Stimulus will Focus on FOCaL in August 2006

 Stimulus is pleased to give forward notice of its intention to publish the papers given at the FOCaL Conference 2006 (June 30 to Saturday July 1st at Wellington Central Baptist Church) in the August 2006 issue. The conference, entitled “Church and Society after Election 2005”, will feature papers from a number of New Zealand commentators including:
•   Dr James Harding, FOCaL trustee and Old Testament lecturer at Otago University. 
•   Prof. Peter Lineham, Associate Professor of History at Massey University, Albany Campus. 
•   Dr Anthony Dancer, Social Service Commissioner, Anglican Church New Zealand.

FOCaL – Introduction and upcoming conference

 Just before the election in 2005 a new group entered the Christian scene: namely, “FOCaL” – Forum of the Christian Left. It grew out of four of us meeting for a quiet beer in Saint Lee’s, an old Methodist church in Dunedin which had been converted into a cafe.