On The Edge is a confidential gathering for Anglicans who are considering whether they can remain in the Church of England (or other Canterbury-aligned structures) writes Susie Leafe. It is hard to report on an entirely secret event – but hopefully this will give a flavour of what it is like to attend On The Edge.
The team of On The Edge, which is run by Anglican Futures, aims to provide a warm welcome – for many who attend, the first time they meet anyone involved is when they walk through the door of the anonymous hotel, and most are emotionally exhausted by the time they get there. As one participant said: ‘My family attended the first On The Edge. We were in great anguish, wanting to honour God, be faithful and yet not be foolish.’
On the first evening, people begin to recognise the many shared experiences: a nagging feeling that won’t go away; a disappointing conversation with a diocesan bishop; sleepless nights worrying about the church, their home, and their kids. Seeing an advert, sending an email, having a chat, deciding to come. There is a palpable sense of relief at not being alone.
Over the next 24 hours there is time to pray; time to think about how and why to stay, or leave, well; time to talk about potential venues, mortgages and pensions; time to meet people who have taken, or are considering, different paths. As the decisions being made will affect everyone, spouses and children are encouraged to come and childcare is provided during the main sessions. One person trying to sum up the experience, said: ‘It’s a refreshing cross between a pastoral retreat, a vocations conference and a planting seminar.’
People are able to come without questions being asked or rumours started. We don’t publicise dates, or the venue, before or after the event and we ask those who come to respect that. So, I guess all I can say is that there are a number of gatherings planned for 2023 and we’d love to hear from anyone who thinks On The Edge might be for them.
