Dear Friends,
Recently we hosted a workshop carousel day on the inner and outer dimensions of peacemaking. This was the last event in our two-year programme exploring what it means to live Faith and Moral Courage in our times. About 60 participants were divided into three smaller groups. Each group travelled through a circuit of workshops, all running concurrently in different parts of the venue. We were open about positioning some of the most difficult topics of our moment—community tensions caused by the war in the Middle East, polarisation around sensitive issues like borders and immigration—and exploring what it really means to act as peacemakers in the face of such painfully divisive issues. It was a full, interactive day, rich with people’s varied experiences of working at the forefront of interfaith and conflict, with all of the tenderness, weariness, hope and doubt that this can bring. It goes without saying that there were many perspectives on what peacemaking means in these varied contexts, and a healthy amount of disagreement and creative tension.
In our Bedouin tent we hosted a Jewish and a Muslim leader from Solutions Not Sides, who spoke candidly about the challenges of working together since 7th October last year. An education charity that brings Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers together to speak about their work, Solutions Not Sides has unsurprisingly seen a huge surge in demand for its offerings over the last year. At the same time (and for the same reasons) it’s become much harder to position conversations amongst those who disagree about this issue. I was intrigued to learn about how they navigate these tensions, both with student groups, and also amongst their own team: ‘We may disagree about the history, we may disagree about what’s going on at present, but we can agree about the future we want to work towards.’ This comment really stayed with me and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I’ve heard from many people in the UK interfaith world over the past year, who are grieving the loss of institutional structures for inter-religious encounters. Many people say they’ve never seen a worse period for interfaith relations in the UK. Some who’ve spent years working in interfaith have stepped away. It’s too fraught, the fault lines are too volatile, and the danger of personal blowback is too great.
I was so inspired by how courageous our workshop leaders were, to step into this difficult space and invite dialogue. It was a reminder of how the first task of a peacemaker is to hold up a light of hope that there is a destination beyond conflict. Even when so many people despair of that possibility, somewhere there need to be visionaries and dreamers, who hold the flame of hope alive. It’s the particular leap of faith that a peacemaker offers in a dark time: the hope that we can travel through conflict to the other side. It takes courage to stand up and offer this vision. To do this together, even in small and local contexts, makes a difference. As John Paul Lederach writes in his recent book The Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War, ‘every small act to heal our tattered social fabric matters.’ It’s a message he wrote for exactly this American moment (and for those on both sides of the political aisle who long for a path to social healing beyond this election cycle, Lederach’s book offers some practical ideas). And, in its own way, I hope our Peacework Carousel Day was one such small act of social healing. It was a profound moment on which to bring the events in our Faith and Moral Courage series to a close.
At a recent contemplative practice gathering I was delighted to meet Rev. William Taylor who helped run an early programme at St Ethelburga’s on scriptural reasoning, and he later shared this short film with me about the sessions he hosted. I was heartened to see this reminder of the early roots of St Ethelburga’s interfaith work. Do have a look; it’s a lovely glimpse into one of the early programmes at St Ethelburga’s, a work that carries on now in our monthly Contemplative practice event, which also invites interfaith spiritual reflection, only now through the sharing of diverse silent prayer practices. This month’s Contemplative practice will celebrate Inter faith week. After our usual practice of contemplative silence, we’ll be offering a simple, warm meal to share and some lightly facilitated conversation uplifting the value of interfaith encounter - do please join us! Find out more here.
On 16th November, join us for an inspiring evening with a remarkable and resilient humanitarian, Bruna Kadletz, exploring themes of spiritual humanitarianism, inner awareness, and outer change. Read about Bruna’s work in this blog.
Mark your calendar for 3rd December for the final Listen to the World performance of the year. Don’t miss the London Moldovan Singers, a remarkable choir that brings centuries-old choral traditions to life, blending sacred church singing with folk choral singing.
We’re also excited to invite you to our Festive Open Day on 10th December! Drop by anytime between 2-5 pm to explore our historic space, take an optional audio tour of our rich history, and connect with friends old and new. Later that evening, we’ll hold our last Contemplative practice of the year—everyone is welcome to join this peaceful gathering.
Scroll down to learn about St Ethelburga’s first Sofar Sounds performance—and find an exclusive promo code just for our community!
With warmest wishes from
Clare Martin
and the rest of the St Ethelburga’s team