Category: News

9th April

TODAY’S THEME

The story behind the song
What a friend we have in Jesus
written by Joseph Scriven

Now we have reached April and we await the warmth of Spring Sunshine, however the warmth of Alex’s welcome radiated through our gathering as Alex greeting friends old and new.

The aisle was decorated with information concerning our topic for the day – Joseph Scriven the author of “What a friend we have in Jesus.”

The project to make a large, cross shaped hanging, devised of individually designed and sewn hessian squares is complete, is truly beautiful and was revealed as part of the Easter decoration of the church.

We commenced by singing “What a friend we have in Jesus” and “Jesus Christ my living hope” which were followed by prayers.

Barbara gave a talk based on the life of  Joseph Medlicott Scriven. His life was full of tragedies both in Ireland and Ontario, Canada!

Sue then described most of the activities for the morning, and Judith described the many varieties of art possible just using our own hands as the template.

There were interesting wooden boxes to decorate, both elegant and practical, explained by Alison.

The prayer beads involved pattern of 33 beads, representing the 33years in Jesus’ life, and were arranged in a repeat pattern of 7 plus 1:

1+7+1+7+1+7+1+7+1

David M encouraged a small group of singers to begin to learn a new tune to a traditional hymn, and to learn the words and music of a Spiritual which he composed to words from Barbara’s February poem.

The writing focus was to take the pattern of the beads and using inspiration, such as a list of words, from the Hymn, and weave a piece of writing or a poem. The results are available on our creative writing page.

There were also the usual opportunities for quiet, contemplative, prayerful knitting.

Thanks to Pam fore the endless supply of tea and coffee.

We ended the mornings activities by gathering to share our efforts; and a performance (indeed, a world premier!) of the Spiritual “Carry me away”

A lunch followed with soup, made by Jan K, this month it was apple lentil and tomato, or carrot and coriander soup. Delicious as always.

There was bread, cheese, fruit and home-made cakes too around the tables. There was a welcome opportunity to catch up with each other.

We hope you will come and join us next month on Tuesday May 14th 2024. Coffee from 10.00, followed by worship and activities, with lunch around 12.30

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12th March

TODAY’S THEME

Taizé music

The display this morning was in sections with a giant poster of the Taizé cross in the centre, surrounded by tea lights and two large pictures of icons.
Alex welcomed everyone, including new faces.

We commenced with a short introduction from Alex about singing Taizé and coaching in Latin! “Laudate Dominum” and “Ubi caritas” which we then sang.

This was followed by prayer.

Jan B then gave a most informative talk about the foundation and history of the community at Taizé and the work of the Brother Roger who founded the community.

Alex then described the variety of activities for the morning:-

Alison led a fascinating activity decorating a plaque of wood with the symbol of Taizé. The results were beautiful as were the explanations from the creators at the sharing session.

There was a craft table involving the use of chalk where icon pictures could be copied or new ones designed. The helpful hint was to spray the picture with hairspray to stop it smudging . . .

. . . and a second table with mindful colouring.

Cherry led and tutored an activity for Easter to make a hanging cross using a template and wound with ribbon. Once participants “got the hang of it” they became expert.

The writing was once again different, as inspiration took each person in a different way. Creating Taizé needs plenty of thought.

To see this month’s creative writing, click here.

There were also the usual opportunities for quiet, contemplative, prayerful knitting.

The conversations buzzed and we were kept refreshed by Pam and Carolyn who served coffee, tea and biscuits.

We ended the mornings activities by gathering to share our mornings efforts and once again how wonderful they were!

A lunch followed with delicious soup, this month it was tomato and basil or parsnip and apple;

and there was bread, cheese, fresh fruit and a yummy selection home-made cakes thank you Jane!

We hope you will all come again next month when we will meet on Tuesday 9th April 2024.

Please note the start time Coffee from 10.00, followed by worship and activities, with lunch around 12.40.

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20th February

TODAY’S THEME

African American Spirituals

The display this morning depicted the night sky, a river and cotton plantations with a heavy chain to symbolise the theme of slavery and in particular African American slaves. There were also photographs of Harriet Tubman who had led many slaves out of their miserable existence.

Alex welcomed everyone, including old friends and new faces, we commenced by singing some familiar spirituals from the African American heritage, “Let my people go” and “Steal Away” which were followed by prayers.

Sue then gave a most knowledgeable talk about the history and meaning of Spirituals. Few of us had been aware of the ‘codes’ and hidden messages in the songs. She illustrated this with some examples in which we enjoyed participating, including a rendition of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot“.

