1. Dramatic start
Unexplained smashing of mirror with sledge hammer
see fab pics here including steve doing a ymca impression
(No link or explanation into...)
2. Radiohead video (the one with buildings collapsing)
Verses on death, letting go etc...
3. Plate smashing ritual
Invite people to consider comfort that they want to move on from, or something dear that needs to be let go of. This could be personal or about Grace. Write it on plate and drop onto concrete slab.
Play shouty track video by Lemon Jelly
4. Grace in transition
Introduce reshaping Grace process. Recap weekend. Explain letting go of some of the ways we have done things. Invite/challenge to consider part in reshaping. Living with discomfort.
Lead godly play style ‘I wonder what could be made of the fragments/broken pieces’
(Play track ‘So Beautiful’ by Urban Myth Club)
5. Reflection/Prayer
Reflection/meditation on broken pieces connecting with personal and Grace stuff.
Prayer for Grace and personal things.
Conclude with liturgy with response ‘far I have come far I must go’ based on song on Idjut Boys album Press Play.
We are creatures of comfort
God of broken people and places (far I have come far I must go)
6. Scriptures on rebuilding/desert blossoming etc..
7. Take away bags
Invite people to come and take a bag with a broken piece, and a sheet inviting them to think about where they might engage.
Play track ‘get up get involved’ by James Brown
This is the service plan that got sent out before the event.
Setup: Main body of chruch cleared of pews. Camo netting hung flat
across the space just above head height. Video screens on left and right
sides. Creative Stations set up around edges. [EVERYBODY from 6pm]
(clips/hooks etc for hanging things on netting - Adam and Steve to bring)
- Welcome/Introduction
- Reading Genesis 1
- Playback of 'Day 7' from Worshiping the creator
- Explanation that we are all creative
- Blank sheet of paper/first idea/shredder ritual - encourage people to
think outside their box and suspend judgement.
(Requires shredder, paper, pens - adam to bring)
- Play time! Creative stations
-- Consequneces Prayers - an outline (possibly based on lords prayer)
for groups of people to write prayers bit by bit
(requires paper, pens, explanation)
-- Drawing with restrictions - eg wrong handed, with crayons, limited
colours
(requires paper, pens, etc etc - adam to bring)
-- Potato printing - potatoes, knives, paint, tarpaulin to protect
floor! make shapes or print with whats made.
(richard bringing tarpaulin, can volunteer bring potatoes etc)
-- Pipe cleaner modelling - small modelling things, pipe cleaners, foil
etc - just make something
(modelling stuff?)
-- Typewriter - for writers that can face the blank sheet!
(typewriter, explanation - Mark)
-- 'Punk' litrugy - ie created by cutting words out of newspapers
(newspapers, glue, paper - can everyone bring newspapers)
-- Live camera direct onto screen - with props to create visuals
(techie stuff Adam, can everyone bring some random props! anything to create 'creative' still lives from! the more random the better)
-- Lego - making things just because!
(lego and explanation)
People encouraged to have a go, work alone or in groups, leave things
unfinished or only do part of a creation.
All creations hung on camo netting to create the service that people can
wander in and sit under.
- Finish with 'We bring gifts' Communion (with or without communion
depending on priest availability!) Leave bread and
wine for people to take and time to look around the creations hanging
from the netting (play Vision On/Tony hart gallery music)
Cafe afterwards
Introduction/prayer
DVD we have decided not to die - connection between it and Grace – mention stuff from last service
Song(s)
Blob tree where are you participating in the Kingdom of God
Jelly babies
Participition in Grace – ‘making space’
Participation in the wider world -- see below
Time of contemplative prayer inc explanation of the new monthly gig
Concluding liturgy/ritual
This was the final liturgy/ritual:
As well as considering participation in our churches and communities to be important, we are also very interested in participation in the wider world, such as the addressing of injustice in the world.
If you think that the injustice in the world is too large to handle, we need to find an action on a scale which we can handle. And we need to start from a position of knowing something about injustice, so here is a story. About sugar.
