A message from the Director of the Susanna Wesley Foundation, Sue Miller, on the work of SWF as we seek to promote flourishing and connection in community.
This summer we had hoped to be able to welcome you to our home at Southlands College, the Methodist College of the University of Roehampton, for our ‘Flourishing’ conference. Instead, we welcome you to our new website, rebranded and re-organised to make it easier for you to navigate to what particularly interests you through the conversation, work and news sections. You can also find a short video about the Foundation and what we are aiming to achieve through our work.
The notion of flourishing has taken on a new meaning in these turbulent and challenging times, and we hope the quotations and conversation pieces from our various scholars and practitioners have resonated with you.
One of the ways our research is feeding flourishing is a new research project we are pleased to be launching entitled ‘New Creation’, led by Nick Mayhew Smith, looking at how churches can develop a sense of place in their environment. In addition, a new book edited by SWF researcher Lia Shimada has just been published entitled Mapping Faith: Theologies of Migration and Community which is accompanied by audio readings and reflections. And a project supporting the University of Roehampton chaplaincy as it explores ways to capture its impact is taking shape.
Do also explore our ‘sister’ site for the Southlands Methodist Trust, which includes rich reflections from the chaplaincy workers at the University of Roehampton.
For now, I want to add another to our bank of quotations and share with you the statement from the political philosopher, Charles Eisenstein, heard during my church’s online service recently:
Every act that comes from the understanding of interconnectedness is a spiritual act and also a political act. By acting from a different story of interconnectedness rather than separation we disrupt the substructure of the old story of separation and offer an alternative. Any time we give someone an experience that doesn’t fit into the old story of separation, it weakens that old story.
A lesson for all of us. The Foundation seeks to act from that story of interconnectedness as it contributes to the building of flourishing communities as celebrations of God’s love in the world.