Iona Community

Advent in Community
2024-12-02 16:00 - 2024-12-06 09:00 UTC | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: Advent candles. Credit: Niklas Ohlogge/ Unsplash

Advent in Community 2nd – 6th December 2024

We explore the sacred art of waiting in community during Advent on Iona.

While we wait, we continue to meet challenges that cannot wait. They require our faithful efforts. Waiting is active.

Together we will learn to recognise God’s presence and calling in the midst of waiting, sacred art and act.

This will be a time to surrender to what is, and look with trust and hope toward what will be.

Facilitated by the Iona Abbey Programme Team.

Costs
4 Nights: £376 per adult, £188 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Poetry and Prayer
2024-12-01 18:45 - 20:30
As Advent begins, join the Wild Goose Resource Group for an online session with Pádraig Ó Tuama where we will be looking at poems that function as prayers. Strange prayers, for sure, some of them asking for attention, some of them telling God what God needs to know, some remaking worlds, some ending worlds.
Pádraig Ó Tuama is a poet and a long time friend of the Wild Goose Resource Group and the Iona Community. A former leader of Corrymeela, he works in projects of poetry, theology and conflict resolution. He presents the Poetry Unbound podcast and has two new books — 44 Poems on Being with Each Other; and Kitchen Hymns — coming in early 2025.
A Hopeful Advent

You can find our full list of Advent events and offerings here.
While there’s no charge for individual events, we warmly invite you to make a one-time donation to support the complete range of Advent events hosted by the Iona Community, if you’re able. Thank you.
Donate Here

Stillness in Community (Mon-Fri, 4 nights) LIMITED AVAILABILITY
2024-11-18 16:00 - 2024-11-22 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: Sunset from Iona in autumn. Credit: Iona Community/ P. Bennett

Stillness in Community 18th – 22nd November 2024.
Join Quaker, and Iona Community Leader Ruth Harvey, for some days of gentle, stilling contemplative practices in the beauty of an Iona winter.
During the Stillness in Community Weeks, each guest will have their own room, offering a peaceful space for personal reflection and quiet contemplation. Not a completely silent week. Sharing community meals, work, and worship.

We look forward to welcoming you to a Stillness in Community Week at Iona Abbey in 2024.
Costs
4 Nights: £376 per adult, £188 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Stillness in Community (Mon-Thu, 4 nights - LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
2024-11-11 16:00 - 2024-11-15 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: Sunset from Iona in autumn. Credit: Iona Community/ P. Bennett

Stillness in Community 11th–15th November 2024. (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)

Join Quaker, and Iona Community Leader Ruth Harvey, for some days of gentle, stilling contemplative practices in the beauty of an Iona winter.
During the Stillness in Community Weeks, each guest will have their own room, offering a peaceful space for personal reflection and quiet contemplation. Not a completely silent week. Sharing community meals, work, and worship.

We look forward to welcoming you to a Stillness in Community Week at Iona Abbey in 2024.

Costs
4 Nights: £376 per adult, £188 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Work Week: 2nd - 8th November 2024 - LIMITED AVAILABILITY
2024-11-02 16:00 - 2024-11-08 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Work Week: 2nd – 8th November 2024 – LIMITED AVAILABILITY
An opportunity to help our staff team in the many tasks to restore the Abbey Centre after a busy season.
This week is for energetic people who don’t mind getting their hands dirty. Typical work involves working with our team of volunteers and resident staff on gardening, maintenance involving basic DIY, cleaning, moving objects and materials for worship between the Abbey church and the Michael Chapel at each end of the season.
Guests on work week participate in the rhythm and routine of work and worship in community. Previous work week participants describe the wonderful energy of working work together over this ‘demanding common task’, using their varied gifts. Lots of laughter is shared at the work week ceilidh and there is some free time towards the end of the week to explore Iona.
‘I learnt how the community works and how it all comes together to create something amazing.’ Work Week participant ’23
‘The experience of living in community was very spiritual. I live alone so at first it took a bit of getting used to but the joy of community has been infectious.’ Work Week participant ’23
Costs
6 Nights: This week is offered at an end of season discounted rate of £381.

Longing and belonging: Associate Members Week
2024-10-19 16:00 - 2024-10-25 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: Associate Members walking on the north end of Iona. Credit: Iona Community/F. Macdougall
LONGING AND BELONGING: Associates Week 19th – 25th October 2024
This week is for those who are Associate Members of the Iona Community. We will gather on the land and in the space that has inspired a movement that offers belonging and also challenges us to align God’s longing for a world of justice and peace.

I learned more about what it is to be an Associate… I enjoyed the time and new friendships with like-minded people.

