Rosie's blog

It was another fantastic Greenbelt festival this year - and lovely to see so many old and new friends there.

SCM folk were kept busy with worship, cooking meals in the SCM kitchen tent, running a stall in the G-source, meeting lots of people at the student sessions in Galilee, sharing a delicious picnic at the Tiny Tea Tent and much more. A few photos from the weekend are below.

If you took any photos or have reflections to share from the festival please email scm@movement.org.uk and we'll post them here.

We had a fun time leading worship at Greenbelt this year!

We were reflecting on the image of God's house (John 14:1-4) having many rooms, and encouraged people to explore this through creative prayer stations and themes of welcome, hospitality, abundance and diversity.

Here are some of the quotes we used:

Going back to or starting at university or college this September?

Here are a few tips that were shared by students at Greenbelt this year during the Student Focus session “Life in all its fullness: Living creatively on a student budget”.

Proof that you can live generously, ethically and creatively, while still being sensible with your finances!

If you've got your own tips, stories or ideas, do share them in the comments section.

The British Youth Council, UK Youth Parliament and Young Mayors Network want young people (aged 25 and under) to have their say on the riots through their survey. SCM is a member of the British Youth Council so it would be great if you could share your views!

They will take your views and proposals to the Minister Tim Loughton MP, the Prime Minister and the UK Government.

It was sad to leave the beautiful Buckden Towers after Summer School ended yesterday, but what a fantastic few days we had.

Let's take our dreams of church, community and God's kingdom and put them into practice, knowing that we can support and encourage each other wherever we are in the country, through prayer, sharing ideas, joint actions and meeting up at the next SCM event :)

Here are a few photos from Summer School. Send me your photos, stories, favourite moments and I'll post them here.

A few photos from the weekend. Hope you all reached home safely! Thank you to all who helped with cooking and facilitating, and for all the inspiring discussions.

If you have any photos or reflections from the weekend - let me know and I'll post them on the blog. Or feel free to comment below.

A few things I’ve spotted over the last week that may inspire you.

Listen to Pete Grieg talking about new monasticism and the ancient art of breathing here, or Jane Williams talking about the desert fathers and mothers here.

Browse through the fantastic resources at Re:Worship, Laughing Bird and Abbotsford – lots of ideas for creative services.

Join a free online e-course at the Abbey of the Arts to help you discover your inner monk.

Call to prayer from the World Student Christian Federation global office:

It is with great pain and distress that we have received the news of the sectarian tensions and the burning of the churches in Egypt.

The World Student Christian Federation prays for the victims of the incidents, that God surround them in God’s mercy and love and bring comfort to their families.

Hopefully you've spotted Nicola and Jenni's helpful tips for surviving the summer term in the most recent Grassroots newsletter.

If you're still in the middle of exams and essay deadlines, read on for the full versions of their articles (we had to squeeze them a little to fit them into Grassroots). If you are all finished (well done!) then hang on to these helpful tips for next year.

There have also been some great resources from others - Manna, the SCM-affiliated group in Cambridge, have produced a guide to staying sane during exam term (which can be downloaded here) and chaplain Maggi Dawn gives some advice on her blog here.

Want some creative ideas for next term? Dan Woodhouse (Methodist Chaplaincy Assistant at University of Nottingham and Student Worker at Lenton Methodist Church) has sent us some great tips on setting up a Prayer Space. Thanks Dan! He has created a fantastic space at Nottingham, an oasis of calm in the students' union.

If this is something you fancy doing, either as a one-off project (e.g. 24hr prayer vigil, or during Advent) or something more permanent, then why not have a chat with your chaplain or local church about what space might be available? And let us know how you get on.