So on to the activities for the morning, highlighting the theme:-

Alison led a sewn collage activity using fabric, felt cut into a meaningful word and stitches.

There was a craft table involving the use of “Brusho”, bleach watercolours and wax crayon. Landscapes were described as sky, trees and a cotton plantation. One of the participants said the results were “unpredictable.”

David bravely tackled the construction activity, which was to construct a small balsawood slave hut!

The writing was once again different, as inspiration from the talk took each person in a different direction.

Creative writing and new spirituals!
It is wonderful how openly people will share their feelings in words.
To see this month’s creative writing, click here.

A table offered charcoal of a still life of African wooden statues; described as “more chat and charcoal.”

There were also the usual opportunities for quiet, contemplative, prayerful knitting.

The conversations buzzed and we were kept refreshed by Pam who served coffee, tea and biscuits.

We ended the mornings activities by sharing our mornings efforts and singing one more spiritual ‘I want Jesus to walk with me‘. How amazing were the experiences of the morning. Another session full of thought-provoking activities and information.

A lunch followed with soup, lovingly made by Jan K, this month it was tomato and ginger or pea and mint, there was bread, cheese, fresh  fruit and a delicious selection of home-made cakes. Thank you, Jane and Ruth!

We hope you will come next month to swell our numbers we meet on Tuesday 12th March 2024.

Please note the start time Coffee from 10.00, followed by worship and activities, with lunch around 12.40.

January 9th

TODAY’S THEME

Fanny Crosby

Have you ever wondered about being blind?

Our current theme investigating the stories behind the songs we use to worship continued. Today, we learned about Fanny Crosby, whose hymns were familiar but we certainly didn’t know her history.

We welcomed old friends and more new faces, and began the morning singing two hymns with words by Fanny Crosby –

“To God be the Glory”
“Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine”
. . . followed by prayer.

Jan K then gave a talk about the American, blind hymn writer who died aged 95 years. [1810-1905] and what an interesting woman!

 

Sue then described the variety of unusual activities for the morning, highlighting the other senses we use.

There were blindfolds so that we could experiment drawing the profile of a face blindfolded, leading to amazing results, which were then added to by colouring.

There was a collage activity using music sheets which were cut and reassembled into amazing pictures.

Alison led a craft table involving sewing or gluing eye shapes on felt and embellishing them, some with buttons or sequins or net.

Kitchen foil was also on hand to squish and mould into 3D figures, great results and what a satisfying feeling!

The writing was very different from usual, as there was the opportunity to work in pairs, with one person as scribe while the other dictated what they were thinking about once their eyes were closed! Some also chose to write independently and the creative juices flowed.

 

There were also the usual opportunities for quiet, contemplative, prayerful knitting.

Another aspect of sight was introduced by Alex – an optical illusion. The ‘victim’ had to concentrate on an image for about 30 seconds, then close their eyes, and an unexpected image appears. Several of us were very surprised by the result!

It’s difficult to describe the quiet, relaxed atmosphere of the morning. The conversations buzzed around the tables and we were kept refreshed by Pam and Carolyn with coffee, tea and biscuits. The only way to discover what it’s like would be to come along and join in!

We ended the morning’s activities by gathering to share our efforts and how amazing they were. It is wonderful how openly people will share their feelings about the experiences of the morning.

A lunch followed with soup, lovingly made by Jan K. This month it was tomato & basil, or leek & potato. There was bread, cheese, fruit, and home-made cakes too around the tables. The whole morning was a welcome opportunity to catch up after the Christmas/New Year break.

We hope you will come next month on Tuesday 20th February 2024.
Please note that this is not the usual second Tuesday of the month due to the timing of school holidays and many with family commitments on the usual date.

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December 12th

TODAY’S THEME

Silent Night

As we had reached December, we had celebrations this month of Christmas, past and present. The aisle was decorated with a number of wonderful and different Nativity sets and Christmas fabric and so the magically lit display, set the scene for the story of Silent Night.

Alex welcomed everyone to the gathering, including old friends and more new faces, we commenced by singing “The first Nowell” and “Silent Night” which were followed by prayers.
Barbara gave a talk based on the book ‘The Story of Silent Night’ by Paul Gallico. We learned of the antics of a mouse who caused havoc to a church organ, and the inspired lyrics and music written by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber respectively, leading to the creation of Silent night on Christmas Eve in 1818.