An opportunity for self-reflection, connecting with other Associate Members, learning tools and sharing gifts that encourage and enrich our shared journey.
The week includes the pilgrimage around the island, art and daily worship.
Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

The Beauty of Contemplation~The Contemplation of Beauty (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
2024-10-12 16:00 - 2024-10-18 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
The Beauty of Contemplation ~ The Contemplation of Beauty 12th – 18th October 2024.
Are you curious about the practice of contemplation? Would you like to explore this practice on the beautiful island of Iona?
We will let the natural beauty of Iona become a springboard for exploring the contemplative path within the Christian tradition.
You need no previous experience of contemplative practice to join us, just an openness and willingness to try.
We will weave the stories of the island and the Iona Community into workshops along with wisdom old and new.
We will have plenty of time for practice and immersion in the rugged beauty of the island.
No preparation is required but the following suggested reading will provide a good introduction and help with preparation for the week:

Divine Beauty, the Invisible Embrace by John O’Donohue

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault

Into the Silent Land by Martin Laird

Facilitators:

Ralph Patrick and Ali Marshall.

Ralph and Ali are soul friends; they met working on the island for the Iona Community a few years ago. They share a passion for helping people to encounter God in their own way and are trained and experienced spiritual directors/companions and retreat guides. They are excited to collaborate on this week at the Abbey.

Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Pilgrimage of life (FULLY BOOKED)
2024-10-05 16:00 - 2024-10-11 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image credit: Sara Bain
Pilgrimage of life 5th – 11th October 2024

A week to explore our lives as pilgrimage, deepening our resources to face climate change with Alastair McIntosh.
Climate change is the most pressing physical problem that the whole world currently faces. But what are its deeper roots? Is it sufficient to face it at the conventional levels of science, politics and economics, or does it also require insights into the human condition that only deep psychology and a profound spirituality can offer?
The Russian writer Maxim Gorky said “All of us are pilgrims on this earth. I have even heard it said that the earth itself is a pilgrim in the heavens.” How does ecological theology help to understand this, and how might an understanding of our own lives as pilgrims help to inform, and to sustain, the vocations called for from us in these times?
Above all, however, how can we not let these times go to waste, but to let God use them to deepen our own spirituality and, perhaps, that of the world on its pilgrimage through time? During this week we will reflect together on the words of both a former Iona Abbey warden and in the experience of the Columban monks that Saint Adomnan recorded: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”?

Facilitator
Alastair McIntosh is a human ecologist whose work connects the social and environmental problems of the world to a call for spiritual deepening. He lives in Govan from where George MacLeod founded the Iona Community. Alastair is a founding trustee of the GalGael Trust that builds community in hard-pressed social contexts, an honorary professor in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow and the author of a dozen books. The books most pertinent to this week are Parables of Northern Seed: Soil and Soul: People versus Corporate Power (Aurum 2001), Hell and High Water: Climate Change, Hope and the Human Condition (Birinn 2008), Poacher’s Pilgrimage: a Journey Through Land and Soul (Birlinn 2016) and Riders on the Storm: The Climate Crisis and the Survival of Being (Birlinn 2020).

Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Nurture the land - Autumn
2024-09-30 - 2024-10-05
Nurture and be nurtured
Come and help prepare our organic garden and polytunnels for the season ahead while taking part in community life here at Camas. In keeping with the tradition of the Highlands and Islands, we grow produce on a system of lazy beds – long ridges divided by drainage ditches.
These beds are improved and enriched by using the seaweed from the bay on our doorstep. Join us for the start of the growing season when we will be getting these beds up and running, sowing seeds for the year ahead. In addition, we have two polytunnels we hope to fill with colour and life for the months to come. Alongside sowing and growing, there will be plenty of hands-on tasks around the garden: fixing up beds, borders and compost-bins, and being creative with willow cut from the garden.
No gardening experience is necessary, this will be the chance to learn, share ideas and leave your mark at Camas. If you enjoy getting your hands dirty, evenings by the fireside, simple community living, all in the breathtaking Ross of Mull, then Nurture the Land Week is for you.
This week is led by Camas Staff.
A week at Camas includes:
Nature Connection: Immerse yourself in the stunning natural beauty of the Isle of Mull by walking down the track to Camas and waking up right on the shore of beautiful Camas bay each morning.
Adventure Activities: Dive into exhilarating outdoor activities including kayaking, abseiling, coasteering, wild camping and hiking.
Fireside Gatherings: Evenings filled with storytelling, games, music, and laughter, fostering bonds and creating lasting memories.
Stargazing: Lose yourself in the beauty of the night sky on the Camas lawn, offering a chance for reflection and perspective.
Building relationships: Share insights and ideas, participate in activities and share in community life at Camas as we cook, clean and work together.
Cost and how to book?
This week is offered at the discounted rate of £210 or £105 concession.

