Summer Adventures
Hello Everyone!
Summer holidays are over, or shortly will be and for most of us it is back to work or study! For me, it is University, but before I properly wave goodbye to summer 2010, I wanted to write about a couple of experiences that have been really positive for me and that I would encourage you to look into!
The first is a project called ARC. ARC stands for Accueil (Welcome), Rencontre (Meeting), Communauté (Community) and is an ecumenical international organisation which coordinates student guides in major European Churches and Cathedrals. The guided tours are not just from a historical perspective but also focus on art and faith and the religious significance of the building. They are intended to be a dialogue and encourage conversation with the tourists and visitors and this year I had the opportunity to be a guide at Notre Dame Cathédrale, Luxembourg, working with two other female students, from The Netherlands and Austria.
I greatly enjoyed meeting so many different people, from all over the world and from all different walks of life. I had some great conversations about Christianity and faith and was challenged to think about how to explain the building to some Buddhist tourists and some visitors from Japan who had little understanding of Christianity.
Luxembourg is a very beautiful country and our hosts were keen to show us, that despite being small, there was plenty to see. The City of Luxembourg is full of culture and there were many occasions when a British Anglican, a Dutch Protestant and an Austrian Catholic sat drinking hot chocolate, listening to a band play in the bandstand and discussing faith, the Church and culture, amongst many other things!
The four weeks I spent on the Continent were very positive and enjoyable and I learned more about myself and deepened my understanding of other traditions as well as my own faith.
If you are interested in History, History of Art or Theology or just want to do a summer project based in the Christian faith, then I would really encourage you to take a look at the organisation's website - http://www.encounterarc.org.uk or to comment the blog if you have further questions!
The second thing I want to mention is Greenbelt Festival. This is a christian arts festival that takes place on Cheltenham Racecourse over the August bank holiday weekend. Most people camp and there is a broad programme of talks, music, worship, performing arts, visual arts, exhibitions, opportunities to be creative, spaces for praying and much more. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and there is such a choice of things to attend that Greenbelt can be as deep a Christian experience as you want. The website for Greenbelt gives a much better picture of what it is like. Check it out! http://www.greenbelt.org.uk
Rebekah
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Short links
http://www.albandys.org.uk/go/summer_adventures
http://www.albandys.org.uk/go/451