St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 24

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 24: Read: Luke 1.26-38 This is perhaps the most famous angelic appearance in the Bible, celebrated often in music and in art, where it has...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 22

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 22: Read: Luke 1.5-25 Finally we come to the angels you may have been waiting for, those involved in the Christmas story! The first of...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 21

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 21: Read: Matthew 28.1- 8 The accounts of the resurrection vary in detail in each Gospel. Mark has a “young man” announcing the news that ...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 20

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 20: Read: Revelation 8 If yesterday’s angels brought joy, today’s angels bring terror. Despite the images you may see in pictures of a...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 18

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 18: Read: Revelation 1.17– 2.7 The book of Revelation was written by an early Christian leader, exiled on the island of Patmos, who seems ...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 17

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 17: Read: Matthew 18: 1-10 In this passage, Jesus tells his disciples that, though the priorities of the world in which they live don’t ap...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 16

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 16: Read: Acts 12.1-17 After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, his followers continued to spread his message. The Roman and Jewish author...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 14

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 14: Read: Daniel 3 This story is set in Babylon, where the Jewish people had been taken into exile. Three young Jewish men, Shadrach, Mesh...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 13

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 13: Read:  Genesis 21. 8-20   Abraham has been promised that God will give him more descendants than the stars in the sky, but as he has b...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 11

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 11: Read: Mark 1. 12-13 The story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, told very briefly in Mark’s Gospel, unlike Matthew and Luke’s ve...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 10

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 10: The next group of angels all in some way protect or guide people, so I have called them all Guardian Angels. Read: Numbers22.22-35 ...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 8

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 8: Day 8: Warrior Angels Read Revelation12.7-12 Jewish theology, and the Christian theology which followed it, held that angels had f...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 7

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 7: Day 7: Warrior Angels Read: 2 Kings 6.8-23 The king of Aram has been waging war on Israel, but every time he tries to attack, the ...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 6

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 6: Day 6: Warrior Angels Read Genesis 32.22-32 Jacob, who we met a few days ago dreaming of angels ascending and descending from heav...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 5

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 5: Day 5: Warrior Angels Read : 2 Kings 18.13-16 & 19:35-37 The Assyrian king, Sennacherib, was waging war on the kingdom of Juda...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 4

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 4: Day 4: Warrior Angels Angels in the Bible are not always gentle, like the ones on the Christmas cards. Angels are sometimes described ...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 3

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 3: Day 3: Worshipping Angels Read: Genesis28:10-22 We don’t actually see the angels worshipping specifically in this reading, but we d...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 2

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 2: Day 2: Worshipping Angels Read: Luke 15.8-10 Jesus parables of the lost sheep (Luke 15.1-7), lost coin and prodigal son (15. 11-32...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 1

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels 1: Day 1: Worshipping Angels Worshipping Angels We start our series of readings with some stories of angels leading the worship of God....

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels Introduction

  Want to know more about what the Bible says about angels? Follow  our Advent series of reflections on the stories it tells about them starting tomorrow Here's an introduction to whet your appetite. (I know Advent actually starts on Sunday, but I wanted to get started!)   St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Advent Angels Introduction: Angels are a common feature of many Christmas decorations and cards. They are often pictured rather sentimentally, as g...

Advent events

There are a few places left for the following events. 

Wishing you all a blessed Advent season,

Susanne

OPEN DAY ADVENT SUNDAY,  2nd of December, 2-5pm
There will be Advent ‘fika’ (originally a Swedish word, meaning tea, coffee + different kinds of cakes) from different parts of the world. You can also join in a craft workshop i.e. candle making with Rosie Ambrose. (There will be a small charge to cover the cost of the materials). Tours of the house will be available.

ADVENT QUIET DAY "O COME, O COME EMMANUEL"- Saturday 8th December, 10am-4pm. Led by Madeleine Dahl & Sue Smith.
Advent is a time when we are invited to prepare ourselves to receive the great mystery of God being made man for our sake. During this Quiet day we will ask ourselves, through different meditations, what it means that God became one of us. There will be an opportunity to receive one to one spiritual direction. The day will end with a Eucharist.

