Movement 124
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scm glrassroots reporl: peak retreat<br />
A short report from the SCM group in Buxton about their recent activities<br />
+<br />
The spring term with all its mix of pressures seemed<br />
the ideal time to organise a kind of 'time-out'<br />
weekend for the chaplaincy group. 17-19 February<br />
were the dates chosen and plans were put in<br />
place to occupy a small self-catering retreat centre<br />
in Bamford in the Peak District.<br />
The weekend itself was spent focusing on prayer in<br />
different forms. lt was wonderful to have the opportunity<br />
and the freedom to talk and share, to question<br />
and to comment on things that really matter, something<br />
that is not always easy during the daily round<br />
on campus.<br />
As well as our seriously spiritual sessions, we had great<br />
fun going on walks during the day. ln the evenings we<br />
had fun playing games and drinking or simply chatting<br />
to each other. Mealtimes were special too. The<br />
food cooked by members of the group was delicious<br />
and plentiful. We took photographs of everything!!<br />
Talking with everyone after and since, we all benefited<br />
in some way from this time away. We returned<br />
with new ideas, thoughts, experiences and friends,<br />
forging bonds that made us one big happy family.<br />
review complete<br />
Our thanks to all<br />
who had organised<br />
the event.<br />
We are looking<br />
forward to the<br />
next already.<br />
A word of advice<br />
for anyone<br />
with questions<br />
about faith<br />
or spirituality...<br />
find your<br />
nearest chaplaincy.<br />
There<br />
you will find<br />
people who<br />
are willing to<br />
sit down, share<br />
your insights<br />
and ideas, and<br />
maybe even<br />
en rich<br />
For the past two years SCM has been examining how we work<br />
and whether there are better ways to do things. This structural<br />
review has recommended many changes/ some of which have<br />
already been taken place, and the time has come for it to wind<br />
down. Hopefully the structural review has made SCM better able<br />
to meet the needs of our members, now and in the future.<br />
Since I last wrote in movement about the structural review, we<br />
have come up with some more proposals that have been accepted<br />
by Ceneral Council. All of these were presented to the AGM<br />
at the Manchester gathering, where members had a chance to<br />
ask questions and voted on some changes to the constitution. All<br />
of these were passed and come into effect in September.<br />
The main new changes are to our membership and affiliation<br />
structures. lndividual membership has been redefined as being<br />
for students and people who've left university in the last three<br />
years, to make sure that SCM is primarily a movement of and for<br />
students. There were also slight rises in the subscription rates,<br />
which hadn't changed for many years.<br />
We also simplified how groups and chaplaincies affiliate to<br />
SCM, goinj from seven levels to four. We've made a distinction<br />
between chaplaincies and student groups, recognising the difference<br />
in needs and resources available to them. By the time<br />
you're reading this, you should have heard the details of any<br />
changes that apply to you.<br />
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's been involved<br />
in the process over the past two years. Whether you've<br />
attended meetings, written papers or read and commented on proposals,<br />
thank you - your contribution has been appreciated. O<br />
Chris Stacey was convenot of SCM's Ceneral Council and the<br />
structural review steering group in 2005-06.<br />
your<br />
own search for truth. O<br />
Nicki Hammond is a student at the<br />
University of Derby, Buxton.<br />
Has your<br />
chaplaincy or<br />
group done<br />
something<br />
inspirational?<br />
Send us a report!<br />
$oodbye and<br />
$ood luck!<br />
This summer, the SCM staff team have sadly<br />
said goodbye to our Office Administrator<br />
fohn Probhudan.<br />
John's been with us since last September,<br />
when he and his very pregnant wife Edwina<br />
arrived here from Australia.<br />
John has brought a wealth of experience from<br />
the SCMs in Bangladesh and Australia, and<br />
the Asia-Pacific region of WSCF. His international<br />
perspective has reminded us that we're<br />
part of a wider ecumenical and international<br />
community, and has been really valuable.<br />
John's now moving on to<br />
be international chaplain<br />
in Manchester, and we're<br />
sure he'll do an excellent<br />
job. Everyone at SCM<br />
wishes him all the best.<br />
Look out for details of our<br />
new Administrator in the<br />
January issue of movement.<br />
movement<br />
5
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