Since its foundation in 1970 to support the Tantur Ecumenical Institute (‘in Jerusalem on a hill near Bethlehem’), the British Trust for Tantur has offered bursaries to enable ordinands, lay people, and clergy to spend time at Tantur, for sabbatical study or participating in its courses.
Following ecumenical study tours of the Holy Land organised in 2008 and 2015, the British Trust began planning for a ‘Pilgrimage of Reconciliation’ to Tantur, specifically for young people between the ages of 21 and 35 and actively involved in their churches, to explore the meaning of holding ‘a ministry of reconciliation’ (2 Cor. 5:18-19). After the disruptions of the COVID-19 lockdowns, we were finally able to advertise and then gather together a group of 30 young people from a wide variety of church backgrounds for a two-week journey together in April 2024.
Following the events of October 2023, participants remained committed to the vision as the pilgrimage was postponed until April 2025. As that too had to be postponed, we remain committed to that vision when it becomes possible. However, we also realised that the world in which we grapple with the challenges of reconciliation has changed dramatically, not only in the Holy Land but also globally and in our society nearer home. Discovering pathways to reconciliation is as, if not more, urgent than ever, but wrestling with holding that together alongside a commitment to justice is not easy. As a recent blog post written by CTE’s Shermara Fletcher-Hoyte declared, God’s message is “Not proximity without transformation, but real, mutual, costly reconciliation.“
This challenge lies at the heart of a conference on 18 October organised by the British Trust, ‘Reconciliation in a Time of Conflict’. Introductory ‘input’ sessions will be provided by speakers with first-hand, on-the-ground, experience in the two conflict arenas that dominate the news, Israel-Palestine and Ukraine. Facilitated workshops will then help participants to explore forming communities of reconciliation through prayer and liturgy, partnering with those who are working on-the-ground, and, through what and where we speak, standing for justice while working for reconciliation. There will be opportunities for conversation, for listening, for questioning, for prayer, and for reflection. All this will be in the setting of Coventry Cathedral which has its own ministry of reconciliation.
Book your place at Reconciliation in the Time of Conflict 10am to 3pm Saturday 18 October at Coventry Cathedral.
Find out more about the British Trust for Tantur.
The British Trust for Tantur is a Charity and Network in Association with Churches Together in England.