Dear Friends
We do hope this finds you well as we navigate through these challenging, and sometimes confusing, days.
We are very thankful to God for being able to be open since the beginning of June and the feedback has been wholeheartedly positive. It has been lovely to watch how God has gently worked in people’s lives.
We are now readying ourselves for Summerfest with reduced numbers yet open to all that God has for us and hopefully with plenty of fun and laughter!
Our livestreamed Evening Prayer services will resume this coming Wednesday 4th August at 4:30pm and they will continue through Summerfest.
We are delighted to say that the new Programme will be released today. It covers events through to February 2022 and we are very pleased with the variety of events and speakers you have to choose from. You can obviously find it on the website, and those of you who signed up for a paper copy will have one coming through your letter box.
The Programme is not as full as it has been in the past as this reflects the size of the Community, which remains small, but also the desire to care for our guests and Community as we continue to navigate through the Pandemic. We look forward so much to welcoming you again through our doors.
We still long for new Community members so would you continue to pray for us and spread the word. Thank you! Details of how to join Community are on our website.
Below is Di’s reflection on Friendship. Enjoy!
Diane writes:
Do you remember playing with your shadow? I still enjoy playing shadows with our grandchildren, and I particularly enjoy those shadows that make me look tall and willowy.
I first met Cathy in 1975 when I started my SRN training at Charing Cross Hospital. Since then we have remained firm friends. This week we met Cathy and her husband for the first time in 18 months at Nostell Priory. In many ways nothing had changed, we looked much the same, yet so much had changed and not just due to COVID but also because life goes on regardless. We stood for a while just ‘being’ together, no words, no action, just being close.
Later as we stood on a bridge I saw our shadows – a good photo opportunity perhaps? I took the photo, rather hurriedly before we moved on, using my phone – oh how I miss holding the old camera up to my eye! Anyway, the shadows began to represent our friendship. You see shadows are always there whether we can see them or not, as are good friends. The weather being extremely hot found us seeking out shaded areas to provide relief from the direct heat of the sun. The shadows of the trees provided a cool place to rest and as we sat and talked I began to think about Psalm 91 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Later I read that the word “dwell” means, “to take up permanent residence in.” The psalmist is reminding us to stay in God’s presence. Ephesians also reminds us that God is constructing a new Temple, a Temple not of stones, arches or pillars but of human beings because God seeks to make his home in the hearts, lives and communities of his people. And if that is the case whatever each day brings we can “rest” in the very “shadow (the very presence) of the Almighty.”
Our daughter Ruth is watching once again the sitcom Friends. Friends is a 90’s Comedy TV show, based in Manhattan, about 6 friends who go through just about every life experience imaginable together; love, marriage, divorce, children, heartbreaks, fights, new jobs and job losses and all sorts of drama. The show starts off with each character in their 20’s, and expands over a 10 year period, as each character tries to find happiness, success and what the true meaning of a “friend” really is. What they discovered can be seen in a few short quotes from the programme
Friendship is another word for love. – …
It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter. – …
The only way to have a friend is to be one. – …
A friend is what the heart needs all the time. – …
The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it. –
Just recently two very different friends have responded to two very different concerns, both have encouraged me to rest in God’s presence, to trust, to have hope. Both have blessed me more than they will ever know. Their shadows have been long, they have supported me from afar. Our friendships are secure. Our friends whether present in person or in shadow, whether new or old, will often help us to ‘rest in the shadow of the most high’, if would only we let them!
I’ll finish with a tweet from Conversation UN Women: ‘On Friendship Day (30th July), and every day, let’s support each other, lean on each other, believe in each other & encourage each other.’
With love and prayers from