Quiet Garden Trust

I spent last Tuesday morning finding out more about the Quiet Garden Trust, as there is a Quiet Garden close by to where we are staying here in England. My curiosity about them was peaked when I heard that there focus was on creating places of prayer and hospitality, and I felt that there might be something valuable to learn from them.

What I found was a beautiful old house, built on land that was once part of the Chertsey Abbey. Apparently some of the stones that were used to build their house came from the ruins of the Abbey (which, like many monastic communities, was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the mid-sixteenth century.)

The couple who owns the home, offers it as a place of quiet meditation and prayer throughout the week, and at times has offered a program of retreat and quiet days for church groups. They have cultivated a very good relationship with all of the five local churches in their village, and have managed to include representatives from each of these churches on their advisory board. As such, they are able to enjoy a breadth and depth of teaching and practice on the subject of prayer in particular (which is their personal focus). They use both the inside of their home as well as their extensive gardens to facilitate their ministry.

There are Quiet Garden Trust sites all over the world, including in Canada and the United States. I am encouraged by their existence, and though I know that what we are being called to is different, I am very grateful to have been able to meet them and hear their story!