CHRISTMAS QUIET DAY“MARY DID YOU KNOW?”- Saturday 22nd December, 1-4 pm. Led by Susanne Carlsson
During one of the most hectic days before Christmas, we will pause for a few hours to be with Mary as she awaits the birth of Jesus. 

Practicalities & how to book quiet days 

Contact: 

Madeleine Dahl, 07469 246443
madeleine.dahl@outlook.com

Light refreshments will be provided during all Quiet Days; please bring your own packed lunch. There is no charge, but donations are welcome. 

Child in the Midst newsletter - Children's spirituality

Friend on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend The Christmas Story is often sanitised. In Jesus was a Refugee, Andrew McDonough movingly tells the story of the flight to Egypt and reminds us that Jesus' early years were not easy. It will be available to download as a PowerPoint from Lost Sheep. The author will be artist in residence and one of the speakers at The Conversation in December. This is a book for revolutionaries and activists who want to engage in new visions of how we partner with children and young people to live out faith and join with God in the healing of the world. With contributions from Dave Csinos, Marcia Bunge, Brian McLaren, Ivy Beckwith and Almeida M Wright. Faith Forward 3 This is a beautifully inclusive celebration of baptism. Written by an episcopal priest, it unfolds the theology of baptism and the start of the amazing journey of faith. Today is a baptism day With short, practical chapters, this book offers parents and carers stories and encouragement to help nurture faith in their children. Spiritual development and growth,prayer, Bible, worship, and faith at home are just some of the subjects covered. It would be a good gift for baptism families or godparents. Raising Faith Rejoice in the presence of children and young people in your meeting and recognise the gifts they bring. Remember that the meeting as a whole shares a responsibility for each child in its care. Seek for them as for yourself a full development of God's gifts and the abundant life Jesus tells us can be ours. How do you share your deepest beliefs with them, while leaving them free to develop as the spirit of God may lead them? Do you invite them to share their insights with you? Are you ready to both learn from them and to accept your responsibilities towards them? Advices and Queries, The Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Is child development spiritually empty? Amanda Morgan argues for the importance of spiritual development whether a child is in a religious setting or not. Girls Attitudes Girl Guiding has just published its 10th survey of girls speaking out on the issues that are important to them. Have a read to see how things have changed over these 10 years. Engage Worship Engage Worship's Area52 continues to provide a great selection of resources which engage all the senses with all ages in worship. Christingle Time This year sees the 50th anniversary of the Children's Society celebrating Christingle. There are plenty of free downloads on their website to help you plan your service this year. Check out the second page of their Christingle Shop. Welcoming Children Miranda Threlfall-Holmes reflects on her experience of church as a child and what churches might learn about welcoming children. Welcoming Toddlers Church based Toddler Groups can provide a great welcome for children and their families. Have a look at the story of one group in Manchester. Growing intergenerational worship CTM Resources in Australia has created an excellent toolkit to help churches bring the generations together in worship. Prayer Spaces in Schools Prayer Spaces in Schools reached its 10th birthday last year and commissioned research to discover the impact that having a Prayer Space made on pupils. You can read the summary here or the full report. The end of October and beginning of November form a season of remembrance. This year in particular, as we remember the end of the First World War, these sites may be of use: * Godly Play UK offers a Godly Play style story for Remembrance * Church Support Hub has a number of resources around remembrance * Remembrance resources from Engage Worship * Additional links on the Going for Growth website   Give Away! Yet another gem from Sandy Eisenberg-Sasso exploring the power and use of language. I ordered 2 copies by mistake, so I've got one to give away (UK readers only - sorry). Just tell me which book(s) have had the biggest influence on your ministry with and among children, and what impact they made and it could be yours. Get writing to me here. Closing date: 19th October 2018 Dates for your Diary There are a bunch of events listed on Going for Growth, alongside these. 17/18 October Families and Faith after Baptism 24 hours exploring how to encourage families on a journey of faith 7/8 December The Conversation Reimagining ministry with and among children and young people 11/12 December Together with Children 24 hours exploring theology, ministry, mission and praxis with children

follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Copyright © 2018 Archbishops' Council - Education Divsion, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Archbishops' Council - Education Divsion Church House Great Smith Street London, England SW1P 3AZ United Kingdom Add us to your address book

