Programme of Retreats, Courses and Quiet Days Abbey House Glastonbury

Transcription

1 Programme of Retreats, Courses and Quiet Days 2015 Abbey House Glastonbury

2 Please note, Abbey House promotions are marked with an * and title highlighted in blue Fuller details can be found on our website Abbey House Quiet Days are listed on pages 8-11 of this leaflet February Sunday 15th Thursday 19th February CARM Embroidery & Prayer* 320 Creative Arts Retreat Movement Embroidery & Poetry Retreat with Janet Knox & Roger Clifton March Thursday 12th March Wells Cathedral Lent Quiet Day Contact Alison Wilcox for details and booking Tuesday 17th March Teaching Day Deepening Centering Prayer * 35 ( 30 Friend of Abbey House) with Debbie Thorpe A day to deepen our experience of Centering Prayer and explore its potential for awakening the heart. Deceptively simple yet profoundly unitive. Wednesday 18th March World Community for Christian Meditation Day Loving Prayer Contact meditationsomerset@gmail.com or for details and booking Thursday 19th March Window of Silence A time of reflection in a busy life organised by Friends of Abbey House April Friday 3rd Sunday 5th April Cookery Weekend* 350 with Richard de Cesare By popular demand, our very own catering manager Richard de Cesare runs a hands on practical cookery weekend designed for the home cook who would love to develop and enhance their existing skills. You too can produce restaurant quality food and presentation.

3 Friday 3rd Sunday 5th April Drawing & Painting Weekend* 350 with Richard Shepherd Also by popular demand, our very own artist-in-residence, Richard Shepherd runs a weekend for artists, whether painting or drawing is your thing. The weekend will focus on the study of Still Life and will include both theory and practice. Friday 24th April 28th April Deepening into the Céile Dé Tradition This ancient Celtic, Esoteric Christian path is lyrical, mythopoeic and deeply devotional. It seeks balance at all times between the need for earthly, psychological and mystical development. It has at its heart a deep faith in the transformative power of Love. For further details and booking see Wednesday 29th April BRF Quiet Day Touch of God with Janet Lunt Please note that this is a BRF Quiet Day not an Abbey House Quiet Day. Bookings for this day need to be made in advance directly with BRF Quiet Day Bookings, 15 The Chambers, Vineyard, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 3FE Tel: ; Fax: events@brf.org.uk. Using art, music and text, and taking inspiration from the life of Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld, the day will creatively explore God s touch on the lives of others and our own. There will be ample time for creative ways of praying or for your own quiet contemplation. May Private bookings only except for Abbey House Quiet Day on Monday 11th May (see page 7 for more details) June Monday 8th June Abbey House AGM 12.45pm at Abbey House Monday 22nd Friday 26th June Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer Retreat Contact Ian Pearson for details and booking Tuesday 30th June Window of Silence A time of reflection in a busy life organised by Friends of Abbey House

4 July Monday 20th Saturday 25th July Christians Aware Retreat Contact Amanda Fitton for details and booking August Annual Open Day Sunday 2nd August The House and grounds are open to all Usually 1 5pm please check for details Monday 10th Friday 14th August CARM Painting & Prayer* 320 Creative Arts Retreat Movement Painting & Prayer Retreat with Christine Dodd & Norman Howes Discovering what it means to be a child of God today September Monday 28th September Thursday 1st October The Return of the Prodigal Retreat* 240 with Tony Horsfall A study retreat based on the book by Henri Nouwen with Tony Horsfall. This study retreat, based on the well-known and much loved book by Henri Nouwen will help participants to discover their true identity as God s beloved children. Guided by the parable of Jesus in Luke 15 of The Two Sons, we will follow the structure suggested by Nouwen when he writes I am the younger son; I am the elder son; I am on my way to becoming the father. By looking at each character in turn, and learning from them, we will be helped to make our own journey towards wholeness and spiritual maturity.

5 October Monday 5th Friday 9th October Stories in a Sacred Landscape* 320 with Steve Hollinghurst and Diana Greenfield Sharing a Journey of Ancient Future Faith The sacred landscape of Avalon enshrines the stories that have inspired our past and enchant our today. During the retreat we will explore the landscape that birthed those stories. We will revisit the stories of the past in their own context, and spend time exploring the touching places of our own stories. The retreat is designed to facilitate the continuing conversation across the spectrum of spiritual seekers and the times of prayer and meditation will be similar to the earth spirituality of Forest Church. Friday 16th Sunday 18th October Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer Retreat Contact Caroline Miller (caro.mill@yahoo.co.uk) for details and booking Monday 19th Thursday 22nd October Unfurling: living out from our peace for a better world* 275 with Ian & Gail Adams We all dream of a better world - more peaceful, more harmonious, more caring and more celebratory. That peaceful world must first take shape in us. This retreat with Ian and Gail Adams of the Beloved Life project will be an opportunity to explore how we might discover, nurture and live out from our deep God-given inner peace - an unfurling into a life of imagination, adventure, and generosity. This week at the Abbey House will offer a spacious mix of teaching, conversation, stillness and spiritual practice. Some of the session content will be offered outside where there will be opportunities for art and photography, participation in body prayer, observation of nature and learning from the wisdom of the earth in Autumn.

