newsletter2016 · newsletter2016 registeredcharityno.1150792.companylimitedbyguarantee08385106....

Newsletter 2016

Registered charity No. 1150792. Company limited by guarantee 08385106.Registered in England andWales.

Office News • New Trustees • Founding Members • Summer EventArchway Conference • Quiet Days • Spiritual Direction Guidelines • Breathe Youth Retreats

Dates for your diary

MMeessssaaggee ffrroomm tthhee CChhaaiirrIIaann GGrreeeenn

I ’m a great believer in ‘Teams’ – OKin churches we often call them‘committees’ and increasingly in aworld regulated by the CharityCommission we name them ‘Board ofTrustees’.

So, for another year it’s been my privilege tochair the Retreat Association’s Trustees.Over that time we have said ‘farewell’ to anumber of our colleagues – retiring orstepping down after an appreciated time ofservice – including Diane Reynolds, RuthConlon and Roger Seaton and we havewelcomed Roger Craft as our newTreasurer. As always I’m immensely gratefulto the Deputy Chair, Sheila Pollard, for herinvaluable counsel and to our ExecutiveDirector, Alison MacTier for her faithfulministry among us.

I sometimes ask myself the question: ‘If theRA didn’t exist would I want to invent it?’

My answer is a resounding ‘yes’! I hope asyou read this newsletter and learn a little bitmore about the work of the RetreatAssociation you’ll feel the same. One of thegreat joys of the last 12 months has beenthose occasions when we have ‘touchedbase’ with our members at both theSwanwick Conference and the RetreatAssociation Summer Event at The RoyalFoundation of St Katharine. At thesegatherings I’ve been so encouraged by thepositive atmosphere amongst participantsand the joy of meeting up as fellowcompanions on this spiritual journey.

Well, this is my last report as Chair becausein December this year I complete my three-year term of office – and I’m delighted tosay at our recent AGM the Trustees wereable to announce that Chris Wood(currently Chair of Reflect) will be takingover in 2017.

Deputy Chair Sheila Pollard and Chair Ian Green at the Summer Event.

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FFrroomm tthhee EExxeeccuuttiivvee DDiirreeccttoorrAAlliissoonn MMaaccTTiieerr

A year ago we had just held our2015 conference and our annual

newsletter was a great way tocelebrate an event that we have cometo cherish and draw inspiration from.This year, no less significant was ourSummer Event, held at The RoyalFoundation of St Katharine in London,where over 60 people gathered tolisten to talks, share together inworship, network and enjoy a glorioussummer’s day! Such events havebecome a really important part of ourwork – helping to model what wepromote and shaping the future ofretreats through what emerges in ourtime together.

We held our first summer event in 2014,when our patrons Fr Christopher Jamisonand Revd Graham Sparkes engaged in livelydebate about the future of retreats. It wasan opportunity for members, supportersand all those with an interest in retreats tofind encouragement and insight in what wasshared during that afternoon. So began anew tradition of holding an event in ournon-conference years which we hope willbe life-giving to all those involved.

By the same token, all the activities that theRetreat Association undertakes during theyear are only made possible through thepremise that together we are far greaterthan the sum of our parts. The Retreatshandbook is a fine example of this.Whatmany regard as the ‘flagship’ of ourorganisation is only made possible throughthe hard work of a number of contributors.

Similarly, our annual programme of regionalquiet days and training days (see page 13),

now in its seventh year, is only madepossible thanks to the generosity of retreatcentres who offer to organise these events.Through our training days in particular wehope that more people will also find theconfidence to facilitate reflective prayer intheir own church or community, therebyenabling more people to experience the giftof stillness and silence in a non-stop world.

Our partnership with Breathe YouthRetreats is motivated by a vision to extendthis experience to young people – who areparticularly vulnerable to modern daypressures and yet respond so positively to aresidential week based on ancient traditionsof prayer and meditation (see page 15).

A central area of our work is in supportingthe ministry of spiritual direction and inFebruary we launched a set of SpiritualDirection Guidelines representing the firstnational document of its kind (see page 14).This was the culmination of a project thatbegan among a group of people involved inspiritual direction training. They shared avision that gathered momentum, attracted awide range of interest and produced adocument that aims to support all thoseworking in this valuable area of ministry.

In the office Iain and I make up a team oftwo but thankfully we share our work witha number of volunteers, trustees and themany links that the Retreat Association haswith individuals and organisations to makeall these activities possible. We hope thatreading about some of these will encourageyou and the value that you bring throughyour support of our work.

