Di and I and the whole Community would like to wish you a joy-filled Easter.
In this newsletter there are three sections!
Firstly, Andy Arnold, Chair of Trustees, shares what the current position is on finding a new Director and how you can continue to pray with us during this season.
Next, we are pleased to announce a Scargill Tour running Friday 17th to Monday 20th April which involves Rob Halligan (songwriter musician), Andreas and Anna Weister-Andersson (musicians and former Community members) and myself (Phil Stone). The Tour is an opportunity to share something of the life of Scargill through song, conversation and laughter. Each of the evenings are free entry with a voluntary donation, The Tour dates are in Coventry, Greater Manchester, Bradford and York. See the poster for timings and venues information. Please do share the poster and information widely – spread the word! We very much look forward to catching up with some of you at what should be enjoyable and fun evenings together.
Thirdly, but definitely not least, is Di’s reflection on ‘prayer’. Enjoy!
Phil and Di Stone, and the Scargill Community
Current position on finding a new Director – from Andy Arnold, Chair of Council
Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying for the appointment of the next Director for Scargill. You will no doubt be surprised and saddened to know that after the last round of advertising, we did not receive any applications. However, we are not disheartened nor giving up! We had planned a Council and Community Day for Thursday 26 March, the day before we were hoping to shortlist. The morning was led by Adrian and Bridget Plass, who have been part of the Scargill Adventure since the resurrection in 2009. As always they brought both wisdom and humour as they shared memories and reflections on the past sixteen years since Phil and Di Stone were appointed. In the afternoon Phil S. enabled us to share with one another our feelings, our questions and our responses to the position we found ourselves in. Far from being anxiety laden the tone was positive, hopeful, expectant and trusting that God was in charge and Scargill was secure in his hands. Several community members reflected afterwards what a good day it had been and how excited they were to see what would happen next.
Instead of the shortlisting meeting planned for the Friday, the shortlisting group spent the morning reflecting and praying with leaders from the community. This was, of course, the beginning of an ongoing conversation as we began to explore the way forward. We have fixed a time for this group to meet together again at the beginning of May in order to decide a proposal to take to Council later that month. It is too soon to share details at this point but once again it was a very positive and creative time as we listened to one another and, we believe, to God. Please continue to pray for all the work that needs to be done between now and then, for the community as they move towards a time of transition and especially for Phil and Di as they prepare to leave.
Talking of Phil and Di leaving, if you have not yet written something on the Kudoboard (https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/v4rgXfja) or sent in a contribution towards their leaving gift, the deadline for this is the end of April. Gifts can be sent to:
Barclays Bank, Account Name: Scargill Movement, Sort Code: 20-78-42, Account Number: 33810402, Reference: Phil & Di Gift.
Thank you to everyone who has given so far. You have been very generous.
Diane reflects on ‘prayer’
Yesterday, on our day off, I was at long last going through a huge pile of correspondence that had been building up since Christmas and I came upon this poem by R S Thomas. It was just there on the table, I had no idea where or from whom it came from but there it was and, as I read, it began to speak into my soul, into how I was feeling, into where my belief, my faith is at the moment.
Corinna Laughlin writes, ‘Thomas playfully evokes the hard work that prayer is sometimes, and how elusive God can seem. Only by recalling that “movement of a curtain,” that sense of God’s presence, do we keep going, keep tossing gravel at the window like Rapunzel’s prince, and longing for union.’
R. S. Thomas, “Folktale” (1986) Prayers like gravel flung at the sky’s window, hoping to attract the loved one’s attention. But without visible plaits to let down for the believer to climb up, to what purpose open that far casement? I would have refrained long since but that peering once through my locked fingers I thought that I detected the movement of a curtain.
[Part of a painting by Johannes or Jan Vermeer entitled Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, c. 1662 which is in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.]
As we continue to pray for Scargill Community and the appointment of a new Director may I leave you to ponder this poem, and maybe our ‘locked fingers’ in prayer will once again ‘detect the movement of the curtain’. Bless you, Diane
Dear Friends,
We continue to value your prayers and support especially during this time of transition.
We are excited to say that the Director’s post has been re-advertised. Here is the link. Please do pass this on to anyone you think would be suited for this role. The closing date for applications is Friday 20th March. The interviews will take place from Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th May.
If anyone would like to have a conversation about the role, we would be pleased to hear from you (email: phil@scargillmovement.org).
Please also see our advert for aCommunity Support Lead which is also a very important role within Community. Again, if you know anyone who would be interested in this post do pass the link onto them.
We would like to thank all of you who have been joining in using our Community prayer for a new Director, and we very much value you joining with us on Tuesdays and Saturdays to pray it together. Of course, we would love it if you pray it every day!
Gracious God, we thank you for Scargill, a place where lives are shared and transformed, where Community is celebrated in Jesus’ name. We thank you for your generous provision over the years, and we look in faith and hope to what the future holds. In this time of transition and change, we choose to keep our eyes on you, and we believe that you will bring your chosen person to lead the Community. Stir up within them the call to join the adventure. Come Holy Spirit, release us from our anxious thoughts, hold us in your love and joy, and help us to be courageous as we journey with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Please find below Di’s reflection on Jesus’ Baptism. Enjoy!
the Baptism of Christ by Jerzy Nowosielski (1923–2011) a Modern Byzantine Master
Icons are intended to serve as a window into the divine rather than as a mere piece of art and in the Eastern Orthodox tradition icons are viewed as ‘a reality, a truth, belonging to the entire church; speaking to all believers’, and this icon spoke to me; I hope it will to you too.
