Trip to Rome, June, 2011
A group from AngSoc went to Italy this summer. On the first day when we were unashamed tourists, taking in the Colosseum, the old Roman forum, Trajan’s column, the Pantheon, St. Peter’s, the Spanish Steps and a wealth of other sights.
On Thursday we travelled to Assisi where we explored the town including the Basilica of St. Francis itself, where the tomb of St Francis beneath was perhaps the most affecting location, filled with people but holding a special tone of silent piety and joy.
Our last day took us to the catacombs of San Callisto in Rome, an extensive network of tunnels where, according to our guide, around half a million people are buried. The short communion service that we held beneath the earth, in places where the first Christians came together for worship and sanctuary, was a fitting end to a marvellous week that had mixed the sights, sounds and tastes (Italian ice cream is pretty good) of the usual tourist trail with the quieter gravity and happiness of pilgrimage, with no detriment to either side. JT
Last AngSoc of term, June 2011
For the last AngSoc service of term instead of meeting in the Chaplaincy we went to our Chaplain, Nicholas’ house for a service in his garden followed by a BBQ. Luckily the sun stayed out and some of us even had a pre-BBQ quick bounce on the trampoline… As Chair I ended the evening by presenting everyone with an ‘AngSoc award’ – a certificate of something they’ve done this year – I’m trying to take mine as a compliment; ‘blondest chair ever’! SD
CathSoc Summer Dinner, June 2011
Arguably the highlight of the chaplaincy’s social calendar, AngSoc is invited each year to the Summer Dinner hosted by the Catholic Society. This black-tie event saw everyone turn up in their finery for a glass or two of Pimms followed by a delicious three course dinner which included, amongst other lovely dishes, the return of the CathSoc cheesecake bricks (it’s like normal cheesecake, but massive).
Afterwards the bar and the disco opened simultaneously (coincidence? I think not) and we danced the night away with good humour, good company and bad moves, from some of us at least. The event lived up to all our expectations and was a wonderful way to end the academic year. JT
Weekend Away, June 2011
This year’s Weekend Away took place with CathSoc and MethSoc – the Catholic and Methodist societies. We went to Stourport-upon-Severn on a Friday afternoon (which happened to be a couple of hours after my last exam) looking forward to a relaxed weekend with friends. The theme of the weekend was ‘being Christian in today’s society’ with a talk from a former chair of AngSoc followed by discussion. There was also plenty of time for games, a walk in the surrounding countryside, and of course a trip to the pub. On the Sunday morning we had an ecumenical service closing a great time away and anticipation of future events together. SD
Exam prayers, May 2011
Today some members of AngSoc met in Nicholas’ office to pray together in the exam period. It was good to feel the support of others in what can be a pretty stressful time and remember that God is with us throughout.
‘Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed’ Mark 6:51 SD
AGM, February 2011
This evening we thanked the outgoing student committee which runs AngSoc and voted in the new committee. Find out who this is here!
AngSoc retreat, November 2010
For 2010′s retreat, 21 of us spent a weekend at the Community for Reconciliation near Bromsgrove, a short drive away from Birmingham. Our theme for the weekend centred around the Church and our identity as a Christian community. Through four talks from our chaplain, Nicholas, as well as prayer sessions run by members of the committee, we explored ideas related to this theme throughout the weekend. We also spent periods of time in silence, whether to reflect and pray on the teachings we had heard or simply to pause and take a breath away from the strains and concerns of university life. The spacious community house and the quiet hillsides around allowed people to stay in solitude or with company as they wished (or some tree climbing!)…
As ever, the hospitality we received from the community members was excellent, with plenty of food, seemingly constant refreshments appearing every few hours and the option of the tuc shop for those hankering after 10p Freddos!
The success of the trip was indicated when a smaller group of Angsoc members decided to return for another private retreat of their own in February. The peacefulness of the house and its surroundings proved satisfying and indeed inspiring for many of us, and we returned to university with any burdens we carried made that little bit lighter than before. JT
A new year, new members, October 2010
The first time I went to AngSoc’s weekly service was part way through term 1. I wasn’t too sure what to expect but I was really glad I went. Nicholas greeted me at the door and other members of AngSoc quickly introduced themselves to me. It happened to be Harvest, which AngSoc were celebrating with a meal, which was a really nice and unusual way to have the service. Afterwards I got talking to other members of the society who were all really friendly. I also met a couple of other first years and we swapped numbers so we could arrange to walk down to the service together the following week.
Trip to Egypt, July 2010
At 5am I arrived in Cairo with nine other members of the University of Birmingham Anglican Society. After one day rushing around the sights the true reason for our visit started…
During the week we travelled with local volunteers to a rural village and suburb of Cairo and in each visited people in their own homes and spent time with local children in the churches. The people we met were truly inspiring as they showed such faith in a place where it can be dangerous to be Christian as well as gratitude for our visits. One day was spent at a girls’ orphanage where we played games and sang songs – though they didn’t seem impressed with our group singing! We were sad to leave behind all the people we met but left donations to aid the local volunteers in their work, both spiritual and practical, for example in helping people build their houses.
Finally we travelled to Sinai and climbed Mount Sinai at night. The way ahead was lit by people further up the mountain carrying torches, some riding on camels. We reached the summit in time for sunrise which was beautiful across the desert landscape. An amazing week finished with communion at the top of Mount Sinai culminating in an experience I will never forget. SD
Interfaith football tournament, June 2010
As a society famed for its athletic and sporting prowess (cough), Angsoc fielded a strong squad for the first Interfaith Football Tournament last summer, with a full bench of four substitutes to go with our First VI. With firm competition from other groups such as Methsoc, Jsoc and a full two teams from Cathsoc, we knew our task would be difficult and even managed to fit in a few brief training sessions beforehand – most of which turned into jolly kickabouts despite the manager’s attempts to sort out proper, rigorous drills (I still hold a grudge).
In the tournament proper, we started brightly against Cathsoc B with a few early attempts on goal, but after a solid first half the unthinkable happened – our stamina levels slipped and we fell to a 3-0 defeat. The next game wasn’t much better as we were thoroughly tonked by one of the CU teams. None of this mattered, because the next match was the big one – a one-off grudge match against Methsoc with nothing more glory at stake. Naturally, despite good chances at either end, both teams proved far too gracious and the game ended in an honourable 0-0 draw.
Our performances, whilst full of heart, might have been a little lacklustre, but the same couldn’t be said for our fans as Angsoc and Methsoc had by far the biggest support of any team present. Perhaps this was down to the novelty of seeing some of us try out this whole ‘sport’ thing, but the team couldn’t have cared less. Great fun was had by everyone and the event even led to a joint Angsoc-Methsoc team entering the university intra-leagues in the 2010-11 season. We even managed to score some goals! JT
Baptisms and confirmations, March 2010
Each year there is the opportunity for baptism and/or confirmation in the Church of England through weekly sessions at AngSoc with Nicholas, our chaplain. Last year the service was held at the Chaplaincy using the baptism pool in the worship room.