Tim Abbott

Sanctum at Colchester Royal Grammar School - Wednesday

Fewer numbers; greater depth. We're contiuing to see students engaging seriously with Sanctum in lessons and, in answer to our prayers, numbers at break and lunch time have consistently been 8-10. In amongst the deep conversations about life and faith there's also been loads of humour. Yesterday one boy wrote on the Big Question activity; "Why did you make me so damn sexy?!" which turned into a discussion with his mates responding in terms of how God made us and how he sees all of us.

Today I chatted with Alan over the 'character' activity. He'd chosen as his top three attributes, "Love", "Joy", and "Strength". Alan saw strength as something that's more than just physical but also mental which led on to a conversation about whether it's possible to have spiritual strength. His conclusion was that he really hoped to have a strong faith as he grew up.

Later Stu, a Year 13 who has only one A level exam left, came in during a year 8 lesson simply to spend time at the prayer wall leaving a prayer for a friend who's going through a difficult time.

We've also had some of the secretarial staff popping in and taking part. With two days still to go I'm excited to see how this week concludes. If there's one thing that's proved true, it's all about the individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

(Names have been changed)

Sanctum at Colchester Royal Grammar School - Monday

The summer season of Sanctum kicked off on Monday at Colchester Royal Grammar School, our third annual visit here.

A few weeks ago we prayed about this visit of Sanctum. Although we probably shouldn't be surprised by these things, all three of us felt God was saying exactly the same thing about our approach this time, "It's not about the numbers." This has two practical implications. The first is that we've chosen activities that have a particularly personal application. The second is that we're limiting the maximum number in the room at break and lunch times to 10 and not recording the number of students visiting.

As a result there's a very different feel to the room. People have really engaged with it and we've already had some good conversations with quite a few students. One of the surprise successes, in terms of activities that young people report to be meaningful and helpful, is the prayer beads. Take a glass bead, hold it as you pray, then add it to others in a bowl.

Three reasons why you must guard your heart

This morning I was particularly inspired by this blog from Michael Hyatt on Three reasons why you must guard your heart, based on King Solomon's words, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23)

Young people being sorry

Back from an Easter break and the work of writing up the responses from the recent Sanctum prayer space continues, this time working our way through the responses to the "Sorry" activity.  Among the many general but no doubt honest expressions of sorrow were a few that spoke powerfully of young people trying to come to terms with heartbreaking situations. This one, in particular, had a profound impact on us as a team and on school staff.

"I’m sorry for not spending time with you Mum. Sorry Dad if I doubted you. I feel you two should get along better. I’m sorry for judging you both. I’m sorry for getting angry with you when you both needed me most. I’m sorry for loving you and then disowning you. I’m sorry."

How do we help this young person and their family? Can we? How shall we pray?

Young people being thankful

One of the joys of running Sanctum, once we get around to it, is writing up all the responses from the young people for each of the different activities.

A couple of days ago I was typing up the responses to the "Thankful" activity, where students write a few words on a post it note about the things they're thankful for. Among the 400 or so post-its there was an overwhelming number saying "friends and family" or variations thereof including quite a few expressing gratitude for grandparents. Then there were the others, not just for pets, football or x-boxes, but inspiring, honest and hearfelt mini prayers of thanks. Here are some of them.

• God for creating the beauty of the world
• for having that one friend who makes me feel wanted
• I am thankful for you in my life. You are well nice and proper thoughtful
• I am thankful that I have food, water and a roof over my head. Also that my family love me
• to be unique and to be a twin
• I am thankful that the 5 year release time is coming up for my sister since she had leukaemia
• I’m thankful for everything, even the bad. Thank you for letting me live
• that I’m not in somewhere like Haiti or anything and that I’m not poor
• I am thankful for my mum who made meI have life and I’m glad it’s how I want it to be
• I am thankful for my amazing life family pets and friends
• I’m grateful for having all the people I love most around me
• I am thankful for nature and all good things
• memory and forgiveness
• God for creating us

Being Human. Human Being - Tom Haward

Former colleague and friend-whom-I-should-meet-far-more-often, Tom Haward, has been reflecting on identity in a series of raw, provocative, and brtually honest posts. Tom writes remarkable prose, exploring the light and the darkness of our search for identity, viewed sharply and passionately from within yet free of morbidity or self pity.