I first stumbled across it when Phil and I were leading a ‘Picturing the Gospel’ weekend last year. It immediately drew me in, stilled my mind and I felt I was encountering a sacred moment, a moment with Jesus. Perhaps, even a moment with the Trinity.
I feel sure that the bold areas of beautiful blues, green and turquoise depicting the waters of baptism create a calmness that is only enhanced by the orange circles indicating the presence of divinity. Onlookers stand aside, but they too appear calm and also have orange elements. One is pointing towards Jesus, perhaps even moving towards him or are they representing those who live on the margins who like John the Baptist felt unworthy to be baptising Jesus.
There is the Jordan River running vertically through the painting, connecting the action of Jesus’ baptism to a seemingly endless sea of water that appears to me, to be gently replenished by the Holy Spirit, which I have to be honest and say looks like a Spitfire. Now, me being me, I began trying to think what symbolic significance this could have!! Probably best not to, but I did.
If, as I believe, this icon is a window into the divine and all three persons of the Trinity are present, then Jesus is there in the flesh, the Holy Spirit hovering at the top with God’s voice saying ‘loud and clear ‘This is my son in whom I am well pleased’’ Could the loud voice of God be seen in the spitfire after all? There again perhaps not! Anyway, as well as the colour it is the minimalistic element, the removal of less important details, ornaments and decorations that help to create the sacred essence of the moment.
This icon is about inviting me back to the heart of worship, where I can stand /sit before Christ, as I am, no pretence, no excuses, as little clutter as possible, no list of failures, no preconceived ideas about what prayer should be or how I should feel or who God is. Just standing or sitting in God’s presence open to the sacredness of the moment. Yes, just a moment or two or three, not necessarily long.
For Jan 21st in ‘Loving God Whatever Through the Year with Sister Jane’ I read: ‘….. it is the experience of open, empty givenness to God……It is in your own prayer, trying to receive God as he is and not as we suppose him, that we shall learn the heart of what we need to about making relationships.’
Each day holds out the opportunity for us to re-immerse ourselves in God, to discover again his love and his grace and all the potential life can offer. Each day holds a sacred moment with God for each of us.
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
As most of you will be aware, Phil & Di will be leaving Scargill in June after more than 16 years leading the community. Their role, under God, has been foundational in establishing Scargill Movement and shaping the resurrected community. Only God knows the number of lives that have been touched during this time but we want to give everyone an opportunity to recognise their contribution in a personal way.
Phil & Di have recently bought a new home in Pershore which they are beginning to make their own. Should you wish to make a monetary gift in thanksgiving for their ministry, the way to do this is to make a payment to the Scargill account (see details below). We intend to give this gift to them before they leave which will enable them to use some of this money for their new home and adventure in Pershore, should they wish.
Alongside this, we are wanting to compile a collection of memories and photos of their time at Scargill. We are using an online platform called Kudoboard which is easy to access and allows you to add a brief recollection and photo. This can be accessed from https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/v4rgXfja
Please make any contributions, financial or on Kudoboard, by the end of April. Thank you for helping us to celebrate Phil & Di’s time at Scargill and bless them in their new adventure.
Save the date: on Sunday 28 June at 3pm there will be a farewell service for Phil & Di at Scargill. More details to follow.
Yours in Christ,
Andy Arnold (Chair of Scargill Council) Dave Lucas (Scargill Community)
Bank details for gifts to Phil & Di: Barclays Bank Account Name: Scargill Movement Sort Code: 20-78-42 Account Number: 33810402 Reference: Phil & Di Gift
This week Jo Penn has been writing Morning worship reflections for Sanctuary First (Sun 1 to Sat 7 Feb 2026)on the theme of the Gift Table. A couple of them directly reference the life at Scargill. Here are the first three, see Sanctuary First for the other reflections:
The Scargill Community would like to wish you all a blessed Advent and a joy-filled Christmas. We are so grateful for your love and support over this year. Director’s position Thank you so much for your prayers this Autumn as we have been going through the process of selecting a new Director. For a variety of reasons, all of which were beyond our control, it has become clear that we needed to pause the Director’s application process and go again. The Council will readvertise in mid-February. Although initially disappointed by this event, we do see God’s hand evident in this. It is not what we expected to happen but it is clear that He pressed ‘pause’.
As we ‘go again’ we will apply what we have learnt, and with that there is an invitation to go on a journey of faith together with God. Thankfulness and prayer will be key. We have been reflecting on 2 Chronicles 20 – there is the wonderful prayer of Jehoshaphat who calls the whole community to join him in prayer. The prayer is thankful, giving testimony to God’s faithfulness, and it is very honest, ending with ‘we do not know what to do but our eyes are upon You.’
As a Community, with the Council, we would love to encourage you to be part of this journey. Using our rhythm of prayer we invite you to join us in your homes on a Tuesday (which is our Community day) and a Saturday (the day we pray for Community and future Community) at our 4:30pm prayers. There is power in praying the same prayer. So, here is a prayer from the Community that we would love you to join in with:
Gracious God, we thank you for Scargill, a place where lives are shared and transformed, where Community is celebrated in Jesus’ name. We thank you for your generous provision over the years, and we look in faith and hope to what the future holds. In this time of transition and change, we choose to keep our eyes on you, and we believe that you will bring your chosen person to lead the Community. Stir up within them the call to join the adventure. Come Holy Spirit, release us from our anxious thoughts, hold us in your love and joy, and help us to be courageous as we journey with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen
We believe that God is clearly leading us. God loves Scargill, He loves its mission and ministry and He loves the Community!
