Gathering to Unfold Faith
As a necessary step in reaching out to invite others to join us for those gatherings, we also hoped to pick a name that night. In the end we picked Still Point, inspired by poem Burnt Norton, the first of TS Eliot’s 4 Quartets. In that poem, Eliot uses the phrase, the Still Point of the turning world, to describe a place where our souls find peace…and ‘there’ Eliot goes on to say ‘ there the dance is’.
The name resonated instantly. I had, many years ago, heard someone involved in faith work with young adult use it of his colleague as she moved on from her position. A shy and reserved woman, she had been spotted once cartwheeling across a room, when she thought no-one was watching. Her colleague recalled that moment, and her striking agility, grace and poise in it. In that moment, and for those young adults to whom she provided support, she was ‘a still point in a turning world’.
Patricia
Sounds of Silence - Good Friday
Good Friday’s Sound of Silence event, was about bringing people together through their personal imagery and their connected stories. With curtains closed, participants joined the event in semi darkness, generating a quiet and non-distracting atmosphere. The event centered on a slide show of the participants submitted images, accompanied by Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. The sensitively paced images were paused at intervals, to invite contributions. It was very simple but very moving. We realised later, that the dominance of the imagery, served as a respite from staring at each other on screen. Through this absence, we felt the presence of each other all the more. Re-visiting the images in the quiet, final re-showing, was now enriched by the narratives of those who spoke.
Sounds of Silence
What do you hope to get from participating in this session?
2021