And so on to the morning’s activities:

Jan T brought circular wreathes of wicker to design and decorate with foliage. She was praised for her excellent tuition and encouragement; all the participants felt a sense of achievement and were delighted with the result.

There was also Christmas fabric in triangles to make into tetrahedron shaped decorations, elegant and practical, if tricky.

Alison brought materials to construct stars from straws and then decorate them, an activity requiring nimble fingers and concentration but the results were well worth the effort.

The writing focus was to take a list of words; the synonyms for silent and for night, and choose some to weave a piece of writing or a poem. This was enthusiastically received and the results are available on our creative writing page.

The ongoing project to make a large, cross shaped hanging, devised of individually designed and sewn hessian squares is almost complete and is truly beautiful to behold.

Handmade Christmas gifts from Lima, Peru were on sale . These gifts were made by a Women’s co-operative in Lima. This is often their only source of income. Worcester Diocese is linked with the Diocese of Peru and we always like to support the work of these woman especially as their gifts are so beautifully creative!

There were also the usual opportunities for quiet, contemplative, prayerful knitting.

The conversations abounded around the tables and we were kept refreshed by Pam and Carolyn with coffee, tea and biscuits.

We ended the mornings activities by gathering to share our mornings efforts and we sat with lighted candles in a darkened church to sing “Like a candle flame” [Fortunately David M was on hand to coach us in the two-part chorus.] It was a spiritual and moving ending.

A lunch followed with soup, lovingly made by Jan K, this month it was lentil and tomato, or “purple” soup! There was bread, cheese fruit and home-made cakes too around the tables there was a welcome opportunity to catch up with each other.

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We often get comments about the sessions each month. Here are a few of them received this time:-

Wow! Tuesday….it was so good…thank you. My heart was singing to make the wreath…it is on the door. I’ve always dressed the fireplace etc…but a wreath with the symbol of eternity….was too complicated or so I thought.

What a wonderful way to praise our Creator.

Thank you for the warm welcome. I appreciate it will take quite a lot of preparation…it is a very special ministry.

… what a brilliant start to Christmas. The worship was so meaningful, so relevant to all going on in the world and thus brought me to a place of peace and thanksgiving. I loved every minute of it. You all enabled me to come to a special place in Worship. Thank you.

If you’ve never been before, why not come along and experience the atmosphere for yourself? All are welcome!

We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas.

Join us in the New Year on Tuesday January 9th 2024!
Please note the start time:- Coffee from 10.00, followed by worship and activities, with lunch around 12.40.

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November 14th

Woodbine Willy

A trip down distant memory lane this month as we recalled the work of Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy who lived and worked in Worcester and some of his 1st World War poetry.

The central aisle had a display of books and pictures with remembrance poppies.

Alex welcomed everyone to the gathering including more new faces, we commenced by singing “Great is the darkness that covers the earth” and a version of “the Lord is my Shepherd” – both songs of hope in times of trouble – which were followed by prayers.

Barbara gave a talk about Studdert Kennedy born in Leeds in 1883, a former Vicar of St Paul’s church Worcester, who became famous during the 1st World War, when he ministered to the soldiers and gave them copies of the New Testament along with cigarettes. He was forever after known as “Woodbine Willie”.

He was a prolific writer who wrote articles as well as many poems. One is called “Waste”, which you will find on the November Creative Writing page.

He was a much-loved preacher and worked tirelessly to help the poor and disadvantaged. He died in 1929 and is buried in St. John’s churchyard and commemorated with a statue in Cornmarket.

This morning’s activities:-

The ongoing project continued to make a large, cross shaped hanging, devised of individually designed and sewn hessian squares.

Each square is proving to be be uniquely beautiful and there are many techniques being employed. Splendid fabric, stitching and applique.

There were some canvas backgrounds to be painted ready to mount these on.

The writing focus was to take some of the long list of words and their opposites; for example, war and peace, hatred and love to weave a piece of writing or a poem. Some very moving pieces were written.

Alison brought air drying modelling clay, so that doves could be created and at least partially dried.

There was a table of “junk” materials for constructions to be created without glue, Sellotape or pins. This was quite challenging and leant itself to abstract as well as an interpretation of a dove.

There were also the usual opportunities for quiet, contemplative, prayerful knitting.

The conversations abounded around the tables and we were kept refreshed by Carolyn with coffee, tea and biscuits.

Today we said, “Farewell” to Comfort, as she returns home to Nigeria after 3 months in England with her family. She sang us a beautiful Blessing and we look forward to her next visit sometime in 2024.

