So, I sort of stopped blogging for a while!
The rest of the Consultation was fab. Monday we discussed food security; GREAT conversations all day! That evening we were invited for drinks at the cloisters with one of the lesser canons. Delightful time; once again my liver just cried. Tuesday we focused on health (physical, systematic, mental) – really good again! Our cultural assessment for the day was a play which had us questioning perspectives, our discussions went all over the place. Very engaging! Wednesday we looked at Conflict and Peace; I got to lead the Bible Study on a lesser-read passage from Judges. We almost missed coffee that morning as we all heard different themes from it! This was our last night, so we had some guests for dinner and then people lingered longer for post-dinner conversation. Some GREAT conversations, laughter, debates. Some great whiskey and brandy and other stuff too... I ended up going to bed about 1, then starting to compile our group’s production for the next day. So Thursday we had time to get ready to leave; we then presented a brief synopsis of some of what each of the groups would be taking away from the consultation. Overall we determined that we needed more time to reflect and pray on it all, and were going to continue with the processes that we had been introduced to (and challenged by). A fantastic course, SO glad I was invited to attend!!!
And the vacation began... early Friday morning (0330) Jean and I left her flat for a girls’ weekend in Paris! We met up with Kate later in the morning, and toured around for the weekend. Kate had never been; I’d been but had no memories left. So now we have plenty! Sacre Coeur, the carousel at Montmartre, Tour Eiffel, l’Arc de Triomphe, the Haagen-Dazs cafe on the Champs Elysee, Notre Dame, a boat cruise on the Seine, the Tuileries, the Louvre (or Loover as we overheard a lot – not a toilet vacuum, just a mis-pronunciation!), etc. We had a VERY full 3 days! Friday was good weather, Saturday and Sunday not so much. Sunday night Jean headed back to London; Kate left Monday morning to head back to Thunder Bay. I wandered around the Ile a bit more (Sorbonne, ah dreams!!!). Then I went out to Chartres, and wandered around for the afternoon. Tuesday I spent the entire day at the Cathedral – walked the labyrinth, climbed the bell tower, toured the crypt. Wednesday was an early start for St. Malo, which would have been a lovely seaside town if it hadn’t been 13 degrees and raining! So I went to my hotel early. Thursday I wandered Mont St Michel and attended a mass with the Benedictines; it’s a gorgeous place worth visiting – glad I wore comfy shoes; I watched some people trying to climb around an ancient church/abbey in heels. Friday I spent the day in Caen (home of William the Conqueror), ending a week of cold and rainy weather. On Saturday I met Jean in Calais; we took the ferry across for Dover (white cliffs) and spent a nice lazy Sunday on the beach (quarry) and wandering around the town before heading back to London. Monday I wandered the city (climbed the monument, walked the South Bank and Thames Path, climbed up the tower of St. Pauls). Tuesday I ventured out to Oxford and fell in love! The Bodleian was great, sitting by the river was beautiful, the Cathedral was amazing, and of course walking around the OUP bookstore was just fun. Wednesday I went to Westminster Abbey and then attended Dr. Faustus at the Globe (standing in the yard, naturally!) before Jean and I had a lovely evening out. Thursday I started the journey home – NOT a good day. First the airline gave away my seat, then stuck me on the back of a plane that nearly crashed in Montreal (people screaming, fire trucks racing out in case we burst into flames, etc. NOT the ideal way to improve your prayer life, but effective!). Then a delay getting to Winnipeg meant I got to MB on Friday. Crashed HARD, did a few things in the city, got to spend some good down time (and Auntie time) before heading home today!
So now I’m home with the dogs, bags unpacked and laundry started. It’s been a heck of an adventure, but I am definitely looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.
30 July 2011
10 July 2011
Another Update
So we're still continuing on at amazing pace. Thursday's "Equity with Class Divide" led to some amazing conversations. Thursday evening a few of us went out to find a local pub, which was delightful. MUCH fun was had, MUCH laughter was heard throughout the town (yes, I'm relaxed enough that my full laugh is coming out). Walking home we passed QUITE the collection of people leaving some fundraiser or another; apparently George and Cam like to entertain frequently.