Sugar is very important -- where would we be without jelly babies? More seriously, it is a major global commodity, which millions of people rely on for their livelihoods. And if it is traded fairly, it helps to release people from poverty. This is what is happening in Mozambique, in southern Africa. The government has introduced a policy to help its sugar industry. It has set a minimum price above which imported sugar must be sold, helping locally produced sugar compete with imports. Sugar factories and plantations now employ 25,000 people, and foreign sugar companies are investing in Mozambique. Workers now earn enough to send their children to school and to afford medical help when they are sick -- both important indicators of development and hope for the future.
But Mozambique is an exception. International trade rules are preventing the governments of poor countries from helping their farmers and industries. In exchange for loans from international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which many poor countries rely on, many countries are forced to accept detrimental economic policies.
Mozambique was put under great pressure to stop supporting its sugar industry. If it had stopped, this would have opened the economy to sugar imports which may well have been cheaper than local production, often because rich countries who don't have to worry about being able to get loans subsidise their farmers or because of dumping of oversupply. In which case, the farmers in Mozambique would not have been able to sell their products and they would lose their livelihood. Imagine it -- you have been working hard for years to lift your family out of poverty, and then you are sent back to square one by farmers who are supported by their government, while your government is not allowed to support you. This is exactly what is happening in many situations around the world.
I am sure you think that this is unfair, and hopefully you would like to do something about it. So I have brought in some postcards to Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The World Trade Organisation is having a critical meeting in Hong Kong next month, and so we want to ask Mr Johnson to stand up for what we want -- to allow developing countries to shape trade policies that are in the interests of their people and the environment. The more people ask him, the more likely he is to do it.
The postcards are over there at the back. Please sign one before you leave, and please also think about whether you would like to do more. There is a sign-up list for further information. If you need a further incentive, I have brought some chocolate.
[Everyone who signed up to receive further information received the following message: "To sign up to receive Take Action (in which case you will be sent postcard appeals, similar to the one to Alan Johnson, about five times a year), or e-mail appeals, or (preferably) both, go to Christian Aid's Take Action web site and tick the first two boxes."]
See the archive for December 2006 for explanation.
The Nativity (accompanied by Lord of the Starfields by Bruce Cockburn, and the trailer for the film The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe)
In the story of Narnia, Jesus is depicted as a lion
A strong, majestic, victorious king
Who sends his subjects into war
Who defeats death through his sacrifice
Who keeps his distance
A wild lion, to be feared and respected
To loved and obeyed.
But Christmas is not a time for lions
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus
The creator of the universe, left the security of his father’s side and entered our world as one of us
The lord of the starfields became flesh and grew inside his mother’s womb, was born and cried and slept and fed.
The Ancient of Days became tiny, vulnerable, dependent child.
And in the still darkness of that first Christmas night
As the silent earth draws breath
We creep inside the stable,
And sit with Mary and Joseph
To wonder and to worship.
The Shepherd’s Prayer
by Andrew Sillis
Oh God this is boring - sitting in the damp
staring at these lousy sheep
I think I’m getting cramp.
Oh could there be another way?
Could life be full and fun?
Could there be riches beyond the heavens
When all is said and done?
Oh God this is boring - the sheep are going “baa” again
like when preachers make you want to snore
until their last “amen”.
Oh could there be another way,
where truth is light and airy?
and get away from all those folks
whose truth is simply lairy?
Oh God this is boring - like riding on the tube
all those sheepy faces staring
kinda blank, but in a mood.
Oh could there be another way,
for us to share this journey,
with loving smiles and open hearts
life would be much less scary.
Oh God this is boring - yet more daily grind
satisfying the pedantry of others
won’t they ever open their minds.
Oh could there be another way
much more natural and simple
without crossing every “t”
and spotting every pimple.
Oh God this is boring - why don’t you just come down
with a flight of heavenly angels
just come, and take your crown!
Oh!
Inspired by The Monastery – best reality TV of 2005 – intrigued by way in which this ancient tradition impacted on the 5 men who entered the monastery. Fits in with a desire of Grace to look at existing and past traditions and think about how they might become refresh our own lives. Good from time to time to ask other people to come and talk to us about the things they are passionate about to widen our horizons. This service is lead by John Chapman of St Hughes Northolt.
Readings
Kathleen Norris, US poet lives in South Dakota – raised a ‘thorough Protestant’ as she described herself but
Cloister Walk reading – from first chapter ‘The Rule and Me’.