Prayer Festival Sept 22

There are still places available for the Prayer Festival in Rochester Cathedral on Saturday 22 September. A poster with more details is attached.  Booking is via the Diocese of Rochester website, at:  http://www.rochester.anglican.org/communications/news/prayerfestival.php

Rochester Spirituality Network Newsletter

The new Rochester Spirituality Network newsletter, with lots of information about upcoming events, can be downloaded here .

THE ENNEAGRAM AND SPIRITUAL ACCOMPANIMENT

THE ENNEAGRAM AND SPIRITUAL ACCOMPANIMENT

A day for Spiritual Accompaniers 

30th Oct 2018 10-4pm 

At St Benedict's, West Malling

Bring a Packed lunch, drinks provided. 

The Enneagram is an ancient tool for understanding the deep motivation of our actions and thoughts, as we learn to observe our habitual behavior and thinking patterns.   When we are able to observe ourselves we become more aware of the energies and motives that drive us, and what limits our inner freedom.  The Enneagram can also help us to see what for each individual would constitute the path for growth, so that the real gifts of our Enneagram space can be released from the egoism that keeps us unfree to be the person God calls us to be.

During the workshop we will reflect on our own experience of our own Enneagram stance, acknowledge the gifts and the flip side of the gifts, and also reflect on the possible stances of others we know, including our directees – obviously without naming people. You do not need any prior knowledge or experience of the Enneagram. 

The day will be facilitated by Sister Felicity and Sister Margaret who are experienced spiritual accompaniers and have given input on the Enneagram to different groups for many years.  

To book contact susannecarlssons@hotmail.co.uk

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 10: Gentleness

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 10: Gentleness: Gentleness Looking around the world, gentleness can often seem in very short supply. It is often seen as a soft word, a sign of weak...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 9: Faithfulness

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 9: Faithfulness: Faithfulness The word translated here as “faithfulness”, pistis, is the same word translated in many other places as “faith”. We ofte...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 8: Goodness

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 8: Goodness: Goodness “Good” is a word which can have a very wide range of meanings. Food is sometimes described by advertisers as full of goodness...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 6: Patience

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 6: Patience: Patience The Greek word Paul uses, makrothumia, literally means “large-hearted” or “large-souled”, but perhaps we can more helpfully ...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 5: Peace

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 5: Peace: Peace Peace, in the Bible, isn’t simply the absence of war. It is the state of being in which everything is whole and as it should b...

Thy Kingdom Come in Kent and Medway

News from the Rochester Diocesan Website.

