Chelmsford Diocesan House of Retreat Pleshey

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1 CHELMSFORD DIOCESAN HOUSE OF RETREAT PLESHEY Mar 2018 Chelmsford Diocesan House of Retreat Pleshey March 2018 IN THIS ISSUE; Data Protection changes Living with Thoughts from The Chaplain Open Day 2018 Holy Week Quiet Days & Evelyn Underhill Weekend Music Week 2017 & 2018 So where did 2017 go? A busy year for the majority of us I guess but hopefully one full of blessings and memories. The House of course had a further year of change. We started with the completion of the refurbishment work in the first quarter of the year, receiving the okay from Building Control that everything was okay 30 minutes before the first group was to arrive! (That was a little uncomfortable!) We then hit the road running. We have been particularly busy the rest of the year, with many new groups and individuals using us for their quiet days and retreats. Whilst towards the end of the year it did quieten off a little, we had a wonderful retreat over Christmas with 16 people staying, enjoying each other s company as well as being able to have that quiet space when needed. So what does 2018 have in store for us all? Who knows! We can anticipate good times but also, for many, times of sadness which will often be out of our control. The one thing we can do through any situation is to choose joy. The joy that comes from knowing Jesus and being assured that, although there may be occasions where it might be hard to acknowledge, He has us in His hands at all times. For the House, we hope for another year where more and more people seek that time out we often speak of. The programme for the remainder of 2018 is now published and available either from the House, online or by . The Evelyn Underhill Prayer Diary (pictured above) which we wrote about in the last newsletter has now been published and we are advised by SPCK that sales are going well. We do have a supply of this book at the House and it can be bought from here. For each of the books sold from the House we are able to take any profit from them and add it to our Funds. Something that we need to change this year is how and what we store in relation to Data Protection Law. This Newsletter will be the last we send out, by or post, to all the contacts we have on our database. Please see more information on page 2 of this Newsletter. In May we will once again hold our Open Day, which many realise as being our main fund-raising event of the year. This is always a well-attended event with numerous stalls here to wander around and purchase gifts etc. If you haven t been able to get along before, please make a note in your diary and we hope to see you on the 7 th May between 10:00am and 4:00pm. Stewart McCredie

2 CHELMSFORD DIOCESAN HOUSE OF RETREAT PLESHEY Mar 2018 Changes to Data Protection Guidelines As many might be aware, Data Protection guidelines are changing in May therefore we are currently reviewing how we store and use information supplied to us. When retreats and quiet days are booked with us we need to keep certain details on file to enable those events to go ahead. These contact details are added to our mailing list database. Previously, through our Newsletters, we have asked to be informed if you don t wish to be on our mailing list. However, this will no longer be acceptable and we will require confirmation from individuals that they wish to be added to this list. As such, this Newsletter and Programme will be the last that we send to those on our current full list. The intention is to send 3 or 4 newsletters with a programme and a couple of updates each year so we are looking at no more than around 6 communications in a year. In recent months we have amended our booking forms to include a tick box regarding your wish to be added to our mailing list and this will continue. Can we ask you to make contact with us if you wish to be included in our mailing list going forward if we don t hear from you we will not be able to send these updates. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation and we look forward to hearing from many of you in the near future. Living with These days will hopefully be helpful to anyone living with or those who provide support or care for someone living with or through situations. We hope to cover a number of subjects and are still working through some dates. They will be around the format of a quiet day but we would expect each one to be different in their own way. The days start at 9.30am finishing around 4.00pm and include lunch. The cost being 28. Booking is in the usual way via the Retreat House office. If you are aware of anyone within your church or friendship group who might find these days of interest, please sensitively pass this information on to them. The first of these days, Living with Dementia, is on Saturday 10 th March and will be led by Jennifer Bute and Louise Morse who have both led conferences and other such events previously around this subject. Jennifer currently lives in a dementia inclusive village in the south of England. Louise has written, amongst other things, books on worship in dementia. The next day in this series is on Saturday 5 th May and is Living with Poverty. This will be led by Church Action on Poverty. So that cost isn t a barrier for anyone attending there are a small number of subsidised places. Please contact the office for further information. Unfortunately we have had to cancel 'Living with...discrimination that was on the 28 th July.

