Trevor and Freda are ideally situated to help lead the community through its present needs. Their own journey which began with an interest, leading to prayer and practical support, friendship and a gradual deeper embrace of the way of living, until they made it their own, is not untypical of those who begin the journey towards community. Freda’s commitment and compassion for people and Trevor’s thirst for knowledge puts them in a good position to pass on the tradition in which they were nurtured.

A Celtic Cross at the entrance to the lane that leads to Old Bewick Church is the only clue to its destination. Beside the Church, the land is rich in prehistoric landmarks and is the site of an ancient burial ground and hillfort. Today there is a tiny hamlet of houses and a farm, a good fifteen minutes walk from the Church. The history of the actual Church is uncertain yet it remains ones of those special places where the veil between heaven and earth, time and eternity is thin. A testimony to the prayers and the faith of those who have gone before.

Old Bewick became a special meeting place for the pioneers of community. Permission was granted to turn the old garden shed into a poustinia, offering a place of reflection for the visitors to the church. Here the seeds of the first Office Book were sown in an exercise book that took its place alongside a bed, a stool, a table and a candle. Old Bewick was the place where John and Roy made a covenant of community and where John and Linda would hand over their responsibilities for that community to Roy and Trevor in preparation for the public event at Bradford Cathedral. It was at Old Bewick that people gathered each week in the middle of winter, with blankets and hot water bottles, to explore the history and spirituality of the early Northumbrian Church. It is to Old Bewick that many still turn when seeking the Lord.

These newsletters outline the ‘marriage’ between The Nethersprings Trust and Northumbria Ministries. Key moment, a prelude to the establishment of The Northumbria Community.

Shirley and Linda kept in touch during the years that followed Bible College. Occasional cards, photographs and news of their growing families. It was natural for Linda to request that the Searles be put on the mailing list to receive news of Nethersprings.

It was news of the Nethersprings that would rekindle the relationship between the Searles and the Skinners. Ever practical, Shirley sent a cheque for ten pounds to support the vision. Weeks later, Roy would invite John to come and speak to the folk from Northumbria Ministries during their retreat on Holy Island.

This was the major turning point in the establishment of The Northumbria Community, and the single most importantevent following the years of pioneering.

The joining together of Northumbria Ministries and The Nethersprings was a reflection of the covenant relationship entered into by John and Roy on an earlier occasion at Old Bewick. Roy describes this as a marriage between the ‘apostolic and the prophetic.’ For John, it was the symbol of the relationship between ‘monastery and mission.’ It was the beginning of the establishment of The Northumbria Community.

Roy was representative of many who would follow later. A faithful Christian, (and Pastor) he was intuitively aware of the radical changes taking place in society and the challenge this posed for the People of God. He was intuitively aware of the confusion and concern felt by many believers who felt that their faith and belief no longer seemed adequate to meet the challenge of a new era of human self consciousness and self determination. For most people this is an awareness that is felt before it is understood. In his own search for coherence and understanding, Roy had begun to anticipate the spirituality expressed in the upper and nethersprings now finding a focus in new monasticism. At the Nethersprings he had found a home not only for himself but for the many who would follow after him. Nethersprings Home of Northumbria Ministries was the prelude to The Northumbria Community. John, Linda and Andy had laid the foundations, supported by Chris and Sandra and a number of faithful friends. Now Roy would join them, and make his own contribution in the building and establishing of the Northumbria Community.

Roy had been a Baptist minister for several years when he began to sense a further direction for his vocation. Both of his pastorates had been in the North of England and over the years he had begun to develop a wider ministry encouraging and supporting other churches and their leaders in ministry and mission. This ministry was shared with other friends and associates and had found a focus in Northumbria Ministries;

`Covenanted together in the love of Jesus, we are a group of Christian friends who share a common vision and concern to see God’s Kingdom extended in the area covered by the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria, from the Forth to the Humber.’

This commitment to Northumbria had further been strengthened by a word of encouragement from Don Bridge, an elder statesman in the Baptist Church in the North East. He had seen a picture of Northumbria, dark, but with beacons of light growing and pushing back the darkness. He saw Roy in the picture, with bands of other folk, traveling around the area, fanning into flame and giving encouragement to what God was already doing in the region. In 1992 Roy and Shirley moved to be near the upper and nether springs. Roy found coherence and substance for this new direction in his vocation in the spirituality of the upper and nether springs. He would need time to immerse himself in the unfamiliar ethos of both the contemplative and monastic tradition, and many of the foundational aspects of the community developed by John and Andy.  Roy’s distinctive contribution to the establishment of the Northumbria Community was acting as a bridge between the Church and those individuals who like himself were seeking a way for living that gave meaning to their Christian journey. He became the forerunner to the many who would come after him.

