Largest turnout yet for Taste and See

• Posted by admin on March 25th, 2011 filed in Previous Events

Discovery & Reflection of Expressions of Faith

After the success of Taste and See in 2008 and 2009 a third day of Bite-Size Spirituality was held in York on Saturday 19^th March 2011.  Organised by CoRE, with support from the Diocese of York the day was kindly hosted by the Chaplaincy Department of York St John University. 

Over 300 people joined the event which offered people the opportunity to experience different ways of prayer and spiritual traditions through worship, workshops and discussion in a friendly and engaging setting.

The day began with the opening act of worship led by Margaret Sentamu, who preached about the value of different styles of prayer and spirituality for different personalities, temperaments and moods, and the importance of broadening our minds and experiences so as to draw closer to God.  Musical accompaniment was provided by the ‘Resurrecting Tradition Choir’, who gave a beautiful rendition of Vaughan Williams’ short anthem “O Taste and See”. The icon for the event was an apple with the venue decorated with baskets of the fruit kindly donated by the Benedictine monks at Ampleforth Abbey.

Participants then had the opportunity to join three of the twenty-three workshops hosted by Christians of different denominations.  Workshop leaders included Margaret Sentamu, Revd Inderjit Bhogal OBE, Revd Philip Roderick and Brother Damian.  The workshops allowed people to discover and reflect on new ways of relating to God.  Some were about the practical application of faith whilst others were more abstract in their approach. Some used challenging images and ideas whilst others were more comforting and calming. Some encouraged corporate prayer, perhaps with music, whilst others nurtured private prayer in silence. 

When speaking about the day one workshop host said: “Thanks for organising such a good day on Saturday. People seemed to be very engaged.  I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the day.”

The closing act of worship was led by Revd Philip Roderick in the style of the ‘Contemplative Fire‘ movement. Delegates joined in simple chants inspired by African music, and ‘bodily prayer’ incorporating slow, meditative movements whilst saying the Our Father.

When asked about the day one participant said: “Thank you for a very rewarding and enjoyable day - and so well-organised. The time between sessions helped contribute to a prayerful day as well. I really appreciated the Godly Play in particular - and Mary Oliver’s poem on our seats for the closing act of worship was a very thoughtful touch.  Now looking forward to the next one!”