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Sustaining the Sacred Centre
This is about encouraging and enabling clergy and lay people to deepen their enjoyment of God, and to recognize God's presence in everyday life.
On this page we will highlight stories from around the diocese that illustrate this aspect of Living Faith. If you would like us to feature an event or initiative your parish if running do let us know.
Heaven in Ordinary
Watch the new Living Faith video.
HEAVEN IN ORDINARY
Sustaining the sacred centre through creativity
Subtitled version available on our channel
Directed By Geoff Moore (Church and Community Video Projects),
Produced by Philip Hind and Sarah Meyrick (Diocese of Oxford Communications)
Twenty things for twenty-ten
There are many different ways of praying. The phrase 'sustaining the sacred centre’ invites us to find, and then nurture, the way of praying that is right for us. It is also about developing the links between the prayers we offer and the lives we lead.
Here are some ideas to try out during 2010.
Prayer Walks
Chequers and Chilterns
Archdeacon Karen Gorham spots a red kite and discovers the history of the Chilterns. Listen below or read more...
Lark Rise...
Judith Harvey reflecting on living in Flora Thompson’s house with the Revd Sally Welch. Listen below or read more...
History in the landscape
Ruth Reavley reflecting on her walk around Burford, Widford and Swinbrook with the Revd Sally Welch. Listen below or read more...
Cookham : Drudgery made divine
Bishop Stephen reflects on his walk around Cookham and his love of the work of the artist Stanley Spencer with the Revd Sally Welch. Read more
The City of Oxford
The Bishop of Oxford leads us on a walk to some of the important places in his life within the city of Oxford. Listen to the talk below or read more...
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Broughton Castle: An English womans' home...
Ben Phillips talks to Lady Saye about life in one of England's finest houses. Listen to the talk below or read more...
Go for a walk: Little, Chalfont, Chenies and Latimer
A reader-submitted walk comprising four of the Chess Valley Churches. Read more...
From the Living Faith video
Sustaining the Sacred Centre - Looking back on 2010
A YEAR OF LIVING FAITH: Sustaining the Sacred Centre
“Remember that Living Faith is an invitation, an offer, an encouragement, intended to help give shape and direction to the church's mission. It's not a requirement or a demand, but a gift, a tool, for a holistic approach to our missional task.”
Bishop John, Diocesan Synod November 2010
During a year focusing onSustaining the Sacred Centre, what has happened? The answer is “lots of things”, including:
- Quiet Days and retreats – including two especially for churchwardens in Bucks
- Courses and events on aspects of prayer in the Vale of White Horse and Wycombe deaneries
- The Living Faith Bible Study course - studied by 330 people in one church alone (St Andrew’s, Oxford)
- One church (Littlemore, Oxford) produced a booklet of readings that have nourished members of the church through the years… another (St Margaret’s, Oxford) a collection of prayers for Lent.
- An Art Course in Lent in Charlbury
- Six Days in Lent – a Bucks initiative to encourage clergy and busy laity took an extra day off in Lent for refreshment and enlivenment
- Training events and sermon courses, new forms of worship and prayer groups
For many churches it's been a case of 'But we do this anyway'. Yes of course, and here's a chance to affirm how important the inner life is, and how there's always more of God to enjoy.
Resources on offer:
- 20 things we might do in 2010 to sustain the sacred centre in the Door
- Prayer: A Simple Guide – nearly 40,000 distributed
- Living Faith Bible Study Guide
- Prayer walks and podcasts
- Heaven in Ordinary: a DVD on creativity in ordinary places
- Spirituality advisers/groups in place across the diocese
- Bishops to lead Quiet Days and courses.
Still to come:
- A mini-theme on pilgrimage in 2011 alongside the “Making Disciples” priority, both locally and further afield.
“Ultimately our spiritual well-being is up to us and God, but itis the heart and soul of our life as Christians, and really deserves the highest priority.”