I create immersive experiences with opportunities for prayer
I was given the brief of a contemplative prayer evening for 30 adults, including youth. I decided to do a meditation on Life Events as the theme of the week was Story. This evolved through the week; one key element was using flowers from home, from the wild and a friend to make a garden to create a space to engage. It was a whole new process for me and God spoke very powerfully within it.
Here’s some feedback from a participant
The milk bottle – childhood
The pansy teapot– late teenage
Cornflowers and parsley – leaving home
The little cup with weeds – trauma
The little jar of sweet peas – motherhood
2 mugs of purple and green – death and grief
The clump of honeysuckle near the vase of yellow daisies
The mess of family life
The bit it’s hard to look at
(From another angle it doesn’t look so
bad)
The rusty jug – the third trimester of life
Full of good things
What can’t I see yet?
What’s hidden?
Fruit
The secret garden
Nothing wasted
Beautiful
Gentle
The stones – scattered: God’s path
Online presentation for St Padarn’s Local Lay Ministers training day
Presentation slides
St Padurn’s facilitated me sending a pack to all participants as I really wanted to make a significant point of thanking these, often unrewarded, volunteers
Retreat in daily life at St George’s, Pontesbury Feb 24
‘What a week - the Prayer Retreat in Daily Life was just what I didn't realise I needed...! I feel really blessed to have had this opportunity to take stock spiritually, and in a way that wasn't too overwhelming. It helped to note the variety of ways I already pray both individually and with my family, and introduced me to lots of new and creative ways to enhance this. The most striking thing for me was identifying ways that feed me and integrate with my daily life - as a mother of 2 young children, this mainly centred around restful experiences such as reflections on the sofa under a blanket or in the spa...! Very thankful to have had a spiritual director working with me to support, gently challenge and encourage me! I'd highly recommend this to others if the opportunity comes up again.’ Clare
Windows on the World workshop, Hereford Diocese Exploring Prayer Day Sep 2023
I really enjoyed the journey to creating this workshop through rather unusual territory. This link to a short series about icons involving local iconographer Aidan Hart was really inspiring: BBC Sounds - The Creation of an Icon - Available Episodes
‘Sarah, I really enjoyed your workshop. It was very special. Thank you.’
Catherine
Great books from Henri Nouwen and Rowan Williams
St Patrick’s Breastplate prayer evening, West Buckland Stewards Trust houseparty, August 2023
Ten stations were created using the themes from the prayer. One favourite amongst the participants was the God Pod which illustrated this section:
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
See the before and after videos below.
Stations of the Cross, Good Friday, March 2021
I used art work, text and the churchyard at St Mary’s, Barcombe to create fourteen stations so participants could have a self guided experience with the story of Jesus. This offered opportunities for encounter with God in a new way. The images came from Jen Norton’s book Surrender All.
Having produced an annual Christmas Eve Nativity service for many years, the Covid years needed a new approach so I devised a Nativity Trail where villagers walked through scenes of Angels, Shepherds, Kings and the Stable at dusk following an illuminated pathway.
