British Region

I. Core Values and Aims

1. Worship and Spirituality

Since the Conference in Trier in 2006, the British Region has produced for all members a copy of the Trier Pilgrim Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour and Redeemer, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Remember your Church and gather together all who are divided.”

This short prayer we feel expresses what we seek to do in our own prayers and worship, to enter into that mercy of God which draws all things together in reconciliation, forgiveness, love and peace.

We have a framed copy of it which we place before us at our Annual General Meeting Weekend. At the end of each of our Newsletters one of our members in invited to prepare some intercessions for us all to use, to draw us all into our common purpose summarised in the Trier Prayer.

When we meet together in local groups or for our Annual General Meeting Weekend, a wide range of worship experience is offered. The Eucharist is celebrated according to different denominational practice and various forms of morning and evening worship are enjoyed.

These vary from Café Church to Compline and power-point meditations incorporating wisdom from other faith traditions. A Quiet Day of reflection and meditation often precedes this Weekend.

2. Ecumenism, Discipleship and Theology

As a Region we are involved in the national ecumenical instruments through our membership of the Bodies in Association of Churches Together in England (CTE), which includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Pentecostal churches; and its counterparts in Wales and Scotland.

This enables us to contribute to national ecumenical debates and conferences, to relate to other ecumenical organizations and to inform our members of recent developments in the ecumenical movement. They are therefore able to play a fuller part in ecumenical and interchurch activity in their home situations.

We invite speakers from different traditions to our local and regional meetings and members share ecumenical experiences through the Newsletter.

3. Fellowship and Friendship

Within Great Britain we appreciate being a fellowship, with informal and area group meetings between conferences, Newsletter and intercessions, the friendships made across denominational boundaries and our caring and praying for one another.

We are grateful for the fresh insights and the wider perspective on the Church offered by our Regional Weekends. At International Conferences we value sharing our search for unity with Christians from other countries, whatever their denomination, nationality or role in the Church.

This opportunity to meet internationally is, we feel, the very heart of IEF life. The faith of our sisters and brothers in other regions inspires us and it is wonderful when long lasting international friendships are formed.

This prevents us becoming parochial or insular and gives us a bigger picture of God and what it means to be part of a world Church. We rejoice in the possibility of worshipping together and experiencing liturgies from different countries and church traditions, also in the way that IEF can hold together some things that get stuck in official ecumenism.

We are grateful for the chance to explore the customs and way of life in other countries, not as tourists but as pilgrims, and, for many of us, the various towns and cities in which International Conferences are held, each with its distinctive religious and secular history and ethos, are places which enrich or shape our Christian discipleship.

II. History

From the early 1970s on, IEF centrally encouraged the development of regions as an effective means of encouraging and supporting members, and to make these IEF conferences more widely known.

The inspiration and enthusiasm of many of its founder-members is something the British Region remembers with respect and gratitude. Particular International Conferences have inspired individuals and some have had a wider significance for the whole of IEF.

The British Region welcomed this move, and quickly began to hold an annual residential Regional Meeting, usually over a weekend in the spring. This was used for three main purposes: first, to give members an opportunity to meet together informally, especially those who were unable to attend the International Conference.

Second, to prepare the theme for the forthcoming conference through Bible study, talks and discussion. And third, to allow for an Annual General Meeting (AGM) for elections, accounts, reports and discussion.

From early in the development of these meetings, an extra Quiet Day was frequently included. The Regional Weekends have been held at a wide variety of locations in England and Wales.

Strong links with the White Rose Group in Yorkshire inspired other local and subregional groups to become established, allowing members to meet much more frequently. In the 1980s, holiday and fellowship weeks were also held.

But it has always been the case that, apart from travelling and meeting together, ties of friendship and fellowship have been strengthened between individual members through telephone, personal visits, and more recently, by email.

We have always regarded it as important to include even those who have little hope (through age, infirmity, family circumstances or for some other reason) to attend conferences, and the Region has been committed for many years to raising the means to support financially those who could not otherwise afford to attend.

The inspiration and enthusiasm of many of its founder-members is something the British Region remembers with respect and gratitude. Particular International Conferences have inspired individuals and some have had a wider significance for the whole of IEF.

One of these is the introduction of a healing service into the conference week; the use of reflection booklets and the Roman Catholic Mass in the Anglican Cathedral in Lincoln at the Swanwick Conference in 2002.

III. Structure

The British Region (BRIEF) is, in law, an unincorporated association of members regulated by a Constitution, which was adopted on 31 October 1981 and amended in 1990. Its management is in the hands of a Committee, whose members are de facto Managing Trustees, who meet to transact business at least three times a year.

The membership of the Committee is under the control of the members of BRIEF, who hold a general meeting at least once a year. As the objects of the association are charitable in law, BRIEF is registered as a Charity, thus having legal personality.

IV. Activities and Conferences

Where a number of members live in the same area of the country, they come together in a local group two or three times a year for a day meeting consisting of worship, fellowship and a speaker or discussion of a matter of faith or Christian unity.

Once a year, members meet for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) Weekend, and the possibility of reviving the practice of holding a second gathering – possibly for a twenty-four hour retreat – is under discussion.

The Region produces a Newsletter twice a year, which is the main means of communication between members.

V. Hopes and Vision

We have the following hopes and visions for the future of IEF and the ecumenical movement as a whole:

1. That leaders of the Christian churches will recognise the harm that our divisions do to our mission, and will move more rapidly towards unity.

2. That the energy in our fellowship may play a small part in helping to enthuse the official ecumenical movement, where it has become “tired”; and being part of “Bodies in Association” at various levels may help this.

3. That IEF will continue to grow and be a credible witness that “living today the Church of tomorrow” is not only possible, but essential if we are to follow our Lord’s instructions.

4. That some younger people may catch the vision.

5. That we may become still more international, both within Europe and beyond; or we could perhaps (some of us wonder) become a home and forum for different Christian groups within today’s British society, like economic migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and the churches where they worship.

6. That the breadth of denominations involved in IEF may increase and constantly learn from one another.

7. That we may be open to the possibility that God is calling us to a movement that includes also other faith and wisdom traditions.

8. That we may be open to new ways of doing things.

9. And many of us hope that we may be more open to the world of interreligious dialogue in our search for that unity which includes all God’s people.