george's blog

In the build up to the SCM/Taize event Prayers of Freedom in Manchester next weekend (!) I've been doing a bit of Bible study. (Well, if Bible study counts as typing "free" into the search bar of an online Bible and reading through the passages that come up...)

I thought some of these might be useful for people who want to get in the zone a bit before the weekend. So - here is a wee selection of various passages of different sizes.

I spent the weekend near Derby at the SCM (Student Christian Movements) big conference listening to some incredible chat, and contributing some probably less amazing chat myself. At some point, I’m not sure exactly when or in response to what I scribbled a note at the side of a page in my journal. In untidy pencil scrawl I wrote “to care is not enough.”

Step 1 : Find some people

Those of you who were at conference will have already heard Kathy Galloway's message asking for action on this asap :

A professor at Glasgow uni has a 17 year-old foster daughter called Rima.

Rima is an unaccompanied minor from Eritrea who suffered seriously from abuse and neglect in Italy while fleeing persecution.

Following a ruling from the Court of Appeal, finding Italy to be a 'safe country' she is facing deportation.

There is need for a substantial letter campaign for clemency and for her right to remain in the UK.

It's been a busy day!

I have to confess to sleeping through morning prayer, but I was bright-eyed and ready for Michael Taylor's keynote first thing. And I was glad I was. Michael led us gently through a challenging talk based on his many and varied experiences, and left me full of new questions - always a good sign.

The rest of the day has been filled with workshops, a talk from climate personality Tamsin Omond, small group sessions and a lot of chat.

Evening all, and greetings from SCM Conference 2010. I thought I'd get the ball rolling on the blog front, although as yet there's not much to say! People are unpacking and catching up, the hall is set up (the sound desk having finally decided to cooperate), as is the prayer space, and in ten minutes conference will properly open as we all break bread together once more.

For those of you who can't be with us this year, you are in our thoughts and prayers, and we promise to keep you updated here on the blog, and (for those of you on twitter) via the #scm2010 hashtag.

A professor from the public health department came to speak to us at SCM on the 12th. We were talking about George Monbiot's article in the Guardian about Avatar as a metaphor for the 'American Holocaust'. We talked about what it meant to exploit, what it meant to build on the burning ashes of a civilisation we have destroyed. We talked about a new way of thinking, a new way of acting, a new way of being - connected, sustainable, interdependent.