Having posted my expectations before the event, were they met? Well actually no, they were far exceeded. Having not been sure whether to attend this event or not, I am so pleased I did. Many of the questions I posed were answered at the broadest level; which is just what I was after – to grapple with the big questions of how best to engage with digital technology and social media in a way that is wise, faithful, and resonates with the breadth of our humanity.

I think one of the event’s greatest strengths, second possibly only to the high quality of the talks, was something I wasn’t expecting: the breadth of age, experience and engagement with social media by those present. There were those, myself included, who were ‘live tweeting’ from the event (search for #digimission on twitter to see some of that stream), to those who have taken a Godly, principled decision to not use facebook. With this breadth of engagement came some searching questions that might easily be lost with a room full of ‘techies’ and professional enthusiasts like me.

I sat on a table with three guys from a church in Canterbury: pastor Eric, youth-worker Dan, and Mark, responsible for turning their vision into a technical reality. I was impressed by their collective concern to engage with culture in a meaningful way, in the spaces people are and using language they will understand. I will look with interest to see how their church continues to implement what they learned during the day.

Afterwards I managed to get a couple of audioboo interviews, with Mark Meynell of All Souls Church, and Russ Bravo of Inspire Magazine, capturing their reflections of the day.

One question that has remained with me, following an excellent presentation by Jonny Baker of CMS, is this: in an increasingly ‘connected’ world, where traditional structures often struggle to keep up with the pace of technological – and its associated sociological – change, how can we look out for and care for the disconnected? Surely this is key to the gospel call, and something I know that I find hard, as someone who likes to engage in the places people are; who will look out for the people on the margins, to connect the disconnected to the community, and ultimately, to God?

So, as a member of my local church, and in my role with IFES, how will this event change what I do? I certainly have a lot to think about, ponder on, pray through. Digimission renewed my enthusiasm to apply the gifts God has given me in a meaningful way, and I look forward to continuing the discussion with others. As well as being excited by cool features in the web apps and the tools we develop, perhaps this event has reminded me to love the people these tools are created to support, and to pray that we might truly serve the individuals and communities behind them.

Big thanks to Krish and team for putting on such an excellent event – I look forward to the next one!