Category: Fresh Expressions

The Return of Interweave

Not a new technique for ironing hems in place!

This will be a creative worship event in St Johns exploring Candlemas and symbols. Not sure what Candlemas is or what will this event will look like?

No bother. More information will follow as we work it out. It is likely to involve things like candlemaking, and exploration of ritual to bring light into your life. There will be opportunities to use your head to think and discuss complex issues, as well as to explore with your heart and your hands to work things out as you go. #SensingSpirituality will flow through the evening as we use visual arts, music and draw on the tradition we have received to make things new.

This event will happen on Sunday evening in the St Johns building, the Fifth Sunday in January, which is the 30th. Hopefully it will help you get through the last few months of winter…

To give you an idea of what this means, here is the way we adapted the “sending out” to encourage people to go in peace at a similar event in 2010

And here is an overview of some of the content and planning.

creation Forest Church

Forest church No.2

Here are some photos from today’s Forest Church meeting.

Our words to send to COP26

More photos and a write up to follow.

Forest Church Fresh Expressions

Sunday the 31st

Post author By admin
Post date 30/10/2021
1 Comment on Sunday the 31st

Forest Church No.2 (Halloween/Samhain)

We will meet again outside the front door of Crichton church for a 2pm start, (The Crichton, Dumfries DG1 4ZZ) Find it on google maps

Please dress for the weather, and don’t rely on there being any indoor (or any other) facilities available. Once we meet we will walk to an appropriate location depending on the weather and the abilities of those who turn up. If you want us to wait for you, please let us know that you are coming!

So that you know what to expect – a rough order of service will probably include:

Meeting in Christ’s name and sharing the peace	(We meet in Christs name – whether you consider yourself close friends, or are just curious, all are welcome – we share his peace.)
Some Taize chanting Ubi Caritas followed by Bless the Lord my soul	Ubi Caritas on YouTube (please follow the links to find the tunes we will use)
Reading the Gospel	John 12: 20 – 26 “... I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life …“
Reading Creation	It is Winter! The chapter from creation we will read today is about letting go of things. What do you need to let go of and burn? What do you need to let go of and plant in hope? We will take some time to look for signs of change in ourselves and our environment. What can we sense physically and spiritually? We will have some games and activites as suggestions for “reading guides”
Response	If the weather permits, we will sit round a fire to share our response to what we have read. If this is likely to lead to hypothermia we will do this in the Central cafe on the campus. We hope to make a collaborative art response to link to the COP26 conference in Glasgow. This is a space for people to contribute their own prayers, songs, reflections and stories though, so we will listen to each other and the landscape we worship with and decide exactly what we will do.
Equipment	Something to sit on, a cup to drink from, gloves and a litter picking bag all might be helpful. Don’t burden yourself too heavily though.
Snack	As there is still a plague in Dumfries. Please bring your own food and drink, and we can share the time together while we eat and respond
Closing Prayers	As Jesus taught us … (The Lords Prayer in the version you find familiar)
A wee song, *Go in Peace*	Go In Peace – Sam Baker Go in peace, Go in kindness. Go in love, Go in faith. Leave the day, The day behind us. Day is done Go in grace Let us go, Into the dark Not afraid, Not alone. Let us hope, By some good pleasure. Safely to Arrive at home. Let us hope, By some good pleasure. Safely to Arrive at home Learn it here

	If it is very wet this might all happen quite quickly. If it is a lovely afternoon we might take more time. If you need to plan around others though allow about an hour.

There is no need to book, but if you’d like to let us know that you are coming we can keep an eye out for you. If you sign up for the mailing list you’ll find out when the nest one is happening. You can also subscribe to the Quartz weekly newsletter/e-mail.

Please send a message to introduce yourself, – and let us know what interests you in particular!

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Creative Worship Forest Church Fresh Expressions

Ready for Winter?

Forest Church meeting, 2pm Chrichton Church Dumfries, Sunday the 31st

The significance of this time has been recognised by humans from a time before writing. As Autumn moves towards winter the plants in the northern hemisphere start to die back. Harvests have been gathered in, and the Cailleach prepares to wash her plaid in the Corryvreckan ready to spread it over Scotland until Brìghde returns with the Sun.

The last few years have been difficult and strange for many people. Winter gives us time to gather in communities. To sit round fires with friends and strangers and search out god waiting to be discovered in their faces and stories (it has been written that some who practice hospitality have unknowingly entertained angels).

