Category: Forest Church

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Forest Church

…with prayer

The view from the Crichton QFC on January the 15th, 2023

It had been a drich few days before we met. Record flooding levels in Dumfries saw businesses washed out, some perhaps beyond their ability to recover. I wasn’t sure if some of our proposed activities (follow the link to see the plan) would work out.

However, we were greeted by a clear sky. It is the winter so the weather was brisk, but when you stand in the sun you are warm. Once we had gathered, we moved to a place where we could look through the trees and over the Solway.

Alder?
Catkins and Cones
Signs of new growth
Lying back on a branch and watching the sunshine on the top of the tree.
The green springing from the brown.

One of the things which stood out was the Alder tree. More about Alder here. We moved between activity together as a group and individual exploration. Each of us found space to pray and time to share what we discovered to build up the group as a whole.

We eventually gravitated towards the central café. It is warm enough now to sit outside in the veranda, to share refreshment together and and watch as the sun sets.

Sunset is often used to communicate romantic situations. There is a fire there which warms us. What happens when you step beyond the romance though, and find the secret fire? Will it burn hot enough to carry you into places where you stand out to hold back the floods, and at what cost?

Categories
Forest Church

Praying with…

Meet outside Crichton chapel at 2pm on January the 15th, 2023

“Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I’ll tell you what I’d do. I’d go out into a great big field all alone or in the deep, deep woods and I’d look up into the sky—up—up—up—into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I’d just feel a prayer.”

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

There are many ways to pray, and prayer is inspired in many forms. This Sunday we will meet up outdoors and in the company of the trees, birds, and growing things we will explore praying with them. Before I describe the plan for meeting on Sunday in more detail, and especially for those reading this online who will be unable to join us, I have this YouTube clip.

The Hymn is Icelandic, and as one who smiths it particularly resonates with me. Whether surrounded by the green, or industry in a railway station, or in a building built to glorify the Divine, I suspect that the beginning of inheriting the richness of prayer is to stop and sense a changed quality of awareness.

Text and an english translation available here

If the above link doesn’t work, try this one.

The plan for Sunday the 15th

Peace

We meet in Jesus name. Whether you consider yourself a close friend or are just curious, we meet in Christs peace. Peace be with you.

Share a sign of peace

Reading the text

“At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place. Listen, listen to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. Under the whole heaven he lets it loose, and his lightning to the corners of the earth. After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings[a] when his voice is heard. God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth’; and the shower of rain, his heavy shower of rain, serves as a sign on everyone’s hand, so that all whom he has made may know it.[b]

Then the animals go into their lairs and remain in their dens. From its chamber comes the whirlwind and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning. They turn round and round by his guidance to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen …

Job 37 1- 13 NRSV

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard.  Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because[a] the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.  Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister abides in the light, and in such a person[b] there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates a brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.

1 John 2:7-11

Invocation

Trees drink through deep roots and hidden networks, then cast their seeds widely on the wind and to the ground. We slow down in winter, and tend to burrow in warm places. Even the cold frost plays it’s part in bringing about a release from dormancy though when the time is right for seeds to germinate*.

With the firmness of the trees and the trust of creatures, we look to you, Creator of life, to sustain and keep us.

Reading Creation

Today we are focusing on prayer. Try working with one of the following, or listen and respond as you feel led.

#SensingAwareness

Simply take a moment to stand and sense, and be aware of sensing.

Start by becoming aware of your feet on the ground, the air surrounding you and the wind in your hair.

Listen.

Allow your awareness to stretch out to the furthest thing you can hear, or see.

Then draw your attention back slowly to your body and what surrounds it.

What were you aware of, what response does this invite?

#SensingChallenge

Find a tree to stand next to, or lean against. Contemplate the ways in which trees draw nutrients up from the ground and produce leaves, and transform CO2 with light into chemical energy and water. This then allows roots to grow.

As you lean on the tree with your feet on earth and your head in heaven, what are you inspired to “Carry up” to heaven? What does your heart desire to bring down into earth?

Take time to intercede, aware of both the bitter and the sweet.

#SensingValues

Look for signs of nourishment and growth

Great Light, we are aware of the darkness of this season, but we are also aware the the natural light will increase from here on. Help us to walk in your ways so that we can play our p[art in righteous living, as you work within us to increase the light to its full brightness. Amen

David Cole, The Celtic Year, p39

#SensingMystery

Explore the broken things which surround you.

We are surrounded by temporary things, and even human creations that impress us by their antiquity are fleeting moments in geological terms. But even broken things bring new life.

Stone broken from bedrock become buildings, organic matter rots down to enrich the soil.