Wild Goose Publications Week (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
2024-09-28 16:00 - 2024-10-04 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: October sunset from Iona. Credit: Iona Community/ P. Bennett
Wild Goose Publications Week 28th September – 4th October (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
Creative writing and art workshops, storytelling, breadmaking, a ceilidh – and more. A week to celebrate creativity and spiritual enquiry. Readings by Wild Goose authors and space to write and share your own poems and prayers.
Facilitated by Wild Goose Publications authors: Martin and Meg Wroe, Jan Sutch Pickard, Neil Paynter and Helen Lambie, and some possible special guests.
Wild Goose Publications authors
Martin Wroe is married to Meg, a painter, and together they have been raised by three children. He got into journalism while studying theology and ended up on the staff of the Independent and later the Observer. He has had long-time collaborations with the Greenbelt Arts Festival, the human rights NGO Amos Trust and the rock band U2. He contributes to BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day and accidentally became an Anglican priest. He was late to understand that religions are poems and tries to write one most days. His most recent book of poems is Julian Of Norwich’s Teabag (Wild Goose Publications). Martin is an associate of the Iona Community.
Meg Wroe and Martin volunteered on lona for two months as Programme Workers. Meg has also led creative workshops at the Greenbelt Festival. Meg is an artist and exhibits her paintings regularly in London and Margate (www.megwroe.com). She is also a children’s Occupational Therapist, working part-time in a school for children with special needs. She is a member of the lona Community.
Jan Sutch Pickard: ‘I am a poet and storyteller now living on the Isle of Mull. I began working for the Community on Iona in the last millennium. My storytelling draws on local history and legend from the West of Scotland, and also the West Bank Palestinian territories where, leaving Iona, I became an Ecumenical Accompanier. These places and experiences have also inspired my poetry (Wild Goose books: Out of Iona, Between High and Low Water, A Pocket Full of Crumbs). I would like to hear your stories!’
Helen Lambie is a breadmaker, retired cook, and former member of the Resident Group on Iona.
Neil Paynter is Helen’s partner, an editor with Wild Goose Publications, a late-night piano player, and a former Resident Group member and volunteer. He has worked for the Iona Community for about a quarter of a century. He likes cats a lot.
Costs

6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Creative Week
2024-09-23 - 2024-09-28
Creative Week offers a unique blend of creative workshops (including creative writing, craft, movement and sound workshops) and space for your own creative project. Whether you are an experienced artist seeking research & development time or an enthusiastic amateur wanting to explore your creative side, this is the week for you!
During our week together we will be immersed in the beautiful landscape of the Ross of Mull, connecting with the incredible natural world around us as inspiration. There will also be the opportunity to get adventurous and try out some of Camas’s wild activities such as kayaking, wild swimming and nature walks to help stoke the flames of your creative fire.
We will live as a community for a week, sharing life together through work and play. There will be plenty of opportunity for collaboration and sharing of your creative practice, without the pressure to have a finished product or outcome.
Come, let your creativity be free and express yourself at this wonderful week.
Led by Camas Staff
Cost and how to book?
£310 full price, £155 concession.

The Miracles Unboxed - John Bell (FULLY BOOKED)
2024-09-21 16:00 - 2024-09-27 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
The miracles unboxed with John Bell 21st – 27th September 2024. (FULLY BOOKED)

The miracle stories in the Bible are that section of the Gospels to which the least attention is paid. It may be that contemporary believers are cyncial about them or believe that in time science or anthropology will explain them away. But there are thirty one of them, and no two are the same; and if you removed them from Mark’s Gospel, it would be an even smaller book than it is presently.
For a number of years, John Bell has been exploring these stories with people of different ages and attitudes, and is convinced that we should stop looking for ‘the right answer’ and instead consider how human experience can unlock in them profound spiritual and moral insights which are waiting to be unveiled.

For a number of years, John Bell has been exploring these stories with people of different ages and attitudes, and is convinced that we should stop looking for ‘the right answer’ and instead consider how human experience can unlock in them profound spiritual and moral insights which are waiting to be unveiled.
Costs

6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Interfaith Week 2024 (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
2024-09-14 16:00 - 2024-09-20 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: Faith Leaders at Interfaith Week 2022. Credit: Iona Community/ D. Coleman

Interfaith Week 14th – 20th September 2024.
A week to celebrate co-operation and deepen friendship and understanding between faiths with a focus on caring for and listening to Creation.
Caring for Creation is a key message in the scriptures of all faith traditions. In this interfaith week we will explore what different faiths have to say about respect for all life, and the careful and responsible protection and preservation of the earth’s resources. We will look at the actions different faith communities are taking in response to the climate crisis and – weather-permitting – we will engage in some nature-based activities during the course of the week.
Interfaith Week will be facilitated by Maureen Sier, Director, and Frances Hume, National Development Officer, Interfaith Scotland, Zarina Ahmad, climate activist based in Manchester, and Caro Penney, Abbey Warden and Moderator of the Iona Community’s Interfaith Relations Common Concern Network.

Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Quietly Wild
2024-09-09 - 2024-09-14
Experience the magic of Camas through a week of quiet reflection and nature connection. Led by Iona Community leader Ruth Harvey and outdoor instructor, Nick Austin; this week is inspired by the couple’s Quaker faith and experience of outdoor adventure and wilderness exploration.
Drawing on the beauty and simplicity of the Camas setting, we’ll craft a week together joining gentle adventures in the wilderness with stillness and reflective practice. You are welcome, whatever your level of adventure, or reflective practice experience. We’ll tailor the programme to suit all needs and gifts. We look forward to sharing a week of simple community living, creative space, outdoor activities, reflective practice, good food, good company and the great outdoors.
Facilitators
Led by Ruth Harvey and Nick Austin
Ruth and Nick are Quakers living in Cumbria, NW England. Nick has been an outdoor instructor with the Outward Bound Trust for 30 years, most recently as a Learning and Adventure Manager. Ruth is a Church of Scotland minister and a Quaker, mediator and facilitator, and currently Leader of the Iona Community. They met at Camas 30 years ago and have been enjoying its quiet wildness ever since.
Cost and how to book?
£310 full price, £155 concession.

Time and Space (FULLY BOOKED)
2024-09-07 16:00 - 2024-09-13 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Time and Space 7th – 13th September 2024 (FULLY BOOKED).
This week will allow you to experience life in community at Iona Abbey. This includes participating in regular worship, sharing in meals and joining in community tasks that contribute to our shared life.
A Time and Space week offers you the opportunity to participate in a programme that includes guided reflection, small group conversations and open space. Together we take the time and space to explore issues of concern, such as inclusion, ecological justice and peace, through creativity and discussion.
You will have the opportunity to participate in our renowned pilgrimage around the island, either on or off road. There is also an optional boat trip to Staffa (April until mid-October) and creative art opportunities throughout the week.

We look forward to welcoming you to a Time and Space week at Iona Abbey in 2024.
Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

LGBTQ+ Week (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
2024-08-31 16:00 - 2024-09-06 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Rest and Resistance
LGBTQ+ Week 31st August – 6th September 2024
A week of creative activities, peaceful spaces and workshop/sharing times to enable LGBTQ+ people and our allies to find space for both rest and resistance in a time of change and division. The week will include optional craftivism projects, multi-sensory prayer and worship, outdoor activities, movement and writing, enabling a time of learning, growing and caring for each-other.
Facilitated by Alex and Jo Clare-Young.

Jo Clare-Young

Alex Clare-Young
My name is Jo (she/her), I am bi and I am a member of the LGBTQIA+ CCN. I am a keen storyteller and enjoy exploring faith creatively and artistically as well as in words. I am a URC minister and the Mission and training officer for Eastern Synod of the URC, which means I get to do all sorts of exciting things. And my name is Alex (just my name or they/them). I am a trans and genderqueer person and one of the co-moderators of the LGBTQIA+ CCN. I am a writer, artist and activist as well as being a URC minister and enjoy finding ways to do things differently. We are looking forward to some space and time for solidarity, rest, self-care, action and creativity during the week.

Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Earth, My Body
2024-08-26 - 2024-08-31
Earth, my body
Join us for a week of embodiment, creativity, nature connection and reflection. Begin your day with guided movement and dance*, follow this with immersion in the beautiful nature at Camas and finish the day with reflection, reconnection and honouring of our bodies and the earth. This week is dedicated to remembering the body as sacred through relationship with the earth.
We will be immersed in the rhythms of community life at Camas, sharing ‘common tasks’ such as helping in the garden, washing up, opportunities to help with cooking. This allows us to experience what it means to be part of the wider body of community, both in work and play, to move with, sing with and share common life with others.
Week Includes:
Somatic Movement, Yoga Nidra, Mindfulness, Guided Ritual, Devotional Singing, Dance and Improvisation practices alongside Camas’s outdoor activities and immersion in the wild landscape of Camas Tuath.
*No creative or dance experience needed, this week is about finding your natural way of moving and creating and letting go of ‘right or wrong’ ways of moving/being.
Led by Fiona McFarlane (Camas Coordinator and Dance/Movement Therapist). Assisted by Cate Anderson.
Facilitators
Fiona McFarlane is a Dance/Movement Therapist, Artist, Performer and most recently the Camas Coordinator. She loves to create permissive space where people can begin to express themselves authentically and connect with one another through body, mind and spirit. She is passionate about the transformative power of reconnecting with our bodies, each other and the natural world around us and see’s this work as vital in creating more harmonious, loving and peaceful communities in relationship with mother earth.
Cate Anderson is a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga Nidra facilitator. She has been working in the NHS for over 10 years and has a wealth of experience of supporting people and holding space for inner work. Alongside her work, Cate has a regular yoga asana and meditation practice, and has recently completed a qualification in facilitating Yoga Nidra.
Cost and how to book?
£310 full price, £155 concession

