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Adam Reflects

Recently, we were delighted to learn that a baby will be born into our midst. Catherine and Scott were pleased to announce this news to us, and though we are used to new birth amongst our animals, this will be the first time for many years that a human being is to be born at Pilsdon.  It won’t arrive in time to be placed in the crib at our Barn Service on Christmas Day; we will have to wait until the spring for its appearance. Waiting though is an important part of the birth process. We can’t hurry it up. Counter to many aspects of contemporary culture where the emphasis is about eradicating the need to wait. the business of bringing to birth a new life cannot be rushed. Waiting is an integral part of it.

At this time of year, the Christian Church keeps the season of advent, a time of waiting before celebrating the birth of Christ. At Pilsdon we make a point of keeping the Advent season, our Christmas decorations not going up until Christmas Eve, so that our celebrations don’t start before the time is upon us. In our pattern of services and in the lighting of the advent wreath, we mark this waiting time.

And waiting, too, is an important part of the healing that happens at Pilsdon in our life together. The spirit of this place needs time to work on all who come and spend time here. We all have to learn to be patient with ourselves and each other. The waiting time allows for the possibility of new life being born within us and amongst us. Without it, there can be no birth.

Adam

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The East Wing Project

I wish I could write that the East Wing is now competed and occupied, but that is still not the case, but only by a whisker! 

All the new guest rooms have been completed and finished off with curtains (many thanks Sue) and lampshades. the en-suits have all been supplied with cleaning kits, mats and mirrors (well almost, just a few more to go).

Only the new sports hall is left to be decorated, but that does not interfere with us moving into the guest rooms.  So if all the rooms are finished, why have we not moved in I hear you ask? 
most of our existing furniture has become “unfit for purpose” although we had planned to make do and mend and replace gradually over a period of time, but we have had a knight in shining armour come to our aid in the form of the construction company ‘BAM’. 

Bam were introduced to us earlier this year by the building trades charity ‘CRASH’ (no this is not a joke – and there is no WALLOP in this story………..at least I hope not!). They sent a small team of their employees here in the summer to complete the painting of the exterior woodwork, and because of that association they have now very generously donated enough furniture to fill all the new rooms. The furniture has arrived and as I write this, many happy hands are busy installing it into the rooms with the hope of moving in over the next couple of days.

My thanks once again to ALL who have worked so hard and for so long in bringing this all to fruition.

Dilys

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Animal Updates

The dairy cows; Hyacinth, Angelica and Violet are all now in calf. Hyacinth is still producing well despite  getting ready to celebrate her twelfth birthday in three months time. Her contribution has been outstanding, having already given us two pure-bred Jersey heifer calves to act as herd replacements in the future. The other cows produce surprisingly good calves, mainly Angus or Limousin cross which keep us well supplied with tasty beef. We already butcher our own lambs and pigs and now we are adding the beef cattle to our skills.

‘Immortal Paul’ lives on, despite variable health. Peter writes;

‘ee ’aw! There’s ol’ peter comin’ tah give me a stroll to the grass, yum! yum! And if I’m lucky they’ll be an apple for my delectation, yum! Yum! I just grooves on this grass! Wish he’d take me out longer! Here he comes to fiddle with me feet, I just feel like givin’ ‘im a kick! Uh well, it only takes a minute, scraping out my hooves, I wonder why he does it? Now it’s time to go back to my pen. ’ee ’’aw!                    

After a years break, we now have sheep again. We purchased five Lleyn shearlings (usually pronounced ‘Clin’) , a shearling being a ewe of about eighteen months. They originate from the Lleyn  Peninsular in North Wales and are becoming increasing popular due to good mothering and milking abilities. They are now out with a Ram who has been kindly lent to us by Norman Huxter. We expectantly await a good crop of lambs in April.

Destiny has given birth to 11 healthy piglets who are all thriving. destiny has recovered well. The piglets have been given their iron injections and enjoy charging around the piggery in a riotous mob.