His latest looks at unconditional love. I don't care about the mistakes you've made...

Sanctum at Thurstable - Wed, Thu, Fri

Our week running Sanctum at Thurstable School in Tiptree has been a very 'full' experience in all sorts of ways with over 500 students visiting, some returning a couple of times.

Classes have ranged from chatty to silent and from totally engaged to permanently distracted in almost every combination! But we've had no real issues with behaviour beyond a few inappropriate posts on the Sorry activity and the Prayer Wall which we quickly, and subtly, removed. On one ocasion I was standing with a group of Year 9 boys who had posted some very disrespectful 'prayers' on the prayer wall and while they were still there I was able to so discreetly remove them that one lad was totally confused when he tried to show his mate his 'prayers', as they'd disappeared! Early on in the week we had one of our mp3 players stolen (it was at the activity when they finished but not when they left). The staff were outstanding in following this up immediately with this class, though the mp3 player was never found.

We've been blessed with great support from local church leaders and friends who have been warm and welcoming to the young people as well as getting totally stuck into running some of the activities. One of the new ones which has worked so well is what we call "Character". Students choose two character cards from a face down set which they then turn over one at a time as a discussion starter about how their life is and how they'd like to develop. (e.g. Joy, Kindness, Strength, Responsibility...) Time and again students turned up a card that exactly matched their situation resulting in a conversation that brought insight and clarity to them.

My colleague Amy and I watched one girl leaving the Identity activity with the biggest smile you've ever seen on her face, declaring that it was "really good!" "Really good" doesn't begin to describe the boost to her confidence the activity had inspired - you had to see that smile.

We've had the usual crop of heartbreaking glimpses of tragic home lives and relationships through the Sorry activity (the example below continues on the other side) and the Prayer Wall. And it was wonderful to see Japan literally covered in prayer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was talking to a group of girls at the Prayer Wall when one of them showed me her prayer, for her dad who has arthritis and is in constant pain. I'd love to have prayed with her for her dad there and then, but this wouldn't have been appropriate. Instead I said to her, "In that case my prayer is that your prayer will be answered." She seemed incredibly grateful.

 

 

There have also been some wonderful thank you's posted on the very overcrowded "thankful" activity.

The response from staff, in particular the senior staff, has been wonderful, not least because Sanctum has followed immediately after the Beloved course here this term. Inevitably conversation turns to other ways we could be involved, bringing into the life of the school and its students the blend of therapeutc benefit and spiritual development that Sanctum embodies in a more regular and sustainable way. As ever, I have a mixture of new insights and unanswered questions about how we continue to develop Sanctum. However, after what I thought might be a difficult week turned out to be glorious, I'm looking forward to the next three in the summer term.

If you're interested in running something like Sanctum, check out Prayer Spaces in Schools

Sanctum at Thurstable - Mon & Tues

This week we're in Thurstable School, Tiptree running Sanctum there for the second year. This is our thirteenth Sanctum which you'd think would mean we've got it pretty much sussed by now...

We're back in the same room that we had last year, a former Youth Club that's part of the school site next to the dining room and which would normally be the Year 7 break and lunchtime area (more on this later!) We've decided to go for fewer activities, just nine, but to put more effort into theming the room. This has included suspending netting from the ceiling using magnets to hold it to the light fittings. Improvisation is definitely a key skill for a Prayer Space in School practitioner! We've also added our own lighting which has helped transform the space into a much softer venue, including curios like the orange ribbon and battery led lights in the glass bowl shown above.

Our timetable is pretty intense. From Monday breaktime to Friday lunchtime we have just two lessons off and given that we're open to visitors at break and lunchtime this makes for a long day. In compensation the Thurstable school lunches (which are being provided for us) must rate as some of the best in the country as they employ their own chef and source most of their ingredients locally.

