Dear Friends
We do hope this finds you well as the easing of lockdown is stalled at this moment. In this newsletter we have Di’s reflection on ‘trust’, and to begin with a short message from Lucy, our Chaplain, who leaves us next week. It is has been a joy to work with Lucy, and we have very much appreciated her valuable contribution to Community and our guests.
Our next Forum is on Wednesday 5th August (8-9:30pm) – please book via our website by 2pm on Monday 3rd August.
Also you can book a day visit to Scargill via our website. We would love to see you!
And don’t forget to e-mail us at prayer@scargillmovement.org if you would like us to pray for you.
Lucy writes:
I wanted to share a few words with the extended Scargill family before I move to parishes in Cambridgeshire on 10th August.
My three years living and serving in the Scargill community have been a fertile and fruitful experience. I have certainly grown through the experience and I trust that you have found your stay(s) here to be enriching. The first event I led here was a ‘Renew-Refresh-Restore’ weekend on Life Balance. As a group we explored “Time to Pause & Rest, Laugh & Play, Rejoice & Celebrate.” From my own story, I know that Scargill is a place where we can grapple with these possibilities and begin to embed them in daily life. Thank you for joining me on that journey through your companionship.
This February, a matter of weeks before lockdown, I preached in Scargill Chapel on Romans 8:16-27. Groaning was the theme of the talk: Creation groaning in labour pains; Christians groaning inwardly; the Spirit interceding with groans. Many of us may have groaned inwardly and outwardly in recent months amidst the changes, restrictions, questions and concerns we have faced. I am heartened that creation is perhaps groaning a little less in the wake of severely reduced travel and a slightly smaller environmental impact. I believe that the Spirit of God has faithfully interceded for us and will continue to do so throughout the age of Covid-19.
As I say farewell, I do so with thankfulness for all that has been at Scargill and in anticipation of all that will be. With Paul’s words in Romans 8 in mind, may we look to the future waiting eagerly, hopefully and patiently for our redemption in all its fullness.
Diane writes:
Welcome once again to my short reflection.
I have several cousins, one of them, when very young developed a congenital bilateral blindness. As she grew older she wanted more and more independence and one day asked her mother if she could walk down to the corner shop on her own. Knowing this need for independence her mother said yes, but then followed her daughter along the opposite pavement there and back again. On her return my cousin told her mother off for following and not trusting her! Was my auntie wrong to have followed her daughter?
Why have I told this story? Because Phil and I have recently been thinking about trust. We agreed (a rare thing indeed!) that trust is such a fragile thing. It’s relational; always relational and it grows love and forgiveness. We also agreed, to be trusted is very affirming and can nurture responsibility, whereas not to be trusted can be quite soul destroying. We also felt that trust allows for the possibility of failure, which is a healthy thing, but failure can also lead to hurt, a hurt which will not always easily mend.
And yesterday (28th July) I heard Hannah Malcolm an ordinand at Durham speak on Thought for the Day. She spoke about how for many lockdown kept us safe from uncontrolled encounters but with restrictions being lifted “we face a wider challenge concerning our sense of collective belonging and public trust. We are (now) negotiating the anxious spaces shared by those who have returned to all but normal life and those who remain at home … We are treading murky waters away from our tight circles” towards others “containing potent danger … As we negotiate the growing pressure of constantly counting risks, the temptation to become more suspicious rather than less generous is not one we can ignore … To be in communion, to be in common with each other we have to relinquish some control leaving our interests behind.”
This felt very near to home and resounded with how I see Scargill today. At the beginning of this pandemic Phil spoke about us all being in the storm but not necessarily in the same boat. Some boats have been travelling along troubled waters, others going right through the eye of the storm, whilst we have steadily meandered along in the relative calm, only now venturing outwards into the murky water as we prepare to once again welcome guests, friends and family. For some this has been challenging and exciting, for others fear–provoking and disquieting because possibly deep down, like many, we want to keep control, we don’t want to steer through murky waters!
Proverbs 3 says “With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow”. Of course the prerequisite is to trust Jesus, but that is not nearly as easy as said. Take the calming of the storm. All the pictures I have seen have Jesus sleeping whilst the storm rages. If I was in the boat I like to think I would ‘stay calm and trust Jesus’, but in reality I’m sure I would be scared, very scared. We do need to trust Jesus to clear the road ahead but we also need to trust each other as we travel along it. Trust, responsibility and forgiveness should all walk alongside allowing relationships to grow and friendships to deepen, generosity to develop and hospitality to be given with an open heart that welcomes all – when the time is right.
With much love and prayers to you all as we negotiate this challenging landscape together.