Belonging Conference

Every single person: loved, welcomed and valued

You are invited by Single Friendly Church Network to our inaugural ‘Belonging Conference: Every single person: loved, welcomed and valued’.

This event during Single Friendly Church Week will be a thought-provoking and engaging day, exploring the theology of singleness, single ministry as mission, the nuances of relationship status, single people's stories, and much more via keynote speakers, panel discussions and workshops.

This event is to explore how we can change the culture around singleness in churches across denominations, and so all interested in this are welcome to attend - from clergy and leadership teams to people who are single, not single and the curious!

Registration begins at 10am, for a 10:30am start, with the conference ending at 4pm.

Who can attend?
Whether you are single or married, part of a church or not, we want to welcome anyone with a heart for Jesus to come along and hear about why single friendliness in church is so important and how we can change the culture around single people in churches across denominations.

Catering/Lunch
Tea coffee and biscuits will be provided. Note: Bring your own lunch or there are multiple places in the area to purchase lunch on the day.

Cost
We have two different ticket options depending on your circumstances. By buying a ticket you are helping us to raise money for Single Friendly Church Network.

If you do need a free ticket please email: info@singlefriendlychurch.com

Who is speaking?
You can find a list of our speakers and panellists here

Prize Draw
Anyone who buys a ticket will also be automatically entered into a prize draw to win one of our new Jesus was Single t-shirts!

By registering for this event you agree to receive our regular newsletters, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Programme of the Belonging Conference - 26th September

Find out the latest version of our programme here >>

10:00am - 10:30am Doors open, registration, tea & coffee available
10:30am - 10:40am Opening Prayer and welcome
10:40am - 11:00am Jesus Was Single - keynote by our Executive Director, Sorcha Connell
11:00am - 11:30am More Than a Season: A Panel Discussion on Singleness and Community
- with representative of different denominations
11:30am - 11:45am Reflection time with questions
11:45am - 12:30pm Morning Workshop Sessions - 3 options:

• One Church, Many Experiences – listen and/or share about the experience of being single in church
• The Church is a Village – exploring more about the nature of community
• Spiritual Reflection - an opportunity to go deeper with certain scripture readings, in the style of Lectio Divina

12:30pm - 1:30pm Lunch - Bring your own or buy locally

1:30pm - 2:00pm The Journey of Single Friendly Church Network - with our Founder Jackie Elton
2:00pm - 2:30pm Belonging: Single Friendly as part of church mission - keynote with Rev Kate Wharton
2:30pm - 3:00pm Afternoon Workshop Sessions - 3 options:

• Single Friendly through the Seasons - practical resources for key points in the church calendar
• How to become a more Single Friendly Church? – discussion and brainstorming
• Personal mission – Reflective space

3:00pm - 3:15pm Comfort Break/Networking time, tea & coffee available
3:15pm - 3:45pm Dreaming the future where all single people are welcomed in churches - Panel discussion with representative of churches from our network
3:45pm - 4:00pm Final plenary, round up of event and thank yous
4:00pm - 4:30pm Opportunity to network/make connections, tea & coffee available