Over 300 events as churches in Kent and Medway get set to pray ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ global prayer event to take place between 10 and 20 May. Rochester Cathedral to become focus of prayer for the region. Over 300 prayer events in local churches over the 10 days. Over 300 prayer events are set to take place in Church of England churches across north west Kent, Medway and the London Boroughs of Bromley and Bexley, as part of Thy Kingdom Come (TKC) - a global movement of prayer which begins today 10 May, and runs until 20 May. It marks the traditional period between Ascension Day and Pentecost. An initiative of the Archbishops’ of Canterbury and York, Thy Kingdom Come invites people to take-up the Pledge2Pray challenge, asking them to pray for five people they know to come to faith, as well as for the transformation of communities. Canon Rachel Phillips, Canon for Mission and Growth at Rochester Cathedral, who has been coordinating TKC events across the region which makes up the Diocese of Rochester, said that the range and number of events happening was very exciting: “We have everything from prayer walks to quiet days, prayer workshops introducing people to new forms of prayer, as well as 24/7 prayer rooms. There are traditional as well as creative expressions of prayer, and prayer events that will bring different denominations and traditions together. “It’s great to see people from across our churches getting involved simply to pray, Thy Kingdom Come.” During the 10 days, Rochester Cathedral will itself become a giant visual prayer for the Diocese, with prayers and displays from across church communities, encouraging everyone to pray for the growth of God’s kingdom throughout the region.  All the events have been listed into a TKC Diocesan Prayer Calendar, allowing people to find out what is going on, take part, or just hold the event in their prayers. As part of his May video message, the Rt Rev James Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester, has encouraged people to take part, while reflecting on what people might mean and hope for when they pray, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’: 'The prayer for God’s Kingdom to come is the prayer for nothing less than the transformation of all things in Christ; the coming of that which is God’s ultimate intention and purpose for creation and for humankind.  "It is also, more explicitly of course, that people may consciously become part of the life of the kingdom as they respond in faith to God’s grace in Jesus Christ - and that’s a particular emphasis of the archbishops’ Thy Kingdom Come’ initiative.” Local TKC Champions have been galvanizing support across the churches. Activities include: A Prayer Posada, at St. Mary’s Church Riverhead in Sevenoaks, where participants will pray for family and friends living abroad who aren't church members and for the people of those countries. Prayers on the street at Chatham Bus station with members of St. John’s Church, Chatham A prayer labyrinth with accompanying meditation booklet, available in church before each weekday service at St. George’s Beckenham For more information about local events, visit: www.rochestercathedral.org/home-page-features/2018/5/2/thy-kingdom-come More information about Thy Kingdom Come, can be found here: www.thykingdomcome.global/ Any churches who would like to send in film footage read this brief here

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 4: Joy

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: The Fruit of the Spirit: Day 4: Joy: Joy Rejoicing is a common theme in the Bible. Joy is in God’s nature. He delights in the world he has made (Genesis 1, Proverbs 8.31...

Prayer Workshop at Seal Church

This prayer workshop will take place at Seal Church (Church Street, Seal, TN15 0AR) and will be led by Anne Le Bas

Taize service Sun April 29 in Gillingham

Taize service Sunday 29^th April 6.30pm

At St. Mark’s Church, Canterbury Street, Gillingham, ME7 5UA

For more information contact: 01634 570489

Diocesan quiet day June 2nd

THE FELLOWSHIP

OF

DIOCESAN PRAY-ERS

Invite you to a

QUIET DAY

On

Saturday 2^nd June

9.30am for 10.00 to 3.pm

Led by the Revd Canon Jean Kerr on

‘Looking on the other side’ at

St Benedict’s Centre

52 Swan Street West Malling ME19 6JX

This is open to anyone with a heart for prayer

Please bring your own packed lunch, teas and coffee will be provided.

Cost £15 ( non re-fundable) by 1^st May

Booking forms available from Diocesan Office email: Val.butler@rochester.anglica.org

or your Deanery Rep.

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste: Weekend – In the church ·          The most obvious use of the sense of taste in church is Holy Communion. If you receive bread and wine ...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste: Friday - in the Bible Read John 6. 1-15 After this,Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste: Thursday – In the news ·          What mentions of food can you find in the news today – hunger, obesity,  food production  or sale,  f...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste: Tuesday – Home • How do you eat in your house? At the table? In front of the TV? Talking? In silence? What are meals like? Are they happy...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Five - Taste: Monday – Nature All our food ultimately comes from the world around us, however much it is processed on the way from field to plate. ...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch: Friday – In the Bible          Read Rev 21.1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had pa...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch: Thursday – In the news ·          As you watch/listen to/read the news today think about the physical sensations those in the news are ...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch: Wednesday – Others ·          Who touches you and who are you touched by in your daily life? ·          Are you a “touchy-feely” pers...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch: Tuesday – Home ·          Do you consider your home to be comfortable? What makes a home comfortable? ·          Are there any part...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Four - Touch: Monday – Nature Go for a walk or spend some time outdoors.  • How many different textures can you find in the world around you? Is...