6 Monday 26 Friday 30th October A Beautiful Life Retreat with Simon Parke A contemplative few days based around Simon's book, The Beautiful Life, now republished as The Journey Home. The retreat features meditation, silence, community and teaching. Contact Simon Parke (simonparke@live.co.uk) for details and booking. November Monday 2nd Wednesday 4th November Treasure in Clay Jars* 170 with Paul Swann A silent retreat with talks, personal reflection & time with the retreat leader. In this retreat Paul will draw on ways in which the Apostle Paul s moving image of Treasure in Clay Jars connects with our own stories. This provides an opportunity to acknowledge and embrace the fragility we all experience as we journey through life with both honesty and hope. Reflecting on his own ministry, different sessions will look at Encountering Fragility; Engaging with Fragility, Enduring through Fragility and Emerging from Fragility. The church is often more comfortable with talking about power and strength than weakness and failings Paul Swann s experience has convinced him that we are closer to authentic Christianity when we are willing and able to speak with integrity about our brokenness Friday 16th Sunday 18th November Fellowship of the Holy Spirit Retreat with Stuart Taylor Contact Guy Cole (guy.s.cole@btinternet.com) for details and booking December Wednesday 23rd Sunday 27th December Abbey House Traditional Christmas Retreat* 370 hosted by House Staff Enjoy spending Christmas with the Abbey House Team. Come for Christmas set in the beautiful surroundings of Abbey House. We hope that you will be able to contemplate the true meaning of Christmas in the context of shared daily worship. There will be a Holy Communion service on Christmas Eve in the House Chapel with our resident Chaplain, Revd Simon Small. So there will be good food and drink, good company and fellowship, dramatic views and a variety of walks for the energetic. There will be time to rest, relax, listen to music, talk, watch films or play games. There may even be a jigsaw...!

7 ABBEY HOUSE QUIET DAYS 2015* Quiet Days start at 10am. You may arrive for coffee from Lunch is included and the day usually ends between pm with tea and homemade cake. Cost: 25 ( 22 for Friends of Abbey House). Please contact the office for a booking form for the Quiet Days or download one from Thursday 5th February Simon Small Jesus and the family the search for freedom Through reflection on three Gospel readings, an exploration of Jesus s radical understanding of family. The day will be a mixture of short talks, silence and companionship. Silence will be kept for the whole day (including lunch). It is a day for anyone, regardless of spiritual background, who wishes to engage with the teaching of Jesus on this important subject. Simon Small is an Anglican priest and chaplain to Abbey House. Before ordination he explored modern spirituality in its many forms. He seeks to live a contemplative life in the midst of the world. Monday 9th March Paul Swann A Journey from Lament to Praise Using Psalm 22 for our guided times of quiet, we will take a journey which begins with honest lament and takes us to a place of pausing to listen to God and leads us to thankful praise. Paul Swann has served in two growing churches within the Diocese of Worcester but had to retire prematurely in Although continuing to live within the bounds of his fragile health, Paul is restored enough to serve in two parttime voluntary roles: as an Associate Priest on the team at All Saints, Worcester, as well as being the Bishop s Advisor on Spirituality. Tuesday 21st April Evelyn Ridout Withdraw and Embrace the whole World with Love The day will give the opportunity to share something of Thomas Merton s inward journey which paradoxically led him to a worldwide correspondence and interfaith dialogue. Silence might be using a camera as a tool of meditation as Thomas did. It is hoped that our time together will lead us to a deeper appreciation of the beauty of everyday lives even what might seem the ugly bits! Evelyn Ridout is a retired Non-Stipendiary Minister of the United Reformed Church who served the mid Somerset group for 15 years.

8 Monday 11th May Angela Steele With what shall I come before the Lord? Before Christianity came to our shores May was Maia s month, a female deity of growth, increase and fertility. Is Mary s month still a time of growth, increase and fertility? We will ask the question that Mary asked of the angel. How can this be? We will ponder, perplexed, and wonder, What does God want of me? Listen, observe and explore what it might mean to ask the question and to wait on God for the blossoming of the answer. Angela is a URC Minister who retired from ministry and then discovered that God had other plans. She is a 3rd Order Franciscan and a Spiritual Companion. Monday 29th June Liz Palin The Three Windows Praying with Julian of Norwich The anchoress Julian of Norwich would have had three windows in her cell. One looking into the church so she could hear the mass and receive the sacrament, one through which she received physical sustenance, and one which looked out on to the world. Using the writings of Julian and the metaphor of these three windows, we will explore through prayer these three aspects of our faith: our relationship with God, our relationship with our self, and our relationship with others. Liz Palin has been involved in retreats for almost 30 years since graduating from university with a theology degree. She now serves in a diverse group of parishes in North Cheltenham. She enjoys offering quiet days that have a mixture of silence, creativity, and music where people are free to see what works for me. Wednesday 8th July Lynne Sedgmore Accepting the Embrace of God An important tradition within Benedictine spirituality is the practice of Lectio Divina the slow contemplative praying and reading of scriptures. From ancient times this practice has opened many hearts to God s embrace through mystical union. The rhythm of this Quiet Day will revolve around readings of scripture and poetry to foster our direct experience of God s love within an underlying spiritual rhythm in our daily lives. Please bring a favourite passage, scripture or poem that deeply moves you. Lynne is an ordained Interfaith Minister, a trained Spiritual Coach, a healer member of NFSH and a Benedictine Oblate. She has been involved in spiritual retreats and workshops for 25 years.

