A newsletter filled with ideas, courses, events, and more!
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| | Adventures in Faith
September 2026 |
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Welcome to Adventures in Faith: where everyone in the Diocese of Edinburgh can explore, learn, and grow in faith and fullness of life. |
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| | In August, St Peter's, Galashiels had the joy of baptising three men who have had life-changing experiences of the reality of Jesus in their lives. Congratulations to everyone involved, and thanks to Hope Church, Galashiels for the lending of their pool! |
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| | Doors Open Days 2026: There are still a few doors to open... |
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| | Doors Open 2026 is on across Scotland, and in Edinburgh some of our churches are opening on the weekend of 26/27 September. Why not pop along for a proper look around? |
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| | Creationtide continues until 4 October. Below are just a few initiatives and activities to take you to the end of Creationtide and beyond. If you haven't caught our resources web page for this Creationtide, you can find that here. |
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| | From 21 September to 4 October it's Fairtrade Fortnight, with the theme of 'Do it Fair'. On the Fairtrade website you can find out how to be fair to people, to the planet and with fair pay. Fairtrade also has a resources page where you can plan your own Fairtrade campaigns. |
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| | A Rocha has announced the launch of a new Christian Environmental Mobilisers (CEMs) online course, running from October 2026 to April 2027. The six-session course promises to equip you with biblical foundations, leadership, influencing and planning skills to inspire others and mobilise meaningful environmental action in your church, workplace, university or community. Participants are also encouraged to attend in-person forums and practical experience days. Cost: £25, with funding support available. Find out more and apply here. |
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| | The Scottish Episcopal Net Zero team is holding a residential conference, Hope for Creation, on 20–21 October in Stirling. The conference will provide opportunities for worship, discussion and learning, with contributions from across the SEC, ecumenical partners, and partner organisations.
Bethany Nelson, Net Zero Empowerment Co-ordinator, says: ‘Plans for this conference were drawn up in response to the feedback from attendees of the Net Zero Roadshow events, which took place over the past year ... Hope for Creation will also allow us to share our learning with, and learn from, ecumenical guests and partner organisations.’
Further information and booking are available via the Eventbrite event page. |
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| | National Retreat Week runs from 19–26 September. For the week, Renew:all has produced a number of resources featuring people from various Christian traditions to encourage you to seek retreat, whether that's a literal retreat away from home or a reflective moment. Find their resources here. |
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| | Registrations close tomorrow (15 September) for the next HerSpace Online women's spirituality group.
Led by Valerie Allen, this monthly online group will focus on the Seven Faces of the Feminine Divine – mainly Christian, with some from other traditions.
At each gathering, participants will look at a different face of the feminine Divine through personal reflection and group sharing, drawing on expressive arts, story, ritual and wellness practices. Places are limited! To ask about registration email Valerie Allen. |
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| | More Events and Learning Opportunities |
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| | The Adventures in Faith: Courses page on the diocesan website is where you can find a whole range of courses running in the coming weeks and months. And check out our Events Calendar for something local that might take your fancy! |
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| | Neurodiversity and Worship workshop |
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| | Neurodiversity and Worship: A Practical and Liturgical Theology, Saturday 17 October, 2pm–4pm, in the Walpole Hall (St Mary’s Cathedral). This important workshop will be led by Dr Léon Van Ommen (pictured), Senior Lecturer in the Department of Divinity and Religious Studies and Co-Director of the Centre for Autism and Theology at Aberdeen University.
“What if our worship could bring us even closer to God and to each other? What if our communities could be blessed even more? By listening deeply to neurodivergent people, we can ... In this workshop, we will listen deeply, in order to worship more faithfully and to be blessed richly. Whether you have a specific role in your church or none at all, everyone is welcome!”
Entrance fee: £5, to cover costs. Register here. |
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| | God’s Invitation to Relationship: An Introduction to Ways of Praying
Thursdays from 5 November to 10 December 2026, 7–8.30pm online, free, donations welcome. Find out more. |
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| | Growth in Prayer & Reflective Living
Tuesdays 3 November 2026 to 16 March 2027, 7–9pm online plus three in-person Saturdays in Edinburgh, £450. Find out more. |
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| | Spiritual Conversation Formation Programme
Tuesdays 22 September 2026 to early May 2027, 7–9.30pm online plus Friday and Saturday sessions in Edinburgh in person, £840. Find out more. |
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| | Hand Made: Going Deeper on your Journey with God draws on insights from craftsmanship and art to understand more about our relationship to the Maker in whose loving hands we are fashioned. This live reflection series is an invitation to get to know God as craftsman and ourselves as unique and precious. Live on Tuesdays 7–8pm on Zoom on September 22, 29, October 6, 13, 27, November 3, 10, 17.
Cost: £120
More information at: https://heartinpilgrimage.org.uk/hand-made/ |
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| | Rest, Remain, Restore, Renew 22–24 January 2027, The Bield at Blackruthven
This residential weekend retreat is an invitation to pause, rest and be still and to reconnect with the Source of refreshment. It’s a chance to take time out at the beginning of a new year, restore our energy and renew our vision. Whatever lies ahead, whether changes or decisions or just more of life, this is a chance to focus on the foundation, the solid ground in which we’re rooted — and in which we grow.