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FFrroomm tthhee OOffffiiccee

IIaaiinn NNaasshh DDeerreekk WWaalllliinnggttoonn

I n January, I reduced my office daysfrom four to three as OfficeAdministrator. This was because Istarted a new role with my church inAylesbury as Children’s Pastor.

One could say that the two jobs could notbe more different – but there is importantoverlap in how the value of retreats hasinformed my practice within Children’sministry.

For example, I am passionate about seeingchildren not only know about God (theirhead knowledge), but also experienceknowing him personally (their heartresponse).This is where the key ideas I havegained from the Retreat Association haveplayed an important part. In particular, I haveintroduced intentional space for children tothink, explore, reflect, be silent, pray andrespond creatively. It is one thing forchildren to have knowledge of God from theBible. However, what use is that knowledgeif we do not give them opportunities to putit into practice – and these spaces providethe perfect opportunity for this to happen.

Working with children is also fun! On the2nd July, I (along with the help of children atmy church) will undertake a 12-hour bake-a-thon, baking cakes from 9am to 9pm to raisemoney for the Retreat Association.Another thing the Retreat Association hastaught me is to make sure I take time to getaway to pray and reflect myself. This hashelped greatly in keeping me spirituallyrefreshed for what can be a demanding job.

Derek joined us as a volunteertowards the end of last year

taking over the bookkeeping dutiesfrom Roger Seaton who had been ourTreasurer up until recently.

Derek’s background has been inaccountancy for many years, managing thefinances of various businesses in the role ofManagement Accountant/Director and hasserved on the board of some eightcompanies within his working life.

He has undertaken charity work for theRivertime Boat Trust.This is a charity whichprovides river trips on the Thames in aspecially-adapted boat for wheelchairs. He isalso a volunteer with Bisham Sailing Club inthe charity Boatability. Both of theseorganisations are specifically for childrenand adults with disadvantages anddisabilities. The founders of these charitieswere recently acknowledged in 2015 with aQueen’s award for services to the localcommunity.

Derek is also a past member of Round Tableand currently a 41 Club member and hasspent many years in Rotary. He is marriedwith two children.

Welcoming new Trusteesto the Retreat Association

Roger took early retirement in 2012 afterover 40 years working in the constructionindustry. In the last 25 years he worked atdirector-level in major constructioncompanies, overseeing all tenders, marketingand business development. Roger is wellversed in contract law and private financeinitiatives.

Roger is very active in his local community.He has served as governor of his localvillage primary school and is currentlyChurchwarden at the local Anglican Church,a local Parish Councillor and Chairman ofthe village shop charity. Roger is a trustee oftwo charities, Buckinghamshire HousingAssociation, and the Retreat Association,where he oversees all financial matters. Healso finds time to be a part-time porter atthe local private hospital.

Roger lives in Speen, a small village in theChilterns, is married and has three childrenand five grandchildren.

Barry is currently Chair of Trustees of theAssociation for Promoting Retreats (APR)and also leads the sub-committee whichorganises APR’s biennial Spirituality Advisers’Conference. He is a retired Anglican priestnow living near Folkestone where he helpsparishes in times of need. He leads QuietDays and Retreats, a well as leading asupervision group for spiritual directors inthe Diocese of Canterbury.

Barry was the first Spirituality Adviser in theDiocese of Guildford from 1992 to 2001.He currently acts as a tutor on theRochester and Canterbury SpiritualDirectionTraining Course.

As well as spending much of his time inretirement as a Samaritan volunteer, Barry’sparticular interests are photography andreflective writing. He has produced threebooks of photographic reflections. Barry ismarried to Jan and has two marriedchildren.

Roger Craft Barry Preece

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I t has been an interesting time forAPR and one of the major projectsin 2015 was to create a brand newwebsite and the associated changes toour logo and newsletters. Some mightcall it a rebranding exercise, but thatterm belongs to the commercial worldand what we are about is somewhatdifferent. Such a process is both time-consuming and costly but, in anincreasingly digital age, absolutelyessential if one wants to communicateeffectively.There are always tweaks tobe made and further things toincorporate, of course, but we arepleased with the result and very muchhope that you will visit the site foryourself.

One of the most worthwhile innovations inrecent years has been to set up a bursaryscheme to provide assistance to those whomay struggle to afford the full cost of aretreat taken at any of our member houses.It is well and responsibly used and at a levelthat we can cope with both administrativelyand financially.

The event we are particularly proud of isthe biennial Spirituality Advisers’ Conferencewe have been running since 2009, the latestof which was held at Launde Abbey,Leicestershire in April this year. Almostevery diocese in the Church of England hasa Spirituality Adviser but, until APR took theinitiative, there had been no regularprovision for these people to cometogether to share experiences and receiveinput to resource their important role.

