RLC UK Book Club: Looking for Lydia: Encounters that Shape the Church with Author Dr Sally Mann

Dr Sally Mann joins us for an interactive Zoom discussion of her book Looking for Lydia: Encounters that Shape the Church. Please register for this RLC UK Book Club via EventBrite (free or donation).

It’s important to us as Red Letter Christians UK to facilitate meaningful justice-fuelled conversations about mission, locality and community activism.

We’re thrilled to welcome author/ minister/ activist Dr Sally Mann to discuss her beautiful, personal book about her generational family calling to rootedness in their East End community. Sally was part of the original team of activists who launched Red Letter Christians in the UK … so in a number of ways, this discussion feels like it’s about the importance of deep, ongoing connection with others as we live for Jesus and justice.

This RLC UK Book Club session will be a mixture of hearing from Sally, discussion and a time for Q&A. We look forward to an evening of deep discussion, stories and probably a fair bit of laughter.

About this book:
Looking for Lydia: Encounters that Shape the Church

Dr Sally Mann is the fourth of five generations living and ministering in one East End community, with a PhD and five lifetimes of stories. Her experiences will make you laugh, cry and, if you pay attention, help you see how much-needed change can happen…Sally brilliantly connects Biblical characters with contemporary people and shows how these individuals have helped shape over 150 years of her family’s ministry in one East London neighbourhood.’
Dr Ash Barker – Seedbeds

“Sally and Dave love their community. They have a jealous passion to see it thrive. They have resilience which comes from long-term commitment; knowing their dreams of what God might do will take more than a few years of committed service, but decades, and perhaps generations, to achieve. They seek deep transformation in the places they serve – bringing structural changes like good education, just governance, and improving the health and well-being of all their neighbours. Alongside this they have built lively, inclusive, Christian congregations. We should listen to their story.”
Steve Chalke -Founder & Leader Oasis Global

“In all the window dressing around how to fix the church or make it more connected to our massively disruptive times Looking for Lydia changes the conversation. It turns most of our pretensions on their head as it brings us back to the God who radically meets us in the other. The story in this book is grounded in the practiced life of a community of God’s people. I can’t recommend it more highly. It’s the disruptive Spirit calling us to God’s future.”

Alan J Roxburgh – Journal of Missional Practice & The Missional Network

Looking for Lydia: Encounters that Shape the Church is available for purchase directly through Amazon. If you would prefer not to order the book via Amazon, you can order a copy via Bonny Downs Baptist Church: https://forms.gle/FGQq7DV7LqFKA6NS8

Red Letter Christians UK is a relational network for those who want to live for Jesus and Justice. Our focus is connecting and supporting Christian activists and community leaders across the UK. We aim to provide practical tools for developing advocacy and organising skills alongside deepening spiritual resilience. We seek out spiritual and tactical resonance, creating opportunities to pursue justice together. We aim to amplify prophetic voices from the margins who bring spiritual depth, experience and a healthy dose of challenge to national conversations.