Friday our topic was "The Future of Policing," our speaker came to us from the Metropolitan Police (I felt like I'd just met Inspector Lynley from Elizabeth George's novels!!) and I got to lead the book study on Crime and Punishment. Well, how on earth do you summarise and analyse Dostoyevsky in 10 minutes and then jump into conversation? Somehow I managed, and the convo was most engaging! Friday evening we were invited by the Dean of St. George's, the Rt. Rev. David Connor and his wife, Mrs, Connor, to visit the Deanery. WOW. Overwhelming is an understatement! Among other things, we got to walk the pathway along the roof (that Victoria used to wander so as not to be seen on her way to worship), and see the table upon which Charles' head was re-attached prior to his burial next to Henry the 8th. Being as elegant as I am, I managed to hip check the table, leading to a lovely bruise. We also got an insider's look at the Dean's study and the Dean's private chapel (where the royals pray privately); I have secrets from the Albert and Moore chapel and got to sing there- the acoustics are amazing; "The Day Thou Gavest" has always been a favourite but even moreso now. Gorgeous. There is SO much history here it's astounding.
Saturday was a lighter day - our topic was Literature and the Arts. We moved from Psalm 23 to a novel by Potok and a poet speaker. Lovely. She read one of her poems on water - I'll be buying that book for sure! I was honoured to present my paper that evening to our small groups (A theology of water during the Sacred Triduum from Canadian and Anglican perspectives). Very well received. I've been encouraged to submit it for further (read: wider) publication back home. Hallo! And another visit to the local with more fun and laughter. I also went walking around, just around Windsor and Eton. It's like being a goldfish in a bowl - everywhere you look, you see the castle.
And today is a quiet day. I skipped early mattins, but went to later mattins where there's the sermon, and the Military Knights representing the Order of the Garter process. I had a bit of vestment envy (!!!) with the clergy; but it was lovely. The sermon had to connect the clergy conference, the end of school term, and the average person in the pews - with the gospel parables. The preacher did a beautiful job speaking of the need to take (and grant) rest, to celebrate true sabbath. Beautiful. Exactly what a lot of us need to hear :) I spent this afternoon wandering around Queen Mary's Doll House and the State Apartments (aka. went to Lizzie's place, but she's in Scotland at the moment so just got to sit in the public rooms). So now I'm off to evensong, then we're having a guest speaker on clergy and church in the media - should be engaging but continuing with the theme of a quieter, less academic day.
3 more heavy days and one lighter producing day before we leave this glorious place, and then the real work of getting my brain to slow down. This has been too good for words, and it promises to keep getting better.
Friday our topic was "The Future of Policing," our speaker came to us from the Metropolitan Police (I felt like I'd just met Inspector Lynley from Elizabeth George's novels!!) and I got to lead the book study on Crime and Punishment. Well, how on earth do you summarise and analyse Dostoyevsky in 10 minutes and then jump into conversation? Somehow I managed, and the convo was most engaging! Friday evening we were invited by the Dean of St. George's, the Rt. Rev. David Connor and his wife, Mrs, Connor, to visit the Deanery. WOW. Overwhelming is an understatement! Among other things, we got to walk the pathway along the roof (that Victoria used to wander so as not to be seen on her way to worship), and see the table upon which Charles' head was re-attached prior to his burial next to Henry the 8th. Being as elegant as I am, I managed to hip check the table, leading to a lovely bruise. We also got an insider's look at the Dean's study and the Dean's private chapel (where the royals pray privately); I have secrets from the Albert and Moore chapel and got to sing there- the acoustics are amazing; "The Day Thou Gavest" has always been a favourite but even moreso now. Gorgeous. There is SO much history here it's astounding.
Saturday was a lighter day - our topic was Literature and the Arts. We moved from Psalm 23 to a novel by Potok and a poet speaker. Lovely. She read one of her poems on water - I'll be buying that book for sure! I was honoured to present my paper that evening to our small groups (A theology of water during the Sacred Triduum from Canadian and Anglican perspectives). Very well received. I've been encouraged to submit it for further (read: wider) publication back home. Hallo! And another visit to the local with more fun and laughter. I also went walking around, just around Windsor and Eton. It's like being a goldfish in a bowl - everywhere you look, you see the castle.
And today is a quiet day. I skipped early mattins, but went to later mattins where there's the sermon, and the Military Knights representing the Order of the Garter process. I had a bit of vestment envy (!!!) with the clergy; but it was lovely. The sermon had to connect the clergy conference, the end of school term, and the average person in the pews - with the gospel parables. The preacher did a beautiful job speaking of the need to take (and grant) rest, to celebrate true sabbath. Beautiful. Exactly what a lot of us need to hear :) I spent this afternoon wandering around Queen Mary's Doll House and the State Apartments (aka. went to Lizzie's place, but she's in Scotland at the moment so just got to sit in the public rooms). So now I'm off to evensong, then we're having a guest speaker on clergy and church in the media - should be engaging but continuing with the theme of a quieter, less academic day.
