About Us

 

Solace is a network of people and events, wholly contained within the incorporated association, Solace EMC INC. It exists to provide support and opportunities for people to develop Christian practices that are authentic to contemporary Australia. Solace draws upon a broad range of spiritual traditions and has sought to articulate these as the 7 Ways. Christian ministry academics would describe Solace as an 'Emergent Church'. Solace has links to the Anglican and Baptist denominations.

 

EMC stands for "Emerging Missional Church". Emerging is about our style of spirituality and theology, missional is about being dedicated to finding opportunities for compassionate service in all parts of life, church indicates that we are a faith community.

 

Solace allows individuals and small groups to self-determine their own agenda, leading to a welcome diversity in practice and belief within the network.

 

                                                                         Vision

 

We see a future where all people in Australia have a rich and satisfying spiritual journey.

 

                                                                        Mission

 

We make Christian spiritual community accessible and meaningful; deeply connected to traditional practices and open to the rapid changes of postmodern life

 

 

Walk, Grow & Dream

Solace has three aspects to it; most people interact with one or two of these, and a few engage at some level with all three.

 

The first of these is the "Walk". This involved being part of a regular group learning and practising together some spirituality. The blue part of our logo reflects this. It contains a road to reflect that engaging with the basics is about journeying with others. Many of us have come from different parts of the journey, and we may not all continue together for long, but being part of a "Walk" activity is about joining others for now. Solace Sunday Stuff, Solace Tuesday Stuff and the Solace Network are all basic activities that anyone can join.

 

The second aspect to Solace is "Grow". This focuses on a broader range of spiritualities drawn from different traditions, which we classify as the 7 Ways. Engaging spirituality involved remaking parts of your own life and parts of the world around you. The green part of the logo shows an organic fern-like tendril unfolding, and being part of "Grow" can feel like a new growth in your life. It can also feel like you are on a winding path that never seems to lead anywhere. Remaking opportunities happen every year, either initiated by members or staff.

 

The third aspect of Solace is "dream". This is encouraging new ideas to bring change to other people's lives in their everyday world. Often dreams begin with a tiny seed of an idea. Dreaming is about encouraging that idea to take form and thrive. The yellow part of the logo shows a new seed emerging, with no determined form but with the essence of Solace contained within. Dreaming opportunities are usually initiated by members. If you have a dream, let us know and maybe we can help!