"I looked back at the dark bedroom, signs of our struggle were all around. The dislodged lampshade, the Venetian window blinds fanning back into the room bent at odd angles, and his half naked body."

This is the start of a short story entitled 'Run Out.' One of the privileges of being a member of the clergy is the opportunities to meet people doing incredible work amongst those most in need. I recently attended an Interfaith forum where the topic was homelessness across the borough. I learnt that over the last year there had been a rise in women rough sleepers. Over 75% of these women are escaping violent settings, and the schemes to support them are perpetually under resourced.

I felt anger against this often hidden injustice. So whilst the presenters spoke, I began to write. You can read the whole thing if you'd like here.

Jesus told stories to adults which exposed the hypocrisy of the proud, and enabled community amongst the poor. Jesus’s biography stimulates deep enquiry into our own lives. During Lent we are inviting you to journey with Jesus to the cross and beyond, particularly the final two weeks of Lent known as Passiontide.

One aim of my fiction is to draw attention to a contemporary issue. So might you choose a theme from what we are calling Passion Portraits on display at St. Peter & St. Paul?
The Passion Portraits are sentence themes with the relevant bible reference attached. As you explore the themes, you discover which move through you into music, photography, writing, poetry, sketching, painting, sculpting.

What resonates for you about the theme? How could you portray it? The Jesus story reference is the springboard, not the boundary, for your interpretation of the theme. Themes like 'Body and Blood' have already led to a poem and a painting about childbirth. The theme Silent Witness has prompted a short story about hearing loss triggered by a bomb blast.

We will use email and social media to feature your creations online. On the evening of Palm Sunday we will host a special service of music and reflections using your art either on canvas, on page, or in a frame. We are leaning to more heart than art so just have a go and bravely submit your best offering on the theme/s that most stand out to you.

Writers, no more than 1000 words please; photographers, you may need to have different resolutions to email your work; composers, we may need a couple of audio formats with a brief introduction from you. Those working with images, please could you offer a few sentences explaining the context or setting?

Just send an email to azariah@stpeterstpaulteddington.co.uk with a note of the titles you are working on, and when you could submit.

Azariah France-Willliams
Associate Priest