20 April 2021
Spring workshops from the College of Preachers
Looking for Meaning: Biblical Hermeneutics for Preaching, 3 March 2021, 10.30-13.00
Workshop leader: Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath, Bishop of Bradwell in the Church of England diocese of Chelmsford and former Archdeacon of Barking.
Hermeneutics, how we interpret a biblical text or texts, is an important element in crafting a sermon. The way we interpret a passage can shape how we structure a sermon as well as the way in which we apply the text to our Christian life and understanding of the world. In this workshop, we will explore how to develop a hermeneutic that will aid in crafting sermons that bring biblical texts into meaningful conversation with contemporary life.
Please note that booking for this event closes on 1st March.
Speaking to a Distant Congregation: Preaching On-line, 24 March, 14.00-16.00
Workshop leader: Darren Blaney, Baptist Minister & Preacher
Preaching to a congregation sitting in their own homes and watching you on a screen requires a different approach than preaching to a congregation gathered together with you in church. Drawing on lessons learned in his own preaching ministry during lockdown, Darren Blaney will explore how we can shape our preaching into effective on-line communication.
Poetry of the Word, 20 April 2021, 10.00-12.00
Workshop leader: Canon Dr Rod Garner, Anglican priest, writer, and theologian.
The heart of preaching is in part an engagement with beauty and truth and the ultimate source from which they both derive. Jesus and St Paul are both poets; the one is at home with parable, and the other revels in paradox. Their words move and inspire, and point to the graced possibilities of all human lives. Preachers are Christ's troubadours and words, the very best words, should form part of their armoury. In this workshop we shall explore why the right words matter. As St John Henry Newman insisted, 'with us a poetic view of things is a duty.'
Making the Ordinary Extraordinary, 8 May 2021, 10.30-12.30
Workshop leader: Canon Victoria Johnson, Precentor, York Minster.
Vicky has taught liturgical studies and preaching to ordinands and curates across the North West, was a Trustee of the College of Preachers and remains a tutor. She has contributed regularly to the Preacher’s Companion and most recently wrote about the transformative power of preaching in ‘Holy Attention-Preaching in Today’s Church’, (2019), Edited by Frances Ward and Richard Sudworth.
This workshop will explore the power of preaching to transform us in season and out of season, and reflecting on how we, as preachers, can make ordinary time preaching extraordinary by weaving our preaching into the liturgy, being attentive to scripture, and open to creativity and transformation.
These workshops are all being offered on-line via Zoom. The cost to book a place on any of the above workshops is £7 or £5 for those in training for ministry (ordained or lay). For details of how to book, please visit our web site.