At 9.40am I invited the gathering participants to follow me if they wanted to participate in the optional opening meditation.  Three people followed, but as I took my position at the front of the seminar room, they kept on coming, and a few minutes later the room was full.  At this stage I wasn’t sure who my audience was. For the next 10 minutes I led the group in a meditation on Proverbs 4:23 using the lectio divina method.  Meditation has been a feature of the series.  I wonder how many other university seminars have begun with a silent meditation this year?

Thanks for all the thought you both put into the Seminar design and delivery. I particularly appreciated the meditations and blend of inputs and styles. Chris, tour organiser

The morning then unfolded first with a dialogue between myself, a Catholic Educationalist and an Anglican Educationalist.  The discussion was around the challenge of exercising spiritual leadership in an environment overloaded with statutory and economic measure of success.

Credit to you for having the courage to put this on. There is always hope and I found it encouraging that this was a funded ESRC seminar. Peter, Vice-chancellor of Newman University

After this came Merv’s “Phronesis” (wisdom) research project within healthcare and Rezi’s stories from Albanian prison work to the Real Deal project in Birmingham, followed by very engaged discussion around the five tables.

“Such an inspiring morning!” Lieutenant-Colonel Army Nurse (over lunch!)

The day concluded with input from two leadership researchers, one from New Zealand and one from Germany, both exploring Christian perspectives on spiritual leadership.

An excellent day.  Please can this be repeated/developed? Paul, Health Educator from Wolverhampton University

I came away with a few business cards and requests for further discussions.  Paul’s was one of them.