SPACE IN THE CITY

WINCHESTER, ENGLAND

Early Summer 2024

Spiritual

Five talks on spiritual traditions that have shaped lives and religious practice over the centuries and how they still influence our flourishing today

at St Lawrence Church, The Square, Winchester

Wednesdays 17 April and 1, 8, 15, 22 May 2024
12.30 – 1pm
followed by questions

Admission free … … Donations are most welcome

The talks were ‘live-streamed’ on Zoom: recordings of the talks are in the list below.

17 April	“I’m not religious, but I am spiritual, vicar” The Rev’d Michael Jackson Michael is a retired Anglican priest. He was Director of St John’s Winchester Charity for 26 years from 1987 and served as a non-stipendiary assistant priest in the parishes of Twyford, Owslebury, Morestead and Colden Common. After retirement from St John’s he was for a while House-for-Duty Vicar at Kirkby Malham in the Yorkshire Dales. He is a past Chairman of Age Concern Winchester and also a past Director of the Winchester Samaritans. For some years he served as a voluntary Mental Health Act Manager at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital and was Vice-Chairman of its hearings panel. For ten years he was Chairman of the Winchester Diocesan Council for Social Responsibility and a nominee on the Diocesan Synod. He is a member of Christians on Ageing, and has served on its national executive.
	Michael Jackson’s talk was introduced by the Rev’d Amanda Goulding. It was live-streamed on Zoom and recorded: you can view the Zoom recording here. Michael has very kindly provided the text of his talk, which you can read here ( PDF). © For copyright information, see below.
24 April	no talk
1 May	St Martin in the Fields – The Nazareth Community The Rev’d Richard Carter Richard swapped a life of simplicity with an Anglican religious order in the Solomon Islands for parish ministry in one of London’s busiest churches, St Martin-in-the-Fields. Recognising a need for monastic values in the centre of the city, he founded the Nazareth Community. Its members gather from everyday life to seek God in contemplation, to acknowledge their dependence on God’s grace and to learn to live openly and generously with all. The Nazareth Community’s daily life is rooted in the seven guiding principles: silence, service, scripture, sacrament, sharing, sabbath time and staying.
	Throughout his talk, Richard Carter referred to the handout that was given to attendees, which you can read here ( PDF). Richard’s talk was introduced by the Rev’d Amanda Goulding. It was live-streamed on Zoom and recorded: you can view the Zoom recording here. © For copyright information, see below.
8 May	Soulful Nature Brian Draper Brian is a writer, author, speaker and broadcaster, and has been a regular presenter of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ for many years. He is an experienced retreat guide, and leads seasonal walking retreats in Hampshire, from where he recently featured on Clare Balding’s ‘Ramblings’ programme on Radio 4. His books include Soulfulness: Deepening the Mindful Life, Less is More: Spirituality for Busy Lives and Labyrinth: Illuminating the Inner Path. Most recently he has co-authored Soulful Nature: A Spiritual Field Guide with the botanist Howard Greene. His Advent and Lent e-mail series have become much-loved with participants around the world. Elsewhere, he regularly writes for the band U2’s official website and for many years has worked with organisations to cultivate spiritual intelligence among leaders, especially using labyrinths.
	Brian Draper’s talk was introduced by the Rev’d Amanda Goulding. It was live-streamed on Zoom and recorded: you can view the Zoom recording here. © For copyright information, see below.
15 May	The Spiritual Legacy of St Benedict: an Anglican Cistercian reflects The Rev’d Canon Dr Tom Clammer OC Br Tom Clammer OC is an Anglican priest with Permission to Officiate in the dioceses of Salisbury and Gloucester. He held several parish appointments before spending seven years as Canon Precentor at Salisbury Cathedral. He retired in 2019 due to the onset of progressive Multiple Sclerosis, and now works freelance as a theological educator, liturgist, and spiritual director. He was admitted as a novice in the Anglican Order of Cistercians in 2019, and made his simple vows in January of this year.
	Tom Clammer’s talk was introduced by the Rev’d Amanda Goulding. It was live-streamed on Zoom and recorded: you can view the Zoom recording here. © For copyright information, see below.
22 May	Julian of Norwich: a spiritual response to the ecological crisis Dr Claire Gilbert Claire Gilbert is a writer, speaker and mentor who founded Westminster Abbey Institute for ethics in public life. She has written about Julian in relation to her cancer in Miles to Go Before I Sleep as well as a fictional autobiography I, Julian. Claire’s book of her doctoral thesis, Julian of Norwich and the Ecological Crisis, is to be published by Routledge in July.
	Claire Gilbert referred in her talk to the handout that was given to attendees, with quotations from Julian of Norwich in the original Middle English. You can read it here ( PDF). Claire read the quotations in modern English. Claire’s talk was introduced by the Rev’d Amanda Goulding. It was live-streamed on Zoom and recorded: you can view the Zoom recording here. © For copyright information, see below.
© Copyright of each recording and/or text belongs to the speaker. The material is made available on-line, by kind permission of the speaker, for personal, non-commercial use only. Note that speakers often depart from their pre-written scripts while speaking, so any script may not contain exactly what was said.

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Space in the City is an ecumenical venture organised by lay, licensed, ordained and associate members of Winchester’s city churches: St Bartholomew and St Lawrence with St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate, St Peter’s and the United Church.

This page was updated on 23 May 2024 by John Stanning (

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