St Cuthbert's Locum

Sheila and I spent 15 days in October living in the Manse and holding the fort while Barry and Hazel were on holiday. It made us appreciate how much they do; not just in the things seen, but in the unseen, and how many people have been helped by what they do.

October is a ‘quiet’ time of the year (which is why Barry and Hazel felt they could go away). Never the less our fortnight included:

• Preparing and conducting morning prayers for ten days
• Changing and washing the Bothy bed linen etc on a change of occupant
• Housekeeping for the ‘Faith and Feathers 2’ weekend (such as arranging the Centre each morning and evening; ensuring a plentiful, permanent supply of tea/coffee/ biscuits; preparing lunch for 15 on the Friday; having three leaders staying in the manse over the weekend.
• Housekeeping for another morning conference for 15 people the next weekend.

In the 43 weeks to the end of October 2009, the Centre has been used for 115 half days for courses or conferences. In those 43 weeks the Bothy has been occupied for 214 nights – i.e. 5 days a week. All of this involves housekeeping on top of Barry’s work of preparing and conducting the daily and weekly worship, writing and updating prayer sheets, fact sheets and his excellent Worship Book, and chaplaincy to tourists and retreatants, as well as the administration involved.

Various thing surprised us:

• How quickly Barry’s A4 sheet ‘Prayers for Travellers’ disappeared from the Centre.
• How many people read, and even photographed, his 10 A3 sheet display of ‘The Story of the World’.
• The appreciative comments we heard about the literature and layout of the centre, as well as those written in the Visitors’ Book.
• The number of request appearing on the Prayer Tree.
• The number of appreciative comments about staying in the Bothy from those who had previously done so – or from their relatives or members of their congregations who came to the Centre.
• The number of people who rang or e-mailed for Barry, and Janet would say “Oh yes, Barry is giving them spiritual direction”.

If we had to nominate highlights for the fortnight, they would be the two imaginative Saturday evening services with twenty two + people at each.

We came away quite certain that this unique Holy Island Project is fulfilling a very real and valuable role in the witnessing and strengthening of Christian faith for the thousands of people who come through its doors each year. It is creative, modern ministry for the 21st Century.

Bill Flett