It was a glorious sunny day for our 2018 Wild Church launch and so we had the rare experience of folks wanting to come to church to keep cool! It was indeed lovely to have the sun streaming in through the open door and arched windows, while the old stones gave us sanctuary from a hot May afternoon.
It was also a blessing to welcome over fifty people, many of whom wouldn’t usually set foot inside St. Mary’s Dartington, for a feast of poetry, music and storytelling thanks to our bards; Martin Shaw, Mothiur Rahman and Glynis Morgan. Glynis’ beautiful harp playing helped us settle into a quiet and receptive space – perfect for listening to Mothiur’s poetic encounters with nature. Martin then swept us up with his drum and dramatic flair into the wild tale of Dame Ragnell and the nature of sovereignty, which stimulated lively debate over tea and cake afterwards.
A touch of the wild entered church in more than one way that afternoon. The windowsills were filled with wild greenery and flowers from local gardens and our stall holders had also brought their own creativity to share. Badger Brian had a wonderful array of plants and veg from his garden, plus a colourful display of his own hand spun woollen yarns dyed with local plants and baskets hand crafted by his equally talented partner, Richard. Jobee Jo had brought her lovely and local hand felted goods and Frank their beautiful hand made cards and prints, many featuring local wildlife.
Once again I was reminded that Wild Church is all about community and the delights that emerge from people coming into communion with the natural world we are part of and then sharing together the creativity that this inspires.
