Jun
16
2018

Faith Links Conference

We were delighted to host our Faith Links Conference on Saturday 16th June in Edinburgh.

At the SMP, our faith-based members and faith links are incredibly important to the work we do, and in supporting the bilateral relationship.

On Saturday 16th June, we welcomed members to our Faith Links Conference at the City of Edinburgh Methodist Church.

Check out highlights from the day below!

To start, we heard from SMP Board Member, Heather Cubie, as well as Carol Finlay, Church of Scotland's World Mission Council, who opened the meeting with a prayer.

This was followed by an open circle of introductions, where we sought to engage with those personal links and awareness of ongoing work throughout the wider inter-faith community that are integral to the sustainable and meaningful partnerships that we support in Malawi.

Introductions were followed by our 'Linking with Malawi' session, where we heard from individuals within the interfaith network in Malawi. Attendees in Scotland were able to ask live questions directly, and engage in discussion. We also heard from Robert Phiri, Executive Director of the Public Affairs Committee in Malawi in a pre-recorded interview on the role of faith in governance. Minutes of the Q&A will be posted shortly!

Watch our interview with Robert Phiri, Public Affairs Committee (Malawi) below!

Attendees also had the opportunity to give feedback on the SMP's support, and how best we can continue to support our faith-based members. As a result of this feedback, regional faith links meetings across Scotland are being planned to take place this summer 2018, so stay tuned for more information soon!

Discussion groups, led by Carol Finlay and Ben Wilson, both an SMP Board Member and Policy Officer for SCIAF, engaged in rotating discussions around 'Narrative and Communication', and 'Collaboration and Partnership'.

Read the full report of the day, including the WhatsApp Q&A with faith leaders in Malawi, HERE >>

You can also read about what our faith-based members have been working on by reading through our recently published Faith Newsletter.

We give special thanks to the City of Edinburgh Methodist Church for our venue and excellent catering, Davie Luhanga for our fantastic Malawian live music, and our sponsors - Talent Trust Consultants.

This event was sponsored by Talent Trust Consultants.

TTC is a Christian organisation providing affordable and effective medical and travel insurance to Christian missionaries abroad. Starting in 1991 as a small family-run company, they now provide services to +13,000 individuals from +1,200 churches and missions across 180 countries.

The SMP has received excellent feedback from members who have used their services. If you would like to know more, you can visit their website or contact our Member Services Officer, Grace O'Donovan, for more information on their available packages.

MG 9666