On this occasion we were very fortunate toenjoy three excellent lectures and a

compellingly movingaddress at the finalEucharist by the RevdDr SamWells,Vicar ofSt Martin-in-the-Fields,a prolific writer and regular broadcaster.Sam, though undoubtedly an academic,draws on a deep well of personal reflectionand prayer.

We also enjoyed the privilege of having RuthHolgate, a highly respected RC Ignatianpractitioner and trainer of spiritualdirection. Her contribution was an essentialand greatly valued part of the conference,because the provision of spiritual directionis a major responsibility of every SpiritualityAdviser.

The trustees of APR are currently engagedin a visioning process in order to discernthe direction our work should take in theimmediate future. We are clear that ourprimary responsibility is to work within andfor the Church of England.We greatly valuethe ecumenical aspect of the retreat andspirituality scenes, but our commitment isto help resource this aspect of the workthrough the RA.We are partners together.

The process is at an early stage, but I amconfident that God will show us the wayforward and present us with newopportunities and challenges.The one thingwe all need to focus on continually is thefact that we are engaged in God’s work andnot our own.There is always the temptationto promote ourselves, but it really has noplace in the work we are called to do.

Barry PreeceChair of APR

p6 Association for Promoting RetreatsAPR

FOUNDING MEMBERS

I t’s been a relatively quiet year forBURG – the reason, in part, is thatwe planned very little in the secondhalf of 2015 in order to encourage ourmembers to attend the RetreatAssociation Conference at Swanwick.

That said we’ve engaged in some of our‘traditional’ work with enthusiasm andcommitment. In March this year we held aBURG Retreat in Yorkshire at the Briery inIlkley – led by one of the RA Patrons,Graham Sparkes, alongside PaulineWest.

We normally hold a couple of retreats ayear – alongside a Week of IndividuallyGuided Prayer – which this year has takenplace at Abbey House, Glastonbury.

We are also trying to do some ‘thinkingoutside the box’ and that has led to theplanning of an Iona Pilgrimage for September2016 and initial thoughts about holding a‘retreat for men’ – not always our mostnatural demographic!

Three times a year we publish a journal forour members – David Pountain, our editorfor over a decade, is stepping down thissummer.

BURG is a small organisation with just over100 members – but we are delighted thatour numbers slightly increased this year.Westill feel we have a purpose of encouragingretreats and contemplative prayer in adenomination which at times feels very busyand just occasionally a little ‘noisy’!

We recently held our AGM and we weredelighted to have one of our BURG

members and a BaptistUnion Regional Minister,Revd Geoff Colmer,speak to us about hisown Ignatian Journey withthe Spiritual Exercises livedout through the 19th Annotation. It really isremarkable how even Baptists havebenefited from the spiritual treasuresoffered by different Christian traditions overrecent years – and we are all the richer forit!

Alongside BURG, the Order for BaptistMinistry continues to become establishedoffering those ministers who join thenourishing five-fold discipline of:Convocation, Cell, Office, Retreat andSpiritual Direction.

Ian GreenChair of BURG

Baptist Union Retreat GroupBURG

The Briery, Ilkley.

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We are currently in process ofputting some changes and new

developments in place in the CatholicNetwork for Retreats and Spirituality.The first big change is a new name:from now on the CNRS will be knownas the Catholic Spirituality Network(CSN). A second change is that JillKeegan, a long-standing member andsomeone who has contributedenormously over the years to bothCSN (as it now is) and the RetreatAssociation, has generously offered tobe Development Co-ordinator for thenetwork.

Jill’s initial plan includes, for example, theproduction of a twice-yearly e-newsletter,providing new publicity material for thenetwork (e.g. postcards for you to leavelying around and print-your-own A4 postersfor every noticeboard in sight), andencouraging CSN network day-events indifferent parts of the country. One of theproblems over the last few years has beenthat very few people have heard about us.So we hope that this new publicity initiativewill arouse more curiosity and eventuallybring in new members.

CSN’s weekend conference in February2016 at The Hayes, Swanwick, was wellattended and successful. The central themewas ‘Love and Suffering: Discerning theMovement of Grace in Times of Loss andChange’. The conference was very ably ledby Dr Karen Kilby, the Bede Chair ofTheology at Durham University. Karen drewon her profound understanding of Christiantheological traditions and her currentresearch into experiences of loss andchange to offer us a rich diet of theological

and spiritual reflection. At thesame time she also sensitivelyacknowledged, welcomed andappreciated the wealth ofpastoral wisdom present in theaudience. The liturgy, led byTeresa Brown, accompanied byRosemary Sefton, helped us tocelebrate and reflect further in a context ofprayer and to the strains of some trulybeautiful music. Different strands of theconference theme were also explored insmall-group workshops.

