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One
of the Chaplaincy’s major concerns is to share its
experience and insights with parishes and other groups.
It engages in a wide variety of activities to do this. Examples
include:
A
Mass for St Cuthbert of Durham
A Service of Light and the Word
Adult education projects
Art in Northern Churches
Calligraphy and Prayer
Commissions
Creativity Days
Exploring the Lord’s Prayer
Give us today our
daily bread
Performances
Poems at the Palace
Prayer and Meditation
School Assemblies
Study groups
Retreats for calligraphers on Holy
Island
St. Mary’s Church in Lowgate
Ministry of Welcome to Visitors
Education projects
Exhibitions
Diocesan Advisory Committees
A Mass for St Cuthbert of Durham
The Chaplaincy commissioned this setting for the Common
Worship Communion Service from composer Wilfred Josephs.
The emphasis is on melody. It is flexible - being suited
to accompaniment by organ, piano, jazz or string group.
Recorded examples of these varied approaches and a CD and
score of the whole setting are available to choirs wishing
to explore its possibilities.
For
further information contact Bill
Hal
A
Service of Light and the Word
This has been developed around a lettered glass candlestand,
originally commissioned by the Chaplaincy for use in worship
on calligraphy retreats (see below). The service is offered
in conjunction with a slide talk, which describes these
retreats and explores aspects of human creativity.
For
further information contact Robert
Cooper
Adult education projects
The Chaplaincy was closely involved in the development
of the Bishop’s Faith and Life Course in Durham Diocese
and in Darlington Deanery’s 2000 MINUTES programme.
The Chaplaincy’s approach to Christian education is
characterized by the belief that learning and growth come
about through engaging the whole person - not just the mind.
The physical experience of moulding clay, for example, affirms
the value of the material. Engaging the imagination also
offers an alternative to word/mind based learning. Symbols
speak to a deeper level within — "things too deep
for words".
For
further information contact Robert
Cooper
Art in Northern Churches
This occasional project has been running since the late
1960’s. Challenging contemporary work (including painting,
sculpture and photography) is placed in churches for a long
enough period for local people to get to know it. Dialogue
with the artists is part and parcel of the project, enabling
insight into the creative process. Instead of merely using
the arts to illustrate accepted Christian truths, Art
in Northern Churches helps people to engage with the
arts in their own right in a shared exploration.
For
further information contact Bill
Hall
Calligraphy and Prayer
For beginners or the experienced alike - an introduction
to using calligraphy as a way of focusing one’s response
to the word of God. A day of "active meditation".
For
further information contact Robert
Cooper
Commissions
Advice is offered to parishes and other groups about
the process of commissioning a work of art and how to identify
appropriate artists to carry out such work.
For
further information contact
Bill Hall
Creativity Days
The chaplains draw on their own creative gifts, and
those of colleagues, to enable people from churches and
other groups to discover and reflect on their creative gifts.
Media used include stained glass (simulation), calligraphy,
watercolours, clay, collage, poetry, egg painting, creative
writing and photography. Such days highlight the centrality
both of beauty and of play in Christian theology. (Jesus
said, "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
like a child shall never enter it"!). Workshops are
designed to affirm people’s creativity, especially
those who feel they lack creative gifts. ("The artist
is not a special kind of person, but every person is a special
kind of artist.") Participants come to recognize that
our lives about making "something beautiful for God".
For
further information contact Robert
Cooper
Exploring the Lord’s Prayer
105 page resource pack for a parish project on the Lord’s
Prayer. Includes theological notes, outlines for creative
workshops, plus material for Sunday worship including calligraphic
meditation cards, hymn and prayer suggestions and school
assemblies.
For
further information contact Robert
Cooper
Give us today our daily bread —
a breadmaking meditation.
The making and sharing of a loaf is used to explore the
experience of God in the everyday and to make links with
Celtic spirituality. (Further details below)
For
further information contact Robert
Cooper
Performances
The Chaplaincy occasionally helps to organize performances
in churches and other venues. Examples include the work
of dancer Peri Aston and Peter Whitbread’s dramatic
monologue about St Peter I was there.
For
further information contact Francis Minay, The Rectory,
Bolton Percy, York, YO23 7AL
Poems at the Palace
A well-established programme in which participants engage
with each other’s favourite poets and explore their
insights into life and faith.
For
further information contact Francis Minay, The Rectory,
Bolton Percy, York, YO23 7AL
Prayer and Meditation
Using paintings (secular and religious) as a way into
contemplative prayer.
For
further information contact Robert
Cooper
School Assemblies
Ideas for enabling children to encounter truth through
paintings.
For
further information contact Robert
Cooper
Study groups
Exploring the work of writers such as Charles Williams
and T. S. Eliot. Exploring different understandings and
experience of Jesus through paintings.
For
further information contact Francis Minay, The Rectory,
Bolton Percy, York, YO23 7AL
Retreats for calligraphers on Holy Island
By drawing on the contemporary setting of the community
and landscape of Holy Island and the historic context of
the island’s monastic past and the making of the Lindisfarne
Gospels, experienced calligraphers are enabled to explore
what motivates them in their work. (Further details below).
