work
Marie Bew - Getting it together: a large group workshop

Chairs: Moy Gill & Alistair Ross

Speakers:
Anne Townsend - How tolerant am I of myself?
Bruce Duncan - How voluntary is the Church?
Hugh Jenkins - How much freedom is to be found in the family?
Paul Goodliff - How can we engage with God?

Chairs: Paul Goodliff & Liz Shedden

Speakers:
Alistair Ross & Paul Goodliff - A Disintegrated World: Therapy and Postmodernism
Nigel Wright - Trinity as Integration
Wendy Robinson - Gender and sexuality
Sue Waldron - Skinner Helping the family
Russ Parker - Faith and Therapy: Collision or Collaboration

Chairs: Liz Shedden & Paul Goodliff

Speakers:
Roger Hurding - Four pathways in pastoral care
Peter Ledger - The inner healing pathway
Sr Margaret Magdalen - Spiritual direction and spiritual wholeness
Brian Thorne - The pathway of psychotherapy
Fran Beckett - Social wholeness and social action