If you know anybody that you could see in this role, do please encourage them to apply and pray for them.
We also have other important posts – particularly Personnel lead – and you can see information about these on our website.
Thank you so much for journeying with us in this. Christmas arrangements This coming week (w/b 15th December) we are closed to guests to have time together as Community, which will include a Quiet Day, a fun day out and Secret Santa! We disperse on 19th December, coming back together on 28th December to prepare for the New Year House Party.
Other stuff You are very welcome to join us online for our next Sanctuary service on Thursday 1st January 2026 from 4:30pm (same link to catch up later).
Please look at the programme to see what you would like to come to in the new year. For example, in January we currently have in-house spaces on:
Do put in a booking request via our website for these and other events in the new year.
Below is Di’s reflection on us being custodians of the Christmas story. Enjoy!
As many of you will know, Phil and I are retiring to our next adventure in the summer and have been looking at possible houses, dare I say, DOWN SOUTH! When being shown around one of these, the Estate Agent talked warmly about the house being carefully improved and that the owners had been responsible custodians of their property, with her role being to pass their custodianship onto the new owner. I really liked this idea that there was a ‘taking on the mantle’, of being responsible, of continuing the work of the previous owners for those to come after.
And it was interesting to learn that the phrase originates from the biblical story where the prophet Elisha picked up the cloak (mantle) of his predecessor Elijah, symbolically taking over his prophetic role.
Advent reminds us each year that, YES, it did happen. That an angel did come and visit Mary and that Mary said YES and she did give birth to the son of God. This is the mystery of Christmas, that the spirit of God descended and came to dwell in human kind, that through Jesus’s birth God provides a path for us to be reconciled with Him, restoring the broken relationship that began in the Garden of Eden.
This Advent, I have come to realise that we are not only receivers of the promise we are also its custodians – defenders of the faith, guardians, advocates, champions of the story! A story to live and a story to tell. A story that has travelled through time, through the centuries, through thick and thin, through famine and fasting, through men and women of faith.
And we are called to be active custodians of this story, we are the men and women of faith today. So can we be like the shepherds willing to tell and excite all those we meet? In doing so, in carrying God to one another, we will ,as Paula Gooder explains, experience ‘God With’ in the life-giving relations we cultivate.
We are participants in the unfolding mystery, we are custodians sharing our story and so bringing ever closer the fulfilment of the promise that will culminate in a new heaven and a new earth. How exciting is that!
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
This publication opens bookings for new events from March 2026 to the end of August 2026, as well as having lots of lovely articles and updates from the life of Scargill.
Our website events pages are now live, coinciding with printed copies of our publication starting to reach your doorstep. When the programme is released, do put in your booking requests via the website (rather than by ‘phone) to help our lovely Admin Team deal with your booking requests in the order that they are made, and we thank you in advance for your patience as we work through each booking in turn.
Also do look at our websitefor online and in-house events (November 2025 to February 2026) that still have space – we would love to see you!
Our online events allow you to join us from the comfort of your own home:
Also check out below Di’s latest reflection on being real, and living out of a heart of love. Enjoy!
Yesterday, morning prayers were focused about love. Later that afternoon sitting in my office, looking out the window (a rare occurrence), I was faced with this sign that has been there for years and I said to myself ‘I have had enough, for now, of sitting quietly with Jesus, of resting with God, the time for action has come!’. Now, I haven’t moved completely away from embracing contemplation and marching around being busy isn’t on the agenda either, but BEING REAL IS.
This sign encompasses much of what I believe God is asking of us. This is a ‘way of life’, a pathway to follow, with ‘WE’ at the centre! Challenging perhaps the me, myself and I culture that stops us from looking out to others, looking out for others. And although Christian families can be a base for extending hospitality and supporting other families and individuals in need within their community, this sign is for all and it seems to sum up the Stone family, the very extended Stone family and I pray always will.
I can fully embrace many of these statements. Maybe allowing myself to have FUN and be REALLY LOUD is a little less natural to me. I am very happy to embrace the noise and fun of others – in fact it’s good for me to do so. And to be honest HUGGING has not been a favourite pastime of mine although over the years, dare I say it, I have begun to ’almost’ enjoy giving and receiving them.
Have you noticed WE DO FAMILY, WE DO LOVE lie at the bottom of the list, have you noticed all these words are in capital letters and have you noticed LOVE is the largest word on the sign? Is this because love encompasses all that has been written or is it because, as I heard the other morning, LOVE must be in all we do and say? – probably both.
At the beginning of 1 Corinthians 13 we read the very familiar words: ‘If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.’ We go on to read, ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.’ And I would like to add ‘love asks us to be real, to accept our and others’ mistakes, to say sorry and give forgiveness, to have fun and be loud, to do hugs and to be family to others.’
Now, no one wants to be a clanging cymbal or a resounding gong, so let’s get out there, let’s meet our neighbours, lets draw them into the love of God, let’s be real and let’s extend our families with LOVE.