The next CSN conference (once again atSwanwick) will be held on 17–19 March2017.The theme is ‘TheWord in theWorld:Reading the Scriptures in Hard Times’ andwe are delighted that Pádraig Ó Tuama hasagreed to lead us on the first two days.More information about this conference willbe circulated shortly. In the meantime, put itin your diaries and spread the good news.

David LonsdaleChair of CSN

CatholicSpirituality NetworkCSN

The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick.

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Association for Promoting RetreatsReflectMethodists supporting spirituality and retreats

At each meeting of our ReflectExecutive we go round the room

and everyone gathered says a littleabout the work they are involved inwherever they are. It gives us aglimpse of Methodism from thisperspective and it acts as a mutualsupport in what can, at times, feel likeploughing a lonely furrow.

A notion emerging is that, in spite of themyriad retreats on offer, the vast literatureon spirituality, and all the rest, folk find it abit hard to know what to actually do oncethey have managed to set aside a time topray. They may have people, situations andissues to pray for and about, but little idea ofwhat other ways of praying there may be.Agreat Methodist of a previous generation,William Sangster, wrote a little book Teachus to Pray and offered the template ACTS –Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving andSupplication, the latter divided intointercessions – prayers for others, andpetitions – prayers for ourselves. I still comeacross Methodists who know the book anduse this pattern if they use anything.

The idea emerging is that it may be time tooffer a fresh resource, perhaps in DVD,audio or a variety of formats reflecting thetechnology and habits of our time. Theresource would also make available thewide-ranging insights of differingspiritualities with which we are nowbecoming more familiar. But crucially itwould be a very simple ‘how to do it’ kindof resource. I sometimes say to myMethodist colleagues that I have discoveredthere was a bit of church history andspirituality before 24 May 1738 (JohnWesley’s conversion) – and that JohnWesley

was likely to have been well versed in it anddrawn on it.

I am part of an ecumenical team in Cumbriawhich has developed an experiential coursecalled ‘Nourishing the Soul’ which is in greatdemand. Over a series of 10 one-daysessions, we offer a range of ‘tasters’ ofdifferent ways of praying. People get a basicinput on ‘how to’ pray in a particular way:they get to go away and try it out forthemselves, then they come back and sharewith a mentor, in a safe, small-group context,what their experience has been.At the nextsession, they try another means of prayer,and start to explore their own spirituality.John Wesley would have loved this small-group sharing of our prayer experience!

ChrisWoodChair of Reflect

ReflectMethodists supporting spirituality and retreatsReflectMethodists supporting spirituality and retreats

Some Reflect retreats are held at Launde Abbey.

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TheRetreatAssociationSummerEventtookplaceonasunnyJune

dayatTheRoyalFoundationofStKatharineinEastLondon.AshortwalkfromLimehousestationontheDocklandsLightRailwayledintotheorderedpeaceoftheancientFoundationwithitsbeautifullyappointedretreathouseandshaded,maturegarden.WewerewarmlywelcomedbytheretreathousestaffandIainandAlisonfromtheRA.

WegatheredtogetherwithanAlleluialedbyEmilyWalker.Emily’sthoughtfulliturgiespunctuatedthedaywithsilence,Scripture,poetryandsong.ThekeynotespeechwasgivenbyPeterTyler,ProfessorofPastoralTheologyandSpiritualityatStMary’sUniversity,Twickenham.TheaimofthedaywastoexplorethepossibilityofMindfulnessintheChristiantradition.

Peter’stalktookusthroughthehistoryofMindfulnessfromitsBuddhistoriginstotheevidence-basedclinicalpracticewidelyusedintheNHStoday.HespokeabouthispersonalencounterwithBuddhismandhowhislaywomanteacherdidn’ttrytodrawhimintoBuddhismbutencouragedhimtobeamindfulCatholic!HesaidthatMindfulnessisoneofthose“weaselwords”likeSpirituality,whichkeepevolvingandaredifficulttopindown.ItwassohelpfultohavethephenomenonofthecurrentMindfulnessrevolutioncontextualisedforusinrelationtoBuddhist,Christianandnon-Deistapproaches.AsPetersaid,ourContemplativetraditionisthebestkeptsecretofChristianity!

PetertoldushowtheBuddhistwordfor‘mind’canalsobetranslatedas‘heart’.HesuggestedthatintheChristiantraditionitisappropriatetomoveawayfromthebare

ProfPeterTyler,RevGrahamSparkes,FrChristopherJamison,EmilyWalker,RevIanGreen&AlisonMacTier.

