All of our activity in working out how to deal with this material stuff makes for an interesting parallel with how we deal with the experiences we collect during our lives. Some of our experiences, both the positive ones but also the painful ones, can get shut away and gather dust. For various reasons, we choose not to return to them. However, the events of Holy Week and Easter, which as usual we will be marking at Pilsdon, offer a particular angle on our experiences.

It is striking that with all of Jesus’ resurrection appearances, the theme is one of return. He meets his disciples where he met them before – in Galilee, on the seashore, in the upper room. In other words, the places where they had followed Jesus and begun to know him, yet also the places where they had failed to trust him, where they had made mistakes, and where they had betrayed him. Jesus meets his friends, then, not in some perfect paradise but back where they had begun on the soil of their lives, familiar scenes of mixed memories, in order to transform them.

The Christian hope is about redeeming the mess of life, including the mess of our own lives, with its whole jumble of experiences. It’s a pattern which we find repeated in our life here, where the past is not blotted out but is the very stuff for making new.

A VERY WARM WELCOME TO:
Dilys in her new role as Community Member (see page 5). We know Dilys well and are delighted she wants to be at Pilsdon.
Nicole from Canada. We feel fortunate that Nicole, past member, has found time to pay a return visit and look forward to her inspiring presence over the next three months.
Chiara from Italy. Chiara has earned a year’s sabbatical from the community where she has worked for over six years and has chosen to spend her time with us. Chiara has previously visited us and is already highly regarded at Pilsdon; we know we will enjoy her time with us.

DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE A MOVE-ON HOUSE?

Brook House, a large Edwardian house accommodating up to ten residents, is our move-on house in Dorchester. It is situated in a quiet residential street within easy reach of Dorchester town centre and its many amenities. This urban community shares the values of Pilsdon Community. Members from the Pilsdon Community make regular visits and residents at Brook House are encouraged to maintain links if they wish.

Brook House has a resident volunteer warden and a co-ordinator. It is a dry house and residents enter into a formal licence agreement. The residents share the upkeep of the house and the preparation of the main meal each day. The big difference between the Pilsdon Community and the ’move-on’ ’ house is that the location of Brook House allows for pursuit of outside activities; involvement in education, training or voluntary work is encouraged. While there is no set time limit on stays at Brook House, it is hoped that most residents will progress to fuller employment and an increased sense of interdependence in due course.

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LOVE AND INSPIRATION BY THE BUCKET-LOAD!
…“just write about ‘Dilys at Pilsdon’, that’s all”: these words spoken by Lis to me were possibly the most challenging task I have been given! That is why some 3 weeks later after the first deadline for submission has already passed, I’m at last sitting down to try to complete it.
I first came to Pilsdon as a volunteer in March 2009 with the year previous, being one of the most exciting and adventurous of my life. Having been made redundant in April 08, I set out to have a “gap year” and travelled to Australia, New Zealand and the USA. I slept out under the stars in a swag bag in the Aussie outback (having never even camped before), I sky-dived, scuba-dived, snorkelled with Manta Rays, swam with dolphins, went up in a hot air balloon, went “tubing” in underground rivers, ate kangaroo tails (but fortunately no grubs). What I’m trying to say is that I had a lot of “first-time” experiences and challenges; little did I know that all that was just a practice run for being at Pilsdon!
I clearly remember my internal reaction when Jonathan asked if I would like to try my hand at milking. “Milking? – doesn’t that involve a cow? No thank you very much!” (My only previous encounter with the bovine species was being chased by a herd of them when I was a small child and remaining terrified of them ever since.) Bizarrely I heard a voice saying, “Well I’ll give it a go,” and even more bizarrely realising that that voice was mine. Needless to say I have had a very soft spot for Daphne ever since then. I shed a few tears in panic on my first couple of attempts to cook supper for so many, and had the collywobbles when climbing ladders but the amazing thing about Pilsdon is that there is always someone standing by your side saying, “It’s OK, you’re doing fine and every thing will be OK.” I have never before experienced a place so full of encouragement, support and inspiration and all given by the great PILSDON TEAM.
I’m not sure if I seek out challenges or they seek me out but since the beginning of February, I have accepted the challenge of community membership. I am delighted to say that so far there has been no tears of panic and no collywobbles but marvellously, still by the bucket load, is encouragement, love and inspiration.
I thank God for Pilsdon and for a future I can look forward to. DILYS
BRINGING YOU UP TO DATE

