Autumn abundance at The Hive

Geraldine Allen and Sarah Rodgers are pioneering a new community called The Hive in north Norfolk. They introduced their quest for a new and meaningful language about spirituality last year in a blog and we asked them to share an update on how the community is thriving and their plans for autumn.

What have we learned at The Hive over the last year? 

We have learned about rhythms.  These are not routines or repetitions but they are the recognisable features that people welcome as they return to something familiar and then include as a pattern within their lives.  Rhythms at The Hive are our seasonal series – Winter Warmers, Spring into Summer and, our current season, Autumn Abundance.  Rhythms at The Hive are our reliable welcome and our fluid outlook on inclusivity and participation – no rules, no rotas, no restrictions.  Rhythms at The Hive are also in the music we bring for reflection, for choral singing and for deeper listening.

We have learned about listening, in all sorts of ways this past year, at The Hive.

The American psychiatrist, Karl Menninger writes:  “Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.”

The first word of The Rule of St Benedict is, “Listen . . .listen with the ear of your heart.” From Valarie Kaur’s book, See No Stranger: “Deep listening is an act of surrender. We risk being changed by what we hear. When I really want to hear another person’s story, I try to leave my preconceptions at the door and draw close to their telling. I am always partially listening to the thoughts in my own head when others are speaking, so I consciously quiet my thoughts and begin to listen with my senses.”

All these wise words resonate with how we feel God is leading us at The Hive:  to provide a safe space where people can come and tell their stories, a place of respite and restoration, somewhere to call their own in their own way.

We have learned about journeying – with God, with one another as a team, through our programme of events and with our community.  In the late Spring, we mowed a labyrinth into the grounds for a visit from The Methodist President who memorably, momentarily and inspirationally laid the burden of her presidency at the heart of the labyrinth.  Later in the year, because the grass had all but disappeared, we marked out instead a meandering labyrinth which became a metaphor for journeying with its twists and turns, undulating paths and obscured but attainable destinations.

Autumn Abundance is full of good things! Music, poetry, drama, story-telling, learning, listening, exercise for body, mind and soul and prayer are all part of our rhythm and journey as we continue to listen for God’s leading at The Hive.

Find out more about The Hive here.

Called to pioneer? Find out more about how we can support you by joining our webinar on 10 October. More details and how to register here.