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
Dear Friends,
We had an amazing three weeks of Summerfest, and it was lovely to welcome so many people over the summer. We are now settling back into a regular pattern of life having enjoyed a week together with just Community.
We would very much value your prayers as we begin afresh this autumn, and we are still praying for more community members to join the adventure.
If you wish to learn more about Community and life at Scargill then please do listen to our Podcast – episode 3 has been released this week which is a conversation about Hospitality: click HERE [Spotify link]
Director post advert You may be aware that we have released our advert for a new Director, to be joining us next April, with interviews this autumn. If you know anyone who might be interested in applying then do please direct them here for further information: https://scargillmovement.org/community/join-community/director/
We would very much value your prayers!
There are a few things we would like to highlight on the advertised programme for the next couple of months:
I have always loved this beautiful photograph that Phil found a few years ago. It was taken by Sebastian Leon Prado. It speaks to me of the companionship of being with another, of respect and, joy, of friendship and trust. Of how sitting alongside can be sacred and so often a blessing.
In Chapel this morning I was ‘trying’ to quieten my restless mind and soon found myself saying the mantra ‘Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me, a sinner’ with, to be honest, little success. I did not want to be continually reminded of my sins. What I really wanted, was to have Jesus come and sit beside me and me with him.
Of course, I need mercy and I certainly know I am a sinner. But this morning I just desired to feel God’s presence, to feel His love, His forgiveness, His understanding and so I began to pray, ‘Jesus Christ Son of God will you sit with me? May I sit with you? And for a few precious moments we sat together.
After breakfast I was of half a mind to share this in our morning meeting but felt it was trivial, only to have another community member reference Revelation 3:20! Which in The Message version says: “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you.”
But before this soul-stirring invitation there is verse 19: “The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!”
Here is a picture of the Laodicean church, where those who were called by Jesus now had Jesus on the outside, knocking to be let in. They have forgotten and were now, sadly and foolishly, looking for satisfaction elsewhere. So here is their ‘wake-up call’, an invitation to a crowded church where Jesus is on the outside! What a sad and sobering reality for many of us.
The call is for the church in Laodicea to repent for having lost their first love of Jesus, to repent from departing from the gospel of the kingdom which Christ had given them to proclaim. And Yes, the call is to the Church of Laodicea, but it is really an individual call for each of them. This is not a call or an invitation to a crowded church meal, no, the church at Laodicea like all our churches was made up of individuals and so we have an invitation, a personal invitation to each believer. “The people I love, I call.”
There is also a personal invitation for each of us. An invitation to choose to be alone, alone with our truest spiritual Friend who is on the outside knocking, in love; waiting for repentance, waiting for us once again to open the door to His love and forgiveness.
If we open the door, and if we call, Jesus will come in. Jesus is eager to come in, and be with us, and eat with us “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you.” This is not simply a commoner dining with a king it is also a king dining with a commoner. Like in Sebastian’s photo there’s a beautiful mutuality, a coming together that is full of grace and forgiveness.
Can you hear Jesus knocking? I prayed ‘Jesus Christ Son of God will you sit with me? May I sit with you?’ and we did and so can you.
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
Dear Friends,
As I write this, we are just about to launch into Summerfest 2. The theme for Fest this year is ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ where we have been exploring some of the parables of Jesus. We would really appreciate your prayers as all three weeks are very full, with a wonderful intergenerational feel.
We have launched the Scargill Podcast, which are reflections on life on Community – looking at different areas of our life together. You can find the link on one of the following platforms – please do spread the word. We are hoping this might be another way of encouraging people to think about joining Community here at Scargill.
Episode 1 of Scargill Podcast: Why Community? There is a widespread restlessness and dissatisfaction with the individualistic and consumerist world we live in. Many are stressed and lonely. One of the hidden pathways out of this gilded cage is intentional community.
In this edition of The Scargill Podcast we ask the question, Why Community? Phil and Di Stone, the leaders of Scargill, are in conversation with Rosy Fairhurst, a longstanding friend of the community.
The advert for the Director’s post will be on the website by the end of this month, as well as being advertised widely. Please be prayerful about this, and let people know who might be the right person for the ongoing Scargill Adventure!
Here below, is Di’s latest reflection on the life of Rahab. Enjoy!
I’m in the middle of reading ‘a Lineageof Grace (five stories of unlikely women who changed eternity)’ by Francine Rivers. It is historical fiction building on a biblical foundation. Francine Rivers writes ‘These women were not perfect, and yet God in His infinite mercy used them in His perfect plan to bring forth the Christ, the Saviour of the world’. The first woman Tamar is a woman of hope, the second Rahab is seen as a woman of faith, Ruth a woman of love, Bathsheba a woman who received unlimited grace and Mary a woman of obedience.
I was particularly taken by Rahab who recognised the God of the Israelites without having any first-hand knowledge. Rahab, a prostitute with an eye and ear for the king of Jericho, also knew deep in her heart that the Israelites worshipped the one true God. How? I think it is because Rahab was OPEN TO God’s Spirit. in fact, all these women seem to have been. Rahab not only knew about God she also experienced a certainty, that feels like the new covenant in Jeremiah: ‘I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts’.
Rehab prayed to the God of Israel and desired to be counted as one of their people. She recognised that Jericho was going to be destroyed and so invited the two spies into her home. Salmon, one of the spies on his return said “Would the Lord not extend His mercy to anyone who yearns to belong to Him? I saw this yearning in Rahab. I heard it in her voice. She believes the Lord is God…..Could Rahab declare, truly declare that the Lord is the only God – the God of the heavens above and the earth below-if God had not written His name upon her heart?”