Video Tape Clip from “The Monastery”
The Benedictine Way: a way of true listening, humility and order:
We are a school of the Lord's service, in which we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome. …. But as we advance in the religious life and faith, we shall run the way of God's commandments with expanded hearts and unspeakable sweetness of love; so that never departing from His guidance and persevering in … His doctrine till death, we may by patience share in the sufferings of Christ, and be found worthy to be coheirs with Him of His kingdom.
Some Benedictine key words: (power point “Key Words” - overlay on background images)
Humility, Listening, Obedience, Order, Patience, Rhythm, Rule, Scripture
The Ladder of Humility (Power Point “Ladder of Humility” overlay on background images)
1. Fear the God who sees all
2. Desire only the Father's will
3. Submit as unto the Lord
4. Embrace difficulties as for Christ
5. Confess all sin, conceal none
6. Be content with the lowest task
7. Choose humble attitudes not just words
8. Follow the common rule;
9. Control the tongue, learn silence
10. Beware of careless laughter
11. Speak gently at all times, be meek
12. Show humility in one's bearing
We considered the Benedictine vows of:
Obedience, Openness to God & others, Humility, Hospitality, Limitless Listening
Stability, Fidelity, Chastity, Celibacy, Reckless Love
Conversion of Life, Continual Conversion, Poverty, Simplicity, Generous Justice
We considered Lectio Divina in the monastic Tradition
Lectio (Read)
Rumination (Chew)
Meditatio (Christ)
contemplatio (myself)
oratio (pray)
action (action)
We closed the service with Eucharist
Additional reading material suggested by John Chapman.
taking the theme of discipline we explored four areas -
discipline of time (organising the rhythm of life)
discipline of idleness (ensuring we create time for being lazy, rest, play)
discipline of practice (lots of areas of life require practice - e.g. sport - in what ways can we develop practice to mature our faith)
discipline of community (what do we do together as grace to support faith)
once we had expored these four areas and collected a different coloured clothes peg at each we collected a piece of washing line and put them on and joined them together in a circle with the following piece of liturgy written by steve...
We hang our lives upon your mercy
here's how the whole service works:
General setup:
video - usual two screens
jonny's laptop for words with one projector
steve has adam's projectors and cables
music - jonny
4 tables, on floor with folded legs - tablecloths probably required
fatboys around each table
cafe [email round for volunteers]
steve's list:
bell or sounder
psalm
bcp prayer/confession
coloured pegs and lines - mark as time/practice/idleness/community
concluding prayer
how the service works:
people come in and sit round the tables
each table has a theme as below, with a facilitator. there will be objects, questionnaires etc for discussion.
at intervals a bell will ring [or some other sound] and everyone has to move on, taking a coloured clothes peg from the table [different colour for each table]
intro [steve]
psalm 1
blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stood in the way of sinners:
and hath not sat in the seat of the scornful.
but his delight is in the law of the Lord:
and in his law will he exercise himself day and night.
and he shall be like a tree planted by the water-side:
that will bring forth his fruit in due season.
his leaf also shall not wither:
and look, whatsoever he doeth, it shall prosper.
as for the ungodly, it is not so with them:
but they are like the chaff, which the wind scattereth away from the face of the earth.
therefore the ungodly shall not be able to stand in the judgement:
neither the sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
but the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:
and the way of the ungodly shall perish.
glory be to the father, and to the son, and to the holy spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
world without end,
amen
dearly beloved brethren,
the scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloak them before the face of almighty god our heavenly father; but confess then with a humble, lowly, penitent and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness and mercy.
and although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before god; yet ought we we most chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul.
wherefore i pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying after me:
almighty and most merciful father,
we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,
we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts,
we have offended against thy holy laws,
we have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done,
and there is no health in us:
but thou, o Lord, have mercy upon us miserable offenders;
spare thou them, o god, which confess their faults,
restore thou them that are penitent,
according to thy promises declared unto mankind in christ jesu our Lord:
and grant, o most merciful father, for his sake,
that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life,
to the glory of thy holy name.
amen
the tables:
1. discipline of time: [sue]
questions:
what do you make time for?
what does this tell us about values/what we put first?
fill in timetable daily/weekly/yearly
objects eg alarm clock, organiser
2. discipline of practice [richard]
practice makes perfect - doing things to achieve skill, fluency, or in readiness for use
eg martial arts, music, ballet, sports
hebrews 12 1-11 as bible reading
body/mind/spirit connections - the physical as spiritual activity, and vice versa
are we obsessed by results? how do we measure?
