Following the official launch of Living in Love and Faith (LLF) across the Diocese of Bristol in May, we are now inviting parishes and groups to consider - and prepare to run - LLF courses this Autumn. The 5 session course involves a group of participants working through the LLF materials together that are available on the LLF learning hub online. These will include written materials, videos and shared reflections.
As a diocese we are committed to training facilitators, who will be able to host the conversations and ensure that people are able to speak safely and in ways that allow others to hear. We want to support people to be honest and open, but in ways that are respectful of others and of the potential impact on them.
The Diocese of Bristol's LLF team have so far trained 20 facilitators and have five further dates planned in September for training both central and parish-based facilitators – click here to book. We are encouraging parishes to collaborate with neighbouring parishes to provide facilitators for each other, meaning that all those who want to be part of a group can engage fully without having to take the role of facilitator.
The latest that groups can add to the national conversation is around the end of January 2022. If you have any questions, or concerns, please email the LLF team.
Please note that we have chaplains drawn from across the diocese who are ready and willing to offer chaplaincy support to people within our churches who are taking part in LLF groups. If anyone would value a chat with a chaplain, please email the LLF advocates and we will allocate one to get in touch.
Pastoral Principles
The six pastoral principles are fundamental to the running of the LLF courses, but are applicable in many different contexts within our parishes. The Church of England has therefore developed a resource called Pastoral Principles for living and learning well together. Bristol Cathedral has decided to run the Pastoral Principles course this summer as preparation before the LLF course in the Autumn. If you would like to know more about how they are doing it, please email Minty Hull at spirituality@bristol-cathedral.org.uk.
Praying for Living in Love and Faith
We would like to invite people to commit themselves to become LLF prayer partners who will pray regularly for every aspect of our journeying as a diocese, for those who take part in the courses, and above all for open hearts, deep compassion and a desire to hear what God is saying to his church. You will be able to join together in a number of different ways of praying, both together and in your own personal devotions.
If you would be willing to commit to praying, and would like the details of our weekly LLF Prayer Meetings each Wednesday on Zoom, please get in touch.
The national LLF prayer for use by individuals and parishes:
God, whose name is Love,
whose gift is life,
whose word holds all in being;
bless ‘Living in Love and Faith’ to your church
as we seek to grow together
into the truth of our humanity and longings,
into communities where all find welcome,
into the fullness that is your image in us;
through the Word made flesh,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen
Useful links
- To find out more about Living in Love and Faith, please visit the LLF section of our website
- Creative zone: New to the central LLF Hub is the Creative Zone where people are invited to respond to their engagement with LLF creatively in a variety of ways.
- You can watch recordings of the Diocese of Bristol's LLF launch events on YouTube.
- Book a facilitator training session in September here.