TWO EVENTS NEWLY ANNOUNCED AND WITH FULL DETAILS ON WEBSITE, AND UPDATES AND BRIEF DETAILS OF OTHER EVENTS:

 

Communion Weekend at Othona, 13-15 February 2004

Christian Spirituality for Gay Men

Christian spiritual exploration can be strewn with problems for many gay men. Church homophobia can make it difficult to discuss with fellow Christians the spiritual aspects of sexuality & relationships. Yet the gay scene is not always a safe place to "come out" as interested in Christian spirituality.

The Communion weekend is intended to counter these problems by providing a safe space for gay men with an interest in Christian Spirituality to gather together, talk and share.

For a number of years the Edward Carpenter Community has organised a series of events in which gay men explore and develop their spiritual lives. Whilst some of these events have been generic, with no focus on any specific religion, other events have used ideas from a wide range of Hindu, Buddhist and Shamanistic spiritualities. Communion now continues and extends this tradition by providing a weekend focussed on Christianity.

It is emphasised that this will be an event focussed on spirituality, which may include sexual or gay spirituality. It is not intended as a discussion of the Church politics or homosexual Bishops etc. The event is open to men of all Christian denominations. It is equally open to men of all other faiths, and to men who follow their own individual spiritual path unallied to any particular organisation or teaching. All that is required is a willingness to participate with gentleness and grace, and a desire to share in the exploration of how Christian texts, teachings and rituals may be used in our diverse spiritual journeys.

The event will be held at the Othona Community (details on www.othona-bb.org.uk). This is a small community in Dorset, which, while acknowledging its Christian background, tries to be open to a more inclusive and wider spiritual perspective. The Othona Centre is fully accessible to wheelchair users.

The structure for the weekend is simple, and well tried by the ECC:

• One or two meetings of all participants to get to know each other and hear our stories;
• Workshop and discussion groups offered by participants on topics of interest;
• We make and share meals together;
• Plenty of free time for talk, private reading, country walks, etc.
• There may be various meditations, rituals or liturgies offered in the chapel. The format would be negotiated during the weekend, and depend very much on what participants want to offer.

The weekend will be organised and facilitated by Michael Giddings (The Othona Deputy Warden) and Simon Dawson. There are a maximum of sixteen places available, so if you want to ensure a place you are advised to apply early, as a lot of interest has already been expressed in this event.

Payment. The event will cost £65 per person. Please send a deposit of £20 with your completed booking form (available on website) to Michael Giddings, Othona Community, Coast Road, Burton Bradstock, Dorset DT6 4RN. Phone:- 01308 897130 (leave message) e-mail: michaelg AT othona-bb DOT org DOT uk
(This email address has been disguised to make it more difficult to be picked up by computer programs searching the web for email addresses for spam/junk mail purposes. To use it, change it back into the form something@...)

Simon Dawson (simondsn AT dircon DOT co DOT uk) and Michael Giddings

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Four Winds Weekend, 27 - 29 February 2004

Four Winds centre near Farnham in Surrey

The weekend will follow the "traditional" style of ECC events with opening and closing go-rounds and the offer of base groups and a heart circle. There will be no single theme to the weekend though we would be happy if it had the flavour of a winter retreat. We will be encouraging some people with skills in circle dancing, massage and meditation to come – but just what workshops and activities take place will depend on what the people attending choose at the time. There are a total of 20 places available on the weekend. We will reserve 8 places for people who have not previous been to an ECC event until 15 January 2004.

The centre has comfortable, if basic, accommodation with beds in a mixture of small rooms and dormitories. Our meals will be cooked for us and our domestic chores will be limited to setting and clearing dining tables, stacking the dishwashers and washing up the bigger pots and pans.

The weekend will begin with dinner on Friday evening. Last year the equivalent ECC weekend finished at about 3.30pm on the Sunday afternoon. Please note that this year the weekend will end with the evening meal at 6pm (following a closing go-round in the late afternoon). We expect that people will be leaving the Centre from 7pm onwards. If this will be too late to be travelling home then there will be an option to stay overnight at the Centre for an extra cost of £5. (If anyone takes this option then Ted will stay with you to get you safely tucked up in bed!)

Payment. This event will cost £75 per head to run; please tell us how much you will pay. Staying over Sunday night adds another £5 to the cost. Please make final payment by Friday 30th January 2004.

For more information call Ted on 01252 727323 (10 rings to trigger the ansafone) or e-mail fourwinds AT tedv DOT co DOT uk
(This email address has been disguised to make it more difficult to be picked up by computer programs searching the web for email addresses for spam/junk mail purposes. To use it, change it back into the form something@...)

To book please fill in a booking form (available on website). Further details on booking form.

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SPACES STILL LEFT ON 

Wasdale New Year 2003-2004

Creative Arts Long Weekend 15/16 - April 2004

La Gomera Week 14 -21 May 2004 (date is now confirmed)

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FURTHER DETAILS WILL BE COMING FOR THESE....

 
5-12 June - Healing Spirit, GMW at Laurieston Hall
31 July - 7 August - Traditional GMW at Laurieston Hall
21-28 August - Traditional GMW at High Close
11-18 September - Movement, Meditation and Tai Chi at Laurieston
15-17 October - an ECC weekend at the Four Winds Centre in Surrey