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Three - Smell

St Peter and St Paul, Seal: Coming to our senses - Week Three - Smell: Weekend – In the church Spend some time in church over the weekend, either at a service or on your own.  Churches often have a distinct...

News from the London Centre for Spiritual Direction

In London at least, March came in like a lion. We hope you were all able to keep safe and warm, and are enjoying the signs of Spring. Here's our March newsletter, full of  the usual announcements about events and workshops happening here at LCSD, plus news from our friends.  All the details are on the Centre's website and the immediate highlights are listed later in this newsletter. Like many organisations we are making sure that you are happy with the mailing details we have for you in time for the new data protection legislation: please look out for our messages about this in due course. This month our reflection is from Antonia Lynn, our Community Warden and Referrals Co-ordinator (and trustee) who invites us to explore how seeing and being seen is encountered in spiritual direction.  Dear Friends I want to share with you some thoughts about this time of year, inspired by what’s happening in my own community. “I am very fond of being looked at.” So said Gwendolyn in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, but I suspect that not all of us could agree. Feeling that we are under scrutiny is not comfortable. And yet, on the third fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent, in the Catholic Church we celebrate what we call “the Scrutinies”, special rites at Mass for those preparing for baptism at Easter. These rites involve the whole of the community: we pray for those to be baptised, and we are also reminded of our own baptism and journey into faith - a journey which, in truth, never ends. The prayer in the Scrutinies is twofold: first, for grace and the gifts we need to nourish and strengthen us along the way; secondly, for freedom from all that blinds or binds or hinders us. In the Ignatian tradition we would say freedom from inordinate attachments and from what lures us to the standard of the enemy rather than that of Christ. The context of the Scrutinies is the narrative of encounter. The Mass gospels are those of the Samaritan woman at the well, the man born blind and the raising of Lazarus. They are all stories of being looked at, of being truly seen by Jesus; they are stories of grace and freedom. Jesus looks at the woman, and he sees through the difference and the shame and the rackety lifestyle to the beautiful, thirsty child of God. He looks at the blind man, and sees through the theories of blame and retribution to the faith of one who desires healing. He looks at Lazarus, and sees through the stink of death and rules of uncleanness to the friend he loves. In each encounter there is also a theophany - God also lets himself be scrutinised. And because the stories come to us from John’s gospel, in each one we hear spoken the name of God: I Am. We hear it among the trivialities about wells and buckets, and through Martha’s cries of anger and grief. And in the blind man’s story? That’s perhaps the most shocking of all: it is the blind man himself, now seeing, who says “I am he” (in the Greek it’s simply I Am, just like the others). As Irenaeus put it: “Jesus Christ, through his boundless love, became what we are so that we might become what he is.”  Imagine the growing excitement of those to be baptised at the thought of what awaits: to be healed, to be set free to bear witness, to “put on Christ”. Seeing and being seen. What has this to do with spiritual direction? Well… can you remember your first meeting with the person who is now your spiritual director? Did you wonder where to begin, what to share? Often underneath those questions are ones that say “is there anything I can’t share? Will they be shocked? Feel they can’t work with someone like me?” So often the people I see who are looking for a spiritual director tell me they want someone who will make them feel safe and accepted. To challenge, yes, but to see them as they are and not judge them. And directors: do we sometimes forget just who is coming to see us? Is the person at the door just another name in the diary for today, or someone who will show us - often surprisingly - a face of the Divine. The loving gaze of God flows both ways. This, I think, is the most wonderful, disturbing and amazing thing about spiritual direction. As Margaret Silf says, in such an encounter “God-in-you is listening to” - and looking at - “God-in -the-other.” Or, in Anthony