The Revd Dr Lesley Penny, Curate at St Cuthbert’s Colinton (Diocese of Edinburgh), reflects upon the recent Curates’ Residential Weekend at the Conforti Institute, Coatbridge, organised by the Provincial IME2 Officer, the Revd Liz Crumlish. Lesley is shown fifth from the right in the photo above, and Liz second from the right.
This residential was something of a reunion for many of us which was lovely. ‘It feels like we have never been apart’ was one comment on Friday night as we quickly reconnected, reminiscing about our IME1 weekends, and catching up with where everyone was. It was lovely to have Jo Twigg with us for her first residential having completed her training in England, and we were also delighted to have Rosie Addis with us as our official speaker for the weekend.
Our focus was on pastoral care and the small size of the group meant that we could all share experiences and thoughts as Rosie gave us scenarios and questions to think about. We were also fortunate to have Jane Edwards with us, fresh from completing her thesis on ‘How to do a good funeral’. She shared her knowledge with us on the Saturday afternoon which was a very practical and helpful session.
Liz had planned the weekend to allow plenty of space for relaxing and chatting, and we were all grateful for that, along with the joy of three excellent cooked meals a day and no washing up! A highlight was our fire pit, expertly lit by our fireraisers and used to cook marshmallows and bananas with chocolate. All blessed with a light sprinkling of rain. It was good to leave with a sense of having reconnected, encouragement for the next stage of the journey and smelling of smoke.
Thanks to the Conforti Institute for their hospitality, and to Liz and Rosie (and everyone else!) for all their input.
Photos courtesy of the Revd Liz Crumlish