3 CHELMSFORD DIOCESAN HOUSE OF RETREAT PLESHEY MAR Thoughts from the Chaplain BY Revd Graham Dowling When Stewart asked me for a thought for the Newsletter, it so happened that two verses in scripture had been vying for my attention for some time. I was coming across them seemingly everywhere; in my daily readings, on church notice boards I passed, in Christian books I was reading etc. Proverbs 3:5 (NIV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and Isaiah 30:15 (NIV) This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. On reflection I felt most drawn to the latter (an old favourite). Now, not forgetting its original context and meaning (prophetic words to the Obstinate Nation ) I think there is a lot of wisdom in this simple verse for us today too. Our salvation, accordingly to the Holy One of Israel, is dependent on two things. Repentance and rest! We might readily identify with the first (the original Hebrew word shuvah speaks of returning to God s ways), not merely being sorry for something we ve done - though that is part of it; nor of making amends -though that is also part of it; but of changing direction, of transformation. We might say Stop seeking happiness where you have been looking, it cannot be found there! The prophet, inspired by God, goes further however. In rest is salvation. How much do we all need to hear that? How essential is that for the current world to hear? Is it necessary for us to be evangelical in our conversations with those around us about rest? Now I am not talking about plain laziness; we are not to be negligent or reckless with our time. Nevertheless, does your minister, do members of your church or yourself need some rest? We ought to seriously consider a daily diversion, weekly withdrawal or annual abandonment either at Pleshey or elsewhere. Might this be some way we can partly fulfil the Diocesan Transforming Presence strategic priority of Inhabiting the world distinctively (living a distinctive Christian life)? Our strength (the Hebrew word gevurah), by which I don t think the prophet is merely referring to our physical power, but our spiritual resilience (which as Christians in our current context is becoming ever more important) is found in two things. Firstly in quiet. Now I know that my own churchmanship might point to Bible reading and prayer and fellowship as key, and I don t want to take anything away from these. In fact I would go as far as saying that the traditional quiet time fits neatly into this formula. Quietness (and again Pleshey is perfect for this) in proper proportion, is true listening to scripture rather than coming with an agenda; it is quieting our external surroundings (iphone off) and inner mind. It is being quiet before God rather than always praying with words. It is sitting in the silence until it silences us to paraphrase the American Franciscan Richard Rohr. If we truly want to be strong Christians quiet must be allowed to play its part. Furthermore trust or confidence is required. Presumably the prophet is not talking about trust in ourselves, abilities or religious structures, but in the Lord (e.g. Prov 3:5). Trust can be a rather dry word does it help to substitute it for confidence? Trust or confidence, that is, belief in the reliability, truth or ability of God. Are you repenting? Are you resting? Are you being quiet? Do you trust God? All excellent questions to ask ourselves on a regular basis.

4 CHELMSFORD DIOCESAN HOUSE OF RETREAT PLESHEY Mar 2018 The Open Day, our major fund-raising event of the year, is once again just around the corner. It is always such a wonderful day, with a good variety of stalls to wander around and peruse. Entry is free, although a donation is welcomed! We look forward to seeing many of you again throughout the day. The doors open at 10:00am through to closing at 4:00pm. Open Day 7 th May 2018 these products donating them on or before the day itself. If you haven t previously, why not contribute this time? The day is the success it is because of the volunteers working behind the scenes to ensure everything is in place and prepared on the day. We know who you are and Jo is currently making contact with you! We have two or three new stalls this year to bring added variety to what is on offer. We are also open to suggestions for something different so if you are aware of someone who makes crafty things, please let Jo or myself know so that we can look to see whether they will fit with the other stalls we have. There will be food available for lunch - ploughmans, hot dogs/burgers, ice cream and possibly crepes (although we can t yet promise that these will be available!). There will be the usual homemade cake stall as well as jams, marmalades and chutneys. For this stall we rely on anyone with the skills for making If you haven t volunteered previously we ask that you please give this some thought and if you feel you are able to help, give Jo or myself a call, or drop us an . The more the merrier as the saying goes! We look forward to hearing from some more of you. Please detach the poster at the back of this newsletter and place on your church notice board and publicise this as much as possible. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer, whether prior to the day publicising, making jams &/or cakes, or on the day setting up tables etc to help make this day the success. Stewart McCredie Holy Week Quiet Days & Evelyn Underhill Weekend Within our programme again this year, we have 3 quiet days in Holy Week and then 3 events around the Evelyn Underhill weekend in June. We mention these specifically as last year for both events, some people made a 2 or 3 day retreat out of them and found it most useful. That same option is available again this year, subject to availability. Please contact the office to confirm options and prices. We should emphasise that it is still okay to come along for an individual quiet day or retreat for both of these periods.

