abbotsford.org.uk

Whitecrook Learning Event

Well, it seemed to go well. We did some good stuff. We met a few people. We had a blether. And here's some photos to prove it.

CAOS learning event

CAOS will be at Centre 81 in Whitecrook on Saturday, part of the Whitecrook Learning Event. It's gong to be great. We're doing three workshops from puppet making to illuminated writing to something else I can't remember so if you'd like to come along and see what else is happening, and there is lots of all ages, then just pop along between 11 and 3 on Saturday.

We've also got the film of the CAOS day in the town centre. I'm trying to find a way to put it on the website for all to see and working on that. If anyone knows how them just let me know. Do I need to use You Tube? That wouldn't be bad. Maybe a good platform for advertising ourselves, as if anyone would notice amongst the zillions of other videos. Anyway, watch this space.

CAOS: it's own thing of beauty

Here is a work of art. It's the CAOS cupboard cleaned out yesterday and all the playscheme tucked away into boxes and shelves. I think this photo should hang on the inside of the cupboard and remind people what is possible.

CAOS summer scheme

And so it draws to a close. 4 weeks of craft and games and building a wee society with lots of good stuff. Everything from circus skills to windsocks, origami to sandcatsle competitions, Olympics to recycled badge making, archeology to street games. It's not been small.

And the biggest thank you possible to the huge team of volunteers. Something like 35 of them. That's almost (but not quite) a quarter of a Sunday morning congregation. That's almost phenominal. It's definitely brilliant. Each one of you.

So that's that bit over. Now onto the next bit: 30th August at Centre 81 in Whitecrook for a community day. We'll see you there...

Oi-limpics

CAOS went to Beijing It was cool. A great night of everything. Count down until the last night on Thursday. But we've had a ball.

Hopscotch and spearheads

We has a great night a CAOS playscheme last night. We had tons to do but also street games. Everything from skipping to hopscotch and the rest. It was really good and everyone enjoyed it hugely.

For some the street games were new. it is quite chocking how quickly culture changes and street games go out of fashion and we play with computers more. Yet hop scotch and skipping and the likes worked really well and suddenly, without having to work at it, folk were playing with each other.

I think this is a great crossover point with different generations. certainly the 'older' (in relative terms of coruse) generation last night were lost in a wee sentimental journey and it was good to see. Need to build up on that.

What other crossover things are there that we can try with different generations together?

The other event that could be a good crossover point was the archaeology. It was fascinating holding real tools that were 100,000 years old. It was only primary children at that but that would be a great crossover place. Adults would be even more fascinated with that. Asking question together about arrow heads and axes that were handed by people millenia ago could be a real relationships building thing.

You know, CAOS cross-genertional stuff could really work.

Other cross-generational ideas out there?

Play scheme

The playscheme is going well in terms of numbers with again around 55 there tonight. We went green tonight (we're always green, we just focused on it a little more). So we recycled a whole lot. We turned CDs into postcards. We made kites from newspaper, we made our own paper from beetroot and carrots and newsprint. It was great.

The whole week is an eco theme so more on Thursday. We'll have some of the work on the notice boards for Sunday which will brighten up the corridor a little more. Looking forward to it all.

The question is how do we get some of them to come along on Sundays too...

Play Scheme

CAOS Play Scheme got underway last night with about 60 children. We wrote to only those who came along last year but ended up with more in the first night that we had on our books last year! How did that happen?

It was a good night. Lots of beach crafts and fun and a good number of new faces. We'll keep you posted about what is going on. This week is a beach party. Sun and sand...

Down your street

It worked perfectly. more than 700 people (and those were only those we counted) discovered drumming, street dancing, model making, story telling, sequence dancing, piping, mapping filming all in the shopping centre. I'll post photos when I get them. But it was a crowd puller.

I'l pasted here the comments I made at church this morning about the event as there were a few who missed them who were preparing lunch and sunday school teachers out at the park. Lots of things happened more than just having an event and we haven't fully reflected on it so more things will be learned and discovered. It was also great fun and the time flew by.