Roy became an apostle of a new monasticism taking what he had learned in the anonymous environment of the Nethersprings to a more public arena. Through music, drama, dance and story the same question made known in quiet to the first pioneers of community was now heard in public;”Who is it that you seek?” Many would hear the Call to Community and find coherence and companionship from participation in the life of the Northumbria Community and exposure to the monastic way. Each in turn would need to discern if this participation and exposure was a prelude to the invitation to embrace the monastic vocation. A vocation that both intimately embraces while at the same time fundamentally transcends the call to community. This is the challenge of a new monasticism.

Together Roy, John and Andy guided the community through a period of rapid growth and establishment. He helped establish Hetton Hall, the Trading Company, Members and Companions, Mission Teams and Networks. As Chairman of the Sonset Trust Roy demonstrated his support for John and Linda and their vision of the Celtic Arc, taking a new monasticism into Europe. Roy is a current leader of the Northumbria Community.

the original Hetton Hall Lease ( Skinner, John unedited document 1991)

Extract: 2. Northumbria Ministries

“Covenanted together in the love of Jesus, we are a group of Christian friends who share a common vision and concern to see God’s Kingdom extended in the area covered by the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria, from the Forth to the Humber.

We share a common commitment to our local churches and seek to serve other churches through servant ministries that support and encourage the building up of the church and the realization of God`s Kingdom, in ministry among individuals, families, groups and fellowships.”

Holy Island 25th June 1989

Northumbria Ministries began as an informal association of Christians in the North East who shared a common heart for mission in Northumbria. Under the leadership of the Rev. Roy Searle, a Baptist Minister, friends would be called together for times of prayer and retreat on Holy Island and to undertake ‘mission’ in various churches throughout Northumbria.

While remaining faithful to their local churches, the members of Northumbria Ministries developed a wider ministry of mission and evangelism throughout Northumbria.

Towards the end of 1989, Northumbria Ministries met with Nether Springs, with John and Roy having previously known each other from their College days, it soon became clear, that a union of The Nether Springs with Northumbria Ministries was part of the purpose of God, and in 1990 the two merged to become one, under the banner of The Nether Springs Trust. Since 1990, The Nether Springs has been the “Home of Northumbria Ministries” and the acquisition of Hetton Hall will provide a more suitable base for our shared ministry of prayer and mission.

Throughout the formative years there were groups of friends and individuals who were supportive companions and who provided economic, emotional and spiritual support to the founders and pioneers of community. Some would become pioneers themselves of the emerging community, others would remain companions as they pursued the journey the Lord had called them too. Each in their own right were much appreciated faithful friends.

Alnwick Prayer Group

The appeal for furniture and household effects for the move to Hetton resulted in an impressive array of goods and gadgets. Cardboard boxes arrived daily, each one opened in eager anticipation of the usability of the contents. Hoovers arrived regularly, each one looking more promising than the last, but none which actually worked. Eventually one very temperamental machine was coaxed into life with parts taken from the other seven donated. The most memorable gift came from Betty and Lisey from Alnwick Prayer Group. With little money and no furniture to spare they decided to give the new duvet and cover they had just bought, for their own bed.

Alnwick prayer group- began in conjunction with a series of seminars, similar to ‘Life in the Spirit’ and were led by Douglas Graham( pioneer of Marygate House, Holy Island) Paul Hendy (Cpt. Salvation Army) and Andy Raine. Sponsored by the Salvation Army, the prayer group would run for 12 years, and was inter-church with members drawn from across the local region, from just south of Alnwick to Berwick upon Tweed. Many of the prayer group would become the earliest participants in Easter workshops, a few becoming part of the community, others would go on to start other Christian ministries. A number of members of the group lived in the most difficult and demanding areas of Alnwick. Yet their generosity far exceeded their own limitations. Andy would often find a bed and a meal at one of the prayer group members and companionship during the pioneering days. Financial support for the Community was forthcoming from Alnwick when many others adopted a ‘wait and see’ attitude. Their weekly meetings, concerts and healing services and their open air witness at Alnwick Fair all had features that would become part of Easter workshops. It is at Alnwick prayer group that ‘relationship before reputation’ was first lived out.

Douglas, Paul, Andy, Nan, Kath, young Gordon, Renee, Joyce, Ev, Betty, Lisey, Mattie, Margaret, Jenny, Peter, Sheila, Alan, Auntie Rosie, Bryn, John, Andrew, Hilda, Isabel, Neale, young Geoff, Carol Gibson, Ruth, Margaret Dobbie,Carol Dixon, Kath Carter,Mary, Grace, young Rachel, Rachel, Eddie, Benny, Kirsten, Chris, Naomi, Tim, Stuart, Liz, Sister Frances, John, Pete, Suzanne, Drewie, Tina, Amanda, J.P. Anne-Marie, Gordon, Carol, Bill, Diana Ellis and her family, and those we may have genuinely omitted. We salute you, we thank you, we thank God for you.