How do we react to adversity, the experience of suffering and even death?

Of the peril of the holy bishop Cólman moccu Sailni in the sea near Rathlin island: Likewise, another day, while St Columba was in his mother church, he suddenly smiled and called out: “Cólman mac Beognai has set sail to come here, and is now in great danger in the surging tides of the whirlpool of Corryvreckan. Sitting in the prow, he lifts up his hands to heaven and blesses the turbulent, terrible seas. Yet the Lord terrifies him in this way, not so that the ship in which he sits should be overwhelmed and wrecked by the waves, but rather to rouse him to pray more fervently that he may sail through the peril and reach us here.”
Adomnan – Life of Columba C8th AD (penguin translation)

There is a hope that keeps us going. We can grow larger, so that the hard edged grief which rattles around inside our being seems to become smaller and hurts less. Bitter things can be laid in the ground and left to die, while new things grow.

We will meet on Sunday the 31st of October to read the “Book of Creation”. To reflect on the hope the “God with us and who saves” brings and to help each other find safe passage through the winter and the changes which the season brings. More details will be published soon – please use the comments to communicate the sorts of things you would like to explore! or e-mail them to Quartz if you prefer.

In the meantime, here are some pictures from when we brought something of the outside into St Johns to have a picnic with our ancestors.

Images from the 2014 “Eve of the Living Dead” All Souls Interweave

Forest Church Fresh Expressions

Forest Church Planting

Sunday the 26th of September, 4 to 5pm (Forest Church No. 1)

Well, it isn’t the season for planting really, but we are finally getting round to testing out some Forest Church ideas.

Meet at the Crichton church, (The Crichton, Dumfries DG1 4ZZ) Find it on google maps

Please dress for the weather, and don’t rely on there being any indoor (or any other) facilities available.

We are going to meet up and test out some ideas to explore what a “Forest Church” might look like.

A rough order of service will probably include:

Meeting in Christ’s name and sharing the peace	(Everyone who is willing to explore what this means is welcome, of course)
Some Taize chanting Ubi Caritas Bless the Lord my soul	Ubi Caritas on YouTube
Reading the Gospel	Mark 9:38 – 50
Reading Creation	Autumn is here, the season is one of change and letting the old rest gracefully to allow room for new growth. We will take some time to look for signs of change in ourselves and our environment. What can we sense physically and spiritually?
Response	Space for people to contribute their own prayers, songs, reflections and stories.
Closing Prayers	As Jesus taught us … (in the version you find familiar)
A wee song, *Go in Peace*	Go In Peace – Sam Baker Go in peace, Go in kindness. Go in love, Go in faith. Leave the day, The day behind us. Day is done Go in grace Let us go, Into the dark Not afraid, Not alone. Let us hope, By some good pleasure. Safely to Arrive at home. Let us hope, By some good pleasure. Safely to Arrive at home Learn it here
Snack	As there is still a plague in Dumfries. Please bring your own food and drink, and we can share the time together.

Arts climate change Fresh Expressions Thought of the Day

News and Updates

This post is a collection of the things which Quartz people have been sending in because they found them interesting.

Creation time

This year Eco-Congregation Scotland and Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) combine to provide a bank of resources of real value to congregations, in a variety of current media, to facilitate ‘Creation Time/Creationtide/Season of Creation’ as, with Christians around the world, we dedicate this short season to reflection on our often troubled relationship with the Earth.

Creation Time

Nature Focused Daily Meditation

Encountering Christ in Nature

Without a sense of the inherent sacredness of the world—of every tiny bit of life and death—we struggle to see God in our own reality, let alone to respect reality, protect it, or love it. The consequences of this ignorance are all around us, seen in the way we have exploited and damaged our fellow human beings, the dear animals, the web of growing things, the land, the waters, and the very air. My good friend and co-author Patrick Boland invites us to experience Christ in nature:

Unveiling the Universal Christ: Weekly Summary

Nomas

These guys are based in Dundee, you might find some of the opinions they express in their intro video a wee bit harsh – but will that stop you from hearing the points they are making?

About Nomas

Archive of artists talks

Contribute

If you have seen something you would like to show other people, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise – send the link in to Quartz

Tags #SensingSpirituality

Arts Febreflection Fresh Expressions

Transcendence

Post author By admin
Post date 01/09/2021
No Comments on Transcendence

There is a much quoted insight gained by Jeremiah when he watched a potter working away making clay pots.