Creator of light and life, you stepped into the world as one of us. your incarnation made you physically one with the world which you created. Through your humanity and divinity you reconciled all creation back to you. May I live a life which reflects this understanding of total reconciliation. Amen

David Cole, The Celtic Year, p37

Gather

We gather together again. Perhaps a song, or chant, will be relevant. If anyone has been inspired with something that will be of benefit to the gathering, this is a time to share it.

Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

Now and evermore,

Amen

Coffee and cake, or alternative …

We often end up at the central café (occasionally we have a picnic or use a Kelly kettle instead). This is an opportunity to share refreshment and chat about our experiences.

Sunrise on distant hills

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Categories
Forest Church

QFC

Quartz Forest Church, December 2022

It has been a busy, and traumatic, time for some in Quartz, so this forest church is going to take it easy. It might even become a “cafe church” where we can work on more mirrors for the “Christmas Light” installation. We will enjoy the wonderful surroundings of the estate though, perhaps in the snow!

The meeting point is still the Crichton chapel, but if you miss us – look for the Crichton central cafe!

Phase 1 of “Christmas Light” is installed in the St Johns building. It uses the light in the building to explore the way in which the contributors recieved light and become lights in the world. Their contributions shape that which was already there adding to something bigger than themselves. The building is usually open between 10.30 and 4 if you are able to drop in and experience it.

Categories
Forest Church Thought of the Day

Midwinter

We are choosing to work in relationship with the natural environment when we meet as Forest Church. We are taking a chilled out approach to this though. This means that our midwinter meeting is on a Sunday close to the solstice but not the day of it.

We will meet outside the Crichton chapel as usual. We have started exploring using words from liturgy which draws directly on the earliest church practice in these islands – often called “Celtic Christianity”.

Have you ever taken time to think about the way in which Christianity holds in tension the importance of history down to the details of where a baby is born and the cosmic awesomeness of a God who created and sustains all things in being?

This attention to detail and physical reality emerges time and time again as cultures go through a “Celtic Revival” that delights in locality, a sense of place, and meaningfulness connected with nature. (perhaps seen in books like Carmena Gadelica)

During the Golden age of Celtic Christianity brilliant minds pursued obscure truths and mysteries that academics of all era have struggled to grapple with though. Take for example the poetic work of “The Altus Prosator” where St Columba grapples with the concepts of Trinity and the cosmic order of things.

So on the 18th we will make an effort to become mindful of the moments we live in. We will also remember the connection we have with the creator of the cosmos who calls us out of our present to meet in eternity. Hopefully we will respond to the call of Wisdom as she stands at the highest point along the way where the paths meet.

Proverbs 8
Categories
Forest Church

DofAA

Quartz Forest Church November 2022

This month at forest church we engaged in a wee bit of displaying arboreal affection (DofAA) and made some lanterns. The framework for us meeting to work together to worship can be read here, so I won’t repeat it.

Instead, here are a few of the photos and insights from our experience.

As we have been meeting in the same location for a year, we have become quite familiar with the area. This Sunday we took some time to centre ourselves and then focus on which ever particular tree we were drawn to. It is very refreshing to take some time out to reflect at a speed approaching the speed of trees.

I was struck by the amount of life held in the moss on the bark of the tree I spent time with. A rolling stone gathers no moss, but this tree was a haven for frail small fungi even when it had drawn back into its trunk and shed its leaves.

We also wandered down past the Sunflower field. Whilst most of the sunflowers have died back and are becoming mulch, there are still a few blooms and splashes of colour. I wonder how many flowers there will be next year?

As the sun began to set we used a craft activity to respond to our experiences. Taking used tin cans we experimented with the material to contemplate the boundaries between light and dark. As the gashes we made in the thin fabric of the container were opened, they became doorways through which light could shine. The lanterns shelter the flame inside from an outside where it could easily be extinguished by the hostile environment. Plenty of food for thought! We also shared each others company and a drink to keep us warm.

And then it was time to wander out into the rest of the week, carrying the light within us.

Categories
Forest Church

November Forest Church

20/22/22 2pm Outside the Crichton chapel

Peace

We meet in Jesus name. Whether you consider yourself a close friend or are just curious, we meet in Christs peace. Peace be with you.

Invocation

Creator of the seasons, as the cold and dark winter begin to surround us, we ask that you set in us the firmness of the roots of the trees. As they draw on the goodness of the earth to sustain them, may we draw on your goodness – the ground of being. As the trees let their leaves fall, and sleep deeply and soundly trusting that the sustenance they have within them will see them through to spring, may we trust that the sustenance that you place in us is sufficient for us.

With the firmness of the trees and the trust of the creatures, we look to you, Creator of life, to sustain and keep us.

