Sanctuary - comments

Welcome to the Dream website and blog for anyone who first connected with us at New Wine Newark last week, where we ran "Sanctuary" aka "praying in a cow shed"! I've put the words we used and a list of props needed onto our resources section here.

We had a visitors book for prayer requests, comments, etc which ended up with hundreds of really encouraging comments. Here's a sample of them...

---

Thank you for this space. Was really needing it and will be back.

Space and time to hear the beat of God's heart.

Showed me a way to connect with God.

God spoke to me here.

We are only twelve, but we really enjoyed every second of it. You will see us again!

This area is very special, thank you.

Brilliant. Need to come again and again.

What a "sanctuary"! Much appreciated.

It was a fantastic experience, I felt really at ease with God and the minimalist feel really helped me to focus and relax.

Music was great & the simplicity so powerful!

Thank you for helping me simply be rather than always doing.

An oasis of peace, calm, tranquillity - God met me here.

Thank you for creating space to allow me to hear God speak.

Loved the visual, the listening, the practical, the sitting, the quiet. I entered here my mind busy. I'm leaving restored. Thank you.

What a lovely place to visit before the fray of putting them all to bed - after a long day of getting us all here. Thank you.

Thank you for sacred practical ideas through which I was able to hear Him again.

It is a nice place to pray for children like me.

Thank you Lord for finally giving me peace of mind here after all the worry & doubt of this past year. I got a picture of a dove finally being set free.

In my hectic everyday life, everything seems blurred. This experience has helped me to see things clearly again and realise that all my problems which seemed so hard to solve are actually really easy to remove. Thanks you so much.

Simple but very effective. A true sanctuary.

I just keep coming back. This is so beautiful, so peaceful, a real sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of life.

Thank you Lord for speaking... for you peace, space & presence.

Thank you Lord, you never fail to amaze and delight.

I loved the humility of the surroundings, the holy and the grit, the birdsong reminding us to worship& celebrate and also to stay grounded and practical.

Lots of good ideas to take and use in our own church.

Please do this again next year

A still centre to New Wine

An oasis of peace that showed me again the need for making more time and space for peace in my life.

God is here.

Thank you for the space and encouragements to waste holy time with God.

It has been fantastic to come into this space at different points in the week, just to be quiet and reflect. The different exercises really helped. I will take some away for use in different contexts.

Sanctuary has certainly lived up to its name for me this week.

I wish I had discovered this area sooner in the week.

I know I have found spiritual healing here.

So ordinary from the outside, yet so amazing as you enter and get drawn into the presence of God.

Thank you for space to be quiet and take stock after so many words (good words!) in the seminars.

This place is just so special.

I can't believe that I only found this place on the last night. It's what my heart has yearned for all week. But thank God that I can leave knowing I have met with God.

I was in a really low place, depressed and kind of suicidal when I randomly came across this place. It's just so amazing. being here for five minutes left me extremely calm and collected. The atmosphere of God is just so heavy here. Thank you SO much for this place.

This place has made me learn a lot about myself.

Dream @ New Wine

Just back from New Wine North where Dream ran the prayer shed, called Sanctuary. We'll probably post a bit more soon to share some of the great comments that people left, but for now, to let you know that some photos have been posted in the "Group Photos" section.

Click here to view the album.

Facebook

L19:Dream have been using a facebook group brilliantly since they began (great idea for other groups). We now also have a Dream Network group. Just search for "dream"... we beat the other 30 million members of facebook to the name.

So stop all that important work you're doing and get down to our facebook group!

You're not alone

Lots of things tend to stop happening over the Summer, but there are still a bunch of ways to connect with one another across the network.

1. Join In: For those who don't know, this is an email list you can sign up to (just click on "get dream emails" at the top on the website and select "Join in". The idea is that once you've joined the list, then whenever you are doing anything fun that you are happy for others to join in, you email the details to joinin@dream.uk.net and everyone on the list gets it. This is not about organising bog socials (tho feel free to do that too) but about joining in one anther's everyday lives (e.g I'm going on a picnic/having a BBQ/ going to concert/watching every episode of 'Friends' back to back and anyone else is welcome to join me. It's important that this is something that you are planning and will enjoy anyway even if o one else can make it. This list has been very quiet for the past few months, but the Summer hols are the perfect time to get it buzzing again.

2. Lectio: Again for those who don't know we publish a bible reading each week and you can sign up to receive it as an email. It's particularly great when people add comments/questions/reactions which turns it into a group thing.

3. Prayer Board: Lots of people check the prayer board regularly, so do add your prayer requests, and pray for others.

4. Photo-share: I'm going to write an intro to using our resources sections soon, but it's really very easy. We've added a "group photo's" section so you can upload any photos of your dream group. You can also add comments to any of the photos and other resources.

5. Come camping! Dream is running "sanctuary" a creative prayer venue at New Wine Newark and a worship slot at Greenbelt. There's still time to book in for either.

The photo was taken by Jonny Baker on a recent CMS team time in Orkney. As you can see it was a very full and busy time!

feedback

Last night's Dream network service was jointly sponsored by Ikea unbreakable mirrors and the Health and Safety Dept (you had to be there).

If you were there, it would be great to have some feedback on two counts...

1. Content: We're going to be running basically the same service at Greenbelt, so it would be good to hear what worked/didn't work/changed your life/got on your nerves.

2. Venue: Did you prefer the ladychapel last night or the "well" in the main cathedral the last two times. Would you be keen to suggest a different venue altogether?

(if you weren't there, you're just going to have to come to Greenbelt now, where there's also going to be John Tavener, Coldcut, Billy Bragg, Matt Redman and Chas n' Dave!)