Dear Sanctus,
Hold firm to your calling in Christ, listen to God and to God in the world and grow, deepen and flourish. Nurture also the roots of your faith and be refreshed and renewed in justice, mercy and above all in love.
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Keep going. Push the boundaries. Do not be afraid of change - embrace it. Then you will see things in a new light...
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Abundant love and deepening knowledge - sounds like Sanctus1! With the humility to know that full insight is not going to happen in this lifetime! Sanctus1 is one of the things (if a group of incredible diverse human beings can be called a thing!) I will miss most when I eventually leave. I love and am loved much here and can't now think of a life without having known you - how weird after not much more than a year. Grounded, rooted, real people striving to love God and neighbour, with brains but no time for empty debate/ hot air.
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To Sanctus community,
Think about what it is you value and how this is happening.
Remember your fragility and we're only as strong as the people taking time to hold it together.
Can you give more?
Are you inspired to share?
Be a part of the story and join in the shape of the future.
More Dear Sanctus1...
Always ask questions, search for answers, discover new ways of worship, praise, love, keep the flame of curiosity alive. Maintain this wonderful community of adventurers on a journey of discovery, together we can learn so much. x
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Dear Sanctus1,
Have confidence. Stride this earth, not in your own power or authority, as you have none. But in the name of Christ, bless this world with your love of God, and his love for our world.
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You are on an exciting journey. Keep going. Keep an open mind but don't lose sight of what you are about. May you bring belssing and discovery to your lives and those of people around you.
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Dear Sanctus1,
A collection of lights. Hold onto truth. Hold onto beauty. Hold onto joy and just be. In who you are, in where you are, in waht you are. GOD IS. I AM. He sees, watches and smiles. In you He is well pleased. :-)
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Dear Sanctus1,
Have confidence. Stride this earth, not in your own power or authority, as you have none. But in the name of Christ, bless this world with your love of God, and his love for our world.
+
You are on an exciting journey. Keep going. Keep an open mind but don't lose sight of what you are about. May you bring belssing and discovery to your lives and those of people around you.
+
Dear Sanctus1,
A collection of lights. Hold onto truth. Hold onto beauty. Hold onto joy and just be. In who you are, in where you are, in waht you are. GOD IS. I AM. He sees, watches and smiles. In you He is well pleased. :-)
More Dear Sanctus1...
Dear Sanctus1,
Look how far you've come. Sometimes it has felt like marching, sometimes it has felt like dragging yourself through a bush backwards. But look how far you've come.
And there's so far to go, but that's a good thing, because you've done it before and you'll do it again.
May integrity root you deeply like a bloody great oak.
May what is honouring to God drip from the heavens until you're soaked to the skin.
May hope burst from within like a washing machine foam overload.
Yeah that's right, "washing machine foam overload". The Bible can use contemporary simile and so can I.
Yours lovingly. x
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I thank God that somewhere like Nexus exists so groups like Sanctus can meet. Let us live up to the potential of this space.
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Dear Sanctus,
Thank you for this space we make together of welcome, inclusion, companionship, laughter, love, care, compassion, journeying, questioning, and exploration. Please never stop exploring, never be satisfied with easy answers. Keep going forwards in creativity and passion for life in all its fullness.
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Dear Sanctus1,
If we can be changed ourselves, we can change this city, the world.
We must love God with heart, soul, mind, strength and each other and others like that too.
We are the revolution...
Look how far you've come. Sometimes it has felt like marching, sometimes it has felt like dragging yourself through a bush backwards. But look how far you've come.
And there's so far to go, but that's a good thing, because you've done it before and you'll do it again.
May integrity root you deeply like a bloody great oak.
May what is honouring to God drip from the heavens until you're soaked to the skin.
May hope burst from within like a washing machine foam overload.
Yeah that's right, "washing machine foam overload". The Bible can use contemporary simile and so can I.
Yours lovingly. x
+
I thank God that somewhere like Nexus exists so groups like Sanctus can meet. Let us live up to the potential of this space.
+
Dear Sanctus,
Thank you for this space we make together of welcome, inclusion, companionship, laughter, love, care, compassion, journeying, questioning, and exploration. Please never stop exploring, never be satisfied with easy answers. Keep going forwards in creativity and passion for life in all its fullness.
+
Dear Sanctus1,
If we can be changed ourselves, we can change this city, the world.
We must love God with heart, soul, mind, strength and each other and others like that too.
We are the revolution...
Sanctus subtitled, and The First Letters to Sanctus1...
Last night's service on the Bible took a new twist when Cris lost his voice over the weekend - and then decided to frame the entire service around that fact. If he couldn't speak, we wouldn't either. Silence reigned.
We lit three silent candles, explored four stations silently, and took silent communion. Essentially, it was like a Sanctus service with the sound turned way down and the subtitles on. And thing is, it worked...
One of the stations was based around the letters that make up the bulk of the end of the New Testament - writing one letter to ourselves and another to the Sanctus1 community. We'll be blogging the ones that people wrote to the community over the coming days - for starters here's the first few "Dear Sanctus1" letters:
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Dear Sanctus,
Please keep accepting those who simply desire acceptance for who they are.
