UPDATE:The next planning meeting will be at 9.30am on January 19 at Crookham Village Hall and is open to everyone. Organiser Diana Herbert writes: |
Situated just a couple of miles down the hill from the site of the 1513 Battle of Flodden, Crookham United Reformed Church is developing a role as a Centre for Peace and Reconciliation.
The first visible stage will be the establishing of a Peace Garden using the existing garden surrounding the church. The Church has been loaned the Peace Plough Sculpture, which during 2010 stood outside the St Cuthbert's Centre on Holy Island; and it is hoped that the work on the garden for the garden will be complete by September 2012, with an official launch early in the anniversary year of 2013.
As for the church itself, while it will continue to maintain a sanctuary for worship, as a Peace and Reconciliation Centre it aims to host lectures, seminars, music and arts events, together with a permanent display featuring a time line from 1513 noting significant points in world history of both peace and conflict. All this is intended to be part of the Flodden 500 Ecomuseum, a museum without walls, linking historic sites and places of interest connected with the 1513 battle, which was the largest ever fought between the English and Scottish nations.
Links are being sought with academic and faith organisations that have an existing track record in the field. These include Bradford University’s International Peace Studies, and St John's Episcopal Church in Edinburgh, who host the city's Peace and Spirituality Festival, as well as the Taizé Community and the Iona Community. And while the Centre will from the outset have a clear interfaith basis, it will also work with secular organisations and be a place of welcome for those of no faith but are seeking peace and reconciliation for the benefit of humankind.
Crookham URC is in the centre of the village and seats around 130 people. The original Presbyterian congregation was founded in the early 18th century, but the current building goes back only to the 1930’s and is in good condition and repair. Worship is currenly held twice a month, and the church hosts the community choir ‘The Crookham Cuckoos' which meets weekly. The church, community choir and village hall all work closely together, and in the summer of 2011 held a successful four-day music and arts event – CAFé: the festival with added cake.
If you have an interest in this project, contact Rev David Herbert (Tel 01668 219584)