Prayer

O star-like sun, O guiding light, O home of the planets,

O fiery-maned and marvellous one, O fertile, undulating, fiery sea,

Forgive

O fiery glow, O fiery flame of Judgement,

Forgive

O holy storyteller, holy scholar, O full of holy grace, of holy strength,

O overflowing, loving silent, one, O generous and thunderous giver of gifts,

Forgive

O rock-like warrior of a hundred hosts,

O fair-crowned one, O victorious, skilled in battle,

Forgive

attributed to St. Ciaran

Reading

7 Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and night wraps itself around me,”[a]
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is as bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

Psalm 139: 7- 12

Centring

Find a tree. Root yourself.

Allow yourself to become aware of everything which is going on around you, the wind, the sounds, the smells.

Draw back into yourself, like a tree shedding it’s leaves in preparation for Winter.

Rest

Receive sustenance from God, Become aware of the sustenance God has placed within you, draw sustenance through your feet and into your core.

When you are ready hold the memory and begin to walk.

Intercession

God of stillness, ruler over darkness, we pray for those places within our world which are in darkness in some way, whether through human action or natural means.

Lord have mercy

God of stillness, ruler over darkness, we pray for those places within our local community which are in darkness in some way, whether through the actions of local people or wider government decisions.

Christ have mercy

God of stillness, ruler over darkness, we pray for those places within our Church which are in darkness in some way, whether through selfish heard heartedness or the political decisions of hierarchy.

Lord have mercy

Reading

7 And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the Lord), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light.

8 On that day living water shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of it to the eastern sea and half of it to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.

9 And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one.

Zechariah 14:7-9

Contemplation

(Please bring a lantern with you if you have one. We will bring some spares and the materials for making more. The extent to which we take time and care to shape our lanterns will be determined by the weather! We may seek warmth and refreshments to carry out this activity.)

Light your lantern

Consider the way in which the lantern is a boundary between the light and the dark. It shapes the way the light is seen. It keeps the flame lit and shielded from the wind. The lantern is scarred and pierced, but each wound lets more light out. The shapes add beauty and creativity to the world around the lantern.

In what ways do you hold onto and protect the light of the gospel within you. In what ways do you contribute light to the world around you, and with style…

Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Now and evermore,

Amen.

Categories
Arts Forest Church

Upcycling Lanterns

In the beginning the Word was with God and the Word ... the introduction to the gospel of John

What do you do when you are invited to talk a bit about Forest Church and lead a fellowship meeting when it is held at night and in the dark part of the year?

The evening at Barcaple started with an introduction to Quartz, and then reading Johns introduction to his Gospel. Light, and light coming into the world seemed appropriate as a theme. The first recorded bishop to base himself in Galloway was described as bringing light to the shores. His mission base was called the sparkling white house, which becomes “Whithorn” from the old English Language. The shape that he gave to the light can still be seen over a thousand years later.

In the Middle Ages the city was a symbol of all that was best, and a city of light on a hill was often used as an image of heaven. This shaped society in ways which can still be seen in church buildings. The age which followed is often described as the enlightenment. Great wonders have certainly been worked in the last 500 years. During that time the culture of Europe has been exported globally and in Scotland we can enjoy the privileges of our ancestors work. Central heating, electric lighting, chocolate and coffee to mention a few!

Many of them saw themselves as taking light around the world, but as reports come in about the impact of global warming we have to question the unintended consequences of the rapid change following the agricultural, industrial and political revolutions of recent centuries. Our recent history, in which the church has played a pivotal leadership role, is characterised by a confidence in progress and the treating of the natural environment as a resource to be mined. Environmentalists who warned about the impact of this used to be dismissed as mad men living in the wilderness eating strange food and not washing enough. On an everyday level, many living in the great cities feel alienated from basic aspects of human life such as growing food and animal husbandry. organisations like A Rocha have been leading the way in demonstrating a Christian response internationally.

Healing this rift, and providing hands on opportunities for people to take part in the physical tinkering with basic things is an important part of Wordsmith Crafts activity, and Quartz explores #SensingSpirituality within this. The restoring the relationship between worship and the environment which sustains us is an important theme in Forest Church. This meets the perception of an increasing need felt by people to connect with nature in a spiritual way.

We all shape the light, but just as a hole gets bigger the more you take away, so too the way of Jesus is that if we lose ourselves in the light, we find life. By leaving the building and going outside for forest church we deny ourselves the comfort of hymn books and shelter! However, we also create space to discover God at work in the world.

To explore and express this on a personal level we then provided a craft activity. Participants were encouraged to think about the shape they would make to let the light out. Two options were presented.

One being to think of a message they wished to symbolise, and then create a design and apply it to the can so that the light would illuminate it.