Environment Week
2024-08-19 - 2024-08-24
Coming back to our senses
Join Kathy Galloway and the Camas team to explore what it means to ‘Come Back to Our Senses’ in relationship with our environment and our approach to the climate crisis. Exploring through creativity, nature connection and reflection, this week will offer a deep dive into environmental activism, from the personal and sensory to the communal.
“The failure to acknowledge our creatureliness has been a big problem for human beings – and an ever bigger one for the other life forms we share the earth with. Our tendency to assume that the universe is at our disposal has made us careless to the point of extreme culpability. What does it really mean for us to be creatures, and to take care? Perhaps to answer this, we need to come back to our senses.” Kathy Galloway
This week at Camas, we begin where we are, exploring themes of community, creativity and celebration. Kathy and the team will be guiding you through practices to re-establish sensory connection and awareness of the natural environment. We will also be working together to identify and explore a more sense-based approach to environmental action and sustainability.
A week at Camas includes:
Nature Connection: Immerse yourself in the stunning natural beauty of the Isle of Mull by walking down the track to Camas and waking up right on the shore of beautiful Camas bay each morning.
Adventure Activities: Dive into exhilarating outdoor activities including kayaking, abseiling, coasteering, wild camping and hiking.
Fireside Gatherings: Evenings filled with storytelling, games, music, and laughter, fostering bonds and creating lasting memories.
Stargazing: Lose yourself in the beauty of the night sky on the Camas lawn, offering a chance for reflection and perspective.
Building relationships: Share insights and ideas, participate in activities and share in community life at Camas as we cook, clean and work together.
Cost and how to book?
£310 full price, £155 concession

Care for Creation - 3 or 6 nights
2024-08-17 16:00 - 2024-08-23 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: A powerful wave on Iona . Credit: Iona Community/ D Coleman

Care for Creation 17th – 23rd August 2024
(The week formerly known as ‘Superpower your climate action’)
Do you need to sharpen your vision of a world transformed? Are you longing to connect with others who care for Creation?
Take time on Iona to lift your spirits in late summer. Discover how you can act more justly for people and planet.
This week will be facilitated by Val King and Melanie Nazareth of Christian Climate Action. We are also delighted to present guest speakers Mitzi Jonelle Tan and Rev. Israel Olofinjana.
Immersed in the natural beauty of Iona, we’ll take time together to think about people and planet. Moving from lament to hope, we’ll explore how each of us can love and care for a world in peril. You will also have the opportunity to participate in our wonderful pilgrimage around Iona and an optional boat trip to the breath-taking island of Staffa.
We offer a 50% discount to UK based students, people living on benefits or paid below the living wage, the homeless, refugees and asylum seekers. There’s also a 15% discount applied to families of 4 or more.

Find out more about how you can grow the heart space to care for Creation. Book your place now.
Facilitators

Melanie Nazareth
Melanie Nazareth now spends most of her time as a grass roots organiser helping people of faith find their place in the climate movement. Of Indian origin, she was born in Kenya, and spent much of her childhood in the Solomon Islands in the Western Pacific. Her links to these places fuel a deepening commitment to working for climate justice. This journey has led her from a career as a lawyer to studying theology, ecology and ethics, and to working with Christian Climate Action.

Val King
Val King is a longstanding member of Christian Climate Action and coordinator for CCA Scotland. She came from a leadership role in the business world to owning a 70-acre farm near Stirling. Val is committed to a life of action and contemplation and gets involved in numerous climate groups; she also enjoys going on retreats to provide balance to her life.

Mitzi Jonelle Tan Credit: yacap.org

Mitzi Jonelle Tan is a full-time climate justice activist based in Metro Manila, Philippines. She is the convenor and international spokesperson of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), an organiser with Fridays For Future International (FFF) and Most Affected Peoples and Areas (FFF MAPA). Mitzi is committed to changing the system and building a world that prioritizes people and planet, not profit, through collective action.

Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana. Credit: Evangelical Alliance

Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana is a Baptist minister and Director of the One People Commission of the Evangelical Alliance.
He is an honorary research fellow at The Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education and is on the Christian Aid working group of black majority church leaders exploring the intersection of climate justice and racial justice. A Yoruba Nigerian, he writes and speaks extensively and has a special interest in African and Public Theology.

Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

3 Nights: 17th - 20th August Book Here

or

3 Nights: 20th - 23rd August Book Here

Women’s Spirituality Week (FULLY BOOKED)
2024-08-10 16:00 - 2024-08-16 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: Descent of the Spirit Lipchitz Sculpture in Iona Abbey Cloisters. Credit: Iona Community/ B. Forsyth

Women’s Spirituality Week 10th – 16th August 2024
Together we will investigate a different perspective on women’s spirituality, finding inspiration from some of the women in the Bible, and how their stories speak to us now.
We will examine the remarkable hidden life of Mary Magdalene – her struggle, sorrow and triumph – and all she has to offer modern faith in terms of presence, recognition and equality.
We will honour Mary as a surprisingly contemporary figure, a prism through which we can examine the way we relate to ourselves, each other and the divine.
This week will combine workshops, Shibashi and positive exercises for inward reflection. Spend a week in community, in art, in nature, finding a slow life on our inner healing journey.
The week is open to people of all genders and will be facilitated by Evie Nieboer, a former Deputy Cook at Iona Abbey, and a member of the Iona Community Young Adults’ Group.

Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Today we rise! YouthFest 2024 (age 14-18)
2024-08-03 16:00 - 2024-08-09 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: Young people on the weekly pilgrimage on Iona. Credit: Iona Community/ J. Hudiburg
Today we rise. YouthFest 20204 3rd – 9th August
Grounded in each day, we will explore the island and community as well as what helps us grow and rise in our lives. Beach time, art, hiking, music, service, worship and fun!
Facilitators

Joshuah Brian Campbell is a singer, composer, songwriter, ministry worker, and actor from Cheraw, South Carolina, USA. He is passionate about church (and divine experiences that aren’t church), all kinds of music, cooking, and animals (especially hippos and dogs). On Iona, he looks forward to breathing new air, singing new songs, and learning new things with the YouthFest community. You can see Joshuah in action here.
Allen Hannah runs a Charity Theatre School called Encore Stars Academy and also works for the Scottish government. Allen is passionate about working and helping young people learn new skills and have fun. They like to sing, play the guitar and travel as much as possible and are looking forward to meeting everyone and being part in their journey as they discover Iona and all it has to offer.
You can get a flavour of YouthFest here:

Costs
6 Nights: £381 for all under-18s and up to 2 adults per group. Any additional adults will be charged at the full rate of £762.00. Contact ionaabbeybookings@iona.org.uk for all the essential booking information.

Global Song (FULLY BOOKED)
2024-07-27 16:00 - 2024-08-02 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image Credit: Albin Hillert-WCC
Global Song: 27th July – 2nd August 2024

Come and make a joyful noise on Iona! We will join together in sharing and learning songs from around the world and affirm our commitment to a world of justice, peace and the integrity of Creation. Suitable for any level of musical ability.
The iconic Iona experiences will also be part of the week: pilgrimage on the land, boat trip to Staffa and more.
Facilitated by Iain McLarty, a choir and orchestra conductor and a church musician working in a broad range of musical styles. He directed the latest Wild Goose Collective album, “This is God’s World” and is co-editor of the Church of Scotland’s Hymnary Supplement, which will be published in 2024. He is particularly interested in music and liturgy in an ecumenical context and is regularly involved in leading worship at national and international events, including for the World Council of Churches. He is an Associate Member of the Iona Community
Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Time and Space 3 or 6 Nights (FULLY BOOKED)
2024-07-20 16:00 - 2024-07-26 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Time and Space 6 or 3 night stays from 20th to 26th July 2024.
3 night stays begin on Saturday 20th or Tuesday 23rd.
You are welcome to come for 3 or 6 nights of Time and Space in July. This opportunity will allow you to experience life in community at Iona Abbey. This includes participating in regular worship, sharing in meals and joining in community tasks that contribute to our shared life.
Time and Space at Iona Abbey offers you the opportunity to participate in a programme that includes guided reflection, small group conversations and open space. Together we take the time and space to explore issues of concern, such as inclusion, ecological justice and peace, through creativity and discussion.
You will have the opportunity to participate in our renowned pilgrimage around the island, either on or off road. There is also an optional boat trip to Staffa (April until mid-October) and creative art opportunities throughout the week.