3 more heavy days and one lighter producing day before we leave this glorious place, and then the real work of getting my brain to slow down. This has been too good for words, and it promises to keep getting better.
07 July 2011
Thursday morning
Hi all!
So, this is an amazing consultation. After my last post, I went on the chapel tour. WOW. Again I say, WOW. The decorations are fantastic, the history everywhere. And our tour guide had a great sense of humour, so none of us took ourselves too seriously. Each of the decorations has deep meaning, and I thought walking over the grave of Henry the 8th in my sandals was amusing.
We've got VERY full days here. We start the day with morning prayer at 7:30 and Eucharist at 8:00. Breakfast is 8:30 and our first session starts at 9:15. Each day has a theme. We engage in bible study, then have a book/film review. There's LOTS of discussion. Then in the larger group again we have a guest speaker for a 2-hour session, giving us an expert view of the topic in how it relates to the church. Then we have lunch (at this point I already feel like my brain will burst!) After lunch we have time for reflection, which usually means we get caught in informal conversations. Back in our small groups and without our facilitator we spend an hour unpacking and theologising about the topic and what messages/questions/nuggets have stayed with us; then we have choral evensong with a professional choir. Prior to dinner our small groups have one of the group presenting their paper and we get to chat about that - the paper is not normally on the same topic but still very good conversation. Pre-dinner drinks and dinner tend to be quite opulent, and there's usually some after-dinner conversation or programming planned. VERY full days. Today is the thirs day of this pattern; even if I were to only have had these past 2 days of scheduled conversation the trip (and expense) would be worth it!
The first day we discussed today's church - what does the church look like in today's society, what is the role of the church, how do we as clergy adapt/engage/be involved in the changing society. The Bible study was on living in community (Acts 2.40-47), the book review was on Anthony Trollope's The Warden. Yesterday our topic was doing theology in a pluralistic world - biblical study of Babel (Genesis 11.1-9) and film review of The Social network. Good stuff. Today we're heading into Equality with Class Divide; studying Philemon and Wilkinson and Pickett's book The Spirit Level. Should be an engaging day, to say the least!
The people here are fabulous. I'm the only Canadian (the only North American!); though there are folks here from Nigeria and all around the UK and Ireland. There have definitely been some cultural discrepancies and conversations. But the protocol of St. George's House is full inclusion and involvement, and it's being carefully followed. We're all being challenged, being invited to deepen/broaden/re-investiate not our faith but how we express it in and from our own contexts. My brain was full to bursting on day one; by the time we get to the end of this I'm going to be so over-the-top it'll be insane. VERY glad I'm taking some holiday time to do some immediate reflecting!
The location really is beautiful. The castle itself is lovely, though I've not gone too much into it yet. We stay in St. George's House, worship in the chapel, have sessions in the Vicar's House and other smaller buildings. We do have passes to wander around, so I've been into town a few times but the flocks of tourists are overpowering. I'm intending to wander around over to Eton at some point, and to do as much of the castle as possible during my time here. And yes, there are OODLES of photos forthcoming!!
So, this is an amazing consultation. After my last post, I went on the chapel tour. WOW. Again I say, WOW. The decorations are fantastic, the history everywhere. And our tour guide had a great sense of humour, so none of us took ourselves too seriously. Each of the decorations has deep meaning, and I thought walking over the grave of Henry the 8th in my sandals was amusing.
We've got VERY full days here. We start the day with morning prayer at 7:30 and Eucharist at 8:00. Breakfast is 8:30 and our first session starts at 9:15. Each day has a theme. We engage in bible study, then have a book/film review. There's LOTS of discussion. Then in the larger group again we have a guest speaker for a 2-hour session, giving us an expert view of the topic in how it relates to the church. Then we have lunch (at this point I already feel like my brain will burst!) After lunch we have time for reflection, which usually means we get caught in informal conversations. Back in our small groups and without our facilitator we spend an hour unpacking and theologising about the topic and what messages/questions/nuggets have stayed with us; then we have choral evensong with a professional choir. Prior to dinner our small groups have one of the group presenting their paper and we get to chat about that - the paper is not normally on the same topic but still very good conversation. Pre-dinner drinks and dinner tend to be quite opulent, and there's usually some after-dinner conversation or programming planned. VERY full days. Today is the thirs day of this pattern; even if I were to only have had these past 2 days of scheduled conversation the trip (and expense) would be worth it!
