We (aoradh that is) are just home after spending most of the day dismantling a worship/mediation space on Dunoon pier on the theme of Angels, as a celebration of Michaelmas

We used a vacant pavillion building on Dunoon pier- it used to be a bar/disco but has been largely unused for years. We have used it in the past as a 24/7 prayer room, and also as a space for a mediation labyrinth (check this out for more info on the labyrinth- you can get a kit from Proost also…)

It is a lovely liminal space- out above the water, close by the town centre,  with the passing of many feet as the ferries disgorge their passengers. In the daytime, it is bathed in a lovely light, and at night, it becomes a beacon out on the dark waters.

This time we worked with Kimberley Bohan - minister of the local Episcopal church, who brought the idea of Michaelmas to us. As with all of these community things we have done, we wanted to offer a place where people could just come in and encounter God. With no other agendas- no hard sell. Just hospitality and the rest up to the Holy Spirit.

The stations we set up in this space included a community collage, ‘messages’, The story of Raphael, a holy space, and a way of responding using post cards with Angel words.

We hope it was meaningful to people.

SUMMARY OF EVENT

A worship/meditation space celebrating the feast of Michaelmas- feast of Michael and all angels.

A space with stations, and a central curtained off 'Holy space'.

Lots of projections, incense, and muslin curtains to create intimacy and drama.

STATIONS

A craft space, where people were encouraged to use all sorts of craft materials to summarise what they knew about angels.

A 'newspaper', with blank columns, where people wer encouraged to write their own stories about angels.

Messages station, with projected images of radios, telephones, satelites, TV's, semaphore etc, and a suggestion that people spend some time thinking about all the crowded communications that come to them daily, and how they find time to listen for God. Mini scrolls were also presented with little angel messages of love.

Raphael/healing station, with a powerpoint presentation of the story of Raphael, and an invited response in the form of healing words that people could take away with them

transition station, where people were encouraged to prepare themselves for entering Holy space. People listened to some music and instruction on an MP3 player.

Holy space- with soft cushions, and a flaming 'fire stone' to symbolise the presence of God.

Leaving station- where people could respond in three ways- Another 'Newspaper', giving a name to be invited to a meal, or using some prepared postcards, made using a wordle image  of lots of angel related words. The post card could either be to themselves, or to someone else, and people could either take them away, or we left a post box, with the promise that we would post them later.

Here are some photos...