In the Thick of It

Who is it for?

"In the Thick of It" is an event over two days for people who are living or working on the margins of life in Great Britain. It aims to support those who are supporting their communities, and to help influence the agenda of the Church towards marginalised people and communities.

This time away is designed to give space to share your own experience and to hear the experiences of others. It will feature theological reflection and discussion.

It is ecumenical in outlook and seeking to attract people with lived experience of marginalisation and people who are working to support marginalised communities (and those who would describe themselves as both).

Register your interest in attending

We are restricting attendance at the event to about 50 people. This helps us facilitate good and meaningful conversations and to maximise participation in a comfortable environment. This could mean that not everyone who would like to attend will be able to this time around, but for anyone who is unsuccessful this time, we can keep you in the loop for further opportunities if you would like to be.

Costs

The full cost per person (for those staying overnight at Luther King House) will be in the region of £160. If you or your organisation is able to cover this, that would be great. However, we are seeking to raise funds to offset the costs for those who can't cover the full cost - and will also have a number of places available for those who would like to attend, but who are not able to contribute anything towards the costs. Please indicate which category you are in on the application form.

The event is being organised by Niall Cooper (Director, Church Action on Poverty), Roo Stewart (URC Church and Society), Jenny Jones (Methodist Diaconal Order) and Steve Summers (URC Church Related Community Work & Special Category Ministry coordinator).

In the Thick of It : The origins...
In May 2019, a gathering called In the Thick of It brought together an ecumenical group of fifty people, all engaged in some way in ministry or mission in marginalised places in Britain, for twenty-four hours in the beautiful setting of Scargill House in Yorkshire. The event had three aims:
1. To facilitate conversations between people engaged in ministry in different marginal contexts, to enable participants to learn from, encourage, inspire and support each other
2. To reflect on how God is at work in these contexts and explore the implications of Christian engagement with social exclusion
3. To consider how the voices and experiences of marginalised communities can inform and enhance policymaking and practice, at both local and wider levels.
A report of this first gathering is available here: https://urc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/1638/54/In_the_Thick_of_it_book.pdf