‍Rumours of Hope: A Vigil for OurTimes

Rumours of Hope was a grass-roots collaboration by theologians, artists, musicians and poets from across the Church of England. The project came together in just three weeks to offer ways of praying with honesty and integrity in the face of the coronavirus crisis through an online vigil on Easter Eve 2020.

15 short acts of worship explored Old Testament readings from Genesis 1:3, Exodus and 1 Kings through to the psalms, Job and Ruth. Each sought to draw out stories of hope that might speak to our present reality under Covid-19 lockdown in grounded and faithful ways through the dark hours of the night, building up in a crescendo towards dawn; when a remix of St John Chrysostom’s classic Paschal Homily called us to gather around a new fire in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral and join the Exsultet led by the Community of Mucknell Abbey to greet Easter day. Musical responses, prayers, photography, art were recorded specially in homes, studies and workplaces under lockdown.

People kept vigil across the country, watching, waiting and praying around real fires in their gardens or candles in their homes or a virtual fireside on the Facebook page.

A huge thank you to all who were involved:

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To those who offered reflections:

Stephen Cottrell (Bishop of Chelmsford)

Paula Gooder (Chancellor, St Paul’s Cathedral, London)

Joanna Collicutt (Karl Jaspers Lecturer in Psychology & Spirituality, Ripon College Cuddesdon)

Helen-Ann Hartley (Bishop of Ripon)

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Duncan Dormor (CEO of USPG)

Katie Tupling (Co-Founder Disability and Jesus

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Natasha Beckles (Ordinand, St MellitusCollege)

Lee Chantler (St Michael’s, Newquay)

Rebecca Coatsworth(CStF)

James Dwyer (St Andrew’s, Oxford)

Colin Heber-Percy (Savernake Team, Salisbury)

Karen Nelson (St Alban’s, Dartford)

Jonny Scott (St Martin’s, Jersey)

Kate Seagrave (CStF)

Morna Simpson (teaandtheology)

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To the poets:

Malcolm Guite (reading from After Prayer)

Christopher Southgate (reading from Rain Falling By the River)

To the musicians:

Back Row of Bristol Cathedral Choir, arranged by Tim Popplewell (Bristol CathedralTV)

Ally Barrett (Chaplain, St Catharine’s College, Cambridge)

Beth Bayliss

Hannah & Liam Cartwright (On Fire Mission)

Lee Chantler

Christ Church Cathedral School

Choir of Canterbury Cathedral

Alison Kennedy (Chelmsford Cathedral & St Mellitus College)

Emily Kolltveit (Mediaeval Baebes, Wilde Roses & Ripon College Cuddesdon)

Christopher & Carolyn Landau (St Aldates, Oxford)

Andy Lumsden (Winchester Cathedral)

Rolf Mason (St Luke’s, Holbeck)

Mike Nelson (St George’s, Gravesend)

Ruth & Paul Provost (Southwell Minster)

AliceTam (Wilde Roses)

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To the artists and photographers:

Ally Barrett

Chris Bayliss (St Helen’s, Abingdon)

Sarah Bayliss

Tom Bower

Colin Heber-Percy

Morna Simpson

Ben Thompson

To the parish clergy & laity:

Aggie (SavernakeTeam)

Leonard Onugha (St Mary’s, Thatcham)

FiScott (St Martin’s, Jersey)

Christine Smith (East Winchester Benefice)

Chris Tupling

Sue Wallace(Visions and Transcendence Trust) & the Chrysostom Collective (full list of participants in the Dawn Order of Service)

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To the mission societies:

CMS – #Lamentspace

USPG

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To the religious communities:

Mission Community of St Frideswide

Sr Jessica, Lydia and theCommunity of Mucknell Abbey

Br Tobias SSF

To the ordinands, spouses and staff from theological colleges:

Humphrey Southern, Emily Essex, Polly Falconer, Graham Green (Ripon College Cuddesdon)

Simon Cuff, Natasha Beckles, Louis Johnson (St Mellitus College)

Sasha Braun (Trinity College Bristol)

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To the precentors, deans and cathedral staff:

Alice Adams (Leicester Cathedral)

Richard Andrews (Derby Cathedral)

Jonathan Arnold (Diocesan Director of Communities and Partnerships, Canterbury)

Philip Banks (St Edmundsbury Cathedral)

Grant Bayliss (Christ Church, Oxford)

Catriona Cummings (York Minster)

Richard Frith (Southwell Minster)

Miranda Hockliffe (Christ Church, Oxford)

Peter Howell-Jones (Blackburn Cathedral)

Vicky Johnson (York Minster)

Alison Kennedy (Chelmsford Cathedral)

Max Kramer (Canterbury Cathedral)

Clare MacLaren (Newcastle Cathedral)

Catherine Ogle (Winchester Cathedral)

Emma Pennington (Canterbury Cathedral)

Martyn Percy (Christ Church, Oxford)

Matthew Rushton (Rochester Cathedral)

Nicola Sullivan (Southwell Minster)

Philippa White (Christ Church, Oxford)

Rowan Williams (Peterborough Cathedral)

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To those who worked behind the scenes:

Molly Boot (Christ Church, Oxford)

Kevin Colyer (St Peter’s Maidenhead)

Ben Thompson, Graham Green, Rajiv Sidhu (Ripon College Cuddesdon)

Nick Clarke (Clarke Price Design)

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