Spiritual England is the brainchild of its coordinator, Anna Lubelska, who organised the first ever Spiritual England Consultation Seminar for family, friends and interested parties on 11 May 2007 at the Reform Club in London.  She set out her thinking in her ‘The Case for Action’ briefing below.

 

Spiritual England - Opening the doors to support, inspiration and spiritual growth for everyone.

 

The Case for Action

The situation as it is now

  • Anna LubelskaI know, from many years of work in the field of services to children and families, that there is a great unmet need for support and guidance. I have become much more aware of this recently, as I am currently working with families in the criminal justice system.
  • I would like to see more people benefiting from the kind of support that my family, my friends and I have had in times of need.  This support has been from a wide range of spiritual/religious activities and communities such as Christian home groups, Sikh communities, Sufi practices, yoga, different types of meditation as well as non faith-based areas of activity with spiritual dimensions such as music and sport.
  • Unfortunately, many people do not even think of looking to these areas for support and if, and when they do, they often lack the necessary information and confidence to participate at a level that would result in a fulfilling experience.
  • I believe that such support and guidance could and should be available and accessible, not just in times of need, but also for ongoing support and development.

The predictable future if no action is taken

  • Many people will continue to miss out on sources of support and spiritual growth.
  • There will be a missed opportunity to build nurturing communities.
  • Levels of family breakdown and mental ill health will continue to rise.

Creating a new future

  • I have created the possibility of support, inspiration and spiritual growth for everyone.
  • My aim is to remove the barriers and open the doors to greater participation in a wide range of good quality spiritual activities and communities.
  • I believe that the vehicle for promoting and enabling this will be a new organisation called Spiritual England.

Spiritual England – the organisation

  • A national voluntary organisation.
  • Working to develop understanding, spread good practice and promote activities which open the doors to support, inspiration and spiritual growth for everyone.
  • Engaging with people of all ages and backgrounds.
  • With a remit that is wider than faith-based activities.
  • Providing information, advice and a helpline.
  • Acting as a watchdog to ensure human rights based practices.