School of Discipleship celebrates 20 years

Radical discipleship conference hears from Rev Dr Grace Ji-Sun Kim, exploring the Spirit and discipleship

by Abbey Sim, Assembly Communications Officer

Over 90 disciples gathered on Burramattagal Land over July 5-7 for School of Discipleship. 

This annual weekend of theological wrestling and community building celebrated 20 years since the first SOD on the outskirts of Canberra in 2004. This year’s theme was The Spirit and Discipleship and participants heard from keynote speaker Rev Dr Grace Ji-Sun Kim. 

“Theology is our life story,” she shared during the opening session on Friday night. “We can only come to know who God is through our experiences.” 

Rev Dr Kim proposed a number of models from Scripture for understanding the Spirit – as breath, light and wisdom – which assists with following Jesus as the Shepherd. She also delved into the idea, derived from Colossians 1, that the Spirit is in all people, regardless of their belief. Drawing upon her extensive scholarship in Asian feminist theology, Rev Dr Kim explored models of Spirit from belief systems outside of Christianity, such as Chi within Chinese culture, and the understanding of the Spirit as a mother or midwife. 

In small groups, participants had the chance to share their responses to the talks and delve deeper into the Spirit's presence in their own lives. This discussion was especially important considering the mysterious nature of the Spirit. In one keynote session, Rev Dr Kim quoted Augustine, “If you understand, it is not God.” 

Worship throughout School of Discipleship was curated by Gabi Cadenhead, a member of the worship music collective Marion St who worships at Leichhardt Uniting Church. For fellow LUC member Raul Sugunananthan, singing together was a highlight of the weekend. 

“Something that stood out to me from SOD was worship. To be able to sing songs written by community members from both recent years and from our 20-year history was an incredibly moving and grounding experience.”

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Saturday night saw the return of a SOD tradition, Songfest, an extravaganza of music, drama and poetry – not just providing creative expressions of radical discipleship and an evening of fun, but reflecting on the growth of SOD across two decades. A birthday cake was also shared for the 20th birthday of School of Discipleship.  

“Overall I felt really energised by the weekend. Spiritually and socially, I left on Sunday feeling great, rather than drained,” shared Nicola Lawless, who worships at St Matthew’s Uniting Church Baulkham Hills. “I really valued meeting people from a variety of ages and church backgrounds but who largely shared my beliefs. We could wrestle with some big questions and ideas raised in a context that was always very safe, supportive and uplifting of others.” 

The weekend concluded with worship, including Communion. Gluten-free bread was provided to all who partook, facilitating equality and accessibility for all participants. The service included the tradition of ¡Presente!, a practice of honouring those who have gone before us and have walked faithfully in the ways of Christ. 

Rev Dr Grace Ji-Sun Kim also gave the Cato Lecture at the 17th Assembly meeting. You can read a wrap of her message here or watch the lecture in full here.