Between strenuous work-outs in the hot pools of Goudini Spa, Good Hope has learnt that the Diocesan clergy actually undertook some productive work during the annual Clergy Conference! The ‘formation’ week started intriguingly with Maurice Jacobs, youth worker from St Cyprians, leading the clerics in a ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’ exercise where, we understand, creative use was made of a cheese grater!

Every morning, hearts were inspired by Archbishop Thabo’s homilies on the Mary and Martha theme, the importance of just ‘showing up’ for prayer and the blessings of a faithful prayer life.

On one of the evenings, Fr Basil Davids and his team donned their blue and white aprons and took to their braai tongs while on another, participants enjoyed the South African humour of the ‘White Wedding’  in a late night movie night.

But it was in the discernment groups that ground breaking progress was made. By tying in the eight ACSA provincial priorities with the Diocesan vision – strategies were discerned under the headings  Growing the Church, Worship, Chaplains, Social Responsibility, Youth, Leadership and Governance, Communication and the Environment.

The new Liturgical Resource team announced ambitious plans for seasonal trainings for clergy and worship leaders; the social responsibility task team made plans for a Diocesan Social Development Conference; the Environmental task team appealed for mass mobilization around the Global Day of Action around climate change (see insert); and a new Communication Resource team promised to update and upgrade the Diocesan communication policies and procedures.

All this and more emerged from a most successful conference and the Diocese awaits eagerly the impact of the waves made at Goudini!