Space in the City

Autumn 2010

at the United Church, Jewry Street, Winchester
Wednesdays 12:30 – 13:00

SANCTUARY

A series of talks in which various speakers explore their differing experience and understandings of sanctuary.

We don’t have an official “series prayer” for this series.  But this prayer, used by Debbie Thrower in introducing Jane Chevous’ talk, seems very suitable:
O Spirit of God, set at rest the crowded, hurrying, anxious thoughts within our minds and hearts.  Let the peace and quiet of your presence take possession of us.  Help us to rest, relax, to become open and receptive to you.  You know our inmost spirits, the hidden unconscious life within us, the forgotten memories of hurts and fears, the unresolved tensions and dilemmas.  Cleanse and sweeten the springs of our being, that freedom, life and love may flow into both our conscious and hidden life.  Lord, we lie open before you, waiting for your peace, your healing, and your word.  Amen.

George Appleton, “Journey For A Soul”

29th September An Comerach:  a Gaelic spiritual sanctuary 
Giles Charrington
Giles Charrington discovered physical solitude as an essential element in his spiritual journey;  but he believes we can all benefit from this dimension of our lives.  Giles is a counsellor, a coach and a management consultant, lives in Oxford, and has the lease of a hermitage, An Comerach, in the West Highlands of Scotland.
 
Script for the talk. †
Recording of the talk. †
6th October Creating Sanctuary for other Animals 
Rt Revd John Austin Baker
Bishop John Austin Baker is a former president of the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals.  His career has led him to be a theological lecturer and writer, parish priest, Canon of Westminster and Bishop of Salisbury.  Bishop John retired in 1993.
 
The script for the talk is not available.
Recording of the talk. †
13th October From Silence to Sanctuary:  the journey of abuse 
Jane Chevous
Jane Chevous is a founding member of S:Vox, an organisation offering self help, training and education for survivors of violence or abuse and their supporters.  She is qualified in youth and social work with over 30 years experience in the field.  Currently she works part-time as Learning and Development Manager for Voice, a national charity advocating with children in public care.
Useful web sites:
            S:Vox – self-help and advocacy for survivors of all types of abuse
            NAPAC – support for people abused in childhood
            Stop It Now! – support for those who may abuse
            MACSAS – support for those abused by ministers
            CCPAS – safeguarding for churches
            Reshapers – creative learning workshops, talks, seminars

 
The script for the talk is not available.
Recording of the talk. †
20th October Faith in Place 
Rt Revd Dr John Inge, Bishop of Worcester
Dr John Inge became the 113th Bishop of Worcester in 2007.  His diverse ministry has taken him to a variety of locations from the inner city on Tyneside to Ely Cathedral.  His book A Christian Theology of Place was shortlisted for the Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing.  His latest book, Living Love, is a theological conversation with the Alexander McCall Smith No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.  He is married to Denise, an expert on the 17th century poet priest, Thomas Traherne.
 
No script for this talk is available.
Recording of the talk. †
3rd November A Monastery as a Sanctuary 
Bishop Dom Timothy Bavin OSB
Bishop Timothy was ordained in 1961.  His ministry has been shared between South Africa and the south of England.  In Pretoria, he served on the staff of the Cathedral and as the chaplain of St Alban’s college, before returning to the UK to follow parish ministry in Sussex.  He returned to South Africa to take up the post of Dean of Johannesburg, and two years later, Bishop.  In 1985 he came back to England, to Portsmouth where he was Bishop for ten years before testing his vocation to the religious life.  He has been a professed Benedictine monk at Alton Abbey since 1997.
 
The script for the talk is not available.
Recording of the talk. †
10th November Living in Limbo 
Jenny Cuffe
Experiences of life as an asylum seeker.
 
No script for this talk is available.
Recording of the talk. †
17th November Working with Asylum Seekers  
Angela Sealey
An account of the work of the Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group.

Jenny Cuffe and Angela Sealey are both members of the Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group.  SWVG is a group of volunteers who believe that every asylum seeker deserves respect and compassion and that applications for asylum should get a fair and proper hearing.  They offer friendship, a sympathetic ear and, with the help and support of local churches and other organisations, are able to give some practical support to those in the area who are experiencing particular difficulties.

