Renew Wellbeing at WRBC
As we launch our wellbeing space, initially online via Zoom, here’s a word of explanation as well as of invitation. Wellbeing is about the sense of harmony and balance in life that we all love to experience, and yet that for any of us at any time and for any number of reasons can be disrupted. That we are still facing the challenges and anxieties of the pandemic is just one trigger to destabilise us, and one that we all face.
What it is, and who it is for:
Renew Wellbeing as a local project began in Nottinghamshire offering people, anybody, everybody, a place to come, a place of acceptance and welcome, a place where “it’s OK not to be OK”. A meeting place to connect with others, to be welcomed and encouraged, to enter the beneficial rhythm of prayerfulness, and to find a new sense of peace, joy, even hope. And Renew Wellbeing (RW) has in recent years spread to many locations, including now Hitchin; we are waiting to find a more user-friendly title for our project! And it’s OK to come along even if you are feeling OK!
What you can expect:
As you show up, there will be others present (even in the online space where we begin). As we spend time together, perhaps in conversations around hobbies or interests, perhaps sharing something from the natural world seen whilst on a walk, or something read or viewed or … (but this is not a discussion group for controversial topics!), we will connect with each other and perhaps learn something new, take delight in what someone else has seen, etc.
There is also a rhythm of prayer at the heart of RW which means that there will be time at the start, in the middle and at the end of each session. No one is expected to pray aloud, or even to join in (if they would rather no, for instance) and this is not a prayer meeting as we perhaps enjoy it, or maybe even fear it!
We hope as RW develops to create a working partnership with others, particularly those with expertise in issues such as mental health, so that we can signpost people to helpful resources or organisations. We are blessed to have contact with Phase (even if their expertise is with young people), whose resources are available to us, and there are people with expertise and experience among us too.
Finally, I hope that the brief explanation here helps a little, and I certainly hope that you feel the invitation includes you! And God-willing, when we get through the uncertainties and anxieties of this season of restrictions, we look forward to opening up a physical space to meet together for the good of our spirits, for the good of our bodies, and for the good of our minds and our emotions.
And as the risen Christ greets his troubled disciples (even behind their own locked doors!) -
Peace be with you!