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Issue 1: Exploring Holy Ground Issue 1: Exploring Holy Ground traditional congregation. They have now begun a second meeting in term time at 4.30pm.3 by George Lings – Transcendence is a collaboration between Visions, an alternative worship community and Research Unit Leader York Minster. It meets on the third Sunday, alternating Mass and Compline. Holy Ground describes itself as alternative and creative worship at Exeter Cathedral. It uses It seemed time to reflect on at least one various locations within that sacred space, cathedral example. meeting once a month on the second Sunday. It runs from 7.00-9.00pm containing at least three separate elements, linked by a theme. In the days of Encounters on the Edge, the quarterly booklet from Church Army’s Research Unit, our team always tried to have an eye for further additional ways that fresh expressions of church were appearing within the overall mixed economy (parish and fresh expressions existing alongside each other). We thought they could grow in many contexts so were not surprised but pleased to hear of those starting from cathedrals. Our research into the idea of the ‘seven sacred spaces’ and how cathedrals embody nearly all of them, made us suspect that these were venues that offered more The background options and possibilities.1 The most obvious feature is Exeter Cathedral itself. Parts of the present building date back to We had heard of FEIG in Gloucester Cathedral, 1122 and are Norman. Major further work in the begun in 2006 by Michael Volland and now led Gothic style was undertaken in the 13th and 14th by Revd Stephen Clarke. This group talks of itself centuries. It is said to have the longest vaulted as an Anglican church and meets twice a ceiling in Europe. Sited on a spacious, open month in the chapter house from 4.30-6.00pm as cathedral green, that used to be its historic well as fortnightly in homes round the city.2 burial yard, it has a most imposing western front. With proper pride and innate mission awareness For a few years I have also been accompanying the new Dean, Jonathan Draper, writes on the Zone 2 in, or should I say under, Liverpool website: Cathedral, founded by Canon Richard White and meeting in the crypt, café-style weekly at Welcome to Exeter Cathedral, one of the 10.30am, the same time as the upstairs great cathedrals of England and one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture 1 See Encounters on the Edge no. 43 to explore Cell, anywhere… Iconic and beautiful as it is, Chapel, Chapter, Cloister, Garden, Refectory and the cathedral is not a museum. Though we Scriptorium. www.encountersontheedge.org.uk 2 www.feig.org.uk FEIG – pronounced ‘feeg’ - stands 3 www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/worship/zone2-all- for Fresh Expression In Gloucester. age-cafe-style-worship.aspx are stewards of a significant part of the coordinator, the costs of vergers and ongoing heritage of Exeter, we are most discipleship training for a team of volunteers to importantly a living community of faith, run what was to be called Nightchurch. The working to ensure that everyone who costs of the part-time role of the Canon Missioner walks through the doors is inspired, and use of the cathedral one night a week were engaged and moved by their experience. covered by the cathedral itself. The official cathedral leaflet echoes this From 2006 it met on a Friday night with a variety combination of factors; it unpacks the of aims, all of which separately were attractions of a holy space to feed a spiritual commendable: to diversify what the cathedral journey, explains the memorable architecture offered in styles of worship, to engage with the that immediately brings to mind a sense of awe ‘missing generations’ (that is, the 20-40 bracket), and wonder, promotes the quality traditional but also to be inclusive and welcoming to all, to choral music and offers thoughtful presentation provide a placement contributing to the course of the heart of what Christians believe and how in discipleship for the annual volunteer group of this is reflected in the cathedral’s layout and 8-15 people acting as helpers, and aiming to be features. It includes Holy Ground among its list of a self-supporting congregation of the cathedral services. within three years, thus embodying the mixed economy. The prototype? At its height, more than 100 people were Mark Rylands was the previous Canon Missioner attending from a wide range of backgrounds: and in 2005 wrote a dissertation, as part of his people out in Exeter for the evening, students, Cliff College MA, entitled Mission-shaped visitors to Exeter, the homeless, existing Christians Cathedral, against the backdrop of the thinking from both the cathedral and other Exeter suggested in Mission-shaped Church. It