The Revd Maria Jukes, vicar at Faringdon and Little Coxwell and chair for the Växjö Link Committee with our partner diocese in Sweden, invites curates and incumbents on a special trip to visit our link diocese in Växjö.
I hope you have enjoyed some of the prayers and reflections that has been shared with our partners in world mission over this season of Epiphany.
This week also we're entering into this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an excellent opportunity for all of us to think about the wider church that we belong to, the body that we are a part of.
If you have been inspired by the wider Church during this season, one way to build on that, if you are in ordained ministry in the Diocese of Oxford, might be to come with us as we travel to Växjö in September. It's been a trip that has been a great source of inspiration and encouragement to those who have gone in years past.
So if you are interested in coming along with us, details are below as to how to register your interest. And hopefully I'll see you there.
Getting to know the Church of Sweden
An opportunity to visit our link diocese in Sweden to learn about their history, structures, ecclesiology, and approach to mission and ministry.
Over one week, we will visit various places of worship, historic sites, diocesan offices, cathedrals and missional projects, as well as enjoying the opportunity to experience Swedish culture, nature and community.
Our hope is that this will inspire some reflections on our own church and ministry, offer a different perspective on approaches to mission and ministry, build relationships to resource ongoing ecumenical work, and allow us all to experience the benefits of mutual sharing in the wider Church.
The trip is open for curates or incumbents (as part of your CDM) with an interest in learning from our link with Växjö. We ask that everyone commit to engaging with the programme in full, but there might also be opportunities to make space to also explore new parish links or particular areas of interest alongside our schedule. The main objectives of our link is to work in four areas: Parish Links, Cathedral Links, Ecology, Encouraging Young Leaders.
We will stay in a school that works in partnership with Växjö Diocese, just outside the city with basic but comfortable accommodation (and really good food!). We will worship with the community that work and study there in a beautiful chapel each morning, then travel to locations that will help us engage with different aspects of the life of the Church of Sweden.
The exact itinerary and travel arrangements will be confirmed nearer the time (we anticipate travel to be a combination of air, train and connecting transport), but for now it would be helpful for us to confirm interest to enable us to plan in more detail. There is a maximum of eight spaces. If we have more interest than spaces available we will introduce a short application process using the answers submitted on the registration form to make sure spaces are allocated as fairly as possible. There is no cost for this trip, but there is an expectation that some expenses are covered by each participant - please see details below.
Dates
8 - 15 September 2026. Please note the schedule is still being finalised, so keep a clear day on either side of these dates until everything is confirmed.
Included
All travel, activities, accommodation, and breakfast and dinner when at accommodation.
Additional costs covered by each participant
Meals/drinks during the day, maybe one/two evening meals if we need to eat out.