Soup will most definitely be on the menu again next month and of course mince pies will make a brief appearance on December 12th!
Please remember the new start time – Coffee from 10.00, followed by worship and activities, with lunch around 12.40. We hope to welcome you all there.

Barbara Rolison

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October 10th

We continued our theme exploring “Songs of Faith”.
Today it was Charles Wesley 1701-1788 and the hymn –

Love Divine

 

First of all, following coffee and catching up time, Alex welcomed everyone to the gathering including more new faces, we commenced by singing two songs, followed by prayers.
Then, Jan B gave a most informative talk about Charley Wesley. He was an English leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include “And Can It Be”, “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today”, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” and the carol “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”.
He led an interesting life and was obviously much influenced by his mother. We were intrigued by her practice of putting her cap over her face to show that she was taking time to pray in her busy life. We focused on what is, perhaps, his most famous hymn. After listening to Jan B’s entertaining words, we all sang ‘Love Divine’.

Sue described the activities for the morning. The writing focus was to take some of the words from “Love Divine” and arrange them so as to inspire creative verse or writing. The results were often very moving. Please do take time to read them.

The ongoing project is to make a large, cross shaped hanging, devised of individually designed and sewn hessian squares.

Each square is proving to be be uniquely beautiful and there are many techniques being employed. Splendid fabric, stitching and applique.

Alison brought back the gold wire and new models were made, some of which were stitched into the hessian squares.

Alison also introduced card making using “Brusho” an interesting opaque powder which when wet shows its colour, alongside watercolours.
The cards were mounted in a frame and looked stunning, a lovely keepsake or gift!

There were also the usual opportunities for quiet, contemplative, prayerful knitting.

Charcoal and large sheets of paper were also available, with a still life composed of models of hands to sketch. This challenged some of our artists.

The conversations abounded around the tables and we were kept refreshed with coffee, tea and biscuits. A ploughman’s lunchtime buffet was laid out in the Magdalene room and much enjoyed. Soup will most definitely make a return next month on November 14th!

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We hope to see you again on Tuesday October 10th.
Please note the new start time.
From November on, we will be gathering from 10:00am for tea, coffee, and chat, with the morning’s programme beginning at 10.20am.

A warm Kingdom Arts welcome awaits all.

Barbara Rolison

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September 12th

Well, a New Kingdom Arts Year began this week with a new theme looking at traditional Hymns, their authors and the stories behind the songs.

TODAY’S THEME

The story behind the hymn

It is well with my soul

Alex welcomed everyone to the gathering including some new faces; and, having had coffee and catching up time, we commenced with a short time of worship singing “Ten thousand Reasons”, followed by prayer and “O Faithful One”.
Jan K then told us the story of the American evangelist Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna and the enormous tragedies in their life. They lost one son to illness; and then, while Anna and their four daughters were travelling to England, the ship sank and their four daughters drowned with only Anna surviving.
Horation travelled to England to be with Anna and, as he passed near the spot where his daughters were lost, he wrote his poem, “It is well with my soul”, later set to music by Philip Paul Bliss. Horatio and Anna went on to have three more children. Unfortunately another son also died young. With their faith still strong, the Spaffords were able to continue in their ministry.

And, of course, we sang ‘It is well with my soul’.

Sue then introduced the morning’s activities:-

A new, ongoing project is to make a large, cross shaped hanging, devised of individually designed and sewn hessian squares. Each square will be unique and there are many techniques which can be employed. Fabric, beads, stitching and applique.

Activities inspired by Horatio’s words:

Alison brought wire and large templates to make model anchors! There were many amazing interpretations and it proved very popular.

CD covers were created using the words of the hymn.

Inspired by thoughts of peril on water, a Lego table produced a model lighthouse and a depiction of Jesus calming the waters and Peter’s attempt to walk on the water.

There were also the usual opportunities for prayerful knitting, a writing table to capture people’s thoughts inspired by the talk.

The coffee and cake through the morning kept everyone alert and the conversations abounded.

Also, today at Kingdom Arts we said farewell to our Vicar Jo, who retires next week. A handmade book, containing special items created for her from the Kingdom Arts Team was presented. She was thanked for encouraging and supporting the work of Kingdom Arts acknowledging it would not have started without her blessing and constant support. We will miss you, Jo!

As the kitchen was closed because of necessary building work, we were unable to have our usual cheese, bread, and hot soup lunch. Instead, the meal was arranged in the church with a table of delicious cold foodstuffs, plenty of fruit and cheeses to help ourselves and it was most enjoyable. Soup will make a return next month!

