Ray Anglesea reports on a recent Windermere Centre event
Some 40 friends came together for this year’s Advent Retreat at the URC Windermere Centre led by John Bell and Jo Young. John is a well known international broadcaster, lecturer, theologian as well as an inspirational teacher who is primarily concerned with the renewal of congregational worship at grass roots level. Jo, a qualified teacher and an ordained deacon of the Church of Scotland has worked for several years in urban parishes, with much involvement in youth and children’s work, faith exploration and enabling creativity in worship. Both are members of the Iona Community.
To celebrate the retreat John composed a new canticle for worship during the Advent season and named it “Carver Canticle” after the retreat venue Carver URC, Windermere.
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel
Come Lord Jesus Come
John autographed and signed copies of his manuscript. It is made available for churches this Advent Season............copies of the canticle can be forwarded on request.
John has unique talents, one of which is to get everyone singing from the outset, using only his voice and later an occasional piano in the background. His laid-back personality, humour and relaxed style enabled him to persuade everyone effortlessly that it was time we learnt some new Advent hymns, canticles and responses, many of which were given out to be sung in our churches this Advent. John also has a gift for story-telling, and in many cases his oblique and different look at the Christmas biblical characters provided a stepping stone to new prayers, humorous sketches and new liturgical ideas for the Advent season. All this had the effect of widening our understanding of God and the way he works, often through elderly, faithful people!
Jo on the other hand provided craft resources to enable the participants to think creatively about Advent in pictures, drawings, mobiles, stories and poems. Some beautiful imaginative designs and images were created in colour and black and white; they were later laid on the communion table during the final service of Holy Communion as an offertory of the work completed on the retreat.
Each day began and ended with a specially created liturgy that included the Carver Canticle as well as fresh Advent songs from around the world, together with readings from the prophet Isaiah read very movingly by Jo. It was John’s radical, intimate and compelling prayers which spoke to us most effectively, focussing our Advent mission in the world, a difficult and uncertain place as that may be.
As always staff at the Windermere Centre warmly welcomed us with delicious meals, which included a Christmas dinner, and much home care. The group was so big that meals were eaten both in the dining room and multi-media common room. The completed refurbished Carver Memorial URC made it a perfect venue for the retreat, and thanks were given forthe kindness and generosity of the minister and Carver members.
Few will have left the Retreat unchanged.
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