another view of spiritual disciplines is as following in the way of christ's passion - rehearsing the ancient ways so that they become part of us
rather than doing spiritual routines to 'make us better'
objects: things that need practice eg games
3. discipline of idleness [mark]
knowing how to rest
the idea of sabbath
renewal, play
stillness, attentiveness leading to awareness - of god?
objects: lazy area? things invoking play, contemplation [zen garden!] or relaxation
4. discipline of community: [jonny]
what helps us to live together?
what is grace's rule?
questions:
what does grace do that helps you in your journey with christ?
what's missing from what grace does?
grace has identified an ethos - what is the framework that supports us in living it?
objects: ??
then ask facilitators to report back
concluding ritual for all together: [steve]
prayer about taking responsibility for our lives
this is a process not finished
hand out lengths of washing line for people to put their pegs on, hang any bits of paper they have kept
[we say together]
We hang our lives upon your mercy
measured out in miles
your boundaries and pathways,
coordinates and charts
that guide our steps
along roads you travelled before us
We will make time for you and your word
We will practice your ways until they are part of us
We will rest and play in you
We will be your people
[hold the end of the line of the person next to you]
We are not complete without one another
We cannot run the race alone
We will support one another
encourage one another
wait for the weak
pick up the fallen
through your strength and love
When we are together we will remember what it is like to travel alone
When we are alone we will remember what it is like to travel together
Wherever we are we will remember God who always goes with us
Go with us now, Lord, this night and always
Amen
[end of service]
discipline of community group discussion:
what does grace do that helps you in your journey with christ?
what's missing from what grace does?
grace has identified an ethos - what is the framework that supports us in living it?
what would a grace rule/rhythm of life look like?
1. rule vs grid:
as metaphors:
a rule [linear] implies a specific sequence of events that you have to follow
a grid is a frame of reference, like on a map, within which one can move in any direction but which gives orientation
2. rule emerging out of ethos of community:
what is our particular gift/charism/unique selling point as the community of grace?
what rhythm/rule sustains that?
what sustains the grace ethos/values as a community?
how is the gift guarded?
if a community develops its own rule, there is a danger of missing out things that are hard
the purpose of disciplines are to get us in touch with the Passion of Christ
discipline helps us participate in the life of christ
so what does it mean to follow in the way of christ, for us?
what helps us to be disciples?
how do we disciple someone? do we do it as a community?
do we disciple by sharing our life with people?
how do we communicate the life of christ in that?
following a corporate rule gives you support
rule embodied in a pattern of 'shared consumption' - traditionally, everyone in the community using the same book/prayers/daily office, but what is our pattern of shared consumption?
3. testing your rule:
are we the best people to curate/review the structure we generate from ourselves?
who do we look to for the outside view?
tests to apply:
how does your new rule compare to previous rules and the life of christ itself [church tradition /the bible]
how does your rule bring someone from no faith to faith?
4. digging up disciplines from history:
there is a life progression of a discipline:
one person's ideal - many other people want it too - fashionable - convention - obligatory - oppressive - abandoned as meaningless
cf Mike Riddell's story of the teacher's cat
a discipline continues as an ideal after it has ceased to be helpful
are old disciplines helpful or just the accepted conventions of how to be spiritually disciplined?
how to reexamine them?
how appropriate are disciplines created for different societies [eg benedict] to our own circumstances?
5. discipline in postmodernity:
there is a suspicion of authority ingrained in us
rule-changing/deconstruction is our natural response faced with a rule
so what is a postmodern rule?
in a postmodern society what stock should we set by the failure to follow somebody else's rule?
how do you find the 'rule' that is authentic for you?
the first rule of grace is that there is no rule
always contradict yourself
to be able to break something down you have to know it from inside well [in alt w it's knowledge of church espec charis evo]
[it's typical of grace to pick up something on a quick reading [eg benedict] and run with it]
6. what are the seasons or rhythms of our lives/community?:
quartering the year - seasons of christian life
[the christian calendar is supposed to work like this]
if we reevaluate during summer holidays is that our new lent?
an alternative church year?