RevdGrahamSparkes,ProfPeterTyler&FrChristopherJamisonindiscussion.

RReettrreeaattAAssssoocciiaattiioonnSSuummmmeerrEEvveenntt

























The Retreat Association SummerEvent took place on a sunny June

day at The Royal Foundation of StKatharine in East London. A shortwalk from Limehouse station on theDocklands Light Railway led into theordered peace of the ancientFoundation with its beautifullyappointed retreat house and shaded,mature garden. We were warmlywelcomed by the retreat house staffand Iain andAlison from the RA.

We gathered together with an Alleluia led byEmily Walker. Emily’s thoughtful liturgiespunctuated the day with silence, Scripture,poetry and song. The keynote speech wasgiven by Peter Tyler, Professor of PastoralTheology and Spirituality at St Mary’sUniversity, Twickenham. The aim of the daywas to explore the possibility of Mindfulnessin the Christian tradition.

Peter’s talk took us through the history ofMindfulness from its Buddhist origins to theevidence-based clinical practice widely usedin the NHS today. He spoke about hispersonal encounter with Buddhism and howhis lay woman teacher didn’t try to drawhim into Buddhism but encouraged him tobe a mindful Catholic! He said thatMindfulness is one of those “weasel words”like Spirituality, which keep evolving and aredifficult to pin down. It was so helpful tohave the phenomenon of the currentMindfulness revolution contextualised for usin relation to Buddhist, Christian and non-Deist approaches. As Peter said, ourContemplative tradition is the best keptsecret of Christianity!

Peter told us how the Buddhist word for‘mind’ can also be translated as ‘heart’. Hesuggested that in the Christian tradition it isappropriate to move away from the bare

Prof Peter Tyler, Rev Graham Sparkes, Fr Christopher Jamison, Emily Walker, Rev Ian Green & Alison MacTier.

Revd Graham Sparkes, Prof PeterTyler & Fr Christopher Jamison in discussion.

RReettrreeaatt AAssssoocciiaattiioonn SSuummmmeerr EEvveenntt

































clinicaldefinitionofMindfulness(payingattentiononpurposeinanon-judgementalwaytothepresentmoment)towardsamorerelationalperspective.HespokeaboutTeresaofAvilaandherguidanceonstillingthechatterofthemindduringprayer,notasagoalinitselfbutinordertoenterintoanintimaterelationship‘withtheOneweknowlovesus’.Ourprayerbecomesaschoolof‘heartfulness’,leadingtoanencounterwithChristandshowingitselfinloving-kindnessforthosearound.

ThesethemeswerepickedupintheafternoonbyRevdGrahamSparkesandFrChristopherJamison,PatronsoftheRetreatAssociation,whoreflectedtogetheronPeter’stalk.TheydiscussedhowcertainaspectsofChristianSpiritualitybecomefashionable,andhowimportantitistobeabletotracktheirorigins,notetheirusageincontemporarysocietyandarticulateanappropriateChristianresponse.CelticChristianityandNewMonasticismwere

mentionedalongsideMindfulness.Wealsoconsideredthesignificanceofdreamsandtheplaceofthebodyinprayer.Partoftheenjoymentofthedaywastobeamongfriendssharingsimilarinterestsandconcerns.Therewasplentyoftimetonetworkinthelunchandcoffeebreaks,renewingoldfriendshipsandmakingnewcontacts.WealsoheardmoreaboutthecurrentfocusoftheRetreatAssociationfromAlisonbeforelunch.ShetoldusabouttheworkthatisgoingonwithBreatheYouthRetreatsandaboutnewmodelsofretreatandfreshventuresintheretreatworld.

Thedayendedwithsongandmoretea,andwedepartedslowly,reluctanttoleaveagatheringthathadbeensolife-giving.StKatharine’sFoundationprovidedgracioushospitalitythroughouttheday.ThanksareduetothemaswellastheRAstaffandtrusteesfororganisingsuchahappyandmemorableSummerEvent.

JillKeegan

Trustees,patrons,staff&contributorsattheSummerEvent.

StKatharine’smeetingrooms&garden,ourspeakersinconversation&FrChristopherJamison.





JillKeegan







JillKeegan







JillKeegan



clinical definition of Mindfulness (payingattention on purpose in a non-judgementalway to the present moment) towards amore relational perspective. He spoke aboutTeresa of Avila and her guidance on stillingthe chatter of the mind during prayer, not asa goal in itself but in order to enter into anintimate relationship ‘with the One we knowloves us’. Our prayer becomes a school of‘heartfulness’, leading to an encounter withChrist and showing itself in loving-kindnessfor those around.

