‘He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hinderance!’
Acts 28:31
And with those words, the book of Acts draws to a close as Paul finds himself under house arrest, but with the blessing of God and the privilege that came with Roman citizenship, he had freedom to build a little mission base there in his accommodation where the word of God, the good news of Jesus and his Kingdom spread courageously. We often feel hampered by situations in life, particularly when it comes to feeling the boldness to share something about Jesus; yet, we know him to be the centre of all life and hope! There is obviously something that had come upon the apostle Paul which fuelled him through circumstances you and I could probably never imagine! Perhaps, rather than hardship, we