A
paper (also reprinted as a chapter of Christ is the Morning
Star, ed Burton and Whitehead, Veritas, 1999) explores these
issues in greater depth. It does so from the point-of-view
of an Anglican Reader, but is applicable in the wider context.
For
further information contact Robert
Cooper
St. Mary’s Church in Lowgate
St. Mary’s Church in Lowgate, at the heart of the
Old City of Kingston upon Hull, remains the spiritual heart
for artists in the City and for the East Riding of Yorkshire.
As parish priest, the chaplain has access to this sacred
space, not only for worship, but also for staging live musical
and dramatic performances and providing room for exhibitions.
Both aspiring and accomplished artists are welcomed. Good
relations with the Cultural and Learning services of the
City Council politically affirms the role of the Chaplaincy
and the vitality of offering a Christian response to the
whole creative process.
The
city of Hull has not only a vibrant cultural life with established
theatres, galleries and museums but also hosts a whole range
of fringe poetry, fine art, musical and drama groups. The
chaplain is made very welcome, not only in a pastoral capacity
but also in organisational and educational roles - the phrase,
‘thank you for looking after us’ often comes up.
The
uniqueness of inner city ministry and the privilege of being
widely accepted by the ‘creative community’ give
the work vast scope, depth, movement, and colour.
The
Church is also very affirming, as the chaplain is accepted
as part of the archdeaconry mission team and on the advisory
group to the Bishop of Hull.
One
of the chaplain’s major passions is to make the creative
process more universally accepted and accessible. One ongoing
project is the work with the human rights group ‘ATD-4th
World’. This is a universal organisation working alongside
the very poorest of people. Workshops have become very significant
based on the philosophy of ‘empowerment though art’.
Through the networking, we are able to offer the services
of experienced artists willing to act
as facilitators.
For
further information contact Paul
Burkitt
Ministry of Welcome to Visitors
The Chaplaincy shares in co-ordinating work amongst
churches in the dioceses of Durham and Newcastle that wish
to develop their welcome to tourists and general visitors.
The group’s aims are:
- to
explore theological ideas such as the holy place and pilgrimage
- to
share ideas for imaginative communication of Christian
faith through displays, web sites and guide books
- to
improve the welcome offered to young people, including
school groups
- to
develop a strategy of good practice in the ministry of
welcome, including that offered to people with disabilities
- to
offer opportunities to visit a variety of churches to
see and hear how they offer a welcome
- to
advertise local or regional church tourism initiatives
- to
encourage links with regional tourism agencies and national
church tourism bodies
- to
promote mutual encouragement at parish level and the sharing
of knowledge and skills with those churches which are
beginning to develop this work
As
part of this work, one of the Chaplaincy team became a member
of the Steering Group of the Christian Heritage of Northumbria
project. Funded largely by the Heritage Lottery Fund and
the Millennium Festival Fund, this project aimed to increase
visitor numbers to churches in the Northumbria Tourist Board
region and appreciation of the region’s outstanding
spiritual heritage. To this end high quality publicity material
including a map guide and themed church trail leaflets were
produced, to which the chaplain contributed research, copy
and photography. A series of workshops also involved many
local people across the region. An impressive web site was
another outcome of the project. (See Links)
For
further information contact
Robert Cooper
Education projects
Over the years, the Chaplaincy has acted as a resource to
many educational projects, bringing its experience and understanding
of creativity to the learning process. Examples of this
are:
Church
Schools’ Week in York Minster. Chaplains supported
the work of the Centre for Schools’ Visits by organising
demonstrations of calligraphy and the making of stained
glass, and by leading meditations.
2000
Minutes. This ecumenical project encouraged Christians
in the Darlington area to give 2000 minutes to study,
worship and fellowship during the Millennium Year. As
a member of the Steering Group, one of the Chaplaincy
team was jointly responsible for a programme of workshops
that used creative activities to explore theological themes.
For
further information contact Francis Minay, The Rectory,
Bolton Percy, York, YO23 7AL
Exhibitions
The
Yorkshire Church on Show. For many years one of the
Chaplaincy team has chaired the group that produces the
exhibition in the Church Tent at the Great Yorkshire Show.
This involves not only selecting and developing a theme,
but the design and fabrication of the exhibition.
Cuddy’s
Fair. Cuddy’s Fair was Darlington Deanery’s
contribution to the millennium celebrations of Durham
Diocese. An exhibition, publicity and links with Durham
Theatre Company backed up this ambitious community outdoor
performance project.
For
further information contact Francis Minay, The Rectory,
Bolton Percy, York, YO23 7AL
Diocesan Advisory Committees
A Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches
(DAC) serves each diocese of the Church of England. The
Chaplaincy has supported the work of the DAC’s in York
and Durham, offering advice particularly on stained glass,
the placement of works of art or the commissioning of new
ones.
For
further information contact Francis Minay, The Rectory,
Bolton Percy, York, YO23 7AL
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