Upcoming events at the House of the Open Door Community
The Community hosts many events throughout the year, using some of the facilities in our Retreat Centre; we list those coming up in a calendar below.
Our Tithe Barn is sometimes reserved for guest groups but is at other times is an ideal event space for meetings or conferences hosted by the community such as our Friday night Fellowship meetings, or those visiting for discipleship. Smaller meetings such as craft retreats take place in our Craft Studio.
If you are visiting for one of the events it may be possible for us to cater for you in our Dining Room; during your visit you are welcome to spend any spare time in our Retreat Centre Gardens.
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Join us for a quiet day of reflection for Lent.
This quiet day for Lent will be led by community members, as a a time of waiting on God in reflection and prayer.
We will reflect together on the theme “Finding Joy in the Wilderness”
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.
Isaiah 35:1-10
Through prayer, reflection on Scripture and silence during the day, we will seek to enter into this time of preparation for the Passion and Death of the Lord Jesus.
Suggested donation of £20, including drinks and biscuits.
Please bring your own packed lunch
To book a place, please contact us by phone or email.
‘Under cloud and under star’
(The Hobbit)‘A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God”’
(Isaiah 40.3)
Friday 19th May – Sunday 21st May 2023
The House of the Open Door community offers a retreat on the theme “Narnia, Middle-Earth and the Way of Life”
The retreat leader will be our longstanding friend Andy Swinford.
Andy writes:
Come and explore with us on this retreat the theme of Journeying through the life God has given us, drawing inspiration from the Bible and from the stories of C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien (no prior knowledge needed!). We shall look at such themes as leave-taking and home-coming, pilgrimage, companions upon the way, the great grace that sustains us, God’s loving protection, our resting places, risky living and probably much more.
It will be a time for drawing close to God, and receiving his grace-filled refreshment and rest, with plenty of opportunity for encountering God anew, both indoors and outside in the beautiful gardens and countryside surrounding The House of the Open Door. There will be time to listen and pray, and just to Be as we are refreshed by his Spirit and delight in God, enjoying his guiding light.
Suggested donation £200
Please Contact Us for more details, or to book.
__________________
Andy Swinford
Andy has frequently given multimedia presentations and lead retreats on C S Lewis. He has also written scripts for tours of places in Britain connected to Tolkien for Authatrails. He gave a presentation for the Three Shires Festival last year on links between these two authors and their love of the natural world.
Now retired, he taught English in secondary school for 25 years in Birmingham. Walking in the countryside and beekeeping are among his chief pleasures. He is currently writing a book on Joy in the fiction of C S Lewis.
He is a longstanding friend of The House of the Open Door, and has spoken before at our Friday Night Fellowship Meetings
This date is the beginning of our Spring term for the Discipleship Course 2023
In 2023 the Discipleship Course runs from February to December in three terms, and includes our summer conference, Gateway:
- Spring Term Wednesday 1 February – Friday 4 April
- Summer Term Monday 1 June- 6 August 2023
- Gateway Summer Youth Conference 2023 Saturday 24th – Sunday 6th August
- Autumn Term Sunday 1 October – Friday 15 December
For more details see Discipleship Course 2023
Our two-week Gateway Youth Summer Conference at HOD takes place from 24th July to 6th August 2023, as part of the wider Discipleship Course running from February to December 2023.
The Conference is title is “Gateway” – opening the Gates and Doors of our lives to make way for the King of Glory. Expand your horizons – connect with God and others in new ways…
Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to,
you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
(John 4:10)
For more see Gateway Youth Summer Conference 2023
Jamie Price from Elim Limitless will be our speaker on 26th July, as part of our Gateway Summer Youth Conference 2023.
Jamie is the Director of Ministries for Limitless (Elim’s National Youth and Children’s ministry) and on the Limitless Pioneers team, helping churches with no youth ministries, start new youth ministries. He lives in Birmingham with his wife Debs and sons Jude and Ezekiel. In his spare time, he loves to run and read.
Allegra Mutanda will be our speaker on 27th July, as part of our Gateway Summer Youth Conference 2023.
Allegra is a lay woman in full time ministry in the Catholic Church. She is originally from the DR Congo and a native French speaker but has been living in the UK since 1995.
Allegra has extensive experience both in evangelisation and parish ministry having been involved in evangelisation since 2005. For 12 years, she was part of Sion Catholic Community for Evangelism whose charism is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Her primary work there was in parish renewal and missions and in that time, worked with over a hundred Catholic parishes across the UK.
Since 2020, Allegra has been working for the Parish of St Peter and the Winchester Martyrs as their Director of Evangelisation and Leadership where she is helping the parish fulfil its vision of bringing people closer to Jesus Christ in hope and joy.
Allegra is passionate about evangelisation and helping people go deeper in their relationship with Jesus. She says, ‘my own faith grew and developed with the help of so many people along the way and still does. If I can play even a small part in another’s journey of faith, helping them fall in love with Jesus, grow closer to Him, and in their turn, start helping others along that road, then I am responding to my baptismal call’.