And God is doing this today through the Holy Spirit. From Arab World Media we can read Taleb’s story (*name has been changed for security reasons). Taleb’s academic position required an understanding of various religions which took him on a journey that would reshape his spiritual path……’Since I’ve been praying, I’ve felt comfort inside of me…. I’ve almost finished reading the New Testament, and after that, I’m going to start reading the Old Testament. My life has changed completely. I’m a totally different person – I’m praying more, and I often sit in God’s presence. I love Jesus, and I will continue my life with him. I’m so thankful to God for the chance to talk with you (AWM Support worker), learn to pray and how to live with God.’
The Story of Rahab both excited me and put me to shame. Rahab has an extraordinary, unexpected personal relationship with God. In Hebrews 11, we read ‘It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.’
Rahab was open to the Spirit of God and tried to live a life of faith in what must have been very difficult circumstances. She was willing to be guided by God’s presence and power, actively seeking God’s will, listening for His voice, and allowing Him to transform her life.
Sometimes our faith wavers and belief in the impossible is weak. But, in Mark Chapter 9:23-25, Jesus says to a father with a son who had seizures, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” and ‘Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
I found this poem, I’m not sure what you will make of it, but it gave me much to think about and very unexpectedly strengthened my faith and brought a wry smile, with the conviction that I will not sit ‘outside….on the cold Church steps’ but I will actively enter into the love of God freely given and cry “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief’.
Oh me of little faith by Steve Green I don’t know God.. And since I be an empirical logical rational creature tis hard for me to fully buy into the concept of a supreme being who resides in a dimension forever beyond my limited grasp..
I don’t know God.. but I sure wish I did..
How comforting would it be to exist in a fortress of faith where belief in a force of benevolence would provide me a rock solid moral foundation..
Why can’t I shed these doubts?
I’d fully buy into the faith program if I only could..
Instead
I shiver outside agonizing alone on these cold church steps..
Too agnostic for my own damn good
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community.
Dear Friends, Thank you for your continued support and we hope that you have enjoyed the latest Momentum and Programme. If you haven’t yet seen it you can find it here.
On Tuesday 10th June, 8-9pm we will be having a livestreamed Community Praise and Prayer in the Chapel which will be available for you to journey with us online and take part through the chat comments. https://youtube.com/live/YyoWObwXYug
In this Praise and Prayer we will be thanking God for his generous provision and we will be looking forward to the next Phase of our building project. We will also be thanking God for the ministry of Scargill and praying for new Community members to come and join the costly, yet joyful, adventure of Community life.
The Community are doing really well but we are stretched so please do continue to pray for us and our ongoing need for new members. If you know of anyone you think would like to join Community for a short or long time, then do point them to our website here.
Below is Di’s latest reflection. Di and I will be moving on from Scargill to ‘retirement’ next year in June 2026. We would very much value your prayers as there has been a lot of thought about succession planning. We will be advertising for a new Director in the late Summer into September with interviews in late November, and are praying that someone will join the adventure at Scargill at Easter time 2026, where there will be a transition period before we leave.
Di and I would value your prayers as we have yet to discern where God is calling us to live. Here is Di’s reflection. Enjoy!
‘Springboard’ by Charlotte Evans
As many of you will know Phil and I have begun thinking about where we might live when we retire; which seems to be quite a daunting task. Hence, I was pleased to find this painting ‘Springboard’ by Charlotte Evans who puts pools–and especially the ladders that go into them–front and centre of her delightful canvases’ (Jeff 2016 ‘Oh, By The Way’ blog). You see the task does feel a little like stepping off the top diving board! But oh, the sheer joy that comes later.
Now I only ever dived from the top board once or twice at the most but I still remember that slow climb up, then standing on the edge, trying not to look down, willing myself to dive because I knew what was to come – exhilaration, a sense of achievement, freedom – followed by the determination to reach air! But if you don’t mind, we will not mention how the actual dives went, possibly ‘nil points!!’ I would though still love to have the courage to do it again.
Courage is required because stepping out in faith and doing something that God has called us to do can be scary. When you step out into the unknown to do what you believe is God’s will, He may not give you a blueprint to work with, you might need to make that decision to climb to the top board, not knowing how the dive will go – are you going to fall crisply into the water or not? Does it actually matter? No, not really, the only thing that really matters is are we following God?
Now that is the million-dollar question to which I do not have the answer. In fact, it often feels like I am wrestling with God repeatedly asking the questions When? Where? Why? Maybe help can be found in the word ‘wrestling’ – wrestling can lead us to resting which in turn leads us to rest. Now that’s worth noting. Perhaps I need to remember to stop, and intentionally or un-intentionally create a space and invite God in. Not to wrestle with him but for a few minutes to still myself and quieten my restless mind and listen for the still, small voice of God and like Augustine of Hippo allow ‘God to speak to me in the great silence of the heart.’
One of our prayers says: ’Like the sun that is far away, but still close at hand to warm us, so God’s Spirit is always present around us. We live breath, work, rest and have our very being in You God. Open now the windows of our souls so that we can see you. And when we can see God, we are free to truly love. Free to truly live.’ Amen
As we seek to understand out next adventure, Phil and I will walk in faith, which is one of the greatest treasures that we possess. Whether we make the wisest decisions or not I do not know but I do believe God will be walking alongside us all the way. As I have said many times before,’ if God is not elsewhere then that means God is here’; here with us now, today, and tomorrow – wherever that will be.
