You can find out more about the course as currently formatted here: Difference: Make your faith count in a complex and divided world (You need to click on ‘run the course’ to access more information but you’re not committed to actually running it) or read on for a brief overview.

In a world plagued by conflict and division, the Church has a crucial role to play as a community of peacemakers. Jesus calls every one of us to love God, our neighbours, ourselves – and our enemies. It’s a challenging command, with nobody left out. We’re all given the message and task of reconciliation.

Navigating a divided and complex world can be hard. We encounter conflict in our relationships, in our communities, particularly on estates, and in our wider systems and structures. Many of us long to make a difference, but often we don’t know how to respond or where to start.

Across five sessions, Difference teaches three habits that have the potential to transform everyday relationships:

• Be Curious: Listening to other’s stories and seeing the world through their eyes.
• Be Present: Showing up and sticking around, learning to encounter others with authenticity.
• Reimagine: Finding hope and opportunity in the places where we long to see change.

This course is designed for both large and small groups, meeting online or in-person. It has been run in churches, home groups, prisons and pubs to help followers of Jesus find their part to play in God’s story of restoration.

“Reconciliation is not the ending of all difference, but the transformation of how we deal with difference.” – Archbishop Justin Welby