A million thanks to the folk who helped out. They were brilliant. Lots of volunteers who gave us a lot of their time. Maybe they are the ones who should blog here about it... Go on!

Yesterday we were sent down your street into the town centre with CAOS… our community arts project… It was a big day… I don’t know how many from the congregation were able to pop along… I know one or two were there… but there were over 700 others from the local area involved in model making… pipers… street dance… poetry… sequence dancing… dream photographs… map making… story writing… and designing a new Clydebank… It really was fabulous…

There were 8 shop used… from the Coop at the bottom to the shop next to the hairdresser at the very top of the escalator… the whole length of the town… Some worked better than others… and you always learn lessons… But we had children and adults and grannies and a whole cross section of the community involved…

If you can take a wee wander through the centre today… look for the green circles on the windows… At the top of the centre you’ll see a model of the new Clydebank made by 50 or so children… if only Clydebank could look like some of the buildings they created… in fact we’re going to offer them as plans to Clydebank Re:Built when they begin building at the waterfront… Lively… colourful and a great place to live…

At the other end… the old More store at Three Queens Square… has its windows covered in stories and poems written for us by folk in Clydebank especially for the day… Go hear what they say about community… history and future… They’re fabulous… and you say quite a number of folk reading them yesterday…

We had people crowding round the doors of the shop when pipers were playing… sequence dancers were dancing and streets dancers were gyrating across the shop floor… drummers were making lots of noise and poems were read… It was surreal… There wasn’t enough room in that large shop for everyone… so that mall had a great crowd in it wanting to see…

And we took photographs of folk… sharing their dreams for their future… displayed and celebrated… and all of them were about stronger community… building better ties together… living in peace with each other beyond the prejudices and hurt we often put up with…

And why… This was funded by part of a lottery grant so we could celebrate community and engage people… It worked… And right at the heart of this unique day… was what…? The church… this community… sent out… It was delivered by volunteers from among us and other places… and they were all fantastic… giving an enormous amount of time…

But we sent ourselves out… we did something in a place we’ve never done anything before… in a way we’ve never done it before… We began the long process of building new relationships… shifting the church… playing with creativity… It wasn’t so much a fun thing to do… which it was… it was a calling… it was being sent out… taking very little… and finding ourselves with a language that people understood using community art… finding a place of friendship that people enjoyed… and inviting folk together in new ways… and folk said yes…

We went down our street… and we found God… in community… standing on a different street… a different shore… and we got our feet wet a little… but there we found a conversation and a story… about a church… and a journey… along another shore…

Up Your Street

Big CAOS day tomorrow. I was helping out this morning along with a couple of others to begin setting up. It's going to be fabulous. Huge big stuff to cover shop windows. Lots of stories, photos and maps. Bet it will be busy. This is only the start...

Big Saturday

CAOS is going to be all over the place on Saturday 14th June. We're having a big event all round the town centre taking over a number of shop units and doing stuff: everything from singing and performing to baking and painting, covering shop windows in images and stories and photos and text messages. It's going to be fantastic.

The idea is that folk get to dream a little about Clydebank and what can happen. And it will happen all day and lots of people will be involved.

10 empty shop units
10 different creative events
some to participate in, some to watch or look at
some low tech, some high tech
arts and crafts, drama, dance, music, creative writing, photography and film making
involving local groups and people
working in partnership with local organisations and businesses

However we're needing a few volunteers and so we look to you all, wondering if you could give some time to staff the shops. It would be a whole day or half a day, just sitting in a shop unit making sure it ticks over. The more volunteers we have the more shop units we can look after. We'd need perhaps two in each unit on average. If you have friends who would like to help out too then that would be fabulous. It's going to make the papers probably and we're trying to get TV to do a report as well.

So help would be really good. Let me know... (please)

COAS Consultancy

We had a great night tonight with the consultants for our arts project and the task groups who have t=been the power behind building the project. Lots of creative consultation and brilliant feel good factor. The consultants (we are curious) were in the town today and did more than 200 interviews with folk and there is this great chart of what people would like to do and and learn which will inform the project and where it will engage people. Just brilliant.

