Eden leaders gather for landmark partners’ day

Over sixty key Eden Network leaders gathered at a landmark Partners’ Day in Manchester on May 18.

Message HQ hosted team leaders and church partners from as far away as London and Newcastle, for a day spent together hearing from National Director Matt Wilson and special guest Shane Claiborne (pictured right).

‘It was a huge day of partnership – of meeting one another, encouraging and praying for each other, and hearing ideas,’ said Matt.

‘Everyone there has invited Eden into partnership with them at the local level to move forward their with their work with young people in some of the nation’s most challenging high-density, high-population neighbourhoods.’

Strategic leaders travelled from as far afield as London, Newcastle, Middlesborough, Bradford, Sheffield and Humberside to be part of the day.

With less far to go were those from Eden’s birthplace, Greater Manchester. In the last year, five new projects have launched in Manchester, bringing the total to 11. New since May 2009 are partnerships in Westwood and Limeside in Oldham; Leigh; Gorton and Eccles.

It was a real milestone moment for Eden,’ reflects Matt. ‘It’s so important to us that we are creating Eden partnerships, not Eden projects. Eden works with, for and through local church and relationship is at the heart of it – we are journeying together.

‘There was a lot of warmth and a great buzz generated in the room among those who share a heart for the least, the last and the lost.’

You can watch a sixty-minute interview with Shane Claiborne on the Eden Network website.