Centre for Anabaptist Studies
The Centre for Anabaptist Studies is looking forward to hosting the 2020 annual lecture on 25 November – this will be online in light of current circumstances. Neal Blough, the recently retired director of the Paris Mennonite Centre, will present on ‘What and how can we learn from Anabaptist history? The example of Pilgram Marpeck.’ There is no charge for this lecture, which will be recorded. Please see this post for more details
In other news, we are grateful to Linda Wilson for her input into the Centre since it began – she is stepping down as a ‘research fellow’ at the end of the year; we are pleased that Carol Wert, the first graduate of the Centre’s MA course, has agreed to join the steering group; and we look forward to welcoming our first overseas PhD student in 2021.
New Group
A new Anabaptist study group has recently launched in the north-west of England. The group is studying The Naked Anabaptist and will be meeting for the second time on 18 November (online, of course). If you are interested in joining the group, please let us know and we will put you in touch.
Anabaptist Network in South Africa (ANiSA)
Greetings from Johannesburg! I hope that you are doing well amid the global pandemic and other challenges we encounter.
Please find attached the ANiSA’s Newsletter – October 2020.
Urban Expression
Rachel Spence writes: In Bath we’re creating Picnic Church – taken from the idea that, when a small picnic was offered to Jesus, he multiplied the amount by a miracle, which may or may not have included other people responding in a generous mindset and sharing their food as well. However, we’re launching Picnic Church during a global pandemic, when sharing food from one picnic hamper to another is not allowed. But picnics have clear boundaries, and each time we’ve invited families to bring their own food, sit on their own picnic rug (or sheet or blanket). Using props in a picnic basket and prepared activity packs, families join in with storytelling and lots of space to ‘wonder about the story and its relevance to us today.’ Our next one incorporates a teddy bears’ picnic as we bless imaginary backpacks and book bags as the new term begins. Picnic Church has been in the church garden, our local park where we made a peace path, and also at the city farm which is handily on our road – so Picnic Muddy Church is also happening!