Christian organisation Faithworks will hold its annual conference this weekend, 4–6 November, in Eastbourne under the theme ‘iChurch: Intelligent Church in the 21st Century’.

|TOP|International speakers at the event include Faithworks founder, the Rev. Steve Chalke MBE, Dr Tony Campolo, Tim Costello, the Rev. Joel Edwards, Cardinal Cormac-O’Murphy and the Rev. Nims Obunge.

The conference aims to explore how the church in the 21st century “can be intelligent – motivated by an active and relevant faith”, as well as tackle the challenge of bringing the universal message of the unconditional love of Christ to all people.

“Despite our culture’s unprecedented openness to spirituality, many people in the UK do not currently believe that the Church has the answers to life’s questions,” read a Faithworks statement.

“How do we ensure that our focus is on serving the world, rather than just serving ourselves? In what ways can our faith produce the actions that make a positive difference to people’s lives and to society as a whole?,” added the statement.

Seminars running throughout the weekend conference include ‘The Jesus Approach’ by Rev. Chalke, which explores ways to live out faith without imposing it on others, and ‘Faith Food’ by Jeff Lucas, which takes a closer look at how to ensure intimacy with God while serving others.

Other seminars will be led by Joy Madeiros of Faithworks, the Rev. Joel Edwards of the Evangelical Alliance, Katie Kirby of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, and Rev. Obunge of The Peace Alliance.

The EA’s Rev. Edwards said: “Across the country, local churches are discovering what I like to call a ‘theology of the pavement’, where faith is put into action for the benefit of others.

“The 2005 Faithworks Conference will examine how this ‘movement’ of people can become more intelligent – aware of their surroundings and committed to bringing their faith to bear on the pressing issues of our time.”