This date is the beginning of our Spring term for the Discipleship Course 2023
In 2023 the Discipleship Course runs from February to December in three terms, and includes our summer conference, Gateway:
- Spring Term Wednesday 1 February – Friday 4 April
- Summer Term Monday 1 June- 6 August 2023
- Gateway Summer Youth Conference 2023 Saturday 24th – Sunday 6th August
- Autumn Term Sunday 1 October – Friday 15 December
For more details see Discipleship Course 2023
The House of the Open Door community offers a ladies’ Fitness and Faith Day on the theme “Grace and Strength”.
The day will be hosted by a team led by community member Ibi Gyorgy. Ibi is a qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer.
Ladies, come and join us for a day of Fitness, Faith, Food and Fun!
- Fitness: Ibi will be leading a program including classes for stretching, Gentle Pilates, Dancemix workout, and Ab blast workout. All fitness classes are optional and will aim to suit all abilities.
- Other elements of the day will explore…
- Faith: the relationship between Fitness and Faith
- Food: the role of food and nutrition in our lives
- Fun: time to unwind in fellowship with others!
‘My dear son, be patient, because the weaknesses of the body are given to us in this world by God for the salvation of the soul. So they are of great merit when they are borne patiently.
St. Francis of Assisi, The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi
There will be spare time during the day to enjoy our beautiful Retreat Centre and Gardens. Refreshments will be provided.
Here you can find a detailed programme. The poster is here.
Recommended donation for the day is £35 including all classes and refreshments. Please, bring your own lunch.
Please Contact Us to book in for the day, or to stay in our Retreat Centre.
Ibi Gyorgy
‘In your presence is fulness of joy’
(Psalm 16.11)‘In a sense the central story of my life is about nothing else’
(Surprised by Joy – C S Lewis)
Saturday 20th April 2024
The House of the Open Door community offers a retreat on the theme “Surprised by Joy” led by Andy Swinford.
This is a retreat for the refreshment of the spirit as Andy Swinford leads us on an adventure into the world of C S Lewis. The wind of joy breathes through his writings (no prior knowledge needed!) and we will draw close to God by using insights they provide, arising out of the deep faith of the author. During the day there will be space for reflection, walking, prayer, and joy-gathering in the beautiful gardens and grounds of The House of the Open Door.
Suggested donation £20
Please bring your own lunch – refreshments provided.
Please Contact Us for more details, or to book.
Surprised by Joy Retreat Poster (PDF)
__________________
Andy Swinford
Andy formerly taught English Literature and is the author of 14 essays in ‘The Christian Tradition in English Literature’. He is about to publish ‘The Practice of Joy: insights from the stories of C S Lewis’. He also delivers multimedia presentations and on-line classes about the authors C S Lewis and Tolkien.
Walking in the countryside and beekeeping are among his chief pleasures. He is a long-standing friend of The House of the Open Door, and has spoken before at our Friday Night Fellowship Meetings.
‘The trees of the field will clap their hands’
(Isaiah 55.12)
Saturday 11th May 2024
The House of the Open Door community offers a retreat on the theme “The Trees of the Field” led by Andy Swinford.
Using the beautiful grounds of The House of the Open Door and scripture, we find inspiration in the different trees of the Bible to help us in our walk with God.
This is a retreat for the refreshment of the spirit as Andy Swinford leads us in a prayerful walk among the trees of the Bible. The oak, fig, willow, vine, olive can all inspire us as we draw close to God. During the day there will be plenty of space for reflection, walking, prayer, and enjoying God’s wonderful creation, including the majestic trees, in the gardens of The House of the Open Door.
Suggested donation £20
Please bring your own lunch – refreshments provided.
Please Contact Us for more details, or to book.
The trees of the field poster (PDF)
__________________
Andy formerly taught English Literature and is the author of 14 essays in ‘The Christian Tradition in English Literature’. He is about to publish ‘The Practice of Joy: insights from the stories of C S Lewis’. He also delivers multimedia presentations and on-line classes about the authors C S Lewis and Tolkien.
Andy Swinford
Walking in the countryside and beekeeping are among his chief pleasures. He is a long-standing friend of The House of the Open Door, and has spoken before at our Friday Night Fellowship Meetings.
The Gateway Summer Youth Conference at HOD takes place from Monday 22nd July – Sunday 4th August 2024, as part of the wider Discipleship Course running from February to December 2024 in three terms.
The theme of the conference is ‘the Joy of Salvation.’
With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!
(Isaiah 12, 3)
For more details see Gateway Summer Youth Conference 2024
Jamie Price from Elim Limitless will be our speaker on 24th July 2024, as part of our Gateway Summer Youth Conference 2024. Jamie spoke last year and we had to have him back!
Jamie is the Director of Ministries for Limitless (Elim’s National Youth and Children’s ministry) and on the Limitless Pioneers team, helping churches with no youth ministries, start new youth ministries. He lives in Birmingham with his wife Debs and sons Jude and Ezekiel. In his spare time, he loves to run and read.