These themes were picked up in theafternoon by Revd Graham Sparkes and FrChristopher Jamison, Patrons of the RetreatAssociation, who reflected together onPeter’s talk. They discussed how certainaspects of Christian Spirituality becomefashionable, and how important it is to beable to track their origins, note their usagein contemporary society and articulate anappropriate Christian response. CelticChristianity and New Monasticism were

mentioned alongside Mindfulness. We alsoconsidered the significance of dreams andthe place of the body in prayer. Part of theenjoyment of the day was to be amongfriends sharing similar interests andconcerns. There was plenty of time tonetwork in the lunch and coffee breaks,renewing old friendships and making newcontacts. We also heard more about thecurrent focus of the Retreat Associationfrom Alison before lunch. She told us aboutthe work that is going on with BreatheYouth Retreats and about new models ofretreat and fresh ventures in the retreatworld.

The day ended with song and more tea, andwe departed slowly, reluctant to leave agathering that had been so life-giving. StKatharine’s Foundation provided gracioushospitality throughout the day. Thanks aredue to them as well as the RA staff andtrustees for organising such a happy andmemorable Summer Event.

Jill Keegan

Trustees, patrons, staff & contributors at the Summer Event.

St Katharine’s meeting rooms & garden, our speakers in conversation & Fr Christopher Jamison.





JillKeegan







JillKeegan







Jill Keegan







Jill Keegan



Wedecided not to hold our ownconference last year so that

we could participate in the RetreatAssociation Conference in Juneinstead. So after travelling south toGlastonbury in 2014 we headed norththis year to share in the life of theHouse of the Resurrection at MirfieldinYorkshire.

Twenty-one delegates representing fourteenmember houses enjoyed a variedprogramme titled ‘Entering another world’.Over four days we participated a little in theother world of monastic life and sharedvarious matters of common interestamongst ourselves. A major highlight of theconference was listening to HannahEarnshaw, a Mars One candidate who ishoping to literally travel to another world inten year’s time – an imaginative and inspiredchoice of speaker, according to one of thefeedback forms! Other participants includedour President, the Bishop of Bolton The RtRevd Chris Edmondson and of course theRetreat Association’s Executive DirectorAlison MacTier.

In addition to the more structured sessionswe always try to provide plenty ofopportunity for networking, either duringour ‘Nuts & Bolts’ slots or over a glass ofwine in the evenings.This is an invaluable aidto our work of managing retreat centres aswe invariably find that somebody else hasfaced similar challenges – it’s so much easierto contact a colleague for advice or supportif you can put a face to the name. Thosewho are new to this area of ministry arealways impressed by the spirit ofcooperation rather than competition thatpervades more commercial environments.

The conference is also an opportunity for usto hold our Annual General Meeting, and sothis year we said farewell to Liz Pearson,from St Chad’s College, who has been ourChair for the past six years and also to SrHelen OHP from St Oswald’s PastoralCentre. In their place we welcomed ontothe committee Linda Antill from SneatonCastle Centre, Ron Blackmore from BishopWoodford House and Jane Easterby fromShepherds Dene. Ron bravely volunteeredto take over the role of chairman!

Next year we will be holding our Januaryconference ‘Longing for light’ at BishopWoodford House in Ely and we would loveto welcome some new faces – so do let usknow if you would like to receive aninvitation.

Membership of Archway is open to allChristian retreat and conference houses andif you would like to find out more about uswe would encourage you to look at ourwebsite www.archwaywardens.org.uk orfollow us on Facebook orTwitter.

Jeff WittsArchway Administrator

House of the Resurrection, Mirfield, West Yorkshirep12 Archway Conference

House of the Resurrection, Mirfield.

Retreat AssociationRegional Quiet Day

My friend and myself have beenattending various quiet days at

Abbey house for some years now andwhen we looked through theprogramme for this year this was onewe felt led to go to. The title was‘Listening to God’s voice’ led by RevdSally Buddle. It was based on HenriNouwen’s book, Discernment, and wehave both been reading some of hisbooks recently.

For me to have the day away in silence witha leader is always a blessing. Sometimes thismay not feel comfortable, but God alwaysspeaks, and on this occasion it was toreaffirm what God had been showing meduring Sunday morning worship the daybefore.

We started the day by introducing ourselvesand where we had come from, then Sally ledus in worship by reading Psalm 8 and Isaiah55: 8–9.The first part of the timetable was‘Listening to God in the silence’ for aroundtwo hours.

