It has been a most wonderful week. Students have made just over 700 visits to Sanctum during lessons, break times and lunch times and we have been humbled daily by their openness and honesty as the various activities give them an opportunity to reflect on their lives. They, in turn, have been so grateful for Sanctum. As I have previously noted, many have dealt with thing from their past and have spoken of a sense of release and of moving on. Our prayer is that these brief spiritual moments will inspire a lasting difference in their lives.

In the lessons one of our concluding challenges to them has been to take their experiences at Sanctum and try to integrate them into their daily lives. So, for example:

The quiet tent - try to find somewhere where you can take just a few minutes a day to be still and peaceful.
“Letting go” (of worries) - don’t let worries rule your life. Write them down and ‘park’ them so that you’re in charge of how you feel.
Forgiveness - be prepared to let go of the hurts done to you by others.
Sorry - be honest about the things you do wrong and the people you need to say sorry to.
...and so on. We also explained how God is involved in these things for us as Christians.

So, for one last time, here are a few things our visitors had to say today, and below that some of my favourite images of the day.

• It is good to encourage youngsters to think about spiritual things. (A teacher)
• Thank you. I can let go.

And the last comment in the book:

• I really enjoyed coming here. It made me realise that anyone can be special. I’m so glad that Sanctum came to our school. Thanks.

 Reflecting on a hope and a future... or maybe just hair!

Prayer Wall contemplations

God, speaking to a whole generation, says, "You have a hope and a future."

"Be still and know that I am God."

[All photos taken with permission of the school]

Today has been a quieter day, not least because there were no lessons so the only times students could visit were break and lunch time.

With two hours to break time we started the day listening to a Rob Bell podcast on forgiveness (The unforgiving servant) and then took plenty of time to go round the room praying at each of the stations/activities. Other preparations each day include cutting out articles from the day’s newspapers for the ‘prayer for world events’ activity and putting all the MP3 players back in their requisite places and plugging the Mac Mini in for the “Stories” station. We take these small easily removable items home each night because, well... they are small and easily removable and we don’t want anyone to be tempted to remove them.

As before, break time was busy, up to the capacity of the room, but fairly calm. Some students are coming back to do some of the activities again, including the highly popular ‘holy space’ or quiet tent but they are also bringing friends who haven’t yet experienced Sanctum. Lunch time was very similar, with a mixture of familiar and new faces. We’ve found that Thursdays are often quieter as the novelty of Sanctum has worn off a bit. Some flit from one station to another, as if checking they haven’t missed anything. Others repeat activities in a way that is noticeably slower, deeper and more thoughtful. I chatted to a girl who was doing the forgiveness activity for a second time. She said that the first time she hadn’t really been able to think of any experience that related to it, but that thinking about it since then had inspired her to repeat the activity and that it had been really meaningful the second time. This is heartening because it shows that, for some at least, Sanctum is an experience that makes a lasting impact and inspires a degree of spiritual initiative.

While we were buying some lunch, one of the deputy head teachers bounced up to us with the school year planner in his hand and said, “Same time next year?” So Sanctum is booked to return to the school in July 2010, our first booking of the new school year!

I continue to be amazed and humbled by the impact that Sanctum has been having on many of the students who visit. Here’s what just some of them had to say today:

• Sanctum makes me feel better. When I first came in I was really sad about what was happening around me. Sanctum helped me.
• This has really helped me forgive people.
• Helped me get rid of the pain inside me.
• I love it. I thought it would be rubbish but it’s not! Thank you sooooooo much! x x

Whatever else is happening, one of our prayers is being answered hour by hour as young people come through Sanctum. There is healing for the soul in this place.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard students describe their sense of freedom and release from worries, unforgiveness and guilt. Two new stations which I created at the weekend, “Letting go” and “Stories” (four video testimonies) are making a significant impact on some of the young people. Several today, in two different classes, spoke of real breakthroughs in their sense of self image, to the extent that they were confident to share this with the whole class. One girl shared with us how she had finally been able to forgive her father for leaving her when he moved to another country. Several teachers have been deeply moved by the level of openness and honesty in many of the students’ written contributions. Also, we’re praying that this room will be a place where people recognise God’s presence and we’re beginning to hear visitors referring to this in their own way.

Today had peace written all over it. Following yesterday’s onslaught we decided to remove one activity which was creating too much demand and quite a major diversion (laminated prayer cards). We also welcomed people personally and individually at the door, asking them whether they had been before and then explaining Sanctum to them. This allowed us to emphasise the quiet nature of the room and slowed down the numbers entering. As a result we never had more than 30 in the room at any one time (our target number) and, although still joyfully busy and not quite as quiet as we might have hoped, there was a real peace about all that was happening.