[interesting that grace has always produced strong stuff in lent - as opposed to say advent]
is a rule always the same or does it have seasons?
7. discipline as training for achievements [is it it's own reward?]
discipline turns you into something.
what do you want to turn into?
how far will you go?
discipline takes us from one place to another
is discipline like gardening - different natures, all need shaping within their own nature/environment
discipline to be appropriate - wrong one will damage
what is sustainable as a rule/discipline?
8. discipline of prayer as practising awareness of god, rather than repetition of words or lists
9. discipline of idleness
over-organised lives need times to not be 'disciplined'
we need a discipline of taking time out - the danger of a rule is it becomes another form of workload
is this why we fail to have disciplined spiritual lives? another form of busyness in a too-busy society?
balance in life - as individuals/community
10. for the service:
we need things in service that produce data:
eg questions:
what helps you to follow jesus?
what does grace do that helps
what's missing from what grace does?
[do on flip charts/post up]
what do people actually make time for?
what does this tell us about values/what we put first?
make an altar of self-help books - a monument to failure of discipline/good intentions
video - mark to run
music - mike presum. - jonny has idj?
cafe
this was the text that we sent round to publicise it that sums up the approach...
Part of the grace ethos is participation. The next grace puts this to the ultimate test...
Please bring a station with you on the theme of lent and/or a tune on an ipod or CD.
What is a station?
One of the sorts of service we do at grace involves walking around the worship space interacting with stations that have been set up in advance that contain something to cause you to reflect, pray, worship, think, or actively participate in a ritual. These might be as simple as lighting a candle, reading a story, writing a prayer, adding a stone to a pile, looking at a video loop, listening to a meditation, tasting some fruit or whatever. If you’ve never done this before even better – this could be the start of something...
What do I do?
The theme is lent. Lent is a season of preparation for Easter typically focused on discipleship and following Christ. Do anything that relates to that. If you want to work from a scripture passage then three ideas to spin off from might be a) Jesus' temptations in the wilderness (we have done many a lent service on the theme of desert) b) the return of the prodigal son c) Psalms. Create something that is self contained for people to visit – i.e. it has things that people can engage with without you having to be there to explain it. So if there are instructions print them out for people to read and then add what you like in the way of things to look at or read, activities, small rituals, food for thought etc.
When will it be set up?
Please arrive early to set your station up between 7 and 7:30pm. We will allocate you a space to set up. The earlier you are the more choice you will get.
What about the music?
We will have a CD player and ipod mixer. So if you have a tune (that relates to the lent theme in some way) bring it along and you can play it.
How will it actually work?
Grace will start at 8pm. Music that people bring will provide a soundscape while everyone walks round and interacts with the stations for as long as they like. Then when you’re done the café wil be open as normal. It’s that simple.
I’m not sure I can do anything up to standard
Please don’t be shy or think what you do won’t be good enough. It can be really simple. Just work with an idea. We value creativity, participation and risk so go for it.
I need help
If you want to bounce your idea of someone else or if you need some technical stuff (a TV or slide projector for example) then e-mail us
Do I need to let you know what I am doing in advance?
No. We quite like the element of surprise so do just turn up and set up your station.
Can I come if I haven’t got a station?
Of course everyone is welcome whether or not you have done a station. But if we all think that way it may be a very short grace!
some of the stations were:
the gate - lent blog description | pic
40 - si smith's wonderful slide set 40 - pic
give - animation on lent blog | pic
calm - pic
game - pic
searcher - mike's debut video sequence the searcher - pic
naz's picture - pic
fairtrade - pic
stones - lent blog entry | pic
how not to observe lent, using a story from Noel Streatfeild's autobiography (see below)
cards with pictures of items which may or may not be essential
(anyone remember any others?)
A meditation based on chapter 5 of "A Vicarage Family".
This is a story of three sisters in the year 1910, Isobel aged thirteen, Victoria aged twelve and Louise aged ten. Their vicar father has decided the Lent discipline they must follow -- no sweets or sweet food except on Sundays. He has permitted them to attend a birthday party during Lent because they are about to move house.
Victoria is in fact Noel Streatfeild, the author of the book.
Some questions to think about (if you don't have enough of your own):
Lent observance is a self-imposed discipline which is an end in itself -- unlike, for example, a slimming diet which has practical value. Unquestionably some people find this discipline valuable. But does it have the same value if it has been imposed by somebody else?
