New Activities & Services for the Cross

We’re looking to improve facilities at Yew Lane in the next 12-18months. We hope this will include new kitchen facilities, a new activity room, with potential for creche space and new double glazing.

So the question now is: What new activities and services would you like to see the building being used for?

Here’s some suggestions from other people – but we’d love to hear your ideas and thoughts too, you can add your comments below.

• Art therapy sessions
• Dance therapy sessions
• Gardening therapy sessions
• Other therapeutic sessions
• Counselling & support services
• Adult education / learning
• Sessions for adults with learning disabilities
• Guided meditation
• Relaxation classes

Movement Medicine

The first of the Movement Medicine sessions are being held at Cross at Yew Lane today – the first four sessions to be held every Monday in January from 10am -12.30pm are all FREE. If these taster sessions prove popular we’ll be trying to schedule more in from March.

“…A time to build”

“There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
 a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
  a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
 a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
  a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
  a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

These words from Ecclesiastes remind us that in nature, and in life, things change, it talks about the seasons of change that are all too familiar to those of us who garden.

Photos from our garden work day on 17th November 2012

At Yew Lane the building season is entering an exciting new phase – as well as significant work in the front garden, we hope in the next year to also refurbish and upgrade the kitchen and begin work on developing a second and completely new activity room. But as well as this physical building work we’re also looking at new activities and new sessions to take us forward into 2013, these include:

• Thursday afternoon Space to Grow gardening and cooking sessions.
• “Movement Medicine” dance for women (hopefully to start in January 2013)
• Songs for the Soul singing sessions (Next session: 30th November. 7-9pm)

In  all this we are looking to build a “family” – not of course one built on birth relationships and genetics, but one based on people wanting to be together, grow with each other; share, care, love and support for each other. We don’t imagine that all our family will be Christians, or even that they will be of any faith, we simply want to offer the opportunity to be part of it everyone who wants it ….. so if that’s you we’ll look forward to seeing you.

Spirituality & Mental Health

Instead of the more usual trip to LEAF for the Space to Grow session this Thursday I went to an event organised by the NHS called “Spirituality and Mental Health” – it was an interesting morning with both some honest and heart touching real life stories from service users of Sheffields mental health services about the role spirituality played in their path of recovery – but also challenges to both NHS and faith communities about how to provide support that better met the mental health needs of people.

It began with a discussion of what we might mean by “mental health” and shared with us this definition by the World Health Organisation:  “Mental Health is a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” Based on this definition Sheffield Health and Social care (SHSC) Trust have made a commitment to regard spirituality as a key element in the holistic approach to recovery.

This holistic approach is exactly what lies behind the Quiet Garden idea at Yew Lane, whether you come to us for worship, a quiet day retreat, a gardening day, or for soup on a Thursday in the “Rest Room” we try to create a space that provides that caring and compassionate space that we all need to recover from the stresses and strains of life.

And the final quote from the day: “Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it.” Henri Nouwen. Here at the Cross at Yew Lane we hope and pray that we will always have that “inner disposition to go with others”.

 

Space to Grow in Parson Cross

PXI -Space to Grow is for people who find gardening and being outdoors a good way of helping them feel and be healthier—whether that’s through the exercise we get from digging, or from eating freshly grown fruit and vegetables, or just from the friends and company we can enjoy. We have three different sessions at three different locations (each with a slightly different feel) there is no charge to those taking part for any of these.

• Tuesdays 10am-12noon @ Parson Cross Park Allotments–Plot107 (Families and children are welcome especially in school holidays.) As the allotments are locked people need to ring Nick in advance to let him know they’ll be coming, or identify themselves at the gate so they can be let in. Children are welcome but MUST be accompanied by an adult.

• Thursdays 10am-12noon @LEAF (Herries Road). LEAF volunteers are present at this and other times and people are welcome to attend at their own convenience. Thursday mornings provide a space when Nick is available as an additional worker is on site to provide support.

• Thursdays 12.30pm-3.00pm @Cross at Yew Lane. (From 23rd February) A soup lunch is available (we encourage people to make a donation where they can) followed by work in the gardens or the chance to enjoy the quiet “Resting Room”

A Change of Season

Well Autumn is now in full swing and in fact there’s starting to be a real feel of winter on some days….

A mushroom grows in the front garden at Yew Lane

the nights are getting darker, the wind is getting colder, and next week (30th October) the clocks go back – so don’t forget! .

The 31st October in the celtic & pagan calenders marks the first day of winter and the start of the celtic new year – nowadays of course its got far more linked to the highly commercialised season of Halloween and “Trick or Treats” – the new ASDA in Parson Cross has shelves stacked with costumes and decorations, as well as sweets and treats for children who will no doubt use the night as an excuse the eat more chocolates and sweets than are good for them!

The 31st October also sees another Quiet Afternoon at Yew Lane, led by Judith, the theme will be “Healing and Wholeness”.

In the Christian calender we are only weeks away from the start of the season of Advent when we look forward and prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This year we’ll be holding a special advent series of prayers and reflection – so please take a look at the diary page and come along to as many, or as few, as you you want.

Healing & Wholeness

There are new diary dates for quiet times during October on the diary page of this blog – all the sessions will explore the theme of “Healing & Wholeness” with the Rev Judith Jessop.

Prayers for Healing

Tonight Judith will lead Prayers for Healing at The Cross at Yew Lane. It got me to thinking again about the nature of the “Quiet Garden” and our hope to be a place of hospitality, rest, growth and renewal.

I recently read this: “….gardening itself can be a deeply instructive and healing experience.” Quiet Garden Cuttings No6, and wondered why it is that for many people, gardening and spending time in the garden, offers such an experience.

The  Quiet Gardens Movement: http://www.quietgarden.org/ of which The Cross at Yew Lane is a member emphasise the benefit of gardens and gardening for emotional, spiritual, and physical well being ….. but still why? What is it that makes gardens and gardening so powerful in the search for health and well being?

Here’s one thought; “Community gardens are restorative in many ways. They enable people to become better connected with their land, their food, and the people around them, which in turn fosters community, encourages good nutrition, and increases stewardship of the land.” (Therapeutic Landscapes Network). Add to this the fact that gardens force us to slow down, to work within the framework of seasons, and daylight hours, they bring us into a closer relationship with creation and perhaps with God.