de Mello’s words, “behold God beholding you - and smiling”. Enjoy blessings, grace and freedom in this holy season! Workshops and Offerings Open Evening - Encounter Thursday 12 April 2018, 6 - 9pm Who trains as a spiritual director/companion? What does the course involve? The session will be led by Julie Dunstan, Director of Encounter. We will start at 6pm. Please come any time after 5.30pm for tea/coffee. During the evening there will be an opportunity to meet some of the tutors and current students on the course. Book your free place at Eventbrite. All welcome. The Treasures of Darkness: Working with the Shadow in Spiritual Direction 4 May 2018, 11 - 4pm Anne Solomon £45 What is our Shadow? What do we do with those sides of our self that are not so easy to include in our spiritual journey? How does the Shadow relate to our inner freedom and fullness of life? Anne will help us explore ways of understanding and working with the Shadow for ourselves and for those we accompany. Book at Eventbrite. Listening to Your Life: Discernment and Vocation in Spiritual Direction 18 May 2018, 11 - 4pm Julia Mourant £45 An opportunity to reflect on issues which arise at times of transition and discernment. Change may be a choice, with new decisions emerging from exploring a sense of direction, or we may have to find a new sense of vocation in different circumstances which life presents to us. What themes might we encounter in listening to vocational questions and what resources might we draw on? (Rescheduled from 2 March) Book at Eventbrite.   Exploring Healing in Spiritual Direction: Creative Reflections from a Therapeutic Community 1 June 2018, 11 - 4pm Elizabeth Baxter & Helen Warwick £45 This day is for those interested in exploring healing through spiritual accompaniment. It will explore some practical, creative and theological approaches of working with others for healing. This interactive day will give space and time for linking into our own healing journeys. Book at Eventbrite. Gifts and Challenges: Spiritual Direction and Evangelical Spirituality 13 July 2018, 11 - 4pm Dawn Pointing & Val Smith £45 Until recently, spiritual direction was a foreign concept in most evangelical and charismatic circles. But now, many are engaging in this ministry, sometimes for the first time. Whilst acknowledging there is much variety within the evangelical world, this will be a day to explore the distinctive gifts and challenges this tradition brings. How can we most helpfully accompany those from this background given its theology, its language and its understanding of the spiritual life? Book at Eventbrite. From Our Friends... Haydn's The Seven Last Words from the Cross Wednesday 28 March 2018, 1pm Free We are delighted once again to host Haydn’s The Seven Last Words from the Cross, performed by string quartet: Penny Saunders (Violin), Helen Saunders (Violin), Alan Thorogood (Viola) and Francis Saunders (Cello). Our Director, Neil Evans, will be giving an introduction before the performance. Come and enjoy. Open Reflective Days at RFSK various dates One of the offerings from our friends at the Royal Foundation of St Katharine is their regular reflective days throughout the year. The next one is on 12 March, and check out their website for other dates and lots of other happenings.  Healing, Wholeness and Holiness CORNERSTONE 2018 ANNUAL LECTURE Sunday 18 March 2018  2pm – 4.30pm (Registration from 2pm, Lecture starts at 2.30pm) Exploring the interface between psychology and spirituality through the lens of psychotherapy and spiritual direction with Julie Leger Dunstan More details and book via Eventbrite.  ISC Open Day 17 May 2018, 2 - 4pm If you’ve been contemplating Ignatian training and would like to meet course leaders to find out more, please follow the link to book a place. Open Day 17 May 2018 Comprehensive information about the Ignatian Spirituality Course may be found on our website: www.artsd.org.uk   JESU, THOU ART ALL COMPASSION RETREAT 15 – 17 June 2018 Ascot Priory Led by John-Francis Friendship This weekend retreat, set in the context of silence, invites you to enter into the compassionate heart of God through different perspectives – the Heart of the Father; the Heart in Silence; the Heart of Compassion; the Heart’s Gaze, and the Heart’s Softener. Go to  Compassion Retreat 2018 for more information. A question of accreditation? Elizabeth White and Lynette Harborne,  both spiritual directors, supervisors and trainers, are interested in exploring the potential for an accreditation scheme.  At LCSD we are following this with interest.  Read more and  take part in the consultation