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
Our website events pages are now live, coinciding with printed copies of our publication starting to reach your doorstep. When the programme is released, do put in your booking requests via the website (rather than by ‘phone) to help our lovely Admin Team deal with your booking requests in the order that they are made, and we thank you in advance for your patience as we work through each booking in turn.
Also do look at our websitefor online and in-house events (May to August 2025) that still have space – we would love to see you!
We would like to highlight the following upcoming on-line events for you to join from the comfort of your own home:
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
Dear Friends,
This comes, as ever, with much love and prayers as we move closer to Holy Week and the wonder and mystery of Easter. The Community this week is closed to guests as we have our own retreat – it’s good to have an ebb in the usual flow, sometimes strong current, of the everyday life of Community within our offer of hospitality.
You are very welcome to join us online for our Holy Week and Easter reflections – check it out here. Please note there will be no Sanctuary services for the next two weeks – our next service will be on Wednesday 23rd April.
We are beavering away on the next Momentum and programme (covering new events from September 2025 to February 2026) which should be on your doormats during the week beginning 28th April. When the programme is released, do put in your booking requests via the website (rather than by ‘phone) to help our lovely Admin Team deal with your booking requests in the order that they are made, and we thank you in advance for your patience as we work through each booking in turn.
We are now beginning to plan for Phase 8 of the Masterplan. Our buildings are always about making a guest experience beautiful and enriching. Please do read this ‘Building a future letter’ which is an invitation to join this adventure through an Appeal we will be running from Easter to Pentecost.
Please find below Di’s reflection on Maundy Thursday. Enjoy!
Fra Angelico (Italian, ca. 1387–1455), Agony in the Garden, ca. 1450. Fresco, Convent of San Marco, Florence.
Phil and I were leading our recent Lent Retreat looking at various pieces of art and poetry. We as a group noticed the lack of women in the images we were looking at. So I was delighted to find that in the 1450’s Fr Angelica was making a positive statement about women, here in the Easter story.
This fresco comes from Cell 34 of 44 in the Dominican convent of San Marco in Florence, where in the mid-fifteenth century Fra Angelico and his assistants painted on the walls various religious scenes. It is very unusual, not only in having women present but also because Fr Angelico gives us the names of each of the figures in their halo. From left to right we have James, John and Peter asleep in the garden. Whilst within the house, we have Mary and Martha awake and at work. Also have a look at the angel holding out the cup of suffering, a reminder of Jesus’ pleading with God the Father to let the cup of suffering, pass him by.
As you can imagine it was the two sisters who drew me in. Hidden from view in the garden Mary is reading a book, continuing her study, her learning from Jesus and Martha is praying, actively praying – of course! I love the idea that Fra Angelico not only deliberately added women but also gave them positive roles to play in the scene. They are awake, vigilant and watchful, waiting through the night, whilst the disciples on the other side of the wall have their heads in their hands, emotionally exhausted, sleeping. You can’t really blame them! But they do seem to have lost their trust in the prophecies leaving the women to keep vigil, to hold their friend, their teacher in their prayers.
But for me, this fresco primarily speaks into the times when we find it difficult, impossible even to pray, when we no longer know how or what to say, when hope has vanished. It is into those times, on the other side of our walls, that I believe people have been called to pray, to hold us in their prayers, to sustain us. Those are the prayers we are invited to join each lunchtime, in the Chapel. They are the prayers we are all called to pray for a remembered friend. A nudge! a letter received, a ‘feeling’, a dream, a word spoken can help us become aware that we have been called to pray.
The women watching and waiting through the night trusted in the prophecies and kept vigil supporting their Lord in his suffering. This Maundy Thursday we are asked the same, we are asked to “keep vigil” to be fully present to Christ’s suffering and spiritually awake to his will and direction. A direction that I hope leads us to grow in expectation, ready to hear the call to pray for others, to ‘keep vigil” for them, to bring them into the love of God.
For some of us this may be easy, for others like the disciples, it may be a bit of a challenge but if we listen, we will hear the call: Stay with me Remain here with me Watch and pray Watch and pray
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
Dear Friends,
This weekend at Scargill we are having a ‘Renew, Refresh, Restore’ event focused on Candlemas (the presentation of Christ in the Temple) and it is wonderful to welcome many guests who have never been to Scargill before. It is a joy to see how our gracious God beautifully moves in people’s lives. The Scargill adventure continues.
We are now beginning to plan for Phase 8 of the Masterplan. Our buildings are always about making a guest experience beautiful and enriching. Please do read this ‘Building a future letter’ which is an invitation to join this adventure through an Appeal we will be running from Easter to Pentecost.
We also invite you to pray for us for new Community members to join. This continues to be an ongoing challenge, with a number of key people leaving late Spring. Here is a link to the current vacancies. We are also seeking a new Chaplainfor which the closing date for applications is 17th February.
It may be that you know someone that is right for joining this community – if that is the case then prayerfully let them know about these opportunities.
Here is Di’s latest reflection on our recent visit to the Van Gogh exhibition in London. Enjoy!
Diane writes:
A couple of weeks ago Phil and I nipped down to London, mainly to see the Van Gogh Exhibition and to catch up with a couple of old friends – which we did.
