West Midlands
Below you will find notices posted by Regional Coordinators, up coming retreats and events and further Information covering news, courses, reports from past events and contact details for Coordinators.
Christian Meditation News From West Midlands
Sub-Regions
Because of its size and population the West Midlands regions has two WCCM sub-regions within it
West Midlands - East
This more or less matches the metropolitan West Midlands County and includes Birmingham, Warwickshire County (including Rugby), Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley
West Midlands - West
This includes the non-metropolitan counties further west bordering Wales, and wrapping around the metropolitan county, i.e. Staffordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire
ASTON TIRROLD - CENTRE FOR REFLECTION
Saturday March 31st 10am to 4pm
LEADER: Kim Nataraja
COST: £20 includes a light lunch
Evagrius and Meister Eckhart - Brothers at Prayer. Both mystics, although separated by 12 centuries, stress the value of meditation and silent prayer. We will see how they can help us in our own daily lives. The day will include talks, discussions and meditation.
See the centre for Reflection Website http://www.reflect.freeuk.com/ for more details
North Staffordshire
Our Groups
Contact: We currently have two active groups in North Staffordshire that meet weekly:
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Stone
For further details of these and any planned regional events please contact Carmel Dennison.
Shropshire and Telford
Our Groups
There are six meditation groups in Shropshire and a group in Wolverhampton. The groups are in contact with each other last year organised 2 'quiet' days which proved a great success. For details of the groups in this area, contact Margaret Jarvis
Christ the King Chapel - an Oasis in the City
Telford's Christ the King Chapel is a silent carpeted space in the midst of frenetic activity '- in the heart of a major shopping mall. The chapel is an active ecumenical space where Anglican, Catholic, Methodists and others hold weekly services.
From 1984 until 1989, meditation had been in local homes but when the chapel was created in 1989, we were consulted and as a result the whole space was carpeted to make it very quiet, an oasis from the noise outside. In 1989, flyers in shops and offices produced a good response, but now 19 years on, we need another boost.
Using every modern facility, we recently acquired a ten second slot on the new electronic notice board. The picture of candles strikes a peaceful chord in the café denizens across the way; this has produced many enquiries and we are hopeful !!
The meditation group meets every Tuesday in the chapel. If you are interested please contact Margaret Jarvis.
Location
The location of the meeting is in the chapel in Meeting Point House, which is the octagonal building immediately south west of the justion of Coach Central and Grange Central.
Reports from Recent Retreats and Events
Shrewsbury Quiet Day (2nd May 2011) Report
You can download a full report including photos of the retreat here.
Carmel Dennison
West Midlands 2010 Spring Retreat Report
The retreat took place at Noddfa House, Penmaenmawr, Gwynedd, Friday 23 April to Sunday 25 April, 2010.
You can download a report including photos of the retreat here.
Retreats and Events
To find the location of an event copy its post code into the search box of http://maps.google.co.uk or http://www.bing.com/maps/ then zoom in or out and print out, to meet your needs.
Events in This Region
Event ID: 49
Saturday 2 June 2012
Masters of the Spiritual life
Exploring The Cloud of Unknowing
Time: 10:00 to 16:00
Leadership: Graeme Watson
Venue: Wellsprings, Wellsprings, 235 Alcester Road South Kings Heath Birmingham B14 6DR
Theme: Graeme will explore the message of the "Cloud of Unknowing", an anonymous 14th century English text, possibly of Dominican or Carthusian origin.
Catering: Self catering
Cost: £20.00
Booking: Contact Joy Cheek
Contact: Joy Cheek
Telephone: 0121 444 7463
Event ID: 54
Wednesday 5 September to Friday 7 September 2012
Developing a Practice of Christian Meditation
Times: Starting at 18:15 on 2012-09-05 and finishing at 13:00 on 2012-09-07
Leadership: Liz Watson
Venue: Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, 1046 Bristol Road Birmingham B29 6LJ
Theme: Meditation helps people to awaken and deepen their spiritual life. It is a universal tradition found in all the great religions. Many Christians have been helped to recover contact with their own tradition of meditation because of the work of John Main, the Benedictine monk (1926–82). His teaching of this ancient tradition of prayer is rooted in the Gospels and the early Christian monastic tradition of the Desert. This will be an introduction to the practice and teaching.
