Clan Gathering
There are tents for many projects. The most visited were the Prophetic Words, Dream Interpretation and Healing Massage tents. I got my turn at the first two but the last was fully booked from day one. Some Jungian analysts might be sniffy. All I know is that a person who knew nothing about me prophesied that God would use my writings and that I was to open gates. He did not know that I am an author or that our retreat house is named The Open Gate.
A new development. Each day Scot Brennan and I are invited to lead one hour workshops on Celtic Spirituality and Villages of God. The venue is the café and bookshop. We have a merciful God. Scot begins the series. He says something like this: 'The greatest move of God in Scotland's history was led by Celtic apostles. Since then we have forgotten foundational truths about daily prayer rhythms and regular retreats, commitment to justice and unity, Spirit -led creation and culture friendly faith, organic faith communities (villages of God) led by spiritual parents, holistic spirituality that combines devotion, work and partnership with society's leaders.' Scot challenges missional initiatives that bypass the inner work that Jesus did in his forty day desert retreat. In our secular society we find our identity in what we do, in what we have and in what others say about us. Those were Jesus' three temptations. Unless we slay those dragons we become slaves of mission success. The answer is solitude, silence and retreat.
The workshops are well attended and inter-active buzz follows them. The possibility of struggling groups linking up and evolving into villages of God prompts questions and sharing of experiments. Scot concludes the five days by telling about their embryo village of God at Preston Pans. Its Episcopal church invited their money-less culture friendly missional groups to purchase their redundant building. They did. A worship area, meeting room, café, community garden, healing room, church surgery are under way. They asked the local councillor to brief them on the needs of the area. As a result a support programme for people with mental health issues is under way.
A few miles down the road from Largs is West Kilbride, which means Cell of St. Brigid, who is said to have landed there from Ireland. South of Glasgow is East Kilbride, Scotland's sixth largest town. So I tell stories of Saint Brigid and the Holy Spirit. I arrive home for the last day of a retreat led by Sandi Kerner from USA. She asks me to tell retreatants stories of Brigid and the Holy Spirit!
To order MP3's or CD's of each workshop visit www.clangathering.org.uk
