"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: [email protected]
Full details are on the website at www.quietgarden.co.uk where the Booking Form can also be downloaded.