Church Weekend Away – June 2024
A large number of the Otley Parish Church family gathered at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire for the weekend 21st to 23rd June. As a group of 81 adults and 27 children we enjoyed time getting to know each other better, sharing mealtimes, relaxing, joining in worship and learning together.
The theme for the adult sessions was “A Peculiar People – The whole of life for Christ“. In particular, we focussed on “Holiness” and what that means for our everyday lives.
Excellent teaching was provided by Sam Brown and Julian (Jules) Gadsby from the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity. Audio recordings of the 3 main talks plus the short Communion Service talk are available below:
Talk 1 – “The hole in our Holiness”
A key Bible passage for the weekend is from the first letter of Peter chapter 1 – in particular 1 Peter 1:13-16. Jules asks us to consider how we can be a blessing to others.
Talk 2 – “The whole in our Holiness”
Choosing to be holy – Things we say NO to – Things we say YES to. We were presented with “The Six Ms” – see photo – then asked to consider our “Frontlines” in daily life and reflect on our personal feelings when in those spaces – Second photo which shows a pictogram of the individual contributions made on our smartphones in the session.
Talk 3 – “The Root of our Holiness”
Two things to remember and one thing not to forget!
- Do Good – Be a blessing to the world around us
- Stay Alert – Live well for Christ
- Stay Rooted – In Grace, by the work of Christ
Talk at Sunday Afternoon Communion Service
Continuing with themes from Peter’s first letter, Julian Gadsby speaks about how our daily living can be distinctive when lived in the light of these inspirational words:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