The exhibition was entitled ‘Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers’ and we were encouraged to ‘be blown away by Van Gogh’s most spectacular paintings in our once-in-a-century exhibition. Walk with a pair of lovers beneath a starry night. Look up at swirling clouds and cypress trees swaying in the wind. Stay a little while in Van Gogh’s favourite park, the ‘Poet’s Garden’, or under a shady tree in Saint-Rémy.’
I’m not convinced it was such an idyllic visit BUT amidst the large number of other viewers, all of which were dawdling and dancing around each other, lingering as long as possible to view the next painting. It was certainly stunning; it was certainly amazing and it was at times emotional – emotion being uncovered as we read the pamphlets we were given. In our own time, at our own pace, we could read and reread the blurb for each painting. On returning home from the exhibition, I realised that without the written information I would have missed so much of what the exhibition was offering and I certainly wouldn’t have seen the poetry and love.
It also rather worryingly dawned on me that, unless I am writing these reflections or the occasional talks, when I am reading the Bible I fear I often miss the wisdom, the insight offered, a deeper understanding because I rush through the verses – there is always much to do!!
Images though speak volumes and I recalled a beautiful painting by Jim Norton. Jim Norton is a great friend of ours and Scargill, he frequently visits nearly always bringing a few new paintings to display in the Dining Room. Recently he brought this one, quite simple but also powerful, which I hope will be displayed outside the chapel, on the landing. I asked him about this and discovered that many years ago Jim saw a chained Bible under a plain glass window in Barnsley. It made a profound impression which stayed with him. Jim wanted to capture ‘the simplicity of the light through a window onto the Bible’ and here we have a red Bible sitting on a lace cloth with light streaming through a village Church window, Jim writes, ‘It’s a simple demonstration of the eternal power of God through the written word… a simple but profound message, and to me the painting embodies that through the power of light.’
I also love the lace, it adds a sense of caring, reverence and love drawing us in. The addition of a candle waiting to be relit reminds me that the Bible can rekindle my faith and with the light pouring in through the windows I am reminded of Jesus’ promise that those who follow Him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life (John 8:12).
Our visit to London has encouraged me to look and look again at the scriptures, to learn to dawdle and linger with the words as long as possible, because God’s word is full of treasures for each of us, now, today, for this very moment and every moment.
In Psalm 119 we read. ‘Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word’ Yes Lord! Amen
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community as we begin this new year.
‘By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us.’ Luke 1:78 [photo credit – Diane Stone]
Dear Friends,
We wish you a joyful and peaceful Christmas, through the celebration of Immanuel with us.
Thank you so much for all your love and support this year, it means a great deal to us.
Tomorrow, the residential Community disperse for their Christmas break, and will return ready to welcome guests for the New Year House Party which begins on Sunday 29th December. Our next livestreamed Sanctuary service will be on Wednesday 1st January from 4:30pm.
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the whole Scargill Community.
Last weekend, I was visiting All Souls Church in Leeds and for most of the morning I found myself comfortably sitting in front of this altar table.
I was repeatedly re-drawn to its gentle depiction of the nativity story. It was the curve of cloths uniting the Magi with Mary, then Jesus and finally Joseph which held my focus. In this world of war and conflict, fear and pain, Jesus came in all simplicity to save and to serve.
Here I also saw humbleness and respect flow between the Magi and the Holy family, perhaps asking the same of us but also reminding me that Jesus came to bring peace and healing.
After a while I became aware that the curve continues with the candlesticks, forming perhaps a cup or a chalice reminding me that this is also the place to come before God and receive both bread and wine. A place where we can commune with God and God with us. A place where forgiveness is given, and love is offered.
This publication opens bookings for new events from the end of February to the end of August 2025, as well as having lots of lovely articles and updates from the life of Scargill.
Our website events pages will be made live to coincide with printed copies of our publication starting to reach your doorstep. When the programme is released, do put in your booking requests via the website (rather than by ‘phone) to help our lovely Admin Team deal with your booking requests in the order that they are made, and we thank you in advance for your patience as we work through each booking in turn.
Also do look at our websitefor online and in-house events (November 2024 to February 2025) that still have space – we would love to see you!
We would like to highlight the following upcoming on-line events for you to join from the comfort of your own home:
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
Dear Friends,
Thank you, as always, for your continued love, support and prayers – it means a great deal to us. This Autumn we have been welcoming many guests, and this week we have had a Creation themed Half Term, working with A Rocha UK (one of our partners), and we are very glad to have welcomed 28 young people with their parents and carers.
We have also welcomed some new Community members: Martha (UK), Paul (Pakistan), Richard (UK), James (UK). We could still do with another 4 or 5 members of community so please keep praying, and on our website you will find the latest vacancies – we are particularly looking for someone to lead our Estate Team, beginning in the early new year.
Our new programme taking us up to the end of Summer 2025, which has been delayed for a number of reasons, will be going live (we hope) on Monday 18th November. (When it comes to make booking requests for events please do so via the programme event pages on the website).
We also have a new prayer diary covering November 2024 to April 2025, available now. Thank you for your ongoing prayers for the life of Scargill and our guests.
See below Di’s latest reflection- Enjoy!
Diane writes:
Lord we come before you in anticipation of what you bring us today. Help us to wait for you creatively, expectantly and courageously, To honour you With our time, love and imagination. May we engage in the pursuit of you wholeheartedly, unreservedly, tremendously.