The second option was to contemplate light and darkness, and the tin which is the boundary in between. By working with the material and moving from the well lit room into the darkness participants were encouraged to explore their relationship to the light and the process of removing material in order to create something.

Participants worked in groups, because it is within the whole community that we find our full rainbow diversity of individuality!

We will continue to explore the theme of light and dark as we move towards Christmas.

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Arts Forest Church

Forest Lanterns

Forest Church and Light in the darkness

We have spent a year getting to know the Crichton estate now. Those of us who have met each month certainly have a better feel for the place, and we have got to know each other better too.

We didn’t exclusively meet on the estate, and so this video review has other locations in it. It should be possible to watch the cycle of the seasons as the trees adapt to the change in climate, and perhaps even get a sense of how the weather has affected what we do.

The Crichton is hardly a wilderness, and we haven’t undertaken this adventure unequipped or prepared. Even with this gentle adventure though we have discovered more than can be described (by me at least) in words.

Part of our reflection on the year has therefore been to produce some visual art. This has been done collaboratively and experimentally. We set out to create a lantern exploring themes of harvest and light, as well as the idea that seeds need to fall into the ground and die before they can grow. Our original plan of multiple lanterns and shadow cut outs did not survive a combination of October holidays and volunteer availability – (those ideas are seeds in storage now)- however we did manage to make one large lantern as an inspirational piece.

We used dried and pressed leaves, captured between layers of tissue paper, to decorate a translucent trunk. When a light is placed inside the trunk it shines through the opening words of psalm 19, and the leaves. The idea being that as you gaze through the leaves, you can contemplate the ways in which the light comes into the world and can be recognised. This lantern was hung in the building when we gathered one evening for an “Interweave”. The plan for the evening is described here . We enjoyed a soundtrack of ambient music put together for us by Alec Brooke which has also been used in the video above. Some pictures of the process and finished lanterns follow.

Here is the large lantern when it was hung in the St Johns building. It is hanging lower than intended in these photos so that it could have leaves added to it.

Categories
Arts Creative Worship Forest Church Interweave

Forest Lanterns

On Sunday the 30th of October 2022 at 6pm we will be gathering in St John’s church building.

The clocks will be changing to mark the end of British Summer time. The Nights are getting longer and darker, and the trees are drawing into themselves, letting go of their fruit and leaves. Seeds are buried and the end becomes the beginning of something new.

We have prepared a large lantern with light shining through fallen leaves and symbols of harvest. This reminds us that the cosmos declares the glory of God. On the evening participants will be invited to take a word or phrase and ‘plant’ it in their own wee lantern as a prayer.

While making these lanterns we will discuss our memories of #SensingSpirituality over the last year. Especially moments experienced during Quartz Forest Church activities. There will be some projected images as reminders!

While the lanterns are drying, ready to take away, we will rake these thoughts and chats together.

To finish, a wee word of warning, this is not an event to wear your Sunday best to. It will involve leaves, glue, and pens.

Categories
Forest Church Fresh Expressions Thought of the Day

A Dynamic Unity (II)

Some more thoughts by Alison, blogged by Simon for Quartz. Read part (I) here.

In the first of these reflections Alison described encountering God

“Sitting on a bench looking out at the Solway restores my soul, and through it I sense a spiritual truth and reality. In this place it comes naturally to me as a consolation as a gift and without effort”.

Read part (I) here.

The words of Psalm 19 such as these below express this experience. These moments can be a source of connection and the start of many interesting discussions with people from a wide variety of traditions.

3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
    their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice[b] goes out through all the earth
    and their words to the end of the world.

“The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul“

Find the whole Psalm here

However, whilst the first section in the psalm is very agreeable the following section is less clear. It is difficult to find such experiences of consolation in reading descriptions about regulations of cloth of mixed fibres or eating shellfish! In what ways does reading the law books in the bible help us experience the reviving of our souls, or taste as sweet as honey?

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
    making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
    enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
    and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.

Find the Whole Psalm here

How can this dissonance between the opening of the psalm and this section be resolved?

Perhaps rather than thinking of “The Law” being laid upon people to limit them, or as a punitive code, we can approach it as a way of expressing our response to meeting God in daily life. In the experience of living out commandments such as:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbour as yourself”

Not a direct quote, read more here…

the Law does give joy to the heart. The experience of loving your neighbour can be light for your eyes, in a similar way to the way in which sitting on a bench and #SensingAwareness can. We often talk about feeling at one with nature, oneself, but less often simply experiencing the changed quality in awareness when we feel at one with other people. Once rethink “The Law” and understand it as a means through which people can and do work together to build each other up, then experiences of our awareness of it can be experiences of human being, flourishing.

There will be a third part to this! These are also the themes we are working together towards developing for the contemporary service in St Johns on the 13th of November 2022