If you break your discipline, for whatever reason, what should the consequences be?
Is it better to make a stand, or to keep your discipline to yourself?
spiritual health was inspired by renovare. renovare was founded by richard foster who suggests that to be spiritually healthy you need a balance of six streams or traditions. we made a wheel with six spokes on the floor and had stations on each of the six streams followed by an examen. it was a debut for a parachute at grace - an example of balance...
Had titles for each station that have our word on the front and the renovare word on the back.
Each station will have stories from the life of Jesus; an object/image; a question/action. Stations:
contemplative
charismatic
social justice
incarnational/sacramental
holiness
evangelical
Service outline
Prayer/focus on God/song
Ambivalence about maturity
Parachute experience/game
To be mature is to be Christlike
Introduce stations
Stations
Introduce renovare
Uncover words on stations
Examen – individual reflection
Importance of community
Questions for future of grace
Closing prayer
paul hobbs installation holy ground ran from the thursday to saturday of holy week. a collection of shoes with stories from christians all round the world made for a simple and powerful piece. a highlight was the footwashing service on the thursday evening when people were invited to take off their shoes and add them to the installation with their own story.
jonny blogged about it with links to where you can get the catalogue from the exhibition or book it.
there are some pics in the gracelondon flickr group
when people arrived they were given a drink and stood chatting in the waiting area. then we all went through and sat down at tables. at each table were 9 numbered envelopes. every time a bell rings the table open an envelope and follows the instructions. the envelopes sort of followed the basic liturgical structure of the communion service. it worked brilliantly - we set people off and they were away - no leadership required... the envelopes went something like...
1. introduce yourselves, slips of paper with questions to ask each other
2. iconic candle making kit with a night light, strip of acetate with the last supper image on and two paper clips. give thanks for things that have happened this week.
3. text a confession on your mobile phone to the number prefacing it with the word confess (an absolution with the words you are forgiven is triggered by the keyword confess)- thanks to jason djang for the inspiration for this who had IM confession recently that he told us about, which i'll blog about separately when i get round to it.
4. read story of thomas - share stories of doubt and surprise
5. peace - toast glasses proposing a toast of affirmation to someone round the table
6. share what you are thankful for about jesus. share what you want to remember about jesus. use images of christ enclosed to spark discussion
7. share bread and wine round the table after listening to the prayer. a bottle of wine and bread were already in place on each table (duncan wandered around doing bill's prayer).
8. invite the group to share concerns for prayer - take one of the night lights and light it for each prayer
9. go and collect a plate of hot towels (the kind you get after a curry - we got some from a warehouse locally!) - say a blessing and use the towel
the texting confession was brilliant! the absolutions didn't come until later during the sharing of bread and wine - coincidence or divine intervention?!
the hot towels was another great idea...
i'm sure this will become a grace regular service. it could have as many takes as you like...
some photos are in the gracelondon flickr group
we mowed a labyrinth in the grass at the front of st marys with a focus on pentecost. in the centre we had some oil so that you could pray for the next person to arrive to be filled with the spirit of god by anointing them with oil. we gave some simple guidelines for walking. walking intenitonally and prayerfully takes a bit of getting used to. the first time you walk a labyrinth can be a bit weird. and it's good to make the most of the centre as a space for prayer/being still or whatever.
there are lots of photos in the gracelondon flickr group. mark has a lovely one from the top of the tower with people walking on it. jonny has created a set - one man went to mow
he has also blogged instructions on how to mow a grass labyrinth if you are interested.
this labyrinth was actually a trial run for a labyrinth we had been invited to help set up for the minet park festival with arocha in southall. this one proved harder to create (the grass was pretty scraggy) and was more complicated to mow as it was the chartres pattern. there are a couple of pics of that in the labyrinth set mentioned above.
At Greenbelt we built a shed worship installation and ran Communion by numbers - see May 06
This is the building of the Grace installation at Greenbelt; The creation of a "shed obscura". The idea was that inside the shed you could see a projection of the outside world but upside down.
Viewers were invited to sit in the shed and reflect on this upside down kingdom, and the way in which the Christian faith requires us to see things differently. Those who spent time in the shed were invited to write comments on the outside - most said it was an amazing experience.