PRAYER LIFE
Lent Study (7.45 p.m.-9.15 p.m. Mon evening,) centring on the film ‘Touching the Void’ provides engaging material.
You may be interested to know we have a diary of inter- cessions throughout the year. Used on a daily basis, we offer prayers for past and present guests, wayfarers, respite visitors, friends and supporters, volunteers and members.
We are deeply indebted to Sue Langdon from the Pilgrimage Community of St Wite who regularly presides at the eucharist & is a much anticipated visiting preacher

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LUXURY ACCOMMODATION
Bats arriving at Pilsdon this Spring will be delighted to discover an upgraded roost installed at great cost & amidst much sweat & tears. In view of the planned demolition of their previous home, visiting bats will find improved facilities, certain breeds having tailor-made facilities to guarantee the perfect country retreat. The message amongst the bat population is to arrive early in order to secure these much-desired barn conversions.

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FUND-RAISING AND THE BUILDING PROJECT
Half of the East Wing is near completion and the Pilsdon workforce is now wielding paint brushes, rollers, tiles and adhesive—and in preparation for ‘Phase 2’ (which should be finished by the end of the year) sledge hammers and pick-axes. The good news is that our shortfall of funding is now a little less than £50,000. No room for complacency obviously, but nevertheless remarkable. A very sincere thank you to all those who have so generously donated to our building fund so far.

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

FRIDAY 9th JULY 6.30 P.M. SUPPER
followed by
SUMMER CONCERT BY THE BROADOAK CHOIR at 7.30 P.M.

SUNDAY 17th OCTOBER from 11.00 A.M. onwards.
PILSDON’S 52nd ANNIVERSARY
SPEAKER: JIM COTTER 12 NOON followed by LUNCH.
(Jim Cotter, an Anglican Priest, has written books that reshape traditional prayers and explore issues of sexuality, healing and ministry.)

SHEILA SAYS...
I guess there will be few who will disagree that it has been a long winter with few signs of spring yet. We have been known to have lunch in the garden on warm February days but not this year. We have been glad of good food and log fires in the evenings. Conversations have centred around football and latterly the Winter Olympics. Marmalade-making, the use of our own table chickens (for the first time in very many years), a glorious rabbit casserole, Jaki’s exceptional celebration cakes and Chiara’s Italian delicacies have featured in the kitchen.
Although I saw catkins and primroses before Christmas, there are still no signs of the early wild daffodils, aconites, celandines or violets. One event which always brightens February is the Pancake Race round the yard, human cargo in the wheelbarrows making a change from earth, rubbish and manure. This year we had children with us who clearly enjoyed it, as did the cows who gazed with amazement at the antics.
So now we start the thoughtful period of Lent as we move towards Easter. The tradition of celebrating with eggs, though of pagan origin, was adopted by the early Christians who considered eggs to be holy and appropriate gifts at Eastertide because they are obvious symbols of continuing life and resurrection. Last year, at Hilfield Friary, I saw a nest of coloured eggs placed before the altar in the small chapel and being quietly moved by the sight of it.

HELP, PLEASE!
Machine needed for topping the paddocks.! If anyone knows of a surplus machine please let us know.

NEWS FROM SOUTHERN INDIA
Since Vivek left us in December he has become engaged to Esther and they will marry on April 16th. We offer them our congratulations and every good wish for their future life together.

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