(From ‘We Welcome You’, one of our morning prayer liturgies adapted by James Cathcart.)
Here is a prayer that describes a relationship that is alive with expectation and participation. Here is a prayer that recognises God wants a relationship with us that is open and honest, full of anticipation and hope. Here is a prayer that ignites faith in a God who is able to, and wants to work in us and through us. Here is a prayer that encourages me to pray.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Ordination and Consecration of a great friend of mine to be a Bishop. It was a very grand affair made even more so because as I had been asked to help with communion. I was allocated a seat in the front row – How about that! Throughout the service I was looking for a little nugget to use in this reflection and had to wait until page 32 (!) when we were led into The Lord’s Prayer with these words:
‘Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us, each praying in the language of our hearts.’
Now I have heard these words many times but this time the words confidence and language of our hearts jumped out at me and I realised I had again been invited to have the confidence to pray confidently from my heart, to engage with Our Father ‘wholeheartedly, unreservedly, tremendously’.
To find a painting that encompassed all this seemed nigh impossible. There was an abundance of despondent, earnest, solemn, intense, devout, sincere pray-ers. I didn’t want gay abandon but I did want energy, excitement, expectation and eventually I found Pietro del Po’s etching from around 1650 of The Canaanite (or Syrophoenician) Woman asking Christ to cure her daughter, which seems to me to display them all.
Pietro del Po – Syrophoenician woman
Here is a woman not cowered by her status or ethnicity. I believe she is proud to be a Syrophoenician woman and a mother. Driven by a deep love for her daughter with an intuitive perception of a greater truth, she has allowed herself to display not only humility in her words and actions before Jesus, but also the power of persistent faith.
This beautiful woman has become an icon of faith. There is also a humble confidence as she kneels low before Jesus, as she challenges his answers, as she waits refusing to waver in her faith and hope for Christ’s response. She perseveres, she is humble, the boldness in her never wavering but strengthened by her faith and hope in Christ and in her love for her child.
Today let us awaken within each of us a desire to pray courageously from the heart, maybe we can start with James Cathcart’s opening prayer using the slight adaptation below.
Lord I come before you in anticipation of what you bring us today. Help me to wait for you creatively, expectantly and courageously. To honour you With my time, love and imagination. May I engage in the pursuit of you wholeheartedly, unreservedly, tremendously. Amen.
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
Dear Friends,
As we have said goodbye to the summer, we have now been welcoming the autumn over the last couple of weeks. The leaves on the lime trees down the drive have turned golden and the air has definitely an alpine bite about it. This time of year the Community is also in transition. We have said goodbye to a good number and welcomed a couple of new people to the Community. We would value your prayers during this changing season and your prayers for others to join the Scargill adventure.
We are currently working on the new programme; it will be published, all going well, in the first week of November.
As always we so much appreciate your love and prayers, and if there is anything that you would like us to pray for please email at prayer@scargillmovement.org .
Our new website is now up and running so please check it out.
Below is Di’s latest reflection on the book of Ruth – enjoy!
Diane writes:
Two weeks ago, we started a new series of morning prayers looking at the book of Ruth. Ruth is only four chapters and it is a delight to read, a marvellous story of love and grace – both from a human and a heavenly perspective. It is a sign post to Jesus and there is a happy ending – what more could you want!
Well, what I didn’t want was Chapter 1 v1-5. Probably in literary terms a good opening to a gentle but exciting story – a family tragedy. The family are all named then half of them die! leaving Naomi, whose name refers to the kindness of God, having encountered everything but God’s kindness.
We meet a family displaced by famine, seeking refuge in a foreign land. ‘What initially appears as a practical choice for survival soon turns tragic and we are confronted by a moment of deep grief and uncertainty’ (Chat GPT). Naomi loses her husband and two sons, leaving her in a foreign country without the support of the men who provided for her. She has been abandoned, forsaken even the future must have looked and felt desperate.
Fortunately we know that Naomi will not be left alone. Ruth was prepared to walk beside Naomi and Naomi to walk beside Ruth. They had both felt loss, bereavement, fear of the unknown and loneliness – but they supported each other. And we see this beautifully in the painting Ruth and Naomi ‘Whither Thou Goest’ by Sandy Freckleton Gagon. Ruth with an arm around Naomi’s shoulder holding the billowing cape is sheltering and protecting her against the storms of life. Naomi though is leading the way -staff in hand, her grey hair signalling wisdom and experience. Together, the figures form a unified whole, stronger together perhaps than they would be if they had gone their separate ways.
Phil often talks about lament; he is far more in tune to lament than I am and was determined we would have a lament prayer station in the walled garden, which is absolutely the right thing to have done. The lament station, so well used, allows us to say it is ok to acknowledge the hardship without rushing to a hopeful ending, it is ok to sit with God in our brokenness, trusting that even though we cannot yet see the way forward, He is with us in the sorrow and hurt.
These five opening verses have encouraged me to embrace the honesty of lament and the fact that there those in our communities who need to sit with God. The news daily reminds us that around the world there are many whose lives have been and continue to be besieged by fear and violence, with whole communities living in lament.
So what can we do? As well as prayer, maybe there is an answer in the painting. Albert Camus wrote “Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”
Perhaps this what this reflection is all about.
With love and prayers from Phil, Di and the Scargill Community
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