Pools of Grace: The Gift and Call of Contemplative Church
Pools of Grace: The Gift and Call of Contemplative Church – a WCCM in the UK & Meditatio Gatheringwith Rev. Dr. Sarah Bachelard
Friday 7 – Sunday 9 June
Minsteracres Retreat Centre
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
From W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming
W.B. Yeats prophetic words speak to the sense of accelerating anxiety and dislocation that many feel in our world today. We long to find a centre that holds; one that offers not only sanctuary but resistance to the ‘blood-dimmed tide’ that threatens to overwhelm. We long for communities that nurture and seed different possibilities for being, pools of grace from which gifts may allow for all. What might such communities look and feel like? How might they truly engage the needs of our time?
The 2024 UK National Gathering of the WCCM explores these questions with a particular focus on the gift and call of contemplative Christian communities, or contemplative church. The Gathering will be oriented to practice. Those exploring the possibilities of initiating and enabling contemplative forms of church and community may find it of particular relevance. Everyone is welcome.
Main Speaker: Rev. Dr. Sarah Bachelard is the founder and leader of Benedictus Contemplative Church, based in Canberra, Australia. For the past 13 years, Benedictus has been exploring what it means to be a contemplative worshipping community engaged with the needs of our world.
Venue: Minsteracres Retreat Centre, Consett DH8 9RT
Cost per person: Single £ 275.00 – Double/Twin sharing £ 225.00 – Day attendees £ 95.00