Inspired by a world where healing flows like wine, we help you to work for healing in yours.
Fault lines between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ can mute the former. (That is why it can be difficult to speak about ‘sacred’ things in ‘secular’ settings. It can be difficult to see how the ‘sacred’ has anything to do with the markets. They seem like oil and water.) So how do we talk about hope? How do we witness to what’s coming?
“I think the contagious ingredient of the seminar is its practical aspect: it challenges your views of discussing your beliefs with others … The seminar is fast paced, challenging and concludes with a mini adventure – a real growth opportunity not to be missed. Every believer should attend this seminar at least once!” – MP, Marketing Manager.
We can speak about ‘sacred’ things in ‘secular’ settings because Jesus said that he’d come back from the dead to drink wine. 1 This is where fault lines between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ are healed, and where Witness@Work (and Paul) begins. 2
THE RESURRECTION
There is healing because this ‘sacred’ Jesus who comes back from the dead drinks ‘secular’ wine. For the know-how to make that wine comes from the ‘secular’ working week. This know-how matters. So work done during the ‘secular’ working week matters in the ‘sacred’ end to come. As such, there is not really ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’. There is just work, which matters in the end. (Our Worship@Work course explores this further.)
Indeed, perhaps work will matter more. Good wine will not be reserved for the winning few. Sub-standard wine will not pander to the poor taste of the mass market. 3 Then as it is for wine, so it is for us. Our life’s work matters. Our life’s work will be reconfigured. Our life’s work will be made complete. 4
This work includes the work of speaking about ‘sacred’ things in ‘secular’ settings. It takes work to integrate ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’. It takes work lest ‘secular’ eclipses ‘sacred’ leaving us mute. It takes work lest ‘sacred’ eclipses ‘secular’ reducing our speech to indecipherable jargon. They say rhyme is not noticed in the best rhyming poetry. So sacred-secular fault lines are not noticed in the best seasoned speech. 5 Such speech is neither bland nor overpowered with salt. Such speech is neither ‘sacred’ nor ‘secular’. There is just speech, which matters in the end.
So how do we learn this?
We learn by doing. The 4-hour version of Witness@Work includes an opportunity for immersive learning. Learning to witness is like learning a new language – one which resists the fault lines between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’.
First, when learning a new language it’s important to keep learning however good we are. The same goes for witness. That’s why we host three versions of the 4-hour version, each with different content.
Second, it’s important to practice by doing. So the 4-hour version includes a non-obligatory opportunity to do just that. There’s no substitute for immersive learning – but nor is there pressure for anyone to immerse themselves either. (For those who do, the more experienced are paired with the less experienced. And participants often find that it rubs off during the working week, when they find themselves falling into conversations about Jesus. Either way, immersive learning develops stronger conversational-social skills all round. This is healing in itself.)
FORMAT(S)
The course exists in both 9 x 30-minute sessions and 3 x 4-hour seminars. The 9 x 30-minute sessions (which make it ideal for Christian Workplace Groups to run over lunchtime) are:
Each 3 x 4-hour seminar has its own format:
| Format A | Format B | Format C |
| The Resurrection | The Cross | The Holy Spirit |
| Bread of Hope | TBD (your choice) | TBD (your choice) |
| Our Story | Our Prayer | Our Answers |