The first day we discussed today's church - what does the church look like in today's society, what is the role of the church, how do we as clergy adapt/engage/be involved in the changing society. The Bible study was on living in community (Acts 2.40-47), the book review was on Anthony Trollope's The Warden. Yesterday our topic was doing theology in a pluralistic world - biblical study of Babel (Genesis 11.1-9) and film review of The Social network. Good stuff. Today we're heading into Equality with Class Divide; studying Philemon and Wilkinson and Pickett's book The Spirit Level. Should be an engaging day, to say the least!
The people here are fabulous. I'm the only Canadian (the only North American!); though there are folks here from Nigeria and all around the UK and Ireland. There have definitely been some cultural discrepancies and conversations. But the protocol of St. George's House is full inclusion and involvement, and it's being carefully followed. We're all being challenged, being invited to deepen/broaden/re-investiate not our faith but how we express it in and from our own contexts. My brain was full to bursting on day one; by the time we get to the end of this I'm going to be so over-the-top it'll be insane. VERY glad I'm taking some holiday time to do some immediate reflecting!
The location really is beautiful. The castle itself is lovely, though I've not gone too much into it yet. We stay in St. George's House, worship in the chapel, have sessions in the Vicar's House and other smaller buildings. We do have passes to wander around, so I've been into town a few times but the flocks of tourists are overpowering. I'm intending to wander around over to Eton at some point, and to do as much of the castle as possible during my time here. And yes, there are OODLES of photos forthcoming!!
Day 1...
So. Day one at the consultation. HOLY AMAZING BATMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got the the UK on Saturday, and went to Wimbledon (where my friend Jean lives) completely forgetting it was tennis championships. Oops! Slightly mental. Today came out to Windsor. The castle is gorgeous; the chapel is amazing. Worship has a full professional choir each time. So gorgeous. The rooms are lovely, food is FABULOUS, bar is stocked. (Yes, we at planning committee have much to learn for local arrangements!!) It's astounding to see the backgrounds people come from' I'm the only North American here, and folks are generally thrilled that I am here. We'll definitely have to see about continuing this tradition.
A big part of the program is small group work; there's 8 of us plus our facilitator. Seems a good group thus far. We all get to share duties; tomorrow I'm the 'engager' which means I get to lead the discussion and keep notes on a flip chart. I've already noted there's 4 coloured markers. hehehehehe.... happy-flappy-hands!! I present my paper on Tuesday. Very full schedule, I'm *SO* excited I may not be able to sleep tonight.
Anyhow! I'll try to keep some commentary coming along as this 2 weeks continues - right now I'm just overly delighted and exceptionally happy. SO blessed! (And have noted the nearest Starbucks over the castle wall...) Hope all is well wherever you are all at. Off now for a tour of the chapel- hoping for an explanation of some of the weird crown-like decorations!
I got the the UK on Saturday, and went to Wimbledon (where my friend Jean lives) completely forgetting it was tennis championships. Oops! Slightly mental. Today came out to Windsor. The castle is gorgeous; the chapel is amazing. Worship has a full professional choir each time. So gorgeous. The rooms are lovely, food is FABULOUS, bar is stocked. (Yes, we at planning committee have much to learn for local arrangements!!) It's astounding to see the backgrounds people come from' I'm the only North American here, and folks are generally thrilled that I am here. We'll definitely have to see about continuing this tradition.
A big part of the program is small group work; there's 8 of us plus our facilitator. Seems a good group thus far. We all get to share duties; tomorrow I'm the 'engager' which means I get to lead the discussion and keep notes on a flip chart. I've already noted there's 4 coloured markers. hehehehehe.... happy-flappy-hands!! I present my paper on Tuesday. Very full schedule, I'm *SO* excited I may not be able to sleep tonight.
Anyhow! I'll try to keep some commentary coming along as this 2 weeks continues - right now I'm just overly delighted and exceptionally happy. SO blessed! (And have noted the nearest Starbucks over the castle wall...) Hope all is well wherever you are all at. Off now for a tour of the chapel- hoping for an explanation of some of the weird crown-like decorations!
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