reEquip // Suffering and the Christian Faith: One of the biggest barriers to faith, raising questions for us all
reEquip is a monthly opportunity for those in pastoral ministry to connect and be taught & encouraged in their ministry positions.
Join us for our March reEquip day with Dr Sharon Dirckx – speaker, author and broadcaster.
Of all the hurdles to faith, surely suffering is the greatest. It tears lives apart and raises questions for all of us. How do we make sense of this most universal of experiences as Christians? There are no easy answers, there is much mystery, and different kinds of suffering require different kinds of responses. This day will consider this important topic from different perspectives, looking at personal suffering, responses to cataclysmic events such as earthquakes and pandemics, and more practically, how we can care for and minister to hurting people.
Schedule:
9.30 am – Meet for coffee/tea and pastries
10 am – Session 1: Why do bad things happen to good people? Frameworks for thinking about God and personal suffering.
11 am – Break for coffee/tea
11.30 am – Session 2: Why natural disasters? Making sense of earthquakes, pandemics and tsunami.
12.30 pm – Community worship
1pm – Lunch
2pm – Session 3: Compassion in practice: Pastoral responses to suffering – an interactive and more practically focussed session that thinks about responses to suffering that we see in the life & teachings of Jesus – and also more broadly in the Bible as a whole.
3pm – Q&A with a cuppa
3.30pm – Finish
Please do contact hello@yarntonmanor.com if you would like to come but cost is prohibitive.
Sharon Dirckx is a speaker, author and broadcaster with a PhD in brain imaging from the University of Cambridge, and also an adjunct lecturer with OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Today, Sharon speaks and lectures on topics such as science and theology, neurotheology, consciousness, Artificial Intelligence, human identity, and the problem of evil and suffering. She frequently appears on podcasts and has also been interviewed on GB News and on several BBC programmes in the UK including Radio 2 Good Morning Sunday and Radio 4 Beyond Belief. Sharon is author of an award-winning book on suffering, entitled Why?: Looking at God, evil and personal suffering (2013), as well as a book on human consciousness and identity, Am I just my brain? (2019). Her latest book, on natural disasters, Broken Planet (2023), was longlisted for the International Society for Science & Religion book awards in 2024.
Yarnton Manor, Church Lane, Yarnton, Oxfordshire, OX5 1PY.
Directions –
If you’re driving from Oxford:
-
Take the A44 (Oxford → Woodstock) north-west out of Oxford.
-
Look out for a roundabout by the Turnpike Pub, then turn left toward Cassington Road.
-
Follow Cassington Road until you see signs for Church Lane. Turn left onto Church Lane.
-
Yarnton Manor will be a few hundred yards down Church Lane on the right.
By Public Transport
-
The Stagecoach S3 bus route travels between Oxford train station, city centre and Yarnton (towards Chipping Norton/Charlbury.
-
Get off at the Paddocks stop in Yarnton, then you’ll need to walk south to Cassington road, turn left and then right onto Church Lane
Arriving:
- Yarnton Manor entrance gates are just to the left of St. Bartholomew’s Church.
- Press ‘Call’ on the gate intercom for security to let you in.
The statistics relating to pastoral ministry burn-out is high. Too high.
For many the life of church or para-church ministry can be stressful, busy and, very often, lonely.
The to-do list can be overwhelming and unending, leaving little to no space for any kind of self-study or growth – often we feel out of our depth. Often we feel like calling it quits.
reEquip seeks to support and encourage those in pastoral ministry. Come and:
(1) receive focused teaching and training that will help us in our ministry life, whether in pastoral skills, practical ministry, bible teaching or areas of theology,
(2) enjoy the company of and learn from others in similar situations and
(3) enjoy a delicious lunch together!
We have accommodation on-site. How about you combine reEquip with a short ministry retreat?
Enquire above for pricing and availability.