wfn.org | ACNS - The Quiet Garden Movement celebrates Tenth Anniversary

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ACNS 3113 - ENGLAND - 6 September 2002

The Quiet Garden Movement celebrates Tenth Anniversary with Open Day at
Worth Abbey

"Growth is appropriate in anything to do with gardens! The growth of The
Quiet Garden movement from 1 to over 240 in ten years, and across 5
continents, is a huge achievement in which many hands have been creatively
involved", says Esther de Waal, well known writer and a patron of The Quiet
Garden Trust.

On Saturday 21 September 2002 the Quiet Garden Movement, based in Stoke
Poges, Bucks, will hold an Open Day to celebrate ten years of exceptional
growth. The venue is Worth Abbey, near Crawley, West Sussex, a Benedictine
Monastery and itself a Quiet Garden. The day will be one of thanksgiving for
all those who have responded to the calling to this ministry and two
well-known speakers will give the keynote addresses.

In the morning Angela Ashwin, retreat leader and author, will speak on
Greenness, Growth and Risk in our Inner Landscape. In the afternoon the Rt
Revd Kallistos Ware, Bishop of Diokleia and writer on Orthodox spirituality
will give an address entitled "Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand": the World
as God's Icon.

The Quiet Garden Movement dates back to the spring of 1992 when the Revd
Philip Roderick, then Principal of the Bucks Christian Training Scheme in
the Diocese of Oxford, had a vision of a new ministry of hospitality and
prayer. Within a few weeks of mentioning this to his students, in a
wonderfully serendipitous way, the first house in Stoke Poges was offered,
and so the Quiet Garden ministry began. From the outset it became apparent
that this simple idea of occasional low cost retreats in people's homes and
gardens could become a worldwide concept and that is exactly what happened.

At present there are 160 Quiet Gardens in the UK and 84 overseas. They range
from homes in suburban and rural settings to the small garden alongside St
Matthew's church in a noisy area of Camberwell; from the garden of the
HIV/AIDS hospital in Kampala, Uganda, to a hut in the slums of Nairobi; from
the wide opens spaces of Kansas to the red-light district of Maharastra
State in India.

Every Quiet Garden is different and yet what each has in common is that it
offers an opportunity for stillness and reflection, and for learning about
Christian spirituality.

The Revd Philip Roderick, Founder and Director of the Movement, commented,
"It is crucial in a hyper-active world and in a hyper-active church for
there to be provision to dwell deep, to realign with God and to refill our
spiritual reservoir. Jesus consistently found a place of beauty and
stillness to connect at the profoundest level with God. A local garden and
home offers that opportunity to those hungry and thirsty for the Spirit and
for the peace that passes understanding."

The Revd David Barton, Chair of Trustees, who has been involved with the
movement since the beginning, said, "It is amazing that during the first ten
years there have been almost three hundred Quiet Gardens spread throughout
the world. It shows that large numbers of people have come to realise that
time set aside for the inner self is an essential part of our spiritual
development".

The open day at Worth Abbey on Saturday 21 September begins with coffee at
10am and ends at 4:30pm. The overall cost, including a buffet lunch, is #25.
All are welcome.

Booking forms are available from:

The Quiet Garden Trust, Stoke Park Farm, Park Road, Stoke Poges, SL2 4PG
Tel: +44 1753 643050
Email: quiet.garden@ukonline.co.uk

Full details are on the website at www.quietgarden.co.uk where the Booking
Form can also be downloaded.

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