– a place of refreshment A garden
“A field is a place of work, but a garden is a place of refreshment” says Maggie Kingston who, with others, arranges Quiet Gardens sessions at Still Waters Garden adjoining Kyre Church in Worcestershire. The idea is that some people may find it easier or more accessible to meditate in a garden. An attractive setting can provide freedom for participants to be still and simply to ‘be’.
She arranges five sessions a year, some on a Sunday and others on a weekday. A typical session will have
Blow up
some 10 or 15 minutes of input from a Christian perspective to start minds reflecting; half an hour or more of quiet for people to wander in the beautiful grounds and a few minutes of closing reflections. Afterwards there are refreshments and a chance to talk and listen to each other. Maggie’s experience is that through this she has deepened her own faith, had opportunity to learn where others are and to share faith. The sessions are open to anyone of any faith or none.
This work is part of the Quiet Gardens Movement which has been in
existence for nearly 20 years. It has a presence in the UK, mainland Europe, Africa, America (north and south) and Australia. What happens in each Quiet Garden will be different. Some have all day sessions with speakers. Others are more low key. However all draw on the importance of gardens in the major faith traditions. From creation to paradise, gardens are places where God meets people and people meet God
For more information about Quiet Gardens see
www.quietgarden.co.uk
your church!
The Baptist Union’s purchase of an inflatable church has proved to be a great success.
The inflatable church is available for congregations to hire from the Mission Department to use at local events as a focus for the church’s presence. So far, it’s been a useful base for a wide range of activities. During its first ‘season’ it’s been used as a prayer space for praying on the streets, a venue for exhibitions, a book stall and coffee shop, an Easter garden and much more. The hirer is responsible for collecting and returning it and full details of the hiring arrangements can be obtained from the Didcot office at:
Baptist House, PO BOX 44, 129 Broadway, Didcot, OX11 8RT
email:
info@baptist.org.uk 6 www. countryway. org. uk
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