A newsletter filled with ideas, courses, events, and more!
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| Adventures in Faith
February 2026 |
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Welcome to Adventures in Faith: where everyone in the Diocese of Edinburgh can explore, learn, and grow in faith and fullness of life. |
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| Welcome to Bishop-Elect Dagmar! |
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The Right Reverend Dr Dagmar Winter was elected by our Electoral Synod on 14 February as the new Bishop of Edinburgh. She will take up her new post at the end of May. Bishop Dagmar is currently Bishop of Huntington (a suffragan bishop) and Acting Bishop of Ely. Find more about Bishop Dagmar on our website. |
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| Have you recently affirmed your faith? |
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| If you've recently been confirmed or have affirmed your faith and you haven't yet received this invitation from your church, consider this your invitation! We would love to see you at our Day of Next Steps on 7 March, which has two stages: Exploration of St Mary's Cathedral at 10.30am (optional). An afternoon of discussion, prayer, and fellowship at St Mark's Episcopal Church, Portobello, starting with lunch at 12.30pm.
If you're interested, get more details from Fee Reynolds and then register via tinyurl.com/NextAdv26. |
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| Ideas and Resources for Lent |
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The Diocese is not producing a Lent course this year. Instead, we have collated ideas and examples of other courses that people may wish to follow, alongside any new books for 2026. Previous Lent courses are available, too. All these resources can be accessed here. We've included a few highlights below, plus other Lenten courses and resources you might want to explore. |
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| A Season of Silence: Deep Listening in a Noisy World by Joshua Rey
This book offers daily steps that will guide you into a richer and deeper experience of contemplative silence. Each day offers a short reflection, a thought-provoking quotation from the Bible and other wisdom sources, and practical exercises to help you as you begin to cultivate a lifelong habit of contemplative silence. This is both about quieting external noise and fostering an inner stillness that continues to resonate throughout your day, bringing clarity, peace, and a profound sense of presence. You can read more about the book and buy it here. |
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| Giving it Up by Maggi Dawn
The idea of "giving something up for Lent" is widely known and discussed today, yet how many know that the ancient discipline of the Lenten fast had several purposes? How many of us simply abstain from some treat or other for a few weeks and fail to engage with this deeper meaning of Lent? This book shows how Lent can be a time for exploring a different kind of 'giving up', one that can transform our lives. If we are to draw closer to God, we have to be willing to give up some of our entrenched ideas about him, in order to see him more clearly. You can read more about the book and buy it here. |
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| Lent•Scapes: Landscapes of penance, peace and reconciliation by Third Order, Society of Saint Francis
Through Scripture, global voices, and stories from diverse landscapes, this book offers Lent not as a season of heaviness, but as a path of honesty, healing, and renewed hope. Wherever we live – in cities or villages, along coasts or mountain paths – we share the same longing: to live truthfully, to mend what has been harmed, and to become people of peace. This is an invitation to return: to truth, compassion, community, and to the God who meets us in every landscape. You can read more about the book and buy it here. |
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| Rev Prof Swarup Bar will present a series of four talks on Monday evenings in Lent titled ‘Indian Christian Theologies Part II: Contextual Theologies’: > 2 March, 7pm: Dalit Theology > 9 March, 7pm: Tribal & Adivasi Theology > 6 March, 7pm: Feminist Theology > 23 March, 7pm: Ecotheology All lectures will be available on the Scottish Episcopal Church YouTube channel from 2 March. |
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St James’s Leith has produced their own lent course entitled The Gospel of the Wild Messiah. This 6-session course uses lectio divina and visio divina amongst other prayerful responses to reflect on the theme. The outline is below; please contact the DMMC Team if you would like a copy of the resources. Intro to the Wild Messiah Course. Tearing Open Ceilings to let Mercy in (The Paraplegic). Attentive to Inconvenient Cries (Blind Bartimeus). Touching the Untouchable & Inviting the Forgotten Home (Haemorrhaging Woman). Naming the Silenced, Holding the Haunted (Legion). Let us be: Wounded, Wild & Faithful
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| ‘Journey Through Lent’: A Retreat in Daily Life: Jointly led by Ps & Gs and the Edinburgh Jesuit Church.
This retreat in daily life aims to help you embed prayer and explore the presence of God in all aspects of your life. The whole retreat group meets at the beginning and the end of the retreat. In between, each participant meets weekly 1:1 with a prayer guide, and takes time on their own to pray each day for whatever time they can manage (perhaps 20-30 minutes). The prayer guide will provide some suggestions for prayer and help you review the previous week. You and your guide can choose to meet up at your guide’s home, in a meeting room at Edinburgh Jesuit Centre, or on Zoom.