We look forward to welcoming you to Iona Abbey for some Time and Space in 2024.
Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, 3 Nights: £381 – see our programme page for more information.

3 Nights: 20th - 23rd Book Here

or

3 Nights: 23rd - 26th Book Here

Sound and Vision - Creative Week (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
2024-07-06 16:00 - 2024-07-12 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: Creative collaboration. Credit: Iona Community/ S. Edwards
Sound and Vision 6th – 12th July 2024
A week of high summer invention and creation. Enjoy readings, workshops and learning activities around creativity: music, poetry, art and storytelling. Come to celebrate, learn, experiment, explore against the backdrop of Iona’s stunning natural beauty.
Sound and Vision Week is designed to allow creative people and people who just want to create to live in community, develop skills and forge new connections. Bring your inspiration, your dreams, ideas, work in progress, or just a willingness to collaborate, experiment and learn through play. There will be informal workshops in song writing, creative writing and visual art, culminating in a celebratory showcase on the last night.
Welcome to the curious and courageous, to artists and non-artists and everyone in between. Come and create magnificent things, or just have fun trying, on Iona in July.
Creative Workshops throughout the week will be led by Liz McWhirter, the Iona Abbey Programme Team and Iona musician Jerry Akehurst.
Details of Liz’s Monday workshop are below and she is also giving a talk at the bookshop on Thursday at 2pm.

ENTANGLED FOREST: A Theopoetics Creative Writing Workshop
A guided, reflective space for you to respond creatively in this challenging time. Prompts for free writing will include poems, natural objects and a short film by digital artist Jonathan Kearney. Devices such as list-making and collage will enable you to explore composting and re-purposing words into poetic forms that serve to both constrain and liberate, whether they retain a poetic structure or lean towards prose. Work towards a poem, prose, a manifesto, lament or prayer; the aim is to use language as an act of self-care, resistance and hope. Ultimately, new language may challenge ways of seeing and help engender change that is personal, political, systemic (Callid Keefe-Perry). The poet ‘never closes the case for becoming’ (Roland Faber). P.S. There’s no compulsion to share your writing on the spot!

Liz MacWhirter’s debut novel ‘Black Snow Falling’ (Scotland Street Press, 2018) gained a Carnegie Medal nomination. She is writing a novel for her PhD, exploring intersections between trauma spirituality and contemplative theology. Poetry is published by Lucy Writers, Cambridge. Liz performed ‘Blue: a lament for the sea’ at Yale in 2023.
Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Columba Week (FULLY BOOKED - waiting list open)
2024-06-08 16:00 - 2024-06-14 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Image: Columba’s Shrine by the door of Iona Abbey. Credit: Iona Community/ B. Forsyth
Columba Week 8th – 14th June 2024. – FULLY BOOKED
(WAITING LIST – please contact ionaabbeybookings@iona.org.uk to add your name to the waiting list).
Iconic, flawed, ambitious and unique, Saint Columba emerged from the sorrow of exile to become the foremost figure of his time, spreading the gospel and establishing a thriving island community which one writer called “a beacon of enlightenment Christianity”. Columba’s story is curiously modern. It challenges us to speak truth to power, create genuine openness and welcome, to do the hard work of peace-making and leadership in dark times.

Sunday 9th June, Columba’s feast day, will include the launch of the CHARTS Iona project, bringing an exhibition from Donegal about the saint, and with music, poetry, and a session on placenames and the landscape of Iona. The week will also include sessions on the Book of Kells, created on Iona in honour of Columcille. The poetry created in his memory since ancient times. The artwork of sculptured stone and painted imagery made over the centuries, and a discussion of how beauty, memory and places of pilgrimage can become a springboard for action for social justice in our world. Take part in workshops on music, writing and art, and a guided pilgrimage to stunning St. Columba’s Bay.This week will be led by Iona Community Member and writer, Rosemary Power.

Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Experience Camas
2024-05-20 - 2024-05-22
Come and experience Camas for yourself
This is your opportunity to experience the wonder of Camas firsthand and at a discounted rate for all those working in the voluntary sector, support and social care services or education. This is a no obligation invitation to discover the life-changing potential that Camas could have for your service users/clients. Camas has a wealth of experience of hosting diverse groups such as addiction support groups, groups of refugee/asylum seekers, youth groups, learning disability groups, church groups and groups focused on rehabilitating offenders. Come and experience the magic of Camas and share in our community life!
Time at Camas includes:
Nature Connection: Immerse yourself in the stunning natural beauty of the Isle of Mull by walking down the track to Camas and waking up right on the shore of beautiful Camas bay each morning.
Adventure Activities: Dive into exhilarating outdoor activities including kayaking, abseiling, coasteering, wild camping and hiking.
Fireside Gatherings: Evenings filled with storytelling, games, music, and laughter, fostering bonds and creating lasting memories.
Stargazing: Lose yourself in the beauty of the night sky on the Camas lawn, offering a chance for reflection and perspective.
Building relationships: Share insights and ideas, participate in activities and share in community life at Camas as we cook, clean and work together.
Why Camas Outdoor Centre?
At Camas, we believe in the life changing power of nature and community. Our remote location and tailored programme of activities provides the ideal experience for groups of all kinds to unplug and unwind, grow in self-confidence and forge meaningful connections.
Don’t just take our word for it, watch this short film about Camas here:

