| Dear Friends, Thank you so much for all your love and prayers which means so much to us especially in this time of change and transition. Handing on the baton Please continue to pray for the Community. Dave will lead the Community for the next 3 months or so. Please pray for the Council and Leadership Team as they discern the way forward. As for Di and I, we would value your prayers as we settle in our new home in Pershore and a new way of life. News about our Sanctuary services going forward The Sanctuary service has been such a blessing for many over the years since we started them during the pandemic, but with all the changes we will no longer currently have the capacity to do them. This Wednesday (24th June) (link here) will be the last one, which Di and I will be leading. Please come and join us! There is much to be thankful for about how Sanctuary has been a part of community life, but we also acknowledge that this has been an essential part of people’s prayer life and will be missed by many. In the Autumn there will be other opportunities to join the Community online, and please make good use of our back catalogue of Sanctuary services on our Youtube channel. Phil and Diane’s leaving service – in-person ticket and on-line options Thank you so much for joining us on the Scargill adventure. Di and I move on with deep gratitude in our hearts for the love and encouragement that has been shown us. On Sunday 28th June at 4pm we are having our leaving service There still tickets available to attend on site (see instructions below) and you can also join online (link) Our new emails are phil.stone.spurs@gmail.com and diane.stone.di@gmail.com if you wish to keep in touch. Below is Di’s reflection – enjoy! |
| Options to join in with the leaving service for Phil and Di: 4pm on Sunday 28th June (from Scargill House) Here are some details about how you can be involved! If you are coming in person, please book through Eventbrite (book one ticket for each person in your party). We have space for up to 200 people to join us in person split across the Chapel and the Marsh Lounge. – see below for further information about how to book on-site tickets. The service will also be livestreamed on YouTube from 4pm- https://youtube.com/live/OxVrCzweeGc Booking by Eventbrite – use this LINKAll bookings need to be made through Eventbrite by Saturday 27th June at 4:00pm – please don’t just turn up if you haven’t booked.Please book the number of tickets for the people in your car, so one booking is one car (with a number of tickets for that booking).If you can share cars with others, that would be helpful.Depending on how many cars we have, some parking may be offsite – there will be community directing car parking.Please only come via Kettlewell to avoid causing congestion.Arrivals are from 3:30pm and the service will start at 4:00pm.There will be drinks and cake after the service. |
Reflection
Diane writes about dandelions:
I do find it quite amusing that in the midst of a very busy, slightly chaotic few weeks I am writing about a gentle breeze!
Now, do you remember playing ‘clocks’ with dandelions when their heads had turned into those beautiful soft seed balls. We would blow ever so gently counting the time, one o’clock, two o’clock until we had scattered all the seeds, rarely getting beyond five o’clock.
Well, a few days ago, whilst praying for me, a friend was given a dandelion picture; which I was delighted with. You may remember a past reflection enjoying ‘a host of golden dandelions’ along the country lanes!
Anyway, their picture was of being as bright and as colourful as a dandelion and, as we chatted, I clearly saw the seeds, the beautiful, fragile, elegant orb of seeds and how a gentle blow will scatter the seeds to land where ever they touch the ground, reminding me of the Parable of The Sower.
But I was really drawn to 1 Kings 19 where a fearful Elijah is hiding in a cave on Mount Horeb. God says ‘Go out and stand on the mountain I want you to see me when I pass by’. Well, a mighty wind ‘shook the mountain and shattered the rock. But the lord was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then there was a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. Finally, there was a gentle breeze’ and Elijah knew the Lord was there’ speaking in a “gentle whisper”.
God’s Presence is often found in the small and insignificant, in the ordinary, in quietness and stillness rather than in chaos. Could the gentle whisper suggest an intimate, close-up communion with God, a quiet offering of comfort and reassurance?
This reminded me of a recent interview I had on ‘google-meet’ with a young man from the Democratic Republic of Congo. On asking the question – ‘How did you become a Christian?’ – With a broad smile, he replied that on entering Grade 7 (school) their teacher had prayed before and at the end of each session and would often mention God. Initially, the class had joked about it but eventually they asked their teacher why, and his explanation included an invitation to join him in church. Which he did. The young man went on to describe their teacher as a gentle man, a very nice person, praying and gathering them in. I loved the use of the phrase ‘gathering in’, surely here is the image of God as a mother hen gathering her young, an image that is tender, protective, and maternal.
Of course, we are being asked to gently scatter seeds of faith allowing them to land where they choose – to quietly gather others in, perhaps over a cup of tea, through a warm smile, a small kind act, even a joke or two.
But as I slowed down and relaxed into this reflection, I yet again was able to feel close to God and enjoy His presence. So perhaps this is also part of the gentle breeze, that we permit ourselves to be present, quietly waiting, allowing the gentle breeze of God’s seeds to fall and land where they will.
Have a go – who knows where it will lead.
PS:
I would love to continue to write these reflections, it has been such a joy, a real privilege. I hope to write one or two more reflections from Pershore via Scargill whilst I work out how set up a blog – which has been rather more stressful than peaceful!!
Much love to you all
Diane
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community