Dear Friends
We do hope this finds you well in these uncertain and difficult times. Many of you will have been aware that we were hoping to open for residential guests at the beginning of October. The direction of travel of coronavirus infections across the country is significantly rising and, sadly, we feel that we need to press the pause button. We will review the ‘state of play’ by mid-October to see if we are able to open in November.
This is obviously disappointing for everyone: the Community as well as the Guests who were looking to return. We believe it is the right and responsible decision to take at this stage.
However, there is some positive news! We have decided, whatever happens, to publish a programme which will be delivered online from Scargill. Watch out for more details!
We are extending the opportunity for day visitors through October, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, where you can be assured of a warm welcome in the House. Please see here to book.
Here are some October dates for online events and we very much look forward to reconnecting with many of you through these events. Details are below. You can go to the online booking page here to book for all these events.
The Quiet Days and Forum events are free and on Zoom. If you would like to donate then we suggest an amount of £10 for a Forum and £20 for a Quiet Day. Our Eventbrite system has two types of tickets for each event. You can either book a Free ticket OR a Donation ticket (minimum donation is £1) – please do choose the ticket that suits you. Thank you!
The next Scargill Forum will be on Thursday 15th October (8-9:30pm) on Zoom and we are delighted that our guests will be Diane Stone (Scargill Leadership), Mat Ineson (member of Scargill Council) and Gordon Dey (Founder of ‘Jesus shaped people’(JSP)). JSP is helping grow urban and estate churches and we at Scargill are in partnership with JSP. Like the other Forums, this should be a thoughtful and enriching evening (as well as some fun!) Book here.
We are running two separate Quiet Days in October (identical content on both days) on Zoom on Tuesday 20th or Saturday 24th October. Do book for one of these. Again there is the option of booking a Free ticket or a Donation ticket for the same event:
We are delighted that Gemma Simmonds CJ will be leading our two Quiet Days in October. Gemma and Phil both met at Lee Abbey when they were guest speakers there. Gemma is a regular contributor to the BBC and other Radio station programmes, teaches on Ignatian Spirituality, and is also a Spiritual Director. She has written some reflections on the art of Sieger Köder. Her Quiet Day will be an opportunity to contemplate and gather insight on the Gospel as Gemma helps us reflect on some of these paintings. A Quiet Day not to miss! Book here.
Our first online programme event will be led by Dave Hopwood and Phil Stone, streamed live from Scargill. The theme is ‘King of Hearts’ and it will run from Wednesday 21st to Friday 23rd October. Further details of this conference, including costs and how to book are available here.
We continue to share some of our Morning prayers and talks from Sunday services as audio files here.
We would love for us to be able to pray alongside each other in this way.
Please do not hesitate to get in contact with us for any situation or person that you would value prayer for by e-mailing: prayer@scargillmovement.org
And, finally, to make you smile. Here is Di’s wonderful reflection on the life of the Trinity. Enjoy!
Diane writes:
Two pictures (see below) for you that although completely different in styles and themes both share visual expressions of what the Trinity means to me; with a glimpse, a hint of the joyous hospitality that is at the heart of the nature of God.
Many of you will be familiar with Andrei Rublev’s Icon of the Trinity. You may also know that it is an ancient image of a divine dance, an image of one God in three persons, perfectly united in will, distinct and unique in persons, moving together in joyful love’. I have to be honest, I see very little movement, but we are asked to ‘follow for a moment their gazes and the tilt of their heads’ and see ‘a movement of perpetual give and take’. This, it was interesting to read, is because ‘the angels are not inserted into the circle, but create it instead, thus our eyes can’t stop at any of the three figures and rather dwell inside this limited space’. And as we face the icon we too are invited to join and so complete the circle Our presence, our participation at this table is required if the circle is to be complete, drawing us into a relationship with the Father through the Son, in the Spirit.
Now you may wonder where does Skipping (in the gutter) by Robert Williams 1934-5. whose characters, often working class, come into it. Well, the other afternoon whilst drinking tea and trying NOT to eat cake, we began talking about skipping in the playground at school. For the life of me I can’t remember why. Anyway I mentioned a painting I saw at the Tate a few years ago, a painting showing women skipping. It is a small painting, originally part of a much larger piece of work entitled ‘The Gutter’. Dare I say I was first drawn to their bottoms! I rather like that, but once I looked up to their faces I said to myself – ‘Trinity!’ Here was, for me, a modern everyday depiction of the Rublev’s Icon. Here was the Trinity in the gutter, where else would they be?
Now bear with me – three ladies, different but the same, holding a rope, forming a moving circle, supporting one another as they skip, in the gutter. There is definite movement here! There is concentration but there is also fun – skipping is not just good exercise – do you remember skipping in the playground? Being invited to join the queue, the excitement and apprehension of waiting for your turn to jump in, then the count 1, 2, 3 ready? Nooo!! try again, 1, 2, 3 YES, there you are rhythmically jumping and chanting, sometimes with a partner always with the group, till you falter, and move out ready to rejoin the queue whilst the next person jumps in. Here is perpetual motion with the invitation to join.
Perhaps I see too much in the second painting, but I strongly believe God desires to draw us into the dance, that God constantly invites us to live as God lives among his people, with justice and mercy, with sorrow and joy, whether in a quiet sedate dance or a skipping frenzy, whether here at Scargill or in the city gutters.
This comes with love and prayers from