John Philip Newell at St. Stephen's

John Philip Newell returns to Richmond December 2, 2012

John Philip will be the reflector at our Celtic service at 5:30 p.m.; this is open to the public.

An event follows at St. Stephen's, sponsored by Salva Terra and requiring registration. Although we are delighted to provide the location for this event, please note that it is not sponsored by St. Stephen's, and you must register in advance through Salva Terra. Read more about that event here.

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Last January's visit by John Philip Newell

We are deeply grateful for the visit by John Philip Newell to St. Stephen's the weekend of January 21 and 22, 2012. He was unfailingly generous with his time, and was a model of graciousness during his visit with the parish and the many people who came from beyond the parish, and even from beyond Virginia, to learn from him.

Recordings of his Sunday sermon and his remarks during the Rector's Forum are available below. (Please note that these audio files are quite large.)

Sunday morning sermon | Rector's Forum | Sunday evening reflection (Celtic service)

More about John Philip Newell: Web site | YouTube channel | Facebook page

John Philip's books are available for purchase at St. Stephen's during the week in the parish office and on Sundays in the Large Fellowship Hall.

If you would like to receive John Philip's newsletter, please go to the Salva Terra Web site to sign up.

Following are excerpts from the printed program for Saturday morning's presentation:

A message from the Rector
It is a pleasure and a privilege to welcome one of the most sought-after teachers of our day, John Philip Newell, to Richmond and to St. Stephen’s Church. My hunch is that many of you are here because John Philip Newell has stirred in you something you have known all along – a way of seeing, perhaps, that requires the voice of a poet to open our eyes, and a way of connecting to ancient truths that requires the skill of a scholar to guide our minds. My hope is that this weekend will be a time of such awakening, guiding and deepening.

It is also a pleasure and privilege to welcome each of you. Whoever you are and whatever your religious or spiritual tradition, please make yourself at home in this place. One of the things many churches are learning is that “membership” in a church really confers only one privilege, the privilege of seeing that all people belong equally.

The people you see with special nametags today might or might not be official “members” of this parish. They are simply people who have come to know their way around this place, people who are committed to a community of inclusiveness and warm embrace, and people who want to be of service to you.

John Philip Newell’s insights pervade this community, from the mission of our Farmers Market in promoting healthy choices for our environment and our bodies, to our nurturing of wonder and contemplative spirituality in children and adults alike, to our increasing use of silence and ancient chant in worship, and so much more. Our Celtic worship on Sunday evenings draws people from a great variety of backgrounds, and it is often the largest of our six Sunday worship services. We hope you will join in anything this church community has to offer, let us know when you need help finding your way around, and join in welcoming others as you feel moved to do so. No one belongs here more than you. ---Gary D. Jones

The Rev. Dr. John Philip Newell is a scholar, peacemaker, and poet. He divides his time between Edinburgh with his family where he does most of his writing, and the U.S., where he teaches and preaches across the nation. Formerly Warden of Iona Abbey in the Western Isles of Scotland, he is now Companion Theologian for the American Spirituality Center of Casa del Sol at Ghost Ranch in the high desert of New Mexico where he and his wife spend their summers. John Philip is an ordained Church of Scotland minister with a passion for peace among the great wisdom traditions of humanity. His Ph.D. is from the University of Edinburgh and he is internationally acclaimed for his work in the field of Celtic spirituality, having authored over 15 books, including Christ of the Celts, Listening for the Heartbeat of God, Praying with the Earth, and A New Harmony.

Photos on this page are by Doug Buerlein; more photos are available on our Facebook page.