Aycliffe Folk

When hardship and humiliation are your constant companions it is always good to anticipate the arrival of true friends. Norma and Ken would often appear when hope seemed to be sleeping, their car full of black bin bags, with all kinds of gifts and necessities from Aycliffe. This commitment lasted not only for a week, a month, a year, it flowed through all the years of pioneering. Much more than the very needed material supply was the gift of friendship.Without this kindness and commitment we would not have made it.

It was while John was a Curate in Newton Aycliffe in ’81- ’82 that he and Linda would make friends with the Aycliffe folk. More like an extended family, they would supply food, finance and friendship throughout the pioneering years. Norma and Ken Wise were at the forefront of this support. They were present at every stage of the journey providing prayer and back up as the vision began to unfold. For Norma prayer was married to practicality. She did as much as possible to ensure that needs of both body and soul were met. Especially when there were four young children on the journey. Theo and Bill, Sandra and Dave, Don and Jean, Arthur and Pat, Joan were all part of this network of support. Bill would become a Trustee of the Nethersprings Trust and is the longest serving trustee. Dave, after a brave fight with cancer is now with the Lord. Brenda Grace was also at Aycliffe. Auntie Brenda was an honorary member of both the Skinner and Haggerstone households. She was one of the first to give up home and job to move to Northumberland. Photographs of Brenda appear throughout the formative years, including trips to USA with the early mission teams. An early pioneer, Brenda still works full-time for the community.

Ken, Norma, Theo, Bill, Sandra, David, Don, Jean, Pat, Arthur, Joan, Brenda, Debbie, Beth, Burt, Glad. We salute you, we thank you, we thank God for you.

At Jarrow, the Priest decided at the last minute to cancel the venue. Months of planning were dismissed in a moment. Sixty people were waiting outside, ready for Easter workshop. No explanation was given, just a veiled reference to a conversation with the Assistant Bishop. John insisted that the agreement be honoured and invited everybody to gather in the church. The Church Wardens were called, and they took position at the back of the church, ready to turn everybody out when the right moment presented itself. The pre-arranged introduction to the Jarrow Easter Workshop went ahead and as previously agreed, was led by the Priest. The ten minute introduction had become an epic. After sixty minutes John had decided enough was enough. There were several vulnerable individuals whose sensitivity to the overwhelming hostility was making them very distressed. John was getting ready to stand up and ‘clear the air.’ It was Rob who put his hand on John’s shoulder, ‘leave it, let the Lord sort it out.’ The introduction ended and the workshop began. Slowly, the gentle Spirit of God began to absorb the hostility. The wardens moved from the back and into the middle and joined in the worship. Unable to adjust, the Priest stayed in his chosen isolation. This was the first, but would not be the last time that we would have to overcome suspicion and hostility before we could be welcomed into a particular church community. Quite rightly such confidence and trust needs to be earned….

Following the first Easter Workshop in 1980 it became a much looked forward to annual event. A network of relationships developed throughout the old borders of Northumbria and beyond. Kids loved the workshops for they lacked the conventional restraints of Church, and they were included, without saying, in all the activities. Some of the children began Easter Workshops together as babies and toddlers and ended as teens. The formula was simple. Hire a church hall somewhere in Northumbria, preferably with support from the host Church. Move in for three days, a week or a fortnight, everybody sleep on the floor, cook simple meals. Split into flock groups, to share the chores and the prayers. Leave watches at home, spend as much time as possible together. Share hopes and dreams, disappointment and loss, be yourself and share in the workshops.

From the beginning it was decided to have alternative times for the workshops each year. One year, the workshops would take place over the Easter period, taking in most of Holy Week. The next year, the workshops would begin before and end on Palm Sunday. The reason was simple. Most participants were members of a Church. It was unfair to encourage them to be away from their Church every Easter, a major festival in the Christian year. However, whatever the venue or time of the workshops they concluded on Holy Island, even if only a few could make this final event. This became an essential feature of the gatherings.