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We hope to see you again on Tuesday October 10th starting at 10.00am with coffee from 9.30.

A warm Kingdom Arts welcome awaits all.

Barbara Rolison

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June 13th

Alex welcomed everyone to our last session before the summer break.

We began with prayer and worship songs accompanied by our musicians, including “Make me a Channel of your Peace” whilst the display on the carpet was mostly fabric, with flowers and lots of birds, a clue to today’s theme based around

St Francis of Assisi.

 

Jan Kear in a new role, then began to unfold the life of St. Francis, Patron Saint of animals and the environment, and his inspiration and achievements. What an interesting and eventful life he had. [1182-1226]

Sue then introduced the activities available.

The bird feeder table led by Lyn and Clive was immediately very popular with different designs of feeder in different materials. Some assembly was required and was a challenge without instructions! The results were very professional and the birds will love them.

The clay plaque making of a model of St. Francis was tackled in different ways and there was much discussion. The results were wonderful, an inspired idea from Alison, who was there to help.

There was writing inspired by the theme of nature and God’s world.

To see this month’s creative writing, click here.

The ongoing project for book making with colourful covers and glued and stitched pages, with some completing a new Zig Zag book which opened like a concertina. We were guided by Sue who was on hand to assist and advise.

The colouring activity was popular and aided lively conversation.

 

The prayerful knitting was available as usual, which is a very calming and meditative activity with time to rest and pray.

Coffee and biscuits were available throughout the morning. Thank you, Carolyn and all who rallied around.

Finally, there was the opportunity to exhibit and share our art work before the prayer and the blessing. The gift of a special card with the prayer of St Francis was given to everyone who came.

St Francis of Assisi Prayer. [1182-1226]
You are Holy Lord;
the only God and your deeds are wonderful.
You are love, you are wisdom, you are humility,
you are endurance you are rest, you are peace.
You are joy and gladness, you are all riches and you suffice for us.
You are beauty, you are gentleness,
you are our protector, you are our guardian and defender.
You are courage, you are our haven and hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation,
you are our eternal life, great and wonderful Lord,
God Almighty, merciful Saviour.
Amen

There was a slight delay as we rearranged for the picnic as, amazingly, it was just too hot to sit outside. What a wonderful spread! sandwiches, sausage rolls and many other delicious savoury items and lovely strawberries and cream as well as mini Pavlovas and cheesecake.

Thank you to everyone who contributed and helped.

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Our next meeting will be on Tuesday September 12th starting at 10.00am with coffee from 9.30.

A warm Kingdom Arts welcome awaits all.

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May 9th

Normally, our sessions are led by Alex and Sue, but Alex was unable to attend because of illness, so Sue introduced today’s theme

The clue to today’s ‘Heroes of Faith’ was the display on the carpet: – emblems of a flag, a badge, photographs, quotations and tambourines.

This month’s “Heroes of Faith” was William and Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army.

We began with a short period of worship which included singing and prayer. Then Barbara told the story of the amazing lives of William and Catherine Booth and the foundation of the Salvation Army and explained the symbolism of their emblem. Many of us were not aware of the important role Catherine had. It was a very interesting talk and you might like to search the internet to find out more for yourselves. If you search for ‘William and Catherine Booth’, you will find a wealth of information.

The morning’s activities included making family tree banners. This was prompted by the ‘Family tracing’ service offered by the Salvation Army’ and attracted several people. There was some inventive gluing rather than stitching and plenty of discussion.

The ongoing project for book making with colourful covers and glued and stitched pages was guided by Sue who was on hand to assist and advise, with some completing their book with inside pages which was so satisfying.

The colouring activity was popular and aided mindfulness and great concentration.

There was also much debating at the writing table.

The prayerful knitting was available as usual, which is very calming and meditative activity with time to rest and pray.

Coffee and cake were available throughout the morning. Thank you, Margaret and Carolyn.

Finally, there was the opportunity to exhibit and share our art work before we sang with an unusual accordion and tambourine accompaniment “I’ll go in the strength of the Lord.”

The prayer and the blessing completed our morning and we moved to the Magdalene room for Jan’s home-made soup, where we were offered a choice of tomato and apple, or spinach, with bread and cheese, cake and fruit. They were, as usual, delicious.

We all wish Alex a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her soon.

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Our next meeting will be on Tuesday June 13th starting at 10.00am with coffee from 9.30, and a shared picnic lunch.
We pray for a fine day so that we are able to gather in the garden.

A warm Kingdom Arts welcome awaits all.

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