Along with that there was the comment so often about how there is nothing to do (usual comment) but also no where to go with the children (cross generational stuff). And interestingly 'but this sort of thing will never happen. We're always consulted but nothing comes of it' which leads to our covenant with folk to do our best to get the stuff going that will best help folk and build a more positive, stronger community.

When this finally and fully gets off the ground, we'll really have achieved something. Lots still to do but it is going somewhere. This brings life.

A new web site

we are curious, our CAOS consultants have set up a blog for everyone to engage with the cosultation. Please have a wee visit and make comments over then next couple of months. There are images and thoughts and comment etc. So don't do anything else at the moment other than visit the blog and chuck in a comment or so.

CAOS

Here's a thread for CAOS thoughts from the playscheme and other stuff.

CAOS is back

A great first night at the CAOS holiday club. Something like 55 chidlren on the first night. It was never that high during the summer. So lots going on, noise, glue, chatting, knitting, and archaeological digs. Brilliant. That's when it really hits the mark when we teach, learn and do and everything from knitting to archaeology does exactly that.

And not a few volunteers either. Don't know how many but there were many.

And it got me thinking but I won't let you in on that thought until tomorrow. I need some help with it.

Community Day

Had a good day at Dalmuir Barclay Community Day. Going to steal that idea. Lots of things going on and good atmosphere. We were there as CAOS with masks and knitting and cutting and sticking. Busy but good. Excellent photographs of knitters of an unexpected variety. Will post them later.

Sunday's Visit

Just a wee reminder we have our MP visiting us to find out a bit about CAOS. The Lottery is a great machine because it seems to attract folk and so both our MSP and MP contacted us. John McFall is coming along for a visit to see what we've done and are going to do. So we have a presentation, lunch, knitting, flower arranging, clay etc and a good blether. Do pop in if you like.

Light festival

Clydebank Re:Built are having a light festival tonight and the tower will be lit up for a couple of hours. They are also going to do projection onto the back walls of the church. I don't know what that will be like but it may be worth going down for a wee look. It begin about 6pm will lanterns made by different primary schools and boats to sail on the canal and stuff.

And then it was all over

Fabulous chaos tonight. Very noisy and busy. Lots of effort in displaying everything and keeping all ages entertained especially by Sandra and Lasley. Just amazing. Lots of good comments from the feedback sheets about the good organisation and the many activities that enthused everyone. One question was 'I'd bring my child back to CAOS:summer because...' and one reply was '... becasue my child would kill me if I didn't.'

It was just fabulous to see the church vibrant with art and people. We've even got a couple interested in coming to Sunday School. I also had a conversation with someone about how church originally was like this, being part of the community, doing community things, getting people in to learn stuff, help with stuff 'heal' in certain ways too but we became owners of buildings and didn't want them scratched and so it all died away.

So CAOS and all the things like CAOS that bring folk together we don't meet anywhere else and share a bit of life receiving it more then giving it, is getting back to doing curch and being church and living like church? I believe him. Anyone else?

CAOS:summer II

Just to let you know that CAOS:summer is about to explode again across next uesday evening where everyone will return along with their parents and an invitation too to the congregation. A chance to see what went on, to celebrate the amazing artistic abilities and self-confidence of about 70 young folk and the very real passion of about 35 volunteers who actually, in truth, and maybe surprised themselves, but had a great time. You you are invited. There's food. And it will cost you only 50p

We are now grown up

At the end of last week we received a wee certificate saying CAOS was now officially a company. It's real. The project is almost underway. We're a few more ten of thousands of pounds to raise but we can do that and watch as things begin to develop. It's going to be great. But we are now completely, totally, 100% legal and responsible. Panic.

Should we celebrate?

CAOS:summer

Science tonight. Fabulous. Then lots of arty mess. Fabulous too. What are we going to do when it all finishes next week?

That might be a serious question.

CAOS:summer

And so they keep coming. Over 60 on the books and over 30 on the night. Lots of flower arranging and willow sculpting, and coaster making and salt dough baking and crispy eating and knitting. Fabulous.

