Networking Reception with special guest Dr. Edward Kessler, Monday 23rd October 2023, 6:30pm

The Oxford Three Faiths Encounter took place as a hybrid event. This seemed nearly miraculous as it was at a time when the Omicron Covid variant was at its height. Even two weeks before the event we were unsure it would go ahead. A few people were unable to attend in person due to the virus but as it was also being hosted online they were able to take part in that way. 

We are keen to keep moving things forward in relation to climate change action and have arranged a follow up with participants and speakers. We are planning to make content from the conference available online to reach a wider audience. 

The speaker line-up was amazing and impactful. Online and in-person attendance options were available. As you can imagine, this was quite a challenge to get in place during Covid and during the holidays when some of the college technical staff were not available. This was the first time our team had run a hybrid event and there were definitely some teething problems! 

Feedback includes the following: 

"Lovely welcome from the team and the other participants. Everyone was so warm and friendly.... the quality of the catering throughout was top notch...I was very impressed by the quality of the speakers and their topics... the learning experience was even greater than expected...The atmosphere was excellent, added immeasurably to the overall experience...A great sense of collaboration, the urgency of getting from theology to action, and our adequacy to the task...This was epitomised for me by the presentation by the three "next generation" speakers. What younger people all over and regardless of background are doing for the environment is exceptional and inspiring....Finally: The atmosphere was excellent, added immeasurably to the overall experience....The Oxford Three Faiths Conference has been the highlight of my year so far."

"A line up of top scientists and religious leaders led the thought provoking sessions, inviting questioning, participation and discussion to enhance personal engagement in the issues. I was impressed by the fact that given the faith context of the conference, issues of religious belief never undermined the integrity of scientific research."

Further feedback showed that people gained:  

• A sense of appreciation of the traditions and wisdom of each faith and delight at experiencing as ‘brother/sister’ what the world so easily perceives as ‘other’.   
• A renewed sense of awe at the magnificence of nature, and treasured awareness of being brought into intentional closeness with it.   
• An acknowledgement of the need for ongoing engagement as community (faith or otherwise) and for mentoring to make meaningful change in our behaviours for life on earth to be sustainable. 
• Also appreciated was: "The interweaving of the different faiths so supportively and the respecting of the offering of each". In fact, many of the participants mentioned in particular the respectful and warm atmosphere created in the event, and this is due both to the participants and the years of experience of the team.