Worship is one of four elements of community life which Othona seeks to combine. (The others are work, study and play, as expressed by our founder Norman Motley.) Our frame of reference for worship is as wide as humanity's experience of wonder and struggle.

Since human history began
we have shared our experience of life
celebrating its goodness
crying out at pain and injustice
looking for stillness of soul
We have struggled
to honour the individual
and to build community
We have ventured
to fathom the mystery of life
and to give it a name
gently breathing "God"

Of course, spiritual practice is not all about going to church. Contemplation and celebration arise naturally around the log fire or at the dinner table, outdoors or in the privacy of your own room. But the sense of worship is concentrated in special places such as our beautiful chapel.

In this chapel our guiding light
is the example of Jesus
He offered a welcome to all
regardless of status or preference
of sex race or religion
We seek to honour all faiths
as responses to the divine
as paths to liberation
We look for the Christian tradition
to evolve with new understandings
and to join hands with all
who hunger for justice and peace

We meet in chapel once or twice a day. Songs, readings and prayers can be drawn from many sources, ancient and contemporary, some Christian, some not. Once a month local friends join us for One World Worship with a consciously global perspective. And one of Othona's great strengths is the way each individual can help shape our worship times.

What you bring to this sacred place
nobody else can bring
What you draw from it
only you will know
Here together we find space
to grow in awareness
to glimpse the inner lives of others
to learn patience when all is arid
to connect with the Divine
If love is our only offering
and Thank You our only prayer
these are riches indeed
Wherever you are on your journey
you are welcome here
to take part as you may
in spirit and in truth

So without being compulsory, worship is a key part of Othona life. There is no set format in chapel and we encourage anybody staying with us to devise and lead a 'service. If it's meaningful to you and could be to others, we welcome it. The result can be anything from a deeply personal reflection to a selection of published stories and prayers. Or it can be from a feast of music and poetry to ten minutes sitting together in companionable silence around a single candle.