The eve before our flight from Heathrow, Adrian reflected that in the London marathon it can take almost 45 minutes for those at the back to get to the starting line. All our planning, Skype-ing, packing and spreadsheets have been those 45 minutes, and we’re ready to begin. Our journey hereAfter being fed and watered… Continue reading Arriving at the Quaker Intentional Village
Author: Mark Russ
The Purposeful Adventure begins!
It’s only just over a fortnight since school broke up for the summer, but it already feels like a lifetime ago. We’ve spent the last couple of weeks with our families, travelling around England and making the most of the glorious sunshine. We ventured up to Stanage Edge in the Peak District, surrounded by purple… Continue reading The Purposeful Adventure begins!
Searching for intentional community.
Here's my first ever vlog! To kick off our 'purposeful adventure', here's me explaining exactly what we're doing, why we're doing it, and what an intentional community is.
Spiritual Grounding
On Friday I facilitated a session with the new cohort of students on the Young Adult Leadership Programme at the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. This course, now in its third year, aims to support 18-30 year old Quakers in developing the skills and knowledge necessary to take on leadership roles within the Society of Friends.… Continue reading Spiritual Grounding
New Monasticism for Quakers
Our London life is gradually being packed in to boxes. As our long goodbye picks up speed, London recedes into the distance, slipping like sand through our fingers. Amidst the to-do lists, farewell drinks and creeping sadness, I want to crystallise some of the theory that will underpin our explorations over the year. Before we… Continue reading New Monasticism for Quakers
Lessons from a finger-bone lampshade
As a teenager on a family holiday in Rome, I visited the Capuchin Crypt. This series of small cellars is decorated with the bones of several thousand Capuchin friars. Femurs line the walls whilst finger bones adorn the light fittings. One room alone is dedicated to pelvises. My self-righteous 16-year old self was horrified. Not… Continue reading Lessons from a finger-bone lampshade
A Purposeful Adventure – Carrs Lane Lived Community
Planting seeds On Tuesday, whilst visiting a community in Birmingham, I spent several hours digging over a vegetable plot, preparing it for vegetable seeds to be planted. I have a big blister on my thumb and a painfully pink neck to prove it. Every intentional community we’ve visited so far has involved digging and planting, whether… Continue reading A Purposeful Adventure – Carrs Lane Lived Community
A Purposeful Adventure – Windsor Hill Wood
My husband and I have recently returned from visiting Windsor Hill Wood in Somerset. Founded by Tobias Jones and Francesca Lenzi, this community ‘aims to create a peaceful environment where people going through tough or uncertain times can come and reflect on life’. Toby’s book ‘Utopian Dreams’ is what initially inspired our ‘purposeful adventure’, so… Continue reading A Purposeful Adventure – Windsor Hill Wood
God, gays and the floods
Large parts of the UK are currently facing prolonged and extreme weather conditions, including high winds, snow and extensive flooding. In the midst of this, some light relief came last month in the form of David Silvester, a local councillor and member of the much (and rightly) derided UK Independence Party. He claimed that ‘the… Continue reading God, gays and the floods
Marking footsteps
‘Mark my footsteps good my page,tread thou in them boldly. Thou shalt find the winters ragefreeze thy blood less coldly.’My husband and I have just returned from a weekend on the Dorset Jurassic coast, a stretch of coastline in the south of England that is breathtaking in its beauty. We were visiting the Othona Community,… Continue reading Marking footsteps
Jolly Quaker 