The experience of the ‘Pools of Grace’ Gathering at Minsteracres planted many important ideas concerning shared Meditatio/WCCM UK residential events in the future. It is very important to listen to feedback, which in a number of cases was that the contents of Sarah Bachelard’s talks were so rich and multi-layered in content, that the people attending would have greatly valued more time allocated to small group meeting times for discussion and reflection on the ideas that were being presented. People wanted this particularly in order to consider how Sarah’s inspirational teachings could be shared more widely when they returned to their own communities. They felt that this was especially important for the purposes of Outreach, since this whole approach offers a way back into a renewed and revitalized spiritual journey for many people who no longer feel drawn to take part in the church services that they have previously encountered.
Of course the weekend was only a short period of time and we wanted to make the most of Sarah being with us, but these requests are understandable and important, and will form an important part of future planning considerations. Ideas for another ‘Gathering’ in 2025 are already underway and further information about this will be given out before long.
Sue Clarke, the Special Interest Coordinator for Clergy and Contemplative Church, has been delighted at the response she is getting from clergy living in many parts of the country. If we are to nurture the seeds that Sarah has so skilfully planted during her time with us, we need to support Sue in her task of encouraging their growth and progress. Once there has been the chance to assess the kind of support that would be most appropriate, Sue will be sharing her wisdom and guidance about the part people can most usefully play with anyone who would like to become involved.
The recordings of Sarah’s talks have been sent out to everyone who attended the Minsteracres weekend, but all of Sarah’s talks are available on WCCM+ which can be accessed on the main website: WCCM.org. You can start with a seven day free trial, but after that it is necessary to sign up. On offer there is a wonderful cornucopia of talks and discussion on all kinds of topics relating to the contemplative path. If you would like to experience Sarah Bachelard’s Benedictus Contemplative Church in Canberra Australia, it is possible to do so online. This opportunity was set up to cope with the problems thrown up by the pandemic and has proved very popular ever since. You can access it at: https://benedictus.com.au
Diana Ohlson.
The video links are: