Julia Dover
Embodying their inner light through joy, excitement, curiosity and wonder, children remind us of our birth right to shine freely, fearlessly. So it is that when children and adults share a space that space is changed.
Three Friends who attended the OSAM Area Meeting at Burford on 11 March offer insights on the children’s presence and activities during the day:
From Moya
Local Development Worker
Thames Valley
Friends gathered at Burford’s Eighteenth-Century Meeting House on a grey, dry, and windy Saturday – to “see each other’s faces” and consider what it means to be a Peace Church in a time of war.
Tim Gee, Secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation led the afternoon’s reflections on that sombre topic – but noted the importance of doing so with our children present, playing outside in the garden. When we’d gathered at 10.30 for opening worship, only one child was with us – but her ministry of laughter still powerfully lifted our spirits. Gradually throughout the day, more came – and when we invited “the animals of the forest” in to lead our closing worship, six children and six adults slipped inside.
Lying down in the still centre of the gathered meeting, these hibernating creatures embodied the waiting that is at the heart of our worship. Then down the stairs came the sun – an amazing image assembled by Deb Arrowsmith from singing hearts OSAM Friends had placed in the Wonder Box.
In the light of its inspiration – and to the sound of a wistful viola, the tinkle of a xylophone – the animals gradually awakened and began to dance. They also spontaneously sang – and I found myself replying in kind. As a Friend said to me afterwards – sometimes that happens in meeting: somebody will give sung ministry & everyone joins in.
On this occasion, older Friends were more delighted spectators than participants in the joy inspired by singing hearts: but if we continue to make space in our meetings for “little children to lead us”, they may shift our focus from the “temptations, confusions & corruptions” to the light that makes them manifest – and help us find our way to the peaceable kingdom sooner than seemed possible.
The Sun of Singing Hearts picture is now on a journey round all of the OSAM meetings – and Julia is looking for Friends to turn the ideas shared on the hearts into a series of all-age “Wonder Days” for OSAM Friends young & old to enjoy together.
Please contact her if you’d like to help with that.
From Myra Ford
Burford Local Meeting clerk
An unsolicited comment Saturday evening via email from the morning kitchen helper, Lesley Hadley, read: “What an exciting day! Good to have Julia and the ‘littles’ in the Meeting House. I hope they enjoyed the day and will come again.” In fact, this was the same I heard from all the Burford Meeting participants.
It was such a treat to have children in the Meeting House, although we didn’t see them for most of the day. Just sitting in the main Meeting room, we felt the children’s presence, sometimes hearing their squeals of delight playing games in the garden and were happy for the opportunity to gather with them at Area Meeting.
Taking over kitchen helper duty in the afternoon, Shan Garnell and I just smiled the whole time, watching the wild headdresses being made, Shan joining in as well, and faces being painted. Then at the end when the children returned to the whole meeting for their presentation, Deb Arrowsmith waving the giant singing heart sun to wake up the small forest creatures, the joy was indescribable.
What fun! And the Wonder Box was a terrific success, even for those who were reluctant at first. Such a positive addition Julia, Mel and the children made to the day, not to mention the energy. Wonderful. Thank you!
From Deb Arrowsmith
Burford Friend
Manager Oxford Meeting House
We share all the roles at Burford meeting and as a team are great providers of tea, coffee, soup, delicious home-made cakes etc., so it was great to have a “House full” of Friends from around the OSAM Area.
We enjoyed making the effort and the energy that was around especially with all the children- it showed us how we are enlivened by the presence of families and children.
I thoroughly enjoyed joining in by bringing all the ‘heartfelt joys’ together in the collage of a sun with its sparkly rays and then ‘being’ the sun waking the forest creatures lying on the meeting house floor from their winter sleep!
It reminded me how we wake and transform ourselves.