Catering: Residential
Cost: £180/£190
Booking: Pre-booking required
Contact: Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre www.woodbrooke.org.uk
Telephone: 0121 472 5171
Events in Adjacent Regions
Event ID: 26
Saturday 15 September 2012
Jesus, the Teacher Within
Time: 10:30 to 16:00
Leadership: Kim Nataraja
Venue: Sacred Heart Church Parish Centre, Carlton Nottingham NG4 1FP
Theme: Kim Nataraja, an experienced teacher in the World Community for Christian Meditation, will explore themes from Fr Laurence Freeman's book 'Jesus, the Teacher Within'
Catering: Tea and coffee provided. Please bring your own lunch
Cost: Suggested donation of £3 to cover costs
Booking: No need to book. Just turn up on the day
Contact: Peter Short
Telephone: 07748911175
Event ID: 50
Sunday 28 April 2013
Journeying From Death to Life
Time: 10:00 to 12:45
Leadership: Caroline Price
Venue: James Room, Clifton cathedral, Clifton Park Bristol BS8 3BX
Theme: An Eastertide community morning for Christian meditators Meditation, Contemplative listening and responding to teaching of John Main, small group sharing.
Catering: Drinks provided. BYO lunch and stay for conversation if you can.
Cost: Suggetsed donation £5
Booking: Please let us know if you intend coming
Contact: Roger Layet
Telephone: 01275 463727
National Events
Event ID: 46
Tuesday 22 May 2012
The Spiritual Ground of Wellbeing
Meditation as an Art of Healing
Time: 09:15 to 17:00
Leadership: Fr Laurence Freeman and Professor Peter Gilbert
Venue: York St John's University, Lord Mayor's Walk York YO31 7EX
Theme: What on earth does 'spiritual' mean? It is evidently an important element of people's sense of 'well-being' today but it defies exact definition. Maybe this is because it is about wholeness and a catalyst for wholeness. This Meditatio Seminar brings together a variety of new viewpoints. Different schools of contemporary psychology and different religious traditions converge in seeing how meditation aids the healing process. The new UK NHS mental health policy emphasises the importance of prevention, early intervention and developing practices that, like meditation, support well-being. The Seminar creates a forum for clarifying the role that spiritual practice, (in particular meditation) can play. The approach is geared towards the practical ways open to a stressful, fast-paced and pluralist society for relieving suffering and promoting happiness. The presentations and workshops will be facilitated by leading teachers in the field of meditation, experienced mental health practitioners and those who have personal knowledge of using mental health and recovery services. An open discussion will also look ahead and share possible ways to proceed after the event.
Catering: Lunch is provided
Cost: £85
Booking: email/post/phone
Contact: Pat Nash
Telephone:
Alternative Contact: Kate Coombs
Email: kate@wccm.org
Telephone: 020 7278 2070
Download a flyer for this event by right clicking here, and selecting Save As (or the equivalent, if you are using an Apple Mac!)
Download a separate booking form for this event by right clicking here, and selecting Save As (or the equivalent, if you are using an Apple Mac!)
Visit Website: wccmmeditatio.org
Event ID: 39
Thursday 11 October to Wednesday 17 October 2012
UK National Retreat
Tell Me a Story - Meditation and the History of Salvation
Times: Starting at 18:00 on 2012-10-11 and finishing at 12:00 on 2012-10-17
Leadership: Father Laurence Freeman OSB
Venue: Belsey Bridge Conference Centre, Belsey Bridge Conference Centre, Ditchingham, Bungay, Suffolk NR35 2DZ
Theme: 'From childhood we learn to love stories and remain attracted to them as adults since they help us make sense of our lives. How does meditation- a way without words, images or storyline- relate to the religious story and all the stories within it that form so much of the Christian tradition? Do the stories cease to matter or do they matter even more in the light of meditation? Our daily practice and our Christian maturity can depend on this'. In this UK Retreat Father Laurence will explore this theme. The times of meditation and other ways of prayer and preparation will also be essential to making this a week of peace, renewal, solitude and blessed community. There will be a Eucharist on each full day and simple relaxation exercises will help keep our body and mind in tune.
Catering: Residential - meals provided
Cost: Between £195 and £390 - See Flyer
Booking: The booking form is part of the flyer - see below
Contact: Jacqueline Russell
Telephone: 01296 488450
Download a flyer for this event by right clicking here, and selecting Save As (or the equivalent, if you are using an Apple Mac!)
Further Information
For more information on meditation events and groups contact an Area Coordinator listed below
West Midlands - West
Margaret Jarvis
Telephone: 01743 240401
West Midlands - East and Metropolitan
Michael Hackett
Telephone: 01902 790653
Jonathon Kille

Updated: 25-011-2011