5 CHELMSFORD DIOCESAN HOUSE OF RETREAT PLESHEY MAR Music Week 2017 Music, Movies, Life and Faith was the title of last year s music week at the House of Retreat. Along with my fellow retreatants I arrived with very little knowledge of all that the week would hold. Would I enjoy the week? Would I be expected to sing or play a musical instrument? Most importantly who were Simeon Wood and Dave Hopwood, our leaders for the week? Simeon is a very talented musician who plays over 20 instruments including flute, panpipes and whistles. He also plays an adapted NHS walking stick and a bicycle pump, both of which have won him fame on TV and radio! He plays classics, ballads and Celtic pieces in his own unique way. Coupled with an infectious sense of humour Simeon encouraged us to explore the world of music in an inimitable way pointing us always to the Creator. Dave is a performer, speaker and writer who has been working in this field for 30 years. He uses films, stories and modern media to communicate the Bible, drawing on TV, advertisements, lots of humour and the internet for inspiration. Together Simeon and Dave explored the relationship we have with music, movies, life and faith and we were encouraged to embrace new ways of thinking about music and its very important place in our world. Music week was a voyage of discovery culminating in an open air concert for villagers and others to enjoy. This was a week I will never forget. A treasure house of delight and pure joy! Angela Parker (Dave Hopwood will be leading The Friends of Pleshey Retreat in February 2019) Finding Your Voice - Music Week Mon 20 th Fri 24 th August 2018 Finding Your Voice a week with Jonathan and Sue Veira where together you will be given the opportunity to develop, discover, or re-discover, the joy of singing in worship. A time for all, whether you sing regularly or only occasionally. We have been very fortunate to arrange for Jonathan to lead this week, along with his wife Sue. Jonathan is an international opera singer having performed on many of the leading stages around the world as well as the star of his popular one man show An Audience with. He performs this at many churches around the UK and beyond where audiences of all ages have been given a night to remember laughter being a by word. More details about Jonathan can be found at and more details of the week in our programme or on our website. Prayer Weekend 5 th -7 th January 2018 Whilst attendance over the weekend was quite low, those who were able to take that time-out to focus on the year ahead, both personally and for the House, sensed a real peace and tranquillity that is so often spoken about with regards to the House of Retreat. A number of prayer requests were left following the weekend and these were prayed through as a part of the House daily cycle of prayer over the following couple of weeks. This weekend will be a part of the first weekend each year, 4 th -6 th January 2019 and going forward and we would encourage those who are able to, to take this time out after the Christmas busyness to focus on the year ahead both personally and for the House.

6 0 Open CHELMSFORD DIOCESAN HOUSE OF RETREAT PLESHEY MAR Events 9 th 11 th February 2018 Friends Retreat And God saw that it was good Jane Franklin 146/ 160 An opportunity to explore the Divine and Nature and your own Creativity through contemplation, colourful prayer and poetry influenced by Hildegard of Bingen, Ignatius of Loyola and Francis of Assisi. Friends of Pleshey 7 th May 2018 Open Day 10:00am to 4:00pm to all. The day is the success it is due to the incredible team effort made by the volunteers. If you haven t helped in previous years, please consider offering this time round. Many hands make light work as the saying goes. Please contact Jo or Stewart at the House so that we can add your name to the list. 20 th October 2018 Friends Quiet Day 28 Celtic Reflections Revd Graham Dowling Chaplain to the House of Retreat An opportunity to spend time reflecting on God's word and creation with an influence from the early Celtic church. Prayer & Welcome Rota This ministry is such an important part of the life of the House and we are keen to encourage as many of you as are able to join this merry band of people who pray regularly and welcome groups arriving at the House for retreats. If you can spare just 1 or 2 afternoons a term, or year, please make contact with Val Jones who co-ordinates this important group of people. Her contact details are; valerie.jones1942@hotmail.co.uk Tel: Dates for Friends Day in :30am 2:30pm (New times) An opportunity to spend time with each other. To include a bring & share lunch. The House will provide desserts. Please confirm attendance with the office. 24 th February st July 2018 *8 th September th November 2018 *change of date The House of Retreat, The Street, Pleshey, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 1HA The Diocesan Retreat House for Essex and East London Tel : retreathouse@chelmsford.anglican.org The Retreat House is part of the Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance, Registered Charity No:

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