This ad hoc title continued in use until last year, when it was suggested that the word “members” offered problems to some who were concerned with churches but not technically members.
So this February the gathering voted to call itself “Sea of Faith in the Churches”. Sixty (from a mailing list of 200) booked for this event with the theme “Reforming Christianity”. First came an advance hearing of Don Cupitt’s paper under this title for the Westar Institute’s spring conference in California. It was read for him, as he had had to fly out a day or two before.
The afternoon session showed the gathering moving from its early position of protest and mutual support to being more creative. We first tackled the possibility of interleaving official liturgies with material to give them a less literalist interpretation - just as evangelicals and anglo-catholics use hymns and other material to give their slants to the Book of Common Prayer. Then, examples of good practice already in use in churches were shared. Finally we received and commented on the first drafts of teaching leaflets for use by churches.
Late news is that Anthony Freeman has volunteered to take overall responsibility for the leaflet project for Sea of Faith in the Churches. Meanwhile, the other material brought to the gathering is to be processed and a report sent to those who attended and to others who sent apologies. Anyone wanting to be added to the mailing list for next spring’s gathering should write to me, Ronald Pearse, at 15 Burton Street, Loughborough LE11 2DT.