PRAXIS GATHERING 2024
gathering missional people
In Colossians 2, we read that we are to be, “woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery.” As the church, as the people of God, we are invited to be woven into God’s story, God’s mission!
And in Ephesians 1, it says, “the church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.” What does it look like to live as Gods people, living missionally in the world today and be a part of the unseen mission of God?
We believe God calls us to be woven into His tapestry of mission and be a part of the unseen.
Who is it for?
Let’s gather creatives, pioneers, entrepreneurs, church leaders, community leaders, those working with the marginalised, young adults, and more to reimagine mission!
The goal is to GATHER and not just be a content heavy conference to attend but for us to be inspired and challenged together and feel hopeful and excited about the future.
DATE
Friday, November 8th – Saturday, November 9th
Friday afternoon + Friday dinner + Saturday 10am-4pm
LOCATION
Trinity Church, Dublin 1 & other locations on the Friday
COST
€30-60
Pre-sale starts end of July, Super Early Bird prices until Sept. 12, and Early Bird prices until Oct. 31
What’s happening
FRIDAY, 8TH NOVEMBER
2pm – 5pm | Various locations in Dublin
During the day on the Friday we invite you to join a stream where you will meet to share, eat, and wrestle with a few missional questions with likeminded people together. These streams will be facilitated by 1-2 people in various locations across the city – some might meet in a relevant place i.e. creatives in an art gallery or marginalised in an inner city location, etc. This time is created to fuel relationships between like minded people, give time to press into missional questions, and come to the wider Saturday gathering with more ideas and thoughts fleshed out.
FRIDAY DINNER, 8TH NOVEMBER
from 5.30pm | St. Catherine’s Church, Thomas Street, Dublin 8
Friday evening is a special time to be with others over food. There is something about sitting beside and eating with fellow Jesus followers around a table. This dinner is an optional part of the gathering but it was a significant time last year so we would encourage you to join for this meal. It will be hosted to create community, share a meal, laugh, and simply be together.
SATURDAY, 9TH NOVEMBER
10am-4pm | Trinity Church, Dublin
All day Saturday will be a mixture of short talks, a panel, round table discussions, networking time and more. There will be reflective time as well to help us all process, discern, and be mindful of what God is speaking to us. The day will end before dinner time.
Join a Stream
We are excited to gather like minded people into groups (aka streams) to share, explore, and wrestle with missional questions. As you register, choose a stream that you are interested in – it could be something you’re already engaged with or something you’d like to get more involved with. Streams will meet Friday afternoon and then at tables for the Saturday sessions.
Do you want to engage more deeply with your local community? Does your church community already take part in neighbourhood projects? Are you wanting to engage more with your urban or rural setting?
Join this stream if you want to rethink what it could look like to love your neighbour. This stream is facilitated by Ann Marie Kerr from Liffey Valley Vineyard & Innovista Ireland.
The world is not short of concerns. Climate change, inequality, violence and conflict, immigration, food and water security. Are you interested exploring how these issues connect with our lives in Ireland today? Are you keen to explore how you can connect your faith with real action that tackle these global issues? Join this stream if you want to share, learn, and reimagine mission with others around these issues.
| Emma Lynch from Tearfund Ireland and Michael Briggs from Christian Aid will be facilitating this stream. |
| Are you in business or enterprise? Do you want to explore what it could look like to start a new enterprise that is redemptive in nature to reflect the Kingdom? Join this stream to connect with others who desire to see God’s Kingdom come in the workplace, enterprise, business & more. This stream is facilitated by Ross Hill from Hill Art Supplies and Simon Kilpatrick from Praxis and Ignite along with Ralph Gatti joining via Zoom. |
| Do you want to innovate, pioneer, & start something new when it comes to mission & the church Or have you started something new recently? We know that going it alone can be difficult & isolating so, come alongside others who are on the edges of the church reimagining what the Kingdom of God looks like. This stream is facilitated by Gareth MacClean from Orangefield Church in Belfast and Simon Kilpatrick from Praxis and Ignite. |
Our communities need spaces where we can express, explain, and share our views on important life issues with those who hold alternate views. Could “conversation” and “dialogue” with those who see life differently be Kingdom gifts to our cities and towns for the common good? How might that happen?
Where would these take place? What topics might be addressed? How would we establish respectful engagement?
This stream will be facilitated by Roy Angle & others who currently host two forums in Dublin where such conversations take place. Socrates Café (https://www.meetup.com/socratescafedublin/) and Dublin TED Talks (https://www.meetup.com/dublin-ted-talks-discussions/) This stream will be aimed at
experiential learning where comments and questions will be welcomed.
