Dear Friends
This comes with much love and Easter greetings to you. There is much to share with you as life begins to open up for us again. When I think of Easter I think of Psalm 18:19 ‘He brought me out into a spacious place, He rescued me because He delighted in me.’ The Resurrection encounter is an invitation to adventurous living!
The first thing to share with you is that we are delighted to say that we will be able to welcome Day Visitors on Saturdays and Wednesdays starting on Saturday 17th April. Please check the website here on how to book and the structure of the visit- the dates available and further details will be updated during the coming week. It will be lovely to see you again.
At the beginning of June we will be opening for a limited number of residential guests, watch out for details in the new Momentum that comes out at the beginning of May.
As we look to welcome people back through our doors, one area that we would value your prayers and support for is the need to grow Community again. We are particularly looking for community members who may want to do a gap-year and there are also other opportunities for joining community. It may be that you know people who could be the missing piece in our Scargill jigsaw. Please check out for more details here on our website or email Di on di@scargillmovement.org
We are continuing to offer our online programme, and have published details to the middle of May. Here are links for events over the next couple of weeks, do check our website for the full list.
Fri 16th to Sun 18th April We welcome back Andreas and Anna Anderssson, through the wonders of Zoom, as we explore ‘Resurrection Encounters’.
Tue 20th to Fri 23rd April ‘Enneagram 1’ led by Margi Walker and Diane Stone (note closing date is early on Wed 14th April).
Sat 24th April ‘Quiet Day’ with Mike Leigh and Shaun Lambert looking at ‘Pathways to Stillness’
Tue 27th to Thu 29th April ‘Messiness, Grace and Following Jesus’ led by Phil Stone and Mike Leigh
It will be a joy to see you on any of these courses!
As well as these online courses, we will continue with our Thursday Evening Prayers livestreamed at 4:30pm and our Tuesday Teaparty on Facebooklive at 3:30pm.
Our next Crafternoon is 3-3:45pm on Saturday 24th April – e-mail hello@scargillmovement.org if you would like to be involved.
And, of course, if there is anything that you would like us to pray for then do email at prayer@scargillmovement.org
There is a lot going on, so please have a good look at the website!
Here is Di’s latest reflection on Masks – enjoy!.
Here is a snapshot of a few of the masks we have at home. Last summer I made some and some came for the Community at the house. And I feel a completely irrational delight and sense of achievement whenever I go out, mainly shopping, and my mask coordinates with my clothes, I hate to say outfit as that is certainly not me!
There is a sadness at the death of Prince Philip and as I write a COVID restricted funeral is being discussed! And so we all continue to wear our masks, probably for quite some time. Whether we’re aware of it or not we will use our eyes to communicate our thoughts and feelings every single day. You see we naturally speak with our eyes – we stare, we wink and we roll them, our eyes can show fear and surprise, joy and sadness, laughter and tears. Our eyes speak volumes about who we are and how we feel. Although if you’re anything like me you will try to hide some of your emotions, especially the negative or angry ones!
When we meet people, whether they are wearing a mask or not, Phil and I are very different. Phil will find out many details and points of interest whilst I would have had a lovely time chatting about this and that, but learning nothing! I used to think this was because I didn’t ask the right questions, possibly quite so, but perhaps there is also a time and place to listen and enjoy another’s company without intruding. You see, when we left Kensal Rise for North Yorkshire we were given a beautifully framed set of blessings by John O’Donohue, personally penned in green ink from ‘Benedictus: A Book of Blessing’. It is there in our kitchen just by the door. The blessing I am frequently drawn to, and often challenged by, says:
Remember to be kind
To those who work for you,
Endeavour to remain aware
Of the quiet world
That lives behind each face.
‘Endeavour to remain aware of the quiet world that lives behind each face’ has perhaps become an even greater challenge now with us all wearing masks. Here we are being asked to try, to strive, to attempt to understand that what we see or hear is not always the full picture. To be aware of, is not asking us to find everything out about a person, only to recognise that what we see or hear is not all the story and so to tread gently in our relationships. We are to be driven by love and grace, not inquisitiveness; with a generosity of time, embracing silence, accepting there will be unspoken words and thoughts. It is the generosity of the heart, it is companionship.
Sr Jane once said ‘God respects each one of us as a mystery and we must do the same.’
With love and prayers from