During Easter Week there were several activities that became a feature of the workshops. Footwashing on Maundy Thursday created an opportunity for a year of accumulated difficulties in relationships to be washed away. Folk would just sit around, often drinking coffee, while towels and dishes were made available. Footwashing was not only a way of saying sorry, it was also a point of contact, a moment of affirmation. Stations of the Cross the dramatization of Jesus’ walk to Calvary would sometimes take place in public, with music and dance the vehicle for telling the story. Whenever possible, tides allowing, all joined in the celebration of the Easter Eucharist at the Parish Church on the Island. Failing that Eucharist was said on St. Cuthbert’s Island. A Presentation would take place, beside the statue of St. Aidan and within the grounds of the Priory an act of worship and proclamation. Finally, Easter Baptisms. The workshops were always an ecumenical gathering and all were encouraged to celebrate and honour the rich diversity that was ours in Christ. The baptisms at Easter were a reflection of that diversity. A brave move in the cold temperature of the sea off Holy Island, but a moment never forgotten.

Many of the teaching themes that developed at the workshops can now be found in the language of the Northumbria Community, just as life at the Nethersprings became a daily reflection of ethos of the Easter gathering. But it was not just the Northumbria Community that would benefit from the workshops, other communities and individuals would go on to their own vocation and calling. Perhaps this is the message of Easter and indeed the Uppersprings, that the Life cannot be contained or become the property of any one community or individual. The spirituality of Holy Island Uppersprings is flowing, vibrant and becomes stagnant when the movement becomes restricted. A truth echoed in the spirituality of the Nethersprings where the ‘one thing necessary’ not only reminds but demands that we hold lightly to all that is familiar and established.

Easter Workshops

In anticipation of the arrival of their new baby John and Linda were getting ready to move into their new home. Some what reluctantly Berwick County Council had offered them a four bedroom, three reception room, old Victorian house which they had purchased under a compulsory order for a road they would never build. They didn’t usually rent to students. Very neglected, the old place needed a lot of love and affection.
With little money and absolutely no furniture or household goods and a baby on the way they had little time to sort something out. They prayed a lot. A friend bought some paint, another turned up with brushes and rollers and the offer of help. A phone call from friends in Manchester brought the offer of living room furniture, did they need it? A college student had to return home unexpectedly could they store all her furniture and household goods in return for using them?

They both slept well the first night in their new home blessed by the Lord through the generosity of friends. In the morning they were greeted by a letter with a Canadian post mark. It was from Andy. He was coming home soon, could he come and stay for a day or two? He arrived that afternoon. Jayne decided to make her arrival soon after.

This was in ’78 and Andy would stay with the Skinners for several months. He describes that period in their lives as “a significant taste even then of what community was to mean.”

The house soon became a meeting place for people from all walks of life. At that time ecumenical relationships weren’t that great. John and Linda attended Bible College where anybody just left of conservative was in need of salvation. As Anglicans they were frequently asked if they were born again and religious tracts were often left at the local Parish Church. Andy soon brought home a variety of Christians. Conservative, Liberal, Catholic, and Protestant who mixed very well with the growing number of lonely and hurting people who had begun to find their way to the house and soon the barriers and prejudices that had separated people began to fall. This precious gift became one of the distinct characteristics of the Northumbria Community.

The local vicar and curate came once a week to celebrate Eucharist and Andy’s impromptu worship services were a great blessing, except for the neighbours who complained their chandelier would swing when everybody was dancing. There was never an attempt nor suggestion to start a ‘new church’ a growing trend in those days. Membership of the community would never be an alternative for belonging to the local Church. This is the reason why Sunday worship at the Nethersprings was never encouraged.

Folk would often come and stay for a few days. Sometimes for a rest, to retreat or were seeking help and healing. Doug and Jeanette with their new baby moved into Ravensdowne full-time when they had to move out of their student digs. They were living by faith, with no grants for there college fees. This put a strain on the already meager household budget, as only John had a grant. There is one story that tells of several weeks of having no cash, avoiding the bill collectors, and going several days with no or irregular meals. Each time they prayed they were given the same scripture; Deuteronomy Chapter 8 v 1-5 John who was responsible for the household budget confesses to a loss of nerve, and headed home to get some cash off his folks. Staying overnight, he read the daily reading before going to sleep. It told the story of a man who went to Egypt to get food for his family during a famine. It said God had forbidden him to go. John jumped out of bed to his knees and asked God to forgive him. Next day he set off for home, refusing the money offered to him. He was greeted by a selection of newly delivered bills. The last letter he opened was a sizable cheque, a gift from the Diocese of Durham towards his household expenses. Everybody was paid and they had a party with what was left over. God is Good. This was valuable preparation for the years of pioneering that were ahead, when there was a regular shortage of money and resources and when the budget deficit would go into the thousands.

Life at Ravensdowne provided a lot of the raw material that would be carried to the Nethersprings and the Northumbria Community. Andy continued with his itinerant ministry from Ravensdowne taking the fruit of what was being learned to all who were seeking God. John and Linda while continuing their biblical studies began a journey that would lead them deeper into the heart of the contemplative/desert tradition.

Ravensdowne House