Spiritual Nurture and Pastoral Care Gathering
7 - 9 March 2025, Northampton
This residential weekend provides an opportunity for in-depth discussion and reflection for those of you responsible for eldership or pastoral care. Time together with your tutors and peers will help you gain understanding and confidence in your role.
Our world has changed over the past few years in ways that no-one could imagine, let alone plan for. Quakers need, and want, to respond effectively as we anticipate a different unknowable future. What is the call to us as Quakers now, in spiritual and pastoral care?
During this weekend course, we will explore the core of spiritual nurture (eldership) and pastoral care. We will look at what it is and why we do it, with an invitation to reflect on how our service can stay connected with this core through whatever changes we encounter. We will consider how we may find effective means of supporting the needs of our meetings, whatever our systems for doing so.
We will do this through whole, small and Home Group discussions, individual reflection and practical tasks using the overarching themes of our gifts, our roles and responsibilities, our community and our own self-care and support.
The residential nature of this course supports spacious reflection and further dialogue over time and within both formal and informal contexts with Friends who have a wide range of experiences. It therefore may benefit you whether you are newly appointed, returning to the role or simply wishing to feel refreshed in your existing role.
Sessions will be facilitated by a team of tutors with experience of eldership and pastoral care across a variety of contexts. Over the course of the weekend, they will be seeking to create a sense of community and foster a safe space where all can learn from one another.
A Resource Page is available to support this course. The link will be emailed to participants 10-14 days in advance, with instructions on pre-reading and tasks. You should allow about 2 hours for these activities. Further resources and information will be made available after the course ends. These can be accessed for up to a month.
Participants who have attended a previous Spiritual Nurture and Pastoral Care in a Nutshell course may find this weekend course a helpful further exploration.
More information
For more information contact:
Woodbrooke Learning
Telephone: 01217282360