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Voices from Pilsdon

When Scott asked me to write a couple of paragraphs about my experiences as a new guest at Pilsdon I didn’t know where to start. I needed a theme to help me interpret the month I’ve spent here. I guess I could have chosen the pots and pans in the kitchen or the books in the library, I just needed a starting point, but for whatever reasons I settled on the fruit and veg we grow in the garden and to begin with apples….
Throughout my time at Pilsdon we’ve always had apples; cookers, eaters, shiny, red, green, big, small and abundant. While other fruits have come and gone the apples remain and will do into the future. And so it is with the everyday activities of Pilsdon; the prayers, the meals and the tea breaks, a daily structure that brings us together. When I arrived we were still living off the harvest of the summer, with juicy tomatoes and fresh raspberries.
And so at first I saw individual fruits standing out against a mass of tangled foliage; layers of relationships, activities and rituals that I didn’t understand. Since then we’ve moved onto eating celeriac and leeks, now I feel like I’m getting to see what’s going on under the surface, what activities root people here and how they like to be, and I’m finding myself putting down roots too as I become involved in activities alongside others. And then there’s the spice that alters the whole flavor of a dish but is imperceptible from a quick glance. These are the little things that mean so much, the smiles, the jokes, a shared observation, a helping hand and a cup of tea. It’s great to be a leek here at Pilsdon, growing alongside the other leeks and celeriac, with a daily dose of apples and a good pinch of spice.

Mary

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Pilsdon’s 53rd Anniversary Celebrations

IMAGINE the sound of a bee enjoying the very last of the autumn warmth, imagine the smell of apples and flowers and imagine sunbeams falling through old glass onto the people squashed up together on the straw bales that serve as seats in the little church at Pilsdon.

They were gathering together to worship, to give thanks for fifty-three years of the Pilsdon Community, and to hear the Guest preacher, Donald Reeves.

Rev Reeves founded Soul of Europe, which has been working in Bosnia and Kosovo for 11 years.
This was his first visit to Pilsdon although he had been in contact during his time as incumbent at St James’s Piccadilly.

“I have long admired the hospitality and welcome of Pilsdon,” he said, “In a world where welcome and hospitality do not come easily.” And he went on to draw parallels with his experience in Bosnia in the aftermath of ethnic cleansing.
“I went there to see if it is possible for people to forgive their enemies and build peace; to invite people to stand in someone else’s shoes.
“Then people come together and they celebrate together and gather round the table; it is all about Shoes, Walls, Land and Tables!” He went on to describe the difficulties he has with organisations which prefer to maintain the status quo and invalidate funding by linking it with short-term feasibles, targets and outcomes: “The spiritual aspect of the work gets forgotten about, taken over by the idolatry of targets which weakens the effect of the work.”
But the Beatitudes lift the veil: “When the veil is lifted, when we do a service, this reawakens and reaffirms what God has given us. We might not make much difference but we might make a little.”

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Voices from Pilsdon

I first turned up at Pilsdon Manor as a wayfarer in May 2011 for the weekend and did not know what to expect.  I met Dilys welcoming me and showing me the dormitories and offering me soup for lunch.  I also met the reverend Adam and his wife Teresa and other volunteers, wayfarers and guests.  I felt at home with all these people.  It was an amazing feeling as I was homeless and an alcoholic.  The whole place was buzzing with so much activity.  I got to like Pilsdon straight away.  It was a million miles away from my alcoholism and I knew that this was the place for me to sort my whole life out and get back to a normal life again.

After my first weekend at Pilsdon I came back as a wayfarer every six weeks and liked the atmosphere and life at Pilsdon immensely.  I applied to be a guest to sort out my life of being an alcoholic.  I met Scott and Catherine on my last visit as a wayfarer and Catherine helped me apply to be a guest.  I was accepted in October 2011 after a week’s trial.

I like the routine here, working with others and doing daily chores.  We all try to help each other in whatever we are doing.  We have lots of animals here like cows, pigs, sheep, ducks and of course Jamie the cat.  The animals give me a good feeling about myself and make me relax.  I also like going to church on Sunday evenings to sing and pray.  It’s our way of life.  This is Pilsdon, our community.

John

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Bishop Nick’s visit to Pilsdon

What better place for the new bishop to start getting to know his new patch: “Pilsdon is one of the things about the Salisbury Diocese that I knew about before I came here,” he says, “I have admired Pilsdon from the outside and find it to be a deeply impressive place; beautiful. As I walked round I have seen the most amazing smallholding with people looking after it who may, or may not be, a therapeutic community; friendly, warm, engaged - who are doing this together and have made a really good fist of it……then to come into lunch and realise how many people are here!

“It is Godly; the church is lovely. And I am a struck by its sustainability – I want one of my children to come here.  St Martin’s is not such long way; I feel at home at Pilsdon. This is a resource for the church and for the wider world.”

The Pilsdon Community has already lasted 20 years longer than the original Community at Little Gidding on which it was partly modeled. The tradition of hospitality is common to both and everyone who turns up to the Sunday evening service at Pilsdon will be warmly invited to supper. This invite was also extended by Adam to Bishop Nicholas, “You’re welcome to come as often as you can.” 

The invitation is also extended to you; if you would like to attend any of our Christmas services, please come along.