Retreat and Cream Tea

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 10 July 2012 14:51:54

This weekend I was down at Buckfast Abbey for the GCE retreat. Once a year, for the last few years, a group of LGBT Christians from around Europe has taken over the retreat house down there from late Friday afternoon until Monday lunchtime - previously it has been under the auspices of GCN, now it is a retreat run by GCE.

In the way these things happen to me/ us, TOH and I found out relatively late we were going and there seemed to be a bit of a God thing going on in terms of us being able to go. It also happened that our gifts of group session and worship leading/ preaching ended up getting used in ways we weren't expecting when we booked on to this retreat. However, that is the way it tends to work with this community retreat where everybody plays their part by volunteering and helping one way or another.

The theme of the retreat this year was forgiveness and the discussions highlighted how forgiveness is not something which is cheap, easy or a one off event. Rather forgiveness is a journey which is hard, complex and challenging - whether you are the one giving or accepting forgiveness.

Between the sessions which differed in style according to who was leading, and what format was being taken, there was plenty of time to wander down to the Abbey and enjoy the building and its gardens. We also wandered down to the restaurant each day to buy our lunch - in the evening we shared in a meal at the retreat house cooked by a team of volunteers on the retreat. Whilst large meals were available at the Abbey the meals in the evening were substantial and filling and so I spent the lunch times indulging myself with one of my favourite things - a scone with jam and clotted cream accompanied by a pot of Earl Grey tea. This simple meal is my idea of heaven.

During the retreat I got to spend time with some old friends, as well as meet new ones. It was a calmer retreat than many I had been on and made me appreciate the journey I have travelled over the last few years and how I have become part of various communities along the way.

Community living whether on line or face to face (and often as a mix of both) is not easy and I have not been immune to some of the complications which can and do arise. For a while I was pretty much ready to walk away from organised LGBT groups (particularly on line and to some extent also face to face) and just maintain existing contacts / friendships via face book and doing coffee at Greenbelt. I am glad that I have been led, to some extent, away from that decision. This weekend I made some new friends as well as renewing some old acquaintances and it was a deep time of being for me.

On the way back we were taken on  a bit of a magical mystery tour by the guy giving us a lift, who felt that our Slovakian travelling partner should get the best from the journey. So it was we headed back firstly through Bristol - discovering a great restaurant which had apparently had great reviews. Za Za Bazaar is a great dining concept which I hope gets rolled out nationwide. It takes the all you can eat buffet idea and applies it to a range of different types of food. So in one venue you have a choice of food which includes Japanese, Chinese, Tex Mex, American Burger, Italian, Indian and more. The problem of one person liking one type of food whilst another prefers something totally different is eliminated. The quality of the food was very good and the service was excellent. For me eating out can often be a daunting experience but this was a sheer delight which I really enjoyed and can't recommend highly enough.

The next stop on our magical mystery tour was Birdlip in Gloucestershire where we enjoyed a wonderful view, even though it was slightly cloudy and so the view was not all it might have been. Looking out we really did get to enjoy this green and pleasant land. (Just been to try and find a link and only found this one - would like to assure readers we just went and looked out at the beautiful countryside).

Then it was on to Minster Lovell where we found the village church closed due to a film crew being on site - they looked like they were doing some kind of documentary. This beautiful village in the Cotswolds had some gorgeous ruins by the river, which we went exploring amongst.

Our final stop was Woodstock where I was able to yet again miss seeing the Olympic torch by a few hours. Enjoying a beautiful glass of white sitting outside a pub in the main town was lovely. I particularly liked it as I am a great Morse fan and this stopping for a drink in Woodstock tapped into that whole thing.

Returned home feeling shattered yet very refreshed.