This stream is an invitation to reimagining mission through creativity. It is for artists, non artists, dabblers, thinkers, or anyone who would like to play. Join this group to share, create, muse, and more with other creatives.
This stream will be facilitated by Pam Rooney and Penny Dewar.
This stream looks at how we can utilise digital and media for our church communities, and mission in our context.
This stream will be facilitated by Chloe Hanan, Lead of Digital for Jesus Film Project in Europe and Russia.
This stream will look at fear, privilege, attitudes, and God’s grace in the context of mission across many spheres where His is already at work.
We will be exploring the “wisdom that cries out on the street” by walking, listening, observing and visiting areas of Dublin’s inner city/city centre and asking how our understanding of the ‘centre’ and the ‘margins’ in mission applies in our own local settings. This stream will be facilitated by Chipo Harper, Dave Gardner, and Richard Carson.
Are you in a caring profession or want to explore how pastoral care can be missional? Join this stream to reimagine what it could look like to care, be pastoral, and seek the wellbeing of everyone to take God’s love into our communities.
We will meet for a time of learning together with space to reflect on topics & opportunities for mission. This stream will be facilitated by Andrew Irvine (minister & leader of Belfast City Centre Chaplaincy).
Youth and children’s (Y&C) ministry can be the perfect place to inspire missional thinking within our communities, and young people are sometimes the best kind of people to take us there! We’ll be discussing and analysing old and new models of Y&C work, seeing firsthand examples of Y&C work done missionally, and exploring what we can do differently with our Y&C work back in our own communities. Both experienced Y&C workers and people interested in starting something new for their young people are welcome.
This stream will be facilitated by Joseph Ambrose (Methodist Church) and others.
Join a Workshop
Workshops will be an opportunity to cross pollinate outside of our streams as we explore these four important topics for the future of the church. These will take place on Saturday afternoon.
Is leadership important? What should it look like?
Donna Jennings and Mark Murray will co-facilitate this workshop as we explore the importance of leadership and understand how it might look moving forward.
We know we are formed but what does it mean to be formed by Jesus as a missional people. Sometimes we can end up being doers and maybe neglect the need to reflect and pause.
Ana and Sean Mullan will lead this discussion around spiritual formation and its foundational nature in what it means to follow a Missional God.
Jesus talks about and prays for unity in the church but is it really possible? How important is it for us to pursue this?
Facilitators are still to be confirmed.
Imagination and Creativity are an important part of how we think about the future. Are you a dreamer or a future thinker who would appreciate a conversation around the future of the church.
Join Chloe Hanan and Brian Sanders as we think about this area.
Contributors
We look forward to having a variety of speakers, facilitators, workshop facilitators, and hearing most importantly from YOU and other attendees as we explore mission together. Take a look at some of our contributors – more to come!
Schedule
Friday | |
Time | Title |
| 2-5pm | Streams meet – times & locations vary |
| 5.30 – 7.30pm | Dinner in St. Catherine’s Church, Thomas St, Dublin 8 |
Saturday | |
| 9.00am | Doors open / registration / tea & coffee |
| 10.00am | Gathering begins / Worship |
| 10.20am | Introduction & Connect with Friday Stream Gatherings |
| 11.00am | Pause |
| 11.10am | Coffee break |
| 11.40am | Talk 1 with Pause & Table Discussion |
| 12.40pm | Lunch / Networking |
| 1.40pm | Workshops – choose 1 of 4 choices |
| 2.50pm | Coffee Break |
| 3.10pm | Talk 2 with Pause & Table Discussion |
| 4.10pm | Commissioning / Worship / Prayer |
| 5.00pm | End |
Stream Locations
Friday stream locations will be in various places in Dublin, list coming soon!
Tickets
For group discount, please email info@praxismovement.ie
WHAT IS PRAXIS?
Praxis is a network of individuals and churches with a heart for mission and a hope and commitment to see Gods kingdom come. Our desire is to reimagine mission for ordinary people. Our gathering once a year is a crucial time to be together and to be inspired by the God of mission. The Conference is one way we desire to reimagine mission as well as Prayer Gatherings, Learning Communities, the SEOL Course, a podcast and a press.
Praxis Gathering 2024 Planning Team
Claire Douglas– Praxis | Anne Baenziger – Praxis | Simon Kilpatrick – Praxis, Ignite Network and Methodist Home Mission Department | Sam Moore – Innovista Ireland | Gladys Nutley – Dublin West Community Church | Roy Angle – Eden Collective