This can be encountered in many ways. For a moment though, imagine what it is like to be the clay on a potters wheel.

Your centre is hardly moving at all, but travelling outwards the speed at which your substance moves increases. If you were standing, spinning and stretched out your arms they would fly at a dizzying speed. It would feel like every atom of your being had an urge to fly off into space.

(Please read the artists description as well as watching the film)

Tags #SensingSpirituality, Christfulness, Creative Worship, Ignation, poetry, rituals, Sprituality

2021 Review Creative Worship Fresh Expressions

The Year Ahead

The summer in Scotland is nearing harvest and autumn. I can see apples ripening on the trees outside my window, and that always reminds me that I need to plan ahead if I want to be able to do more than clear them from my drive into compost!

There has been a lot of reflection and discussion over the summer, so now it is time to do some planning.

We will do this on Sunday the 22nd of August at 3pm In Andy and Glorias house as well as online.

Click to join the zoom meeting at 3pm on the 22nd

We plan to discuss:

Ignatian Spirituality

Following the success of the first session Philip has suggested discussing meeting as a CLC group (Christian Life Community) This could meet once or twice a month. It would start with a focus on Ignatian spiritualty but is described more generally as

We meet regularly in small groups to pray and share, supporting one another through the ups and downs of ordinary life. In listening to one another we grow to understand ourselves, deepen our relationship with God and discover more clearly how each one of us is uniquely called to respond to God’s love.

From the CLC website

Forest Church

We could try running some “Forest Church” type events once a month. At these we would explore being and meeting as church in interdependence with our environment – Outside of the building. This would be a development of the “Sensing Spirituality” walks we have already done.

The Floating Monastery

The Floating Monastery is adrift in time, but rooted in History

Following on from work carried out with Hidden Histories a few years ago, especially in NW Dumfries, this is a concept which combines arts, crafts, heritage and spirituality to help people think about where we have come from, where we are and possible futures. It will use activities familiar to those who have taken part in “Outerweaves” as well as testing out some new ideas. Expect a bit of environmental activism, costumed characters revealing hidden stories, and of course some weaving.

Interweaves

All this activity outside the building can be brought inside the building too. About four times a year we have created multimedia events with large scale installations. It looks like this will be a possibility this year again.

Creative Worship

As well as activity organised by Quartz, people will hopefully be inspired and supported to continue to explore and serve within the community and services of St Johns and the wider church. We will hopefully be able to continue this both online and in person.

And perhaps more too…

Forest Church Thought of the Day

Summer

Post author By admin
Post date 07/08/2021
1 Comment on Summer

We can’t control time, but we can change our awareness of it.

Arts Fresh Expressions Thought of the Day

Finding the Depth

Humans are deeply spiritual animals. For centuries in Scotland this has been explored and expressed through the Church. In the last century however this has changed.

At one time the Church provided political authority, social services, education, healthcare, and the opportunity to experience the best of the arts. A church was the place to go to to access these things, or to contribute to the provision of them for those in need. When many of these tasks were delegated to secular authorities the Church remained as the spiritual specialist, proving access to deeper things.

Can a church so disconnected from secular life continue to do this though?

For some church life still blends seamlessly with their everyday life, and going to a church on a Sunday is like drinking deeply from a well which flows into every day and everywhere they go.

Others find beauty on mountain tops, mystery in forests, charity when they watch TV ads and Love in the extended family experience of a hobby club. They mark births and deaths through social media, and relationship changes with status updates. When they search for deeper spiritual experiences they have a global culture to explore. Here is an example – for these experiences to be genuine, do they have to be experienced through Church?

You try … you fail … failure is not bad … it is the way to grow.

Jesus talked about a shepherd leaving the bulk of his flock grazing where they were content in order to go searching for the one rogue sheep.

Read it here…

How much effort do our churches put into preserving buildings and the orders of service they inherited, while about 80% of the decendants of the people who built those buildings never enter them?

In psalm 23 the author talks about dwelling in the house of the Lord. If you read the beginning of the psalm though most of the time is spent on the move, finding new waters, seeking out grass.

Churches need caretakers who can look after the building and anoint tired brows with refreshing oils. They also need pioneers who will wander with semi-feral sheep and goats. Ones who carry big sticks to face the darkness, and who are skilled in diving deep in search of adventure.