As we finished the worship time we wereencouraged to select a picture and spendsome time reflecting on it. I believe therewere different aspects to reflect on withinthe picture, including: ‘How does it make youfeel?’ and ‘What is God saying to you?’ Iwent out into the garden with my picture ofa wild sea and eventually it led me into beingaware of my surroundings, sitting in themidst of the garden and listening to whatGod was saying to me through the birdsong,the trees and all of nature around me.AbbeyHouse has beautiful gardens in which towander and spend time in quiet.

We then got back together before lunch tocelebrate communion, including serving eachother with the bread and wine – ‘DiscerningGod’s presence through Fellowship withothers’.There is always something so specialwhen we share with other members ofGod’s wider family around the communiontable.

After lunch the session was called ‘Listeningto God in the everyday’. This for me wasvery powerful as one of the readings toponder was on Moses’ willingness to turnaside and explore the burning bush.And forus on a quiet day to chose to have the samecuriosity and take time to explore, rightthere and then, and allow the silence of thetime and space to enable God to speak tous as we listen.

All in all a special time, enabled in a sensitiveway by the Revd Sally Buddle and by the useof Abbey House and its beautiful grounds.

Karen LangfordQuiet Day participant

Abbey House, Glastonbury.

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Spiritual DirectionGuidelines

An integral part of the RetreatAssociation’s work is in

supporting the ministry of spiritualdirection. We do this by offeringinformation to first-time enquirers,helping people to find their owndirector, providing a list of courses forthose wishing to train in this area andalso supporting those working inspiritual direction training. This yearwe were delighted to facilitate a newset of guidelines which we hope willoffer significant support to this life-giving ministry.

The need for a set of national guidelines wasraised at the 2013 Consultation for thoseinvolved in spiritual direction training – anevent which is facilitated by the RetreatAssociation every two years. These eventsinclude training, opportunities to shareexpertise and crucially to discuss some ofthe challenges facing spiritual directorstoday. During the plenary session at the endof the consultation it was agreed that itwould be helpful to develop some guidelinesfor good practice which not only defined acommon understanding of what the ministryof spiritual direction is but also supportedthose working in this key area.

A group of practitioners with experience inspiritual direction training then formed todiscuss the best way forward, each takingresponsibility for a different area of theguidelines.The group met several times overthe next two years, bringing their ownwisdom and experience to the table, as wellas that of local groups and networks withwhom they worked. A draft copy of theguidelines was taken to the RetreatAssociation Conference in June 2015, where

around 60 people attended a meeting aboutthe document, giving their input andshowing their support for something forwhich many felt there had long been a need.The document was sent out to a number ofpeople for comment and a further meetingwas held with representatives from acrossfour denominations. They offered theirsuggestions, including ways in which theguidelines could be made available as widelyas possible.

The Spiritual Direction Guidelines werelaunched in February 2016.The introductionto the 8-page document explains that theyhave been developed ‘out of a desire topromote greater consistency of practice acrossdifferent training schemes and Christiantraditions’ and importantly that ‘they are notprescriptive and are intended to be moreservant than master’.These guidelines are notintended to be the final word on spiritualdirection. They are a tool for all to use asneeded in their own context.They are alsointended to be a work in progress that canbe adapted to reflect changes in society. Atthe heart of this project is a desire to enablethe ministry of spiritual direction to flourish– something which is also at the heart of theRetreat Association’s vision and one that weare very glad to be a part of.

For more information and to download acopy of the guidelines please seewww.retreats.org.uk/spiritualdirectionguidelines.htmlor contact the office.

Alison MacTier

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Retreat AssociationSupporter Pack

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You may remember that in 2014we partnered Breathe Youth

Retreats to offer a quiet day for youngpeople in Birmingham, led by ourpatron Fr Christopher Jamison. Sincethen we have held two Adventretreats in York and we are planningfuture events over the next year.

Breathe Youth Retreats are unique inoffering young people the experience ofstillness and reflective prayer annually on asummer retreat in Derbyshire. Here, youngpeople encounter God through prayer,activity, community living and friendship andfor many it is also time away from thepressures of modern life – including theabsence of a mobile phone signal!

Next year the Retreat Association, inpartnership with Breathe, is planning to

Has your life been changed byyour experiences of going on

retreat or spiritual direction? We arelooking for willing volunteers to helpus tell more people about the work ofthe Retreat Association – and helpingus could be easier than you think! Ifyou could offer your support in any ofthe following ways please let us know –we’d be delighted to hear from you!

Update onBreathe Youth Retreats

Can You Help Us?

