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Adventures in Faith
May 2025

Welcome to Adventures in Faith, where everyone in the Diocese of Edinburgh can explore, learn and grow in fullness of life.

HomepageNewsletterCalendarCoursesAwareness

Finding Adventures in Faith Online

Homepage – Outlines what Adventures in Faith is, with links to other landing pages.

Newsletter – Links to all previous newsletters and to sign-up for emails.

Calendar – Events happening across the Diocese, in congregations and partner organisations.

Courses – A list of courses & retreats from across the UK: something for everyone!

Awareness – Awareness days that link in with our faith and Marks of Mission.

HomepageNewsletterCalendarCoursesAwareness

Dementia Action Week, 19–25 May

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The Alzheimer's Society Dementia Action Week runs from 19–25 May, and this year the Society is emphasising the importance of an early diagnosis of dementia. 1 in 3 people with dementia in the UK are currently undiagnosed. The Dementia Action Week web page includes information and resources about diagnosis, plus a symptoms checklist. 

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If you've wondered how to provide good-quality spiritual care to the older members of your church or community, you might be interested in the Spiritual Care Series Online course from BRF Ministries, the organisation that develops Anna Chaplaincy ministries across the UK. The next nine-week course starts in September 2025. More details here.

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Messy Vintage is an off-shoot of Messy Church, offering Christ-centred fun and fellowship with the older generation. The Messy Vintage book offers 52 Messy Vintage sessions, and on the BRF Messy Vintage page you can download 12 sessions for free!

Thy Kingdom Come, 29 May to 8 June

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Thy Kingdom Come is coming! This year marks the tenth anniversary of this global ecumenical prayer movement. This year there's a focus on the Lord's Prayer, and you can find a whole page of Lord's Prayer Resources here.

As usual, people, households and churches are being encouraged during the 11 days from Ascension to Pentecost to pray for five people they know to come to faith in Jesus. Find out more about this idea here.

Everyone is encouraged to pray in their own way, so we've been asking people around the diocese to tell us about one way they pray. We'll release a few 'One Way I Pray' videos during Thy Kingdom Come. Here's an exclusive preview of Bishop John describing one way he prays.

Bishop John's One Way I Pray video

Learning

These are a few of the learning opportunities that are listed in the Adventures in Faith: Courses page on the diocesan website. There you will be able to find the full range of courses running in the next few weeks, some that are running later in the year, and the website addresses of course providers so you can explore further. We list retreat providers on the same page. Happy learning!

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The London Institute of Contemporary Christianity is running two online sessions on workplace witness (21 and 28 May). This pay-what-you-choose course anticipates Every Day Matters, LICC's in-person conference on how we can witness in our daily lives, running on 30 September in London. Tickets for the conference are on sale now.

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Place for Hope are offering two online courses in June: 

  • Journeying and Leading through Change and Transition: 4 & 11 June.
  • Nonviolence: Jesus' Radical Invitation: 5 & 12 June.

Both take place from 9:30am–1pm and cost £45. More information in Place for Hope's 2025 Training Booklet.

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Retreats

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The Bield at Blackruthven, near Perth, has these events running in spring and summer:

  • Going Deeper with the Enneagram:Saturday 28 June, 10am–4pm 
  • Seasonal Quiet Garden Day: Tuesday 8 July, 10am–4pm
  • Body Prayer Capacitar Wellness Taster: Wednesday 9 July, 2–4:30pm
  • One-Day Silent Retreat – August
    Thursday 7 August, 10am–4pm.
  • Walking on the Edge
    Tuesday 12 August to Friday 15 August.
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Abernethy Kilmalieu, near Fort William, is offering a chance to rest and restore from Monday 16 to Friday 20 June with Rest and Restore: Relax, Enjoy Nature and (Optional) Environmental Tasks. More information here.

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    St Mary's Monastery, Kinnoull, Perth, is hosting a Jesuit-led retreat, Exploring Mindfulness, Psychology and the Christian Life, from Thursday 14 August to Sunday 17 August. More details here.

