Week 1 - stay a while

The right name for this Prayer Project only came to me this morning - 'The Station'. A place to rest, to wait a while for whatever will move us on to the next phase. A place where refreshment (for the soul) is available.

Using the vestry at the Church for this project was a concern, is it a Sacred Space and therefore inaccessible to those to whom church is unfamiliar? Andy Freeman in  his book Punk Monk says, 'isn't God omnipresent. Doesn't "sacred space" sound a bit New Age?' The idea of a Sacred or Holy place is nothing new, returning to Punk Monk, Andy Freeman says that 'places can be special for their familiarity .... their peace or the memories we've created there.' The vestry is a spill over area for the Quench cafe when the Hall is full so is familiar to many.

Probably about 12 - 15 people went into 'The Station', most of them for a quick look, others to actually participate in one or more of the three prayer stations. A number of people with Learning Difficulties seemed to really interact with the activities. In the short feedback form I placed on each table, someone commented on how therapeutic it was to be able to roll Play Dough and to create something which made them think of God's creation.

The Celts called the holy places of prayer a 'thin place', a place where heaven and earth is more closely connected. Could 'The Station' eventually become a thin place, its sacredness being embraced rather than shunned? Could 'The Station' meet a need for those who attend that has never been met before?