One thing we're struggling with this time is the slightly 'hyper' behaviour of the Year 7's, many of whom seem to think the aim is to get round all the activities as quickly as possible but then run out of things to do and struggle to work out what it is they've just done. One issue is that this being their break time social space  they're used to letting off steam here and though our theming of the venue often produces "wow" comments it's still a space they feel they own. We're managing break and lunchtime numbers very tightly, a maximum of 15 at any time, which seems to be controlling the randomness and noise and allowing those in Sanctum to engage with it appropriately. Lessons are being handled by splitting groups into 2 and having half visit for each half of the lesson. Having 30 students in at once for an hour would be a fascinating social/educational experiement but I fear for what would happen and whether they'd get anything meaningful from the experience.

The Year 8's and Year 9's, on the other hand, have been amazing. Both groups remember last year very positively and are delighted to be back and to try the new activities. Some comment that they miss the 'quiet tent' with the bean bags, but we decided, for the first time in 12 Sanctum's, to leave this out as last year it had been a constant source of noise and crowd control issues. Instead we're encouraging them to see the whole room as a quiet space which many seem to be able to connect with.

Feedback from classes post-visit is coming in and is proving to be very positive. Once again the "Forgiveness" activity is coming up as the most popular and most helpful, followed by the Identity activity. Being forgiven and knowing how God sees you. Could you come away having discovered anything better?

Prayer Spaces in Schools workshop - Bristol

A couple of Saturdays ago I was in Bristol leading a one day workshop on running Prayer Spaces in Schools. Also on the team was Catherine, from Oxford, Joe from Gloucester and Jo from Cheddar. We each told a few stories about prayer spaces we've run which illustrated the variety of approaches possible. I love the thematic approach thet Joe takes with the prayer spaces he runs, diving deep into gospel stories as a source of inspiration for prayer activities. (photo - Joe sharing news from Gloucester)

We had an amazing buch of youth and schools workers taking part and towards the end we challenged them to look at how they might put all this into practice. As a result we identified about 5 groups that were planning to run a Prayer Space in their school and were keen to make a start! The range of people and resources available in Bristol along with the excellent networking that's taking place (and which brought people together for the day) bodes well for the future. If they do go for it I can easily see Bristol becoming a regional hub for Prayer Spaces in Schools. My thanks to Jane and Lorna for their warm welcome and spplendid organisation and to Catherine, Joe and Jo all of whom contributed stories and wisdom in abundance.

Joe's posted his own thoughts about the day here.

Tomorrow and Wednesday I'm in Oxford working again with Catherine to run a two day workshop for CYM/Oxford Youth Works on setting up and running Prayer Spaces.

Prayer Spaces in Schools workshops

Prayer Spaces in Schools, Scotland, launched last weekend at the St. Mirren Football Club. About 60 youth schools, Alpha and SU workers enjoyed the surroundings of the Director's suite, hosted by Debbie Meehan, leader of 24-7 Prayer in Scotland. I was there with Phil and Catherine from the Prayer Spaces in Schools team to share some stories, offer practical wisdom and run a demo of some of the activities that we've used in a school prayer space.

Compared to the normal car load of resources we cart around, I managed to take 9 prayer stations in a suitcase on the plane, though Debbie did provide a bowl, stones, trays and sand. The idea of developing a "Prayer Room in a Suitcase" is very tempting! It proved to be a brilliant and inspiring day. There is a real buzz of mission activity in Scotland led by some very talented, creative and Godly people.

 

This Saturday, 5th, I'm off to Oxford to take part in the "Transform" one day event for Christians in Education in Oxford where I'll be helping to run a seminar on Prayer Spaces in Schools. More details here.

 

Then on Saturday 12th I'm leading a half day training event in Bristol for youth & children's workers, local church volunteers, and teachers. I'll be working with school prayer space practitioners Catherine, from Oxford, Joe from Gloucester and Jo from Cheddar so there will be loads of stories, examples and wisdom to draw on and I'm really looking forward to meeting up with lots of people and the whole experience of learning from one another. It's from 10 - 1:15 at Woodlands Church. For more info download the flyer (pdf)