^{At the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick}
This was an opportunity for lay and clergy participants
^{to explore together the first of our Diocesan mission values.
We had an exciting line-up of Keynote speakers including…
· The Rt Revd Tim Ellis, Bishop of Grantham
· The Rt Revd Gordon Mursell, Bishop of Stafford
· Canon Dr Christina Baxter CBE}

^{A Word to the Diocese
 
A vision of the future with God – Dr Christina Baxter}

Text: Zechariah Chapter 4

Zechariah the prophet ministers to the Jewish exiles returning from Babylon to re-build Jerusalem. Putting God first is the message they hear initially from Haggai chapter 1 and then Zechariah.

Jerusalem was in ruins and it seemed an enormous task to rebuild it. In the same for us, despite the enormity of the task, we too have begun the task of rebuilding, the rubble of the past can be reshaped, the foundation has been laid.

Nevertheless the task of rebuilding needs to be finished and in the same way in the diocese we have the begun the work of God and we need to finish it.

Perhaps this is an affirmation of what has been started in the diocese with such things as the Mission Template (Shaping the Future), which has been the laying of foundations for mission – this has included the four values of Discerning God; Valuing people; Serving communities and Enabling Change.

While the task still remains enormous, we’re still working on it. The foundations have been laid and we’re called to finish the work.
It is the small things that we need to attend to now: 
(vs 10) Who despises the day of small things?

The vision of Zechariah presents a heavenly view on earthly realities through the angels who offer God’s message.  The heavenly changes the perspective on the earthly, and gives us cause for hope.

When we are surrounded by rubble (or what looks like rubble) and have a huge task ahead of us we need vision like the one which Zechariah offers. Seeing spiritual realities as well as physical realities is important.

For us in the diocese there may be spiritual realities or patterns that we have to deal with and may call for a spiritual mapping of the diocese. This will be a different task to looking at physical realities like deanery boundaries. We need to consider who is to be tasked with the spiritual mapping which needs to go on.

As we glimpse the heavenly realities then we are able to own and address our fear - that might be - …whatever we do here it is going to be a waste of time and the church is going to die… In addressing that kind of fear we go back to the need for a vision.

We need our imaginations enlightened by the beauty of God to see what the future might be like, we can’t see the final building, but only the foundation. But if we use our imaginations a vision for the future will emerge. If we courageously dream and share our dreams, then the vision will emerge.

Walter Brueggemann speaks of the prophetic imagination in which; “It could be otherwise.” Desmond Tutu believed in the midst of apartheid that: “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

In the midst of this the Word of the Lord interrupts:
Vs 6: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

By standing close to God and allowing the Spirit to direct some will be given the opportunity to complete the task.