Cost and how to book?
We are offering this stay at Camas for the reduced price of £75 per person.

Wild Goose Resource Group
2024-05-18 16:00 - 2024-05-24 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Bones & Groans 18th – 24th May 2024
Exploring worship beyond words and into the imagination, through body, sound and visual artistry.
Led by Jo Love of the Wild Goose Resource Group, with Carol Marples (Soul Marks Trust) and Jane Bentley (ArtBeatMusic).
We hope that all who come are keen to be actively involved in the programme.
When you reserve a place, you will be invited to complete a questionnaire so that we can find out about your interest in creative worship.

Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

The Miracles Unboxed - John Bell - (FULLY BOOKED - waiting list open).
2024-05-04 16:00 - 2024-05-10 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
The miracles unboxed with John Bell 4th – 10th May 2024. (FULLY BOOKED)

(WAITING LIST – please contact ionaabbeybookings@iona.org.uk to add your name to the waiting list).

Has science or cynicism put an end to thinking about miracles, of which the gospels record thirty-one? John Bell believes they are buried treasure more to activists than pietists, sometimes funny in the extreme, sometimes profoundly unsettling.

Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Wildlife Week
2024-04-27 16:00 - 2024-05-03 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Wildlife Week 27th April – 3rd May 2024

The experience of wonder is healing and motivating. We will take the week to immerse ourselves in nature on Iona; her various species of plants, rocks and creatures. From wondering we will move to a deepened love and solidarity with creation, spiritual resilience and a renewed commitment to living lightly and faithfully on our planet.
Find out more about Wildlife Week in this enticing short film created by a facilitator for the week, David Coleman:

The week will be facilitated by David Coleman is an Iona Community Member and Eco-Congregation Scotland Chaplain as well as other folks skilled in geology, botany, nature management, climate change and ecotheology.

Since 2018, Rev David J M Coleman has been Environmental Chaplain for EcoCongregation Scotland. encouraging and challenging Scottish churches, as well as training institutions, in their relationship with the Earth and commitment to Creation’s care. Supported by partner Karen, he has travelled from Shetland to the Borders, leading worship and being encouraged by the often understated commitment of local communities, and emphasising their permission to move on creatively from the ’Stewardship Christianity’ which has been made obsolete by the Nature & Climate Crises, to something which better allows us to be taught by the Earth, by the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky’ [Job 12] He is a member of the Iona Community, having contributed much reflective visual material to Wild Goose Publications. He got into trouble for pursuing an interest in Creation Theology at college, but has survived the thirty years since, as a URC minister, mostly in grassroots church situations, though having the opportunity to learn from the spirituality of Christians from the Pacific and elsewhere.
Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, £381 for reduced rate – see our programme page for more information.

Time and Space 3 or 6 Nights (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
2024-04-13 16:00 - 2024-04-19 09:00 | Iona Abbey Centre, Isle of Iona, United Kingdom
Time and Space 6 or 3 night stays from 13th to 19th April 2024. (FULLY BOOKED)
3 night stays begin on Saturday 13th or Tuesday 16th.
(This Time and Space Week is now fully booked, we do have other Time and Space Weeks available – have a look at our programme page.)
You are welcome to come for 3 or 6 nights of Time and Space in April. This opportunity will allow you to experience life in community at Iona Abbey. This includes participating in regular worship, sharing in meals and joining in community tasks that contribute to our shared life.
Time and Space at Iona Abbey offers you the opportunity to participate in a programme that includes guided reflection, small group conversations and open space. Together we take the time and space to explore issues of concern, such as inclusion, ecological justice and peace, through creativity and discussion.
You will have the opportunity to participate in our renowned pilgrimage around the island, either on or off road. There is also an optional boat trip to Staffa (April until mid-October) and creative art opportunities throughout the week.

We look forward to welcoming you to Iona Abbey for some Time and Space in 2024.
Costs
6 Nights: £762 per adult, 3 Nights: £381 – see our programme page for more information.

3 Nights: 13th - 16th Book Here

or

3 Nights: 16th - 19th Book Here
