At the 2022 General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, the parallel session of Education and Learning was led by participants in the direction of discussions that focused on call and vocation. In all areas of life of the United Reformed Church, there is a desire for people to find faith, have opportunities to learn more and grow in faith, to live that faith, to bring and be God's kingdom on Earth

as in heaven, and to encourage this as widely as possible. In response to the 2022 General Assembly Children and Youth Education and Learning and Ministries have been working together to raise awareness of the importance of vocation and call. We took a paper to Assembly Executive 2022 and we have advertised at General Assembly 2023 this conversation starter. Have you ever had anyone tap you on the shoulder, ask for 5 minutes of your time and then tell you that they have noticed a gift or talent in you that they think you should use. Or have you had someone call you and say there's a role going and they think that you might be the person to, to fill that

role or point out that they see you as someone who would be suitable for a particular situation. Or maybe you have had a feeling that you could do something, that you should do something and that something fits in with the gifts and talents that you have. Or maybe you have noticed these things in others. Many of us are in particular places, roles or responsibilities because of such things as these.

Many of us would not be the person we are today. Without somebody approaching us or encouraging us or raising our awareness or without us listening to the spirit's prompting it internally or externally. But sometimes we're a little hesitant to either see or to say these promptings. As people seeking to walk the way of Jesus, we know ourselves called to faith.

And we also know that this call prompts, encourages, and compels us to respond. Our response becomes our vocation. The way we live out our faith for a period of time in a particular way, with a particular emphasis responding to God's love in our lives. It is this call and response that we wish to begin a discussion around. And so we offer this conversation starter aiming to enable conversations around vocational journeys of faith lived out through our work church, family and social contexts, and to encourage each other to support each other, to learn and develop and think more about how we serve and grow.

So we hope you enjoy this series and let us know how it goes.