traces churches, and thus people at very different stages throughout the centuries of the changing stages of a faith journey and across the significance of cathedrals. It explores their ecumenical spectrum. Mark became Bishop of various roles: education with school visitors, a Shrewsbury in the autumn of 2009 and his cultural contribution to national heritage, the successor Canon Anna Norman-Walker, a priest extent to which they depend economically on in the diocese, began work in October 2010. visitors, their specific choral excellence and what they may offer in forms of attractional evangelism (expecting people to come to us Anna Norman-Walker rather than the church meeting them in their Anna grew up the context).4 daughter of a Royal Marines Commando At the end he includes diary entries of a summer officer, who as a result monthly event, with presentations and moved home installations, called Life on the Beach, picking up frequently. She learnt that the local council saw the cathedral green with so many homes as a kind of civic inland beach. It proved of and schools how to interest but too dependent on good weather to quickly assess both be reliable and sustainable. He noted too how in people and situations. 2004 events badged as ‘prayer stations in the By temperament she is cathedral’ failed to draw Christians from the naturally strategic and diocese but were considerably used by the decisive, goal orientated yet people sensitive. A unsuspecting visitors. All this led to exploration of natural leader who warmly persuades others starting something regular within the cathedral. and also an evangelist, she had come to He applied for three year grants from a charity ordination from a background in nursing and as linked to the cathedral, St Luke’s College a working mother of three. She had trained at St Foundation, and to the diocesan mission and John’s Nottingham with its evangelical heritage ministry fund, in order to pay for a part-time and yet learnt to value other traditions. In her curacy she saw how the attendance of consumerist Christians can both exhaust parish 4 Readers can read or download this document via clergy and wreck exploratory and creative work the section on our website called SCOLER in which with non-Christians. As a priest-in-charge she had we hold versions of M level and PhD theses related established a fresh expression of Church in rural to evangelism and fresh expressions of Church: Willand, using a Radio 2-style of worship for the www.churcharmy.org.uk/scoler 2 whole family, running in parallel with an them out and the obvious lack of progress otherwise traditional service. discourages them. By the time she arrived, Nightchurch was Anna looks back on Nightchurch as a prototype struggling for numbers but she persevered with from which to learn what worked and what did what she had inherited and evaluated what she not. Other lessons to avoid were that by meeting saw. By Easter 2011 she presented a paper on a Friday, usually in the nave, it was vulnerable analysing the difficulties. At root it was trying to to being trumped by other revenue earning one- do too many things, for people at too many off events at the cathedral, like a concert. Its life stages, and with too few resources. It was had also been more disconnected from the rest modelling cathedral-style inclusivity, thus trying of the cathedral than was healthy. So the to offer hospitality to an unconnected set of genesis of Holy Ground deliberately involved people groups. It was also frequently providing other cathedral canons, such as Andrew creative worship, being a base for groups Godsall, responsible for clergy and adult concerned for social justice and trying to make education, and Carl Turner, the precentor. At his disciples among those who came. Although by interview, the new dean Jonathan Draper made then however, most of the 15 still left who came very clear that he saw Holy Ground as an belonged to churches elsewhere. So integral yet distinct part of the mission and life of Nightchurch was brought to an end as covering the cathedral. In his previous diocese he had too varied a clientele, although the official view seen such events almost parachute into the was that Nightchurch dissolved into Holy Ground cathedral with a show and neither be deeply and indeed the monies from trusts that was not welcomed nor engaged with its overall life. yet spent was used to cover Holy Ground’s set- Positively a precedent had been set, monies up costs. had been given, alternative worship approaches had been tried and appreciated, a social justice element was enduring, the space Consumerist Christians can both had proved flexible. exhaust parish clergy and wreck Holy Ground – what changed and what exploratory and creative work with non-Christians.
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