Ambient Wonder @ St Stephen's

So, as anyone who finds themselves in this corner of the internet is likely to know, Ambient Wonder held an event on Thursday evening in St. Stephen's Church, Norwich. Now, for the uninitiated (should you be reading this) it is probably worth explaining that St Stephen's is a church more or less situated slap bang in the middle of the newest biggest shopping centre in Norwich (Chapelfield). In fact, it only just occurred to me that this may well be the Chapel after which the area is named. Seems obvious now... Also, it is worth noting, it was the penultimate late-night shopping opportunity before Christmas. It was busy. And very, very cold.

Anyway, for us Ambient Wonder peoples, this was kind of a Big Deal. Partly because someone was letting us loose in their beautiful old church... and partly because it was treading into the unknown, with our not-very-specific brand of worship experience. Not even a brand really. Just a bunch of things.

So we set up shop, supervised by some intrigued/baffled/terrified members of the church. The focus was on advent, and the significance of the build up and anticipation of Christmas. Anna and Neil had prepared a reflective prayer area, Tim had produced some beautifully thought-provoking poetry, and I had come up with a bunch of pictures thieved from around the internet that we projected onto a huge screen. And Debbie was dishing out free hot chocolate.

We had produced 'gifts' to pass to those that took an interest - small baubles made out of folded paper, each with a blessing written on the inside. We'd spent Sunday evening making tons of the things (an experience at once frustrating and uniting...), and the plan was to stand by the doors thrusting them into the hands of people as they charged into the church intent upon seeking enlightenment.

As it happened, there wasn't a surge. There was barely even a trickle. Heather dived into the throng of people, determined to draw attention to our event (since she started training to be a vicar, her sense of self-preservation seems to have diminished), whilst Paul, Ian and I wandered in a dazed state, wondering how to engage with the multitudes rushing past on their way to gather carrier bags from as many department stores as possible.

Eventually (for the long version, read my next post), we did start to get the interest of the odd-passer by, and a gentle flow of people into the church. Mostly there for the free hot-chocolate. But inside, with us, part of Ambient Wonder nonetheless. As we reached the final moments of packing away, a group of lads arrived in the Church, expecting to take advantage of our refreshments. Sadly, we had nothing to offer them, other than the meditation cards we had prepared and failed to distribute. They looked confused but grateful... (actually, the cards had the website address on them, so if you're reading, Hi Guys!).

We had barely given away any of the baubles. But we had prayed the blessings. We had experienced making them together. We had gone out and tried... something. And perhaps, as with Christmas, the significance was in the preparation.