Thank you. The broken ones!
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To Sanctus,
Remember grace
Remember peace
Remember joy
Remember prayer
Remember the gospel
Remember those in prison
Remember compassion
Remember love
Remember what is best
Remember righteousness
Remember Christ
I thank God for you.
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You have come far, but still so young and fragile. You are stronger together. Do not waste this time for you are here for a purpose. Use your gifts, be a light to others. I am with you always, do not let go, just be.
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We lit three silent candles, explored four stations silently, and took silent communion. Essentially, it was like a Sanctus service with the sound turned way down and the subtitles on. And thing is, it worked...
One of the stations was based around the letters that make up the bulk of the end of the New Testament - writing one letter to ourselves and another to the Sanctus1 community. We'll be blogging the ones that people wrote to the community over the coming days - for starters here's the first few "Dear Sanctus1" letters:
+
Dear Sanctus,
Please keep accepting those who simply desire acceptance for who they are.
Thank you. The broken ones!
+
To Sanctus,
Remember grace
Remember peace
Remember joy
Remember prayer
Remember the gospel
Remember those in prison
Remember compassion
Remember love
Remember what is best
Remember righteousness
Remember Christ
I thank God for you.
+
You have come far, but still so young and fragile. You are stronger together. Do not waste this time for you are here for a purpose. Use your gifts, be a light to others. I am with you always, do not let go, just be.
+
40 Days of Public Solitude - Call for Artists
40 days in which artists and members of the public spend time alone in an enclosed public space.
Each day between 9:30 and 19:00 an artists or a member of public will be shut away in the glass fronted installation space*. Within this space they will be given The Complete Works of Shakespeare, The Bible (as in Desert Island Disks) some water and the option of a meal. They may also take three items into the space with them (excluding mobile phones, written material, computers, radios and all forms of music players). Artists will be encouraged to contribute to an exhibition in an adjoining space, which will be made up of an archive of the experiences. A webcam will broadcast a live feed to a designated website.
The Venue
Nexus is an arts café in Manchester city centre. The space has a rolling programme of contemporary art exhibitions and has been established for over three years. Nexus consists of a purpose built glass fronted installation space that can be viewed from a main street in Manchester city centre and a gallery space within the café.
Dates: 4th March - 12th April.
* No nudity or lewd conduct please.
If you are interested in applying then please leave your email in the comments section, or email Ben via the contacts page.
Each day between 9:30 and 19:00 an artists or a member of public will be shut away in the glass fronted installation space*. Within this space they will be given The Complete Works of Shakespeare, The Bible (as in Desert Island Disks) some water and the option of a meal. They may also take three items into the space with them (excluding mobile phones, written material, computers, radios and all forms of music players). Artists will be encouraged to contribute to an exhibition in an adjoining space, which will be made up of an archive of the experiences. A webcam will broadcast a live feed to a designated website.
The Venue
Nexus is an arts café in Manchester city centre. The space has a rolling programme of contemporary art exhibitions and has been established for over three years. Nexus consists of a purpose built glass fronted installation space that can be viewed from a main street in Manchester city centre and a gallery space within the café.
Dates: 4th March - 12th April.
* No nudity or lewd conduct please.
If you are interested in applying then please leave your email in the comments section, or email Ben via the contacts page.
The Renewed Life Is The Key To The Christ In Me = the reason why YouTube exists
(Edit: Try this link instead.)
Preparations for this year's Sanctus 1 service at Greenbelt are gathering pace. Here is an exclusive preview of our closing number, a performance of The Renewed Life Is The Key To The Christ In Me.
I think Ben scrubs up well in a suit, don't you think?
Preparations for this year's Sanctus 1 service at Greenbelt are gathering pace. Here is an exclusive preview of our closing number, a performance of The Renewed Life Is The Key To The Christ In Me.
I think Ben scrubs up well in a suit, don't you think?
And the light shone in the north, over Ancoats...
Last night, we managed in January in Manchester city centre what we didn't manage in August in a field in Cheltenham: we released a sky candle. They are large paper lanterns with a flammable cardboard burner, that heat and fill like a hot air balloon, sailing away up into the sky. We wrote on the candle with felt pens our prayers for where the light of God would be seen in 2009.
It resonated well with our epiphany theme about the light shining in the world and the Magi following the star to Bethlehem. And it looked blooming gorgeous! The photos are a bit shaky but give you a good enough idea...
Go on Jonny, make it a worship trick... you know you want to! ;-)
International rock stars, please read this. Everyone else, don't.
According to this article on the LA Times blog, pop legend Prince (or TAFKAP or Symbol or whatever he is called these days) studies the good book with, and here's the dramatic twist, his homosexual friends.
(Thanks for Stereogum for pointing me towards this.)
The controversy over a recent New Yorker "Talk of the Town" item, which Prince feels implied he supported the gay-marriage ban, has upset him... "I have friends that are gay and we study the Bible together," he said.You see? Religious and in-with-the-gays. If any other international rock stars would like a gay as an accessory, just leave a comment below and I'll reply in due course. Apart from Bono. And any members of Def Leppard.
(Thanks for Stereogum for pointing me towards this.)
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