This retreat costs £55. Concessions are available. You can find out more about this Retreat in Daily Life on the Ps & Gs Facebook Page, where there's a video you can watch, and sign up here. |
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Kinnoull Monastery near Perth are offering a Holy Week Retreat from Monday 30 March to Good Friday, 3 April. Throughout the week, participants will experience: Guided and silent prayer time Opportunities for quiet reflection and meditation Shared worship in the monastic rhythm of daily prayer Extended times of silence to deepen spiritual focus
The retreat concludes with a reflective Stations of the Cross following lunch on Good Friday. More information. |
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| Events and Learning Opportunities |
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| The Adventures in Faith: Courses page on the diocesan website is where you can find a whole range of courses running in the coming weeks and months. Many providers have just announced their courses for the first half of 2026 so it's definitely worth a look 👀. AND check out our Events Calendar for something local that might take your fancy! |
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| Don't miss God's Invitation to Relationship: An Introduction to Ways of Praying, a six-week online course from the Epiphany Group, running on Mondays from 23 February to 30 March. It's a short prayer course to support people ecumenically into a deeper prayer life. The course covers: General introduction to prayer, stilling and examen Praying with Scripture – Lectio Divina Imaginative prayer Praying with art and poetry
For more information, visit the Epiphany Group website. |
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| Pilgrimage on Iona, 20–25 March 2026. Facilitated by spiritual directors who trained with the Epiphany Group and with Sarum College, this walking pilgrimage is a time to walk in silence, reflect in companionship, and listen for the movement of God in your life. Find out more and book here. |
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| 2026 Franciscan Peace Pilgrimage. This series of pilgrimages across England is being planned for July-October 2026. Each individual pilgrimage – rooted in history, culture, and spiritual tradition – offers its own sacred rhythm, inviting you to slow down, breathe deeply, and rediscover what truly matters. At this stage, the organisers are asking people to complete the intention form. This does not commit you or them to a specific date or route, but indicates an opening of yourself to the possibility of pilgrimage, and aids in planning. Read more on the Spirit of Francis website. |
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| Upcoming retreats at The Bield at Blackruthven:
Labyrinth of Creativity: A Sound and Arts Journey: 20–22 February, £250 full board.
Silent Retreat Day: 24 February, £70.
Soul Care Poetry: 25–27 February, £350 full board.
Introduction to Enneagram: 7 March, £75.
Journey Into Healing: 21 March, £90.
Multi-Day Silent Retreat: 24–27 March, £375 full board. For more information, visit The Bield's website. |
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| At Whitchester Christian Retreat Centre:
The Psalms and CS Lewis
10–12 April 2026
Over this retreat weekend, led by Drs Chris and Ros Brett, you will explore the Psalms together in company with CS Lewis's Reflections on the Psalms, reflecting on this amazing resource for prayer and praise.
Cost: £195 for the weekend, to include two nights' accommodation and full board from Friday evening, concluding with lunch on Sunday. |
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| The next few months at Abernethy Kilmalieu :
What Next, Lord? Discerning Your Next Steps
16–22 March, from £480. Look at the Birds: A Birdwatching Retreat
27 April–1 May, from £480.
Mountain Pilgrimage
11–15 May, from £480.
Individually Guided Retreat
22–26 May, from £360. Meeting God in Creation
1–5 June, from £480. |
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| You can find more than 25 retreat venues that we have come across, or that have been used by members of the diocese, on our Retreat Venues page. There is also a map, so you can see at a glance where the listed retreat centres are based. |
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| In this section, we share a resource that might help you explore, learn, or grow in your faith: it could be a book, a podcast, an email subscription, or something else!
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Bishop Donald Allister, of St Peter's Lutton Place, Edinburgh, has his own YouTube channel of his own of weekly Bible studies. It started when he was Bishop of Peterborough and continues now during his retirement years in Edinburgh. There are more than 500 videos to chose from covering many books of the Bible and Christian themes – perfect for a programme of Lenten (or any other!) study. Access it here. |
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| Adventures in Faith: All Day Every Day! |
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| Homepage – Outlines what Adventures in Faith is, with links to other landing pages. Newsletter – Links to all previous newsletters and to sign-up for emails. Calendar – Events happening across the Diocese, in congregations and partner organisations. Courses – A list of courses & retreats from across the UK: something for everyone! Awareness – Awareness days that link in with our faith and Marks of Mission. |
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| 😃 We hope you have enjoyed exploring this Adventures in Faith newsletter. 🔼 Check out the AiF webpages via the menu above. 📧 Please forward this email to congregational friends, who can sign-up using the button below. 👈 Share the QR code via church magazines, noticeboards, pew-sheets, etc. 👇 Check out our other newsletters via buttons below. |
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