9 Monday 17th August Diana Greenfield Hope of Heaven Hope is one of the Theological virtues. C. S. Lewis A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but something a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that Christians who did most for the present world were those who thought most of the next. Our quiet day will give time to consider how we place our Hope in the promise of eternal life and still live as if heaven is a place on earth. Diana Greenfield is a Pioneer Minister in the Avalon area. Her role is to look at Church and Mission in a new way to find creative opportunities for people to encounter the Kingdom of God. Thursday 3rd September Steve Tilley Where do I begin? Thinking about your own spiritual journey by looking at the three stories of the beginning of David s ministry in 1 Samuel, 16 &17. Steve Tilley is Associate Vicar in the Nailsea Local Ministry Group, with responsibilities split between a number of local churches. He is passionate about many things including growing healthy churches, alternative worship, new ways of doing and being church, work with young adults, making new contacts and the performing arts. Thursday 15th October Sally Buddle Celebrating God s Love in the Everyday Today will be an opportunity to explore more about the practice of worship and to experience how gratitude and thankfulness might transform our daily lives. Based on the writings of Brian McLaren & Richard Rohr, and using Psalms as our songs of praise, let s discover more together about how to celebrate God s love in the everyday. If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. Meister Eckhart. Sally is currently a minister at Holy Trinity Combe Down, Bath but has been a bank manager, worked for a community action organization and been a children & families worker in a church.

10 Monday 23rd November Valerie Bonham "Waiting patiently" a Quiet Day to prepare for Advent. "Advent is the consecration of waiting in our lives" (Dame Maria Boulding, OSB). It is a time of waiting for the coming of the Christchild into our lives, just as Mary waited for the birth of Christ. We will consider the angel's visit to Mary, her visit to her cousin Elizabeth and how both women waited together and supported one another. Annunciation, Visitation; awaiting life changing events. We will consider the annunciations in our own lives and how we may use those experiences to help us prepare for the coming of Christ. Valerie Bonham trained as a librarian and she has written several books on Church History. She was ordained in the Diocese of Oxford in 1997 and in October 2014 she retired from ministry in two parishes within the Diocese of Bath & Wells. She now lives in Wells. Monday 14th December Simon Small The Depths of Christmas An opportunity to step back from the pre-christmas frenzy to reconnect with the awesome story that lies at its heart. A story so powerful that it can come to life in the present moment, in the depths of each of us, and transform the world. The day will be a gentle mixture of short talks, silence and companionship. Silence will be kept for the whole day (including lunch). It is a day for anyone, regardless of spiritual background, who wishes to contemplate the meaning of Christmas. The Revd Simon Small is chaplain to Abbey House and an Anglican Priest. Before ordination he explored modern spirituality in its many forms. He seeks to live a withdrawn, contemplative life in the midst of the world. Individual leaflets for our Quiet Days and for each Abbey House Retreat are available from Abbey House or on our website These individual leaflets all contain booking forms which you can use to make a booking.

11 Abbey House, built in the 1830 s, enjoys a beautiful position overlooking Glastonbury Abbey. From its public rooms and west facing bedrooms there is a long view through the soaring arches of the Benedictine Abbey across the Somerset levels to the Quantock hills. According to legend the Abbey grounds have been the site of Christian worship from around 60 AD. Although the Abbey was robbed of much of its stonework after the Dissolution, the 40 acres within the perimeter walls always remained as one property, providing an area of peaceful parkland within the town. Abbey House guests enjoy the privilege of access to the ruins from the House gardens during Abbey opening hours. Abbey House has its own ground floor chapel, a large sitting room and a beautiful library with views of the Abbey. There is also a small, atmospheric cellar chapel for quiet prayer or meditation. 34 guests can be accommodated in 18 single and 8 twin bedded roomsall with hand basins. Two of the twin rooms are en-suite, and there are 7 bathrooms and 3 shower rooms. All the bedrooms are on the first floor; there is a chairlift to assist access to 12 of the rooms. The premises are licensed and a drinks trolley is available on request. Abbey House Chilkwell Street Glastonbury Somerset BA6 8DH info@abbeyhouse.org Registered charity No