    Keen to explore retreats? You can find more than 25 retreat venues that have been used by members of the diocese on our retreats page. There are 100 retreat centres, most based in the UK, in the Retreat Association's Retreats Directory.

    Festivals

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    Summer festival season is almost here, and Solas Festival is being held again at Errol Park in Perthshire from 20–22 June

    Solas is a festival of music, arts, ideas and wellbeing – a celebration of the coming together of arts, justice and faith. The event is family friendly and open to all.

    Solas has held an online 'taster' event for this year which you can now access on YouTube. Its website, where you can buy tickets and get general information, is here.

    Or, if you'd like to venture beyond Scotland, how about one of these UK summer festivals?

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    Keswick Ministries have been running for 150 years and the theme of this year's Keswick Conference is 'Transformation'. The event takes place over three weeks from 12 July to 1 August and is free to attend. You just need to find your own accommodation. More details.

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    Wildfires 2025 takes place from 24 to 27 July at Wiston Estate, West Sussex. Families are welcome at this festival, which is connected to the 24-7 Prayer movement and aims to fan the flames of revival. Find out more on the Wildfires website

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    Music is the emphasis at the Big Church Festival, being held at the same venue as Wildfires – the Wiston Estate – from 22 to 24 August 2025. Find out more on the Big Church Festival website.

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    The Greenbelt Festival has been around for decades. This year it's being held from 21 to 24 August at Boughton House, near Kettering. This year's line-up, from Jordan Stephens to Marilynne Robinson, really does promise something for everyone. Find out more on the Greenbelt website.

    Events

    Below is just a small selection of events in and around the diocese. Find the full range of upcoming events on our events page.

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    Lovers with Grieving Prophet is a show of paintings by Benet Haughton, an Edinburgh-based oil painter, who says: ‘I feel my work celebrates the joys and woes of life, the inner landscape of the human soul often inspired by the Bible. It is figurative, narrational, non-conceptual and poetic, and sometimes ironic.’ At St Peter's, Musselburgh, until 8 June. Details here.

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    On 29 May, 7–9pm, the Church Times and Modern Church will run a webinar, Church Growth Under the Microscope. This panel discussion will ask questions about the theology underpinning the drive for growth, while considering the Church of England's current growth strategy. Tickets are £10 or £5 for Church Times subscribers, and will allow you to revisit the webinar after the event. More information here.

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    On 21 June, St Michael and All Saints, Tollcross, is holding an afternoon of Youth Prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, to give young people 12–18 the chance to try a way of praying that's been part of Christian life for centuries. There will also be games, conversation, and food.

    More info and free registration via Eventbrite link.

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    The Net Zero Team will be hosting a Diocesan Net Zero Roadshow event for the Edinburgh Diocese at St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, on Saturday 19 July, 10am–3pm.

    There will be time for networking, sharing stories and hearing from external contributors. Contributions will include talks, information stands and workshops, tackling a range of subjects e.g. funding, climate justice and building improvements.

    The day will include a plant-based catered lunch and will end with worship. Register here.

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    Have You Tried?

    In this section, we share a resource that might help you explore, learn, or grow in your faith: it could be a book, a podcast, an email subscription, or something else!   

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    This month, we're highlighting some of the reading material that's available to borrow from the Diocesan Office:

    

    Leading your Church into Growth (Local) Pack. A practical study programme to help local churches develop a vision and plan for growth. This pack contains materials for nine meetings plus a final celebration event.

    

    New Direction for Holy Questions: Progressive Christian Theology for Families. A book to help parents and carers answer fundamental questions about life, such as 'Who is God?' and 'Where is God when bad things happen?'

    The Book of Belonging: Bible Stories for Kind & Contemplative Kids.
    A beautiful, inclusive, illustrated retelling of Bible stories for children.

    

    Rowan Williams suite:

    • Luminaries: Twenty Lives that Illuminate the Christian Way
    • Being Disciples: Essentials of Christianity
    • Discovering Christianity: A Guide for the Curious
    • Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer

    If you're interested in borrowing any of these, email Fee at [email protected]

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    😃 We hope you have enjoyed exploring this Adventures in Faith newsletter. 

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