Here’s what the young people had to say today, from the Visitor Book:

• This is a place to think about things you don’t have time to think about. It is emotional and really opened up my feelings.
• Great, it’s a very relaxing place. I forgot about all my troubles. Thank you.
• This is a great place full of spiritual meaning. Very relaxing, all my worries have gone. Thanks.
• Great place. Feel a lot better now.
• It helped me realise that not all hope is lost.
• You made me feel confident to admit what makes me sit alone in my room and cry!! Thank you!
• It made me realise that there is someone to talk to.

Although not entirely unexpected, the lessons yesterday and today are proving to offer the most meaningful time for students at Sanctum. We had a lovely Year 8 group today (our only lesson of the day) who, although they only had half an hour, really engaged well with the activities and as a result got a lot out of it. In the feedback time at the end one boy volunteered that he thought he wouldn’t like it because it’s ‘not his sort of thing’ but that actually he had really appreciated the activities he’d done and had changed his mind. Another girl spoke about the powerful and affirming  impact the mirrors activity had had on her and others spoke of the sense of release from past hurts.

Break time was busy, with some returning for a second visit and lots of students who were new to Sanctum. Lunchtime, however, was harder work. In spite of our best laid plans, we ended up with too many in the room. To their credit, many of these young people were engaging with the activities and making the most of the opportunity. But others were a bit hyper and we had to ask several groups to leave the quiet tent on a number of occasions.

One of the difficulties with something that is as novel, intriguing and also accepting as Sanctum is that it can become a magnet for the mildly ADHD students who find it difficult to concentrate for any length of time, especially while their friends are around them. We know from experience that they can engage with Sanctum and often experience a depth of peace and self awareness that surprises them and draws them back again. But this is never guaranteed. We ask some people to leave, but don't want to appear to be policing things too harshly. It’s a difficult task to ‘filter’ people at the door, welcoming some and denying others based simply on a hunch about how they might behave. I don’t want to run Sanctum just for the ‘nice kids’, the ‘quiet ones’, the already ‘spiritually sensitive’ students. This is a school that caters for a wide range of abilities, backgrounds and behaviours and does it spectacularly well and I believe Sanctum should also reflect this.

We’ll be trying a few new things tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Today I spent some of a free lesson praying over the contributions to the Prayer Wall. I’ve photographed a few of them and ask that you join with us in echoing the prayers of these young people.

I was particularly struck by the number of students who are concerned about their parents smoking:

We've got space!

Sanctum at The Gilberd School is based in the most wonderful small hall which is right in the middle of school life. Setting up, with help from Richard & Katy Smith of the Colchester Boiler Room Community, took just three hours which meant we really were ready for our first visitors at 10:05. This was a Year 8 class who were with us for just half and hour before another Year 8 class came in.

At break time we were inundated with about 80 students in the 20 minutes, which caught us off guard a bit as we hadn't expected such a big response from day 1. The situation was complicated by the room having an outside door which students are used to using as a short cut. This meant that quite a few came in as a means of getting to the dining hall but got caught up in Sanctum on the way. Amazingly, in spite of the numbers, lots of students got really involved in the activities with others just taking in the atmosphere of the room.

We quickly changed the use of the outside door to "exit only" in time for lunch when about 55 students came through. This time there was a much greater peace about the room, even though it was quite full. Most people spent real time on each activity and, as on previous occasions, we were humbled by so many of their contributions.

A delegation of staff popped in briefly (including the Head Teacher) and were wowed by the room and so encouraging about us being there.

But the best word about the day belongs to the young people. Here is just some of what they have said about their experiences today:

• Sanctum was amazing! It made me feel like I was the only person in the room. It also made me let all my hurt, worry and fear go away. Thank you so much!!!
• I loved it and you don't have to be religious. Thank you. It helped me look inside myself.
• A real eye opener. Really helped me feel that there is another person caring for us.

Well, it's been quite a week with students making over 500 visits to Sanctum in lessons, break time and lunch time. By the end of the week we were getting to know some regulars who kept returning to spend time in the room.

The format of the week has been entirely new to us, with groups coming in as part of their RE lessons. These groups were typically of about 14 students (half a class) spending half an hour in the room which meant that each of them could only do a few of the activities. Half way through the lesson they would swap with the other half of the class. This format worked really well because the room was never crowded, and it left most of them wanting more, which meant they came back in break or lunch time.

