MCU North West Group

Seven Talks

given at the Modern Churchpeople's Union (North West Branch) Conference on November 4th, 2006 at St Deiniol's Library, Hawarden, North Wales (Barbara Wollaston reflects)

In November 2006 the North West Branch of the Modern Churchpeople's Union decided to try a new idea for a day conference. Instead of asking an outside expert to address them they would draw upon such talent they already had within their own midst. They asked for seven speakers to give a ten-minute talk each, followed each time by discussion. In fact there were plenty of offers, and it turned out that a great deal of expertise was demonstrated, followed by vigorous discussion after each talk.

The committee decided that they would publish the talks for the benefit of any MCU member who would like to have attended the conference but was unable to. The ten-minute rule was strictly enforced (and nearly all the talks did end on time), except in one case. A naughty listener, who as his first question after a talk which had been interrupted by the timer, said to the speaker, "How were you going to end your talk?"

The talks are downloadable separately here:

Talks

• Fertility Religion and Ancestor Worship in Deepest Yorkshire, Richard Orton, Retired vicar (Word, .rtf).
• Religion and Reality, David Taylor, Retired publisher (Word, .rtf).
• Liberation and Celebration: Christian Belief in Time and Place, Watson Fuller, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Keele University (Word, .rtf).
• Calvin, Hermeneutics and the Sexuality Debate, Anthony Crockett, Bishop of Bangor (Word, .rtf).
• A People-Centred Church, Richard Martin, Retired physics teacher (Word, .rtf).
• Religious Symbolism: Does it Need Changing? Chris Rayner,Geologist and Methodist Lay-Preacher (Word, .rtf).
• Liberals and Conservatives in the Church, Jonathan Clatworthy, MCU General Secretary (Word, .rtf).

Alternatively the talks can be obtain in booklet form (£2.50 including postage) from Mr R.G.Martin 5 Mossley Court, Hawarden, Flintshire CH5 3DQ. Tel: 01244 535152.

Booklet (£2.50 including postage) available from: Mr R.G.Martin 5 Mossley Court, Hawarden, Flintshire CH5 3DQ. Tel: 01244 535152

Barbara Wollaston reflects: (in Signs of the Times, January 2007)

Papers were prepared independently and without the brief of a theme. From a sociological perspective which examined how far the inherited celebrations of folk religion were able to survive in the changing local conditions of modern life, further papers raised questions about the application of symbolism, models, theological and biblical interpretations both to their own historical and cultural context and to ethical and spiritual issues for people and communities living in the world of today. Open recognition of present realities within the personal commitment to an ecclesiastical tradition and the importance of defending the freedom to raise questions permeated the discussion throughout the day.

For the writer, the attempt to discern an overview threw into sharp focus the need to take seriously the name of our organisation — The Modern Churchpeoples' Union. Those present and actively participating were certainly not all Anglicans. The discussion ranged over issues of worship, bible, theology and church commitment which were of interest to all present. I suspect that the change of word in the title to ‘churchpeople' was originally a matter of making women visible but as members, we still need to be more sensitive to a church where those of diverse ecclesiastical loyalties value the opportunity to share their concern to live and worship as intelligent, honest and reasonable practising Christians in the world of today. Whilst we listen politely when ongoing anxieties about the survival of a particular ecclesiastical institution come to the surface, some MCU members possibly joined the Union or attend its conferences in order to get away from these!