Many had already been through our doors during the process of adapting the building for our needs, including numerous dedicated builders, decorators and cleaners.
The day (November 5th) started with a ceremony to honour all these people and more, with around 40 people in attendance.
Following this there were a wide variety of events:
-A dialogue event about the flag of St George
-Bagels with the Progressive Jewish Chaplaincy
-Buddhist Mediation
-A Sikh discussion (pictured) and short film screening
-A Muslim 'try something new event'
-A commissioning service for new Christian team members
-Lots of food and drinks
The event also marked the expansion of our team to 10 distinct chaplaincies - Baha’i, Brahma Kumaris, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan and Sikh.
Jeremy Clines, Coordinating Chaplain at the Centre, shared his reflections on the day:
“In advance of the day, the whole team was full of excitement and nerves. We’d chosen the date for the opening over six weeks ago hoping that everything would be finished in time. So many colleagues, especially the teams from EFM, all came together to ensure that everything was ready for the day.
“Two moments really stand out to me when I reflect back on the day. The first was seeing so many people come to celebrate the opening moment—a real mix of those who were involved in the work and those who were there to say thank you. It was a really cheerful and satisfying occasion, we knew that we’d achieved what we’d set out to do, which was to create a welcoming space open to all at the University. We always wanted this to be a more equal space, a calmer space, a wellbeing space for everyone, and seeing so many people from different parts of the University together in that moment helped show that we had begun to achieve that.
“The second moment was during a dialogue event called For God and For George: Mythbusting the Flag and the Saint. This workshop created a space for a braver type of conversation, as people were able to reflect on their own experiences of prejudice and racism and the abundance of flags in our region. We also learned together more about St George, often regarded to Christians as a figure of help, who is thought to have been born to a Syrian/Palestine mother and a Turkish/Cappadocian father. It's believed he was killed because he refused to renounce his beliefs, and yet we also considered how he had been used in England as a symbol of conquest, colonialism and domination.
“When I think about the space we have created here at the Centre, and I’m sure the rest of the team feel the same, I feel so much gladness. It’s thanks to the help of many that the space is filled with artworks from the University Heritage Collection, sofas, gentle lighting and indoor plants. All of this helps create a sense of a haven, a place for wellbeing, including contemplation, meditation, prayer, quiet and reflection.
“What feels so special about our new set up is how the 10 distinct chaplaincies housed within our Centre helps us respect our differences and learn from one another. All of this creates a safer space and that has a significant benefit for braver conversations. There's plenty of room for everyone, and room to encounter and dialogue, and more time to consider and respond. We look forward to hosting a wide range of events, run by each chaplaincy, and our weekly programme keeps growing. We’re already planning a sequence of dialogue events, following our mythbusting session.”