Huge, huge thanks to those who are volunteering to come along. So many happy faces, encouraged youngsters, befriending going on and strengthening ties with folk. It just builds a stronger community and a stronger congregation. It can't help itself.

Thoughts of CAOS

Since I won't be able to blog over the next couple of days, here's a stream to make comment on summer:CAOS, all the things that go on this week, comments made, thoughts gained. It's all yours...

That was good

The first night of the CAOS summer event. Fabulous. There were people there! about 30-35 chidlren and about 15 adults. Just fantastic. The fact there were so many chidlren was brilliant but I think what warmed my sould more tonight was the number of volunteers (all child protection trained). It was a fabulous thing to see the congregation respond in this way. It's great being part of this.

Favourite moments for those who were there? Mine was getting someones supply of mashmallow top hats they didn't want and then discovering there was a gallon of chocolate left and Custard creams are fabulous if you dip them and smother them in (fairlytraded?) chocolate. Hmmmmm!

Paddling Pools, sticky fingers and the best story yet

What a great morning with stuff going on everywhere. A good number of people (more next time please) all trying things they'd never done before. That's what brings life: new experiences. It was all fabulous with excellent samba drumming that was really popular (we were only going to run one workshop because of the numbers but more turned up and we got two very full workshops) and brilliant stories and they were brilliant. Again two workshops of that. Then we had willow sculpting which is all incomplete at the moment but we'll just have to spend some more time on them, plus lots of potato printing and goo. Then there was lunch. It was all great. I've tonnes of photos which I'll post later tonight if I have time.

So those that were there, please do leave your comments here because it will be good to hear how it went for you and we can use some of your comments on future publicity (names and addresses withheld of course).

And those that weren't able to come, these are always good events so just look out for the next one.

Big Taster Day

Good news on Saturday's CAOS event because we now have performing for your creative and visual arts:

1 story teller
1 samba drummer
1 craft daft group

and...

1 willow sculpter.

It's going to be fabulous and I hope there will be a million people there though that number won't get fed very well. So lots to see and do on Saturday. Do tell as many as possible because they really will miss out on some excellent stuff. I've even got my mum and dad coming too.

Big Taster

Just a wee reminder of the Big Taster Day for CAOS our community arts project on Saturday at 10.30am-1pm. Lots going on with Samba Drumming, story telling painting and stamping and cutting and eating and free registration for the summer stuff and possibly one ot two other things as well if I can get them organised.

In the church on Saturday morning. Taste and see...

Big Taster Day

Big Day coming up for CAOS our community arts project. 23rd of this month we have another big taster day. We have a samba drummer and storyteller coming along so far along with some hands-on art stuff. We have food and we hope to have two other things going on too. Saturday 23rd 10.30am -1pm and it is going to be great.

CAOS has suddenly come on leaps and bounds. We've stuff back from the Charity Regulator which was very positive and now I am just about to send the forms to Company's House in Edinburgh which should take a couple of weeks and then we hopefully will be open to some more money and stuff.

Of course, hot on the heel of the Taster Day we have the month long CAOS summer event two nights a week for the whole of July. We're looking for volunteers, not to run the event but to come along and help out, or show us how to knit, sew, bake, photograph, paint, etc. Anything at all because all of these things are becoming very cool to be able to do. We're not entertaining anyone but constructive play, integrated approach to life and learning and community, supporting each other, and a whole lot of really important things for communities and people. It's fabulous. So there's two dates for your diary. You'll find out about the later at the former. Taste first and then the entire feast.

The week that will be

I'm afraid there won't be any new posts here for the next week unless Iona is linked up braodband to the internet. hey probably are, but will I be allowed to plug into it? So please behave. There are plenty of topics going on at the moment but I'll suggest a few others to post under for the week. Enjoy the free discussion.

Just a wee note that we have a representative going to the Assembly this week to talk about CAOS. Sandra has drawn the short straw and maybe her enthusiasm is because she didn't realise there were only 100- folk there rather than the wee committee she thought. Anyway, that's Wednesday morning and she'll do fabulously. She's only got a minute and a half to divulge the contents of CAOS. Perfect choice.