 
The script for the talk is not available.
Recording of the talk. †
24th November The Psalms – A Safe Place for the Struggling 
Revd Brian Pickett
Revd Brian Pickett is a parish priest in the Winchester Diocese and respected retreat leader.  He has spoken widely on music and the psalms in worship, and is the author of The Heart of Love: Prayers of German Women Mystics (1991) and Songs for the Journey: The Psalms in Life and Liturgy (2002).
 
Script for the talk. †
Recording of the talk. †
Note: Recordings are now being uploaded to the Internet Archive:  the link above takes you to a page where you may play or download the recording in different ways.  To play, simply click the Play button (white triangle) in the player on the right-hand side;  alternatively, on the left-hand side under “Listen to audio”, click “VBR M3U”.  To download, right-click on the link to the MP3 file lower down the page, in the box under the heading “VBR MP3”, and choose “Save Target As ...”.  John Stanning welcomes comments on this change.

Wednesdays at 12:30
Sandwiches available after each talk
Admission is free, but we rely on donations to fund expenses.

Copyright of each recording or text belongs to the speaker.  Recordings and texts are made available here, by kind permission of the speakers, for personal, non-commercial use only.  Scripts are not transcripts of the talks.  Speakers often depart from their scripts to amplify, give examples or even add extra points, so the texts and the recordings may differ.


 
Future series
  • 12 January to 2 February 2011:  Pie in the Sky? – Life, Death, Heaven and Hell by Dr Paula Gooder, at the United Church.
  • 4 to 25 May 2011:  The World as Gift – various speakers – at St Lawrence Church.
  • 28 September, 5 to 19 October, 2 to 23 November 2011:  a series of talks at the United Church on subjects related to the “King James Bible”, first published in 1611.

If you would like to receive updates and news of Space in the City by e-mail, please send a message to Jeannette Archdeacon

Previous series
 
Spring 2010:   “Aspects of Alfred”:  Four talks by Revd Canon Dr David Scott.  The programme page has recordings of all four talks.
Lent 2010:   “Mammon’s Revenge”:  Four talks by Rt Revd Dr Peter Selby.  The programme page has recordings of all four talks.
Autumn 2009:   “Prophets for our Time”:  Seven talks by different speakers.  The programme page has texts and recordings of all of the talks.
Spring 2009:   “Inspired”:  four reflections on the nature of Inspiration and Place.  The programme page has recordings of two of the talks.
January 2009:    “The Audacity of Hope”:  four talks by Revd Dr Martyn Atkins.  The programme page has recordings of all the talks.
Autumn 2008:   “When I’m Sixty-Four ... A Celebration of the Third Age!”  The programme page has recordings of all the talks.
Spring 2008:   “What can Christianity do for you?”  The programme page has recordings of all the talks.
January 2008:   Four talks by Bishop Richard Harries (Lord Harries of Pentregarth) under the overall title “The Re-Enchantment of Morality: Wisdom for a Troubled World”.  The programme page has recordings of all the talks.
Autumn 2007:   “Spirituality & ...”.  The programme page has recordings of all the talks.
May 2007:   “After Anne Frank”.  The programme page includes the recording of Prof. Michael Taylor’s talk.
Jan-Feb 2006:   Rev. Joel Edwards gave four talks under the general title “Respect”.  The texts of his talks have been made available by the Evangelical Alliance.
2004:   Bishop John Baker (formerly Bishop of Salisbury) gave a series of four talks on the Lord’s Prayer.  The text of those talks is here.
2004:   Another series of talks by Bishop John Baker, “Between Faith and Doubt” (about God, about Jesus, about Good and Evil and about Life and Death), is available here.

Space in the City is organised by members of the United Church, St Bartholomew’s, St Peter’s and St Lawrence with St Swithun, in conjunction with the School of Spirituality.


This page was updated on 26 November 2010 by John Stanning.  Comments and suggestions welcome!
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