Town council meetings, city allotments or village parenting classes may not stand out as obvious places to find spiritual values, but they may be as important a sacred space as the local church, says one vicar.
The Revd Val Hamer is asking parishioners to look beyond the church to seek out “seven sacred spaces” – places which help bring life to the whole community and help it to thrive. She would like these places then to be supported and helped by the local church.
Val, who is the Llandaff Diocesan Missioner, launched the Seven Sacred Spaces project at the Diocesan Conference at Llandaff Cathedral on Saturday (Sept 24). She was helped by BBC newsreader, Lucy Owen, who interviewed parishioners from Port Talbot about their involvement in Michael Sheen’s Passion play last Easter.
The Seven Sacred Spaces project, said Val, is inspired by the monastic way of life centuries ago and rooted in an ancient truth.
She said, “Monastic experience shows that for a community to flourish, it needs to include seven key areas – the cell, cloister, chapter, chapel, garden, refectory and scriptorium. While we may have lost touch with those titles today, the areas still exist and are just as important for our lives today.
“Today we would name the seven sacred spaces differently: cell is a quiet place for personal reflection or prayer (perhaps in our home), cloister is where we meet with others, friends or strangers (perhaps a dancing class or kids’ cafe), chapter is where we consult together and make decisions (such as the Assembly or local council, or a family confab around the kitchen table), chapel is where we worship together—garden is a place of creative co-operative work (such as an allotment or choir or even a factory)), refectory is a place of eating together and offering hospitality (perhaps a lunch club) and scriptorium a place of learning or study (a library, college ,school, or evening class).
“This project explores the idea that every community needs all these seven areas in order to flourish. Not every person will be involved in each area, and not everyone involved will be a person of faith, but much work is being done in our communities that is life-giving and community enhancing, and should be celebrated, supported and nurtured.”
Val has made a DVD highlighting examples of sacred spaces in communities. She hopes it will encourage and inspire others to see how their own communities can flourish better and work co-operatively.
The examples include:
- The Gigabytes e-cafe in Bargoed, which provides space for teenagers. Run by Churches in Action, tel 01443 837 792
- St Caths Plus Project with older people in Pontypridd http://www.st-caths.org/
- Vision Products factory in Llantrissant, which provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities http://www.visionproducts.org.uk/
- St Peter’s Community Garden, Fairwater, Cardiff, developed by volunteers and young offenders
