Student’s week on Iona

It seems like a year ago at the moment, but it really was only a month ago that I was (yet again) on Iona leading student week. Being the week which included the 200th anniversary of the successful abolition of Slavery act of parliament we were looking at forms of slavery that continue. Especially slavery in which we are complicit, perhaps without even being aware!
The week ended with a (relatively) unconventional Eucharist. Starting at the east end of the Abbey near the font, we threw away the thoughts and ideas we had been looking at over the week, parts of words which had been put up on the flipcharts became our corporate confession, not for one person to hold it themselves, but for all to share in and recognise our complicity! Anyway that was the idea. It turned out to be rather good, with a 5' by 3' box which ended up looking rather like a hamster run, lined with newspaper and with a simple cross in the centre. This was symbolic of the strugle of Wilberforce as he made a box of this size to show just how little room the slaves had on the ships.
It will (I hope) be the last Student week I run, I can't imagine trying to speak to students when not either working with them or being one!