Words of supprt would be good...

CAOS website

We're developing the CAOS website. It's going to be great so please do visit as you browse and see what's happening in the project in the community. Lots to do but we are well on our way. We've learned tonnes. We've learned so much . We can do stuff we didn't thing possible or had any clue before. It's going to be fabulous. So have a look for a wee preview and pop over often in the last few weeks to find out some good suff going on in the next couple of months.

Community Art

If you go here you can see some local community art. It's maybe some of these thing that we'll be doing with CAOS. It may however go off in different directions depending on what people in the community want. Whatever happens it's going to be great, once we get it off the ground. Long way to go yet but lots and lots of work being done and contacts made.

Can't wait.

Interpretative Artwork

We've been invited to a consult tomorrow night about some artwork to be created for the two path along the canal. If you'd like to come along (I know it is short notice) that do come to the Lesser Town Hall at 7.30 tomorrow (THursday) evening. You'd be made very welcome.

Day of CAOS

Hey -- a good day. Lots happening. And the Community Artists really lety us see what community art is about. Great stories of how the idea and the people make something beyond where people are. The whole process changes peoples hopes and aspirations because suddenly, trying something they've never tried before, they see new potential and possibility. Fabulous.

As least that's what I heard. What did you hear and see?

Thanks to everyone who came along and there were a good number. Thanks to those who organised the lunch because that topped it all. And thanks to everyone who dared to paint, drum, make, speak, laugh and do something they'd never done before. We're off to a happy start. I'll post some photos soon.

Let the story begin.

A Day of CAOS

Don't forget the big morning with a little CAOS on Saturday (2nd). It begins at 10.30 with community artists telling their story and then workshops and then questions and then a free lunch. It's going to be great. If you are interested or anyone else you know and would like to find out more about Communitgy Art than come along to Abbotsford Church that morning and be amazed at how it changes people's lives and community and stuff. Fantastic.

Big Day of CAOS

Community Art. It's a big subject and a new one and not many of us are particularly familiar with it. But all that will change on Saturday 2nd September.

We have organised a big morning of CAOS for everyone in the congregation and anyone else who would like to know about CAOS and Community Art. We have commuinity artists coming along, we have a showcase of talent from the community, we have information about CAOS, we have images and speakers and activities and more especially a FREE LUNCH.

It is a morning of finding out and a soft way what community art is all about. It is harmless yet may change everything.

We are hoping there will be 100 people there from the congregation. We want to invite people simply to see community art and how it has changed people and communities. We'll hear real stories and meet real people who have been affected by real problems in their community and seen real transformation because of community art.

Can it really bring about change locally?

Find out on September 2nd at 10.30am More information soon. Put it in diaries now. But you'll get your own invitation this weekend.

CAOS and other stuff

I was at a new project opening in Whitecrook thisn afternoon called Building Better Futures. It is a new charity/community project helped by Community Renewal which is another charity that really seems to help people in communities build capacity to imrove wellbeing and aspiration. I won't go into all the details but obviously I spoke to them about CAOS our own community arts project and there seems to be much useful overlap and hopefully our project can be part of the opportunity the BBF may become.

There were some good contacts made and speaking to the director of Community Renewal Ltd I discovered how significat arts projects have been in improving peoples lives, environment, and prospects. As our own project develops I am more and more enthusiastic about how the idea really is a better way to do church and mission and all these things and also change ourselves and change attitudes within ourselves.

There is a wheen of things to do and as we let the CAOS project grow the name becomes ever more apt but I am ever more convinced this is church in the way it needs to be for our community. It is in addition to what we already do, not in place of, but it will teach us so much more abolut faith and being people of faith than anything else we've ever done recently. And we will be giving something to the community that will be just one thing that will increase the capacity to change.

Someone else can work out all the theology. When church is like this, you just live by your guts. It's a very scary place to be. It's a very big place. It's a very grace-filled place. It's a very holy place. And that's all the theology we probably need.