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make a film about young people on retreat– to encourage other young people in theirown journey of faith. Our vision is to offeryoung people (and those who work withthem) an insight into the value of retreats,quiet reflection and a personal relationshipwith God through the production of thisfilm – including some simple tips on howthey can incorporate this into daily life.If you would like to support the costof making this film please seewww.retreats.org.uk/donate.html

There are still places available on the 2016Breath retreat at the time of going to press.Please see www.breatheyouthretreat.co.uk formore information.

• Review our website www.retreats.org.uk –how could we improve it or add to it?

• Hold a talk about the value of retreats –our Supporter pack (see below left) willgive you the outline for the event.

• Organise a coffee morning or cake sale tosupport our work – we will supply leafletsand resources.

If any of these areas appeal to you or if youhave some suggestions of your own pleasecontact us – [email protected]

RATrainingDays2016Pleasecontactretreathousesdirectly.

10SeptemberWaysofprayingTheWindermereCentre,Cumbria01539444902/[email protected]

17SeptemberExploringthelabyrinthTheKairosCentre,Roehampton,London02087884188/[email protected]

6OctoberHowtoleadaquietdayWoodbrookeQuakerStudyCentre,Birmingham01214725171/[email protected]

13OctoberHowtoleadaquietdayLlangastyRetreatCentre,Brecon,Powys01874658250/[email protected]

18OctoberAccompanyingothersSarumCollege,Salisbury,Wilts01722424800/[email protected]

19NovemberWaysofprayingGreenPastures,Poole,Dorset01202764776/[email protected]

RARegionalQuietDays2016

20OctoberBishopWoodfordHouse,Ely,Cambs01353663039/[email protected]

DatesforyourDiary

MembergroupeventsPleasecontactthemembergroupshowninbracketsforinformation.

201617–23SeptemberPilgrimagetoIona(BURG)

25–27OctoberNorthernRetreat(Reflect)ParcevalHall,NorthYorks

29OctoberMember’sDayandAGM(APR)StGeorgetheMartyrChurch,Southwark

25–27NovemberARetreatforAdvent(BURG)HollandHouse,Pershore,Worcs

201717–19FebruaryRetreat(Reflect)LaundeAbbey,Leicester(Reflect)

17–19MarchTheWordintheWorld(CSNConference)TheHayesConferenceCentre,Swanwick

31March–2AprilARetreatforLent(BURG)BuckfastAbbey,Devon

7–9JulyRetreat(Reflect)LadywellRetreatCentre,Surrey

MemberGroupContactsAPR:JuliaReading01636555085/[email protected]:GillRoberts01494677281/[email protected]:MargaretPalladino07756864784/[email protected]:PamReid02476468816/[email protected]

TheRetreatAssociationClareCharityCentreWycombeRoadSaundertonBuckinghamshireHP144BF01494569056/[email protected]










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RATraining Days 2016Please contact retreat houses directly.

10 SeptemberWays of prayingTheWindermere Centre, Cumbria01539 444902 / [email protected]

17 SeptemberExploring the labyrinthThe Kairos Centre, Roehampton, London020 8788 4188 / [email protected]

6 OctoberHow to lead a quiet dayWoodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Birmingham0121 472 5171 / [email protected]

13 OctoberHow to lead a quiet dayLlangasty Retreat Centre, Brecon, Powys01874 658250 / [email protected]

18 OctoberAccompanying othersSarum College, Salisbury,Wilts01722 424800 / [email protected]

19 NovemberWays of prayingGreen Pastures, Poole, Dorset01202 764776 / [email protected]

RA Regional Quiet Days 2016

20 OctoberBishopWoodford House, Ely, Cambs01353 663039 / [email protected]

Dates for your Diary

Member group eventsPlease contact the member group shownin brackets for information.

201617–23 SeptemberPilgrimage to Iona (BURG)

25–27 OctoberNorthern Retreat (Reflect)Parceval Hall, NorthYorks

29 OctoberMember’s Day and AGM (APR)St George the Martyr Church, Southwark

25–27 NovemberA Retreat for Advent (BURG)Holland House, Pershore,Worcs

201717–19 FebruaryRetreat (Reflect)Launde Abbey, Leicester (Reflect)

17–19 MarchTheWord in theWorld (CSN Conference)The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick

31 March – 2AprilA Retreat for Lent (BURG)Buckfast Abbey, Devon

7–9 JulyRetreat (Reflect)Ladywell Retreat Centre, Surrey

Member Group ContactsAPR: Julia Reading01636 555085 / [email protected]:Gill Roberts01494 677281 / [email protected]:Margaret Palladino07756 864784 / [email protected]: Pam Reid024 7646 8816 / [email protected]

The RetreatAssociationClare Charity CentreWycombe RoadSaundertonBuckinghamshire HP14 4BF01494 569056 / [email protected]










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