Posted 830 days ago
The Celtic Connection
by Christine Sine
Since Tom Sine first visited the island of Iona off the West Coast of Scotland in the mid 1980s, he has felt a strong connection to this ancient Christian tradition. All of us at Mustard Seed Associates are attracted to a form of Christianity that permeated every part of a believer’s life. For Celtic Christians, faith impacted every part of life, and not surprisingly believers developed prayers for every activity from lighting the fire to milking the cows. This Christian tradition was evangelistic and charismatic in expression. It also showed a deep love of creation and an incredible belief in the all-encompassing presence of Christ.
In 1989, Tom purchased 40 acres on Camano Island just north of Seattle, intending to create a Celtic Retreat Site. The flame has been kept alive as Mustard Seed Associates has held their annual Celtic Prayer retreat on the island, first at the Washington State Park and then on the land itself.
Now the vision is starting to take shape, and a small planning group is meeting regularly to pray and flesh out the vision. We are also visiting the land each month to work, pray and get a sense of God’s presence on the land. If you are interested in ways that you could be a part of this group please let us know.
Outlined below are the founding principles of how Tom and I would like to see the site developed. Please understand these principles do not rule out other dreams and uses for the site:
- We intend to create a monastic order that follows a Christian rule of life and creates a rhythm of life for the permanent occupants of the center.
- We intend to design and construct a residential monastic village in which elements of Celtic art and architecture are reflected in the physical and interior design of the structures.
We also intend to design both land use and structures to achieve a high level of sustainability and make possible highly sustainable lifestyles for those who live at the site.
- We intend to design a 3-month, community based, educational process for college and post-college Christians to enable them to explore a broad range of Christian prayer traditions in order to develop their own spiritual practices and discern God’s call for next steps.
- We intend that the Celtic Retreat Center host directed prayer retreats on the weekends for all generations and Christian traditions led by the monastic community and the students.
- We intend the Center also serve as a birthing site involving students and others in giving imaginative expression to God’s new order in arts, design, innovation and social entrepreneurship to give imaginative expression to God’s new order.
- We intend the Center become an integral part of the community on Camano Island and to explore ways to collaborate with our neighbors.
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Reader Comments
Greetings,
Having read The Mustard Seed Conspiracy a number of years ago, I was, again, refreshed by The New Conspiracy. Thank you for the challenge and encouragement provided.
My wife and I will soon be retiring. We appreciate the challenge in Tom’s recent book to enter into meditation that includes a striving for creativity that will identify a path for participating in a whole-life expression of our faith. In late-career I took a position with a Christian school believing that this could be an expression of my yearning for serving others. This has not been without reward; however, the ministry’s emphasis on the Christ within is more self-than missional-centered. Margaret and I value the opportunity to begin exploring with others how we can, at least, in early retirement include volunteer missional/monastic service. Should you know of others in the Sacramento area who are similarly “questing” I would value the opportunity to be put in touch with them.
Thank you for the ministry that you are offering seekers – including, in my case, being directed toward learning more about Celtic background for whole-life Christianity.
In Christ, Randall Williams
Randall Williams » 595 days ago » Link