Cost: £310. More information and booking at the Heart in Pilgrimage website. Booking deadline 20 November. |
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| | The Bield at Blackruthven:
🔹Journey into Healing
3 October 9:30am–4:45pm, £75.
🔹Creative Day Using Music, Art and Poetry
13 October, 9:30am–4:30pm, £75.
🔹Seasonal Quiet Garden Day
21 October, 10am–4pm, £75.
🔹Multi-Day Silent Retreat
3 to 6 November, from £75 (one day) to £375 (four days).
🔹Holding Memories in Light and Colour: A Creative Day of Reflection and Remembrance
11 November, 9:30am–5:30pm, £75.
🔹Stillness and Stitching
25 November, 10am–4pm, £75.
🔹HerRhythm
27–29 November, £355.
🔹Silent Retreat Day
9 December, 10am–4pm, £70.
🔹Journey Into Healing
12 December, 9.30am–4:45pm, £75. |
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| | Abernethy Kilmalieu:
🔹Adventure and Friendship: Insights in Following Jesus from Lewis and Tolkien
16–19 October, from £350.
🔹Faith in Nature: Outdoor Church Learning Community
6–9 November, from £150.
🔹Rediscovering Grace: Learning to Breathe Again
16–20 November, from £480. |
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| | Whitchester Christian Centre: 🔹Discovering the Gifts of Sacred Wandering
25–27 September, £230. 🔹Ministers/Clergy Retreat
10–14 November, any two nights or more at discounted full board rate. 🔹CS Lewis and Prayer
20–22 November, £195.
🔹Advent Retreat
27–29 November, £195.
🔹Christmas Houseparty
24–27 December, £345. |
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| | You can find more than 25 retreat venues that we have come across, or that have been used by members of the diocese, on our Retreat Venues page. There is also a map, so you can see at a glance where the listed retreat centres are based. |
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| | Children and Young People |
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| | beHeld Training and Prayer Breakfasts |
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| | In 2026, all involved in youth and children's ministry are invited to a series of training mornings at Ps & Gs called 'beHeld'. The next is on 26 September, so don't miss out! beHeld costs £15 per session, but the diocese will cover the cost of one ticket per charge. Just email us at [email protected] with your name and charge, and we'll book you in.
If you work in Youth and Children's Ministry, you're also invited to a series of Wednesday morning beHeld prayer breakfasts. The next is this Wednesday, 16 September. Email Rachel Cooney, Director of Children's Ministry, at [email protected] if you'd like to come along. |
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| | The Fuller Youth Institute has released a series of screen-based prayer activities for young people, from 'Praying with the Psalms' to 'Praying for Those Who Are Hard to Love'. They're intended for youth leaders to guide their young people through different types of prayer at weekly youth groups, weekends away, camps and retreats. Find out more here. |
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| | Godly Play Scotland are offering three different types of training this autumn: Discovery Day
19 September, 10am–4pm, Glasgow venue, £15.
Door Person Training
3 October, 9am–5pm, Glasgow venue, £80.
Storyteller and Door Person Accredited Training
17 to 19 November, St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, St Andrews, £315. Find out more here. |
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| | In the next few weeks, Messy Church are offering their usual online Start Your Messy Church Masterclasses, plus specials about baptism and communion:
Baptism in Messy Church Masterclass
15 September, 7.30–9pm, online, £10.
Starting Your Messy Church Masterclass
24 September, 7.30–9pm, online, free.
Communion in Messy Church Masterclass
1 October, 7.30–9pm, online, £10.
Starting Your Messy Church Masterclass
14 October, 1–2.30pm, online, free.
More information about Messy Church Courses on the BRF website.
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| | We list Awareness Days on our website here. Most entries have links to external websites that provide information and resources for the particular cause or event. |
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| | 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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| | If you haven't managed to go on a real-life pilgrimage this summer, how about a virtual one? Virtual pilgrimages are a way to experience aspects of pilgrimage without travelling physically, and they can be useful for people with caring responsibilities, mobility issues or limited finances. They can be extremely high-tech, involving a VR headset, or more low-tech, using photographs and reflections. You could even follow someone else's route by podcast or TV programme. Here is one description of virtual pilgrimage.
From 1–3 October, Pilgrimage of the Word will be running a virtual St Cuthbert's Way pilgrimage, following the 62-mile trail between Melrose and Lindisfarne on WhatsApp. Find out more here. |
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| | Adventures in Faith: All Day Every Day! |
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| | 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. |
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| | 🔼 Check out the AiF webpages via the menu above. 📧 Please forward this email to congregational friends, who can sign-up using the button below. 👈 Share the QR code via church magazines, noticeboards, pew-sheets, etc. 👇 Check out our other newsletters via buttons below. |
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| | Do you follow Edinburgh Diocese on social media? We appreciate every look, like and share! |
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