What have been the highlights? For me its the stories of change that have been shared by students at the end of the lessons where we allowed 5 minutes or so of discussion. After asking which were their favourite activities we invited them to say why. Time and time again, unprompted by us or by others, many of them would  tell how an activity had really helped them. At the end of one lesson, as the rest of the team were leading the feedback time, I jotted down a few of the students' comments;

I thought it would be quite religious, but it’s actually about you and your own experiences
The questions around the room are about the sorts of things you ask yourself every day
Being here gives you a chance to express how you feel
It was very spiritually themed so it lets you open up that side of yourself

Boys have admitted to forgiving people, acknowledging things they've done wrong that were, to use their own words, like a weight on their shoulders and experiencing a real and tangible peace. On one occasion I asked them if any of the activities feel, to them, like they imagine prayer would be like and several of them immediately pointed to a number of the activities and agreed strongly.

If the week has been exciting, it has also been exhausting, and I am indebted to the team of ever willing volunteers who helped to make it all happen. After lunch Ben, Matt and I dismantled Sanctum and squeezed it all into my car leaving the room, once again, an RE classroom. We'll miss these boys (and the 6th form girls) and I have a feeling they'll miss us and Sanctum. But sometimes, and particularly when you're young, you don't really know how much you appreciated something until it's gone. It is my hope and prayer that many of these students will, next week, remember the experience and reflect once again on their lives and the whisper of God who calls to them through the diversity of life's experiences that Sanctum taps into.

Sanctum on wheels - yes... all this just about fits into my car!

Another busy busy day with classes nearly the whole day as well as lots of people in at break and lunch time. As the week goes on we're seeing quite a few return visits during the voluntary times of break and lunch. Students are coming back to do some of the activities for a second or third time, in particular the 'quiet tent'. When asked about how Sanctum is making an impact on them, we're hearing one response repeated often and independently; "Sanctum is a place where I feel free to let out my true feelings." Others express a similar sentiment but in slightly different terms. Further conversations with them reveals that one of the key values, as understood by the students, is that it's a place where they can be themselves without any pressure to conform to the expectations of others and where they can express some of their deeper feelings and emotions without judgement.

Some of the things written up in the "Sorry" activity are profoundly moving. Several boys have said that the forgiveness activity has made a real difference to them and allowed them to move on regarding some things from the past. Most of these are Year 8 and Year 9 boys - not generally known for their openness in such matters.

This afternoon some of the Year 12 RS group returned for a third time. They're studying "religious experience" and this time we simply spent an hour chatting about the experiences we've had as Christians and how they have affected and influenced our faith, including discussion about answered and unanswered prayer.

After a slow start, the Visitor Book is starting to fill up. Here are some of the comments received so far:

Very good and much better than I expected. I was surprised at what I felt.
Good personal and spiritual experience.
Thank you. I found this calming and was able to fully understand my problems. This has helped me greatly.
Third time I came. Still as good as ever.

One more day to go. We're going to miss these guys!

Today I did the first of three assemblies promoting Sanctum to students at the school where we will be based next week. This will be the second time they've had Sanctum and there is certainly a very warm welcome for it with several staff enthusiastically endorsing it to the whole of the year group. I have two more assemblies to do this week, on Thursday and Friday, including speaking to staff about it at their briefing.

At The Grammar School we're discovering that the lessons provide a more thoughtful atmosphere than break times and lunch times. The boys are so enthusiastic that break time and lunch time can be very hectic and sometimes a bit silly. We've had to edit (remove) a few of their comments, which is something we try to avoid doing unless absolutely necessary and not something we've had to do before. Although it's clear that, for a few, Sanctum is just an intellectual exercise in seeing how amusing you can be to your friends, there are also many young people who, in the feedback times at the end of lessons, are being incredibly open about the way some of the activities have had an impact on them. I continue to be humbled by boys who speak of experiencing real peace in the prayer tent, or of letting go of long held hurts, or of owning up to things they never said sorry for. Almost universally they tell us that the atmosphere in the room is different - more relaxed, peaceful and something they want to come back to.

Five Sixth Formers came back today during a free period and spent over half an hour immersed in Sanctum. We're getting quite a few return visitors and, when things aren't too crazy, are able to have some profound and moving conversations.

In other news, we learned today that a young person we are in regular contact with made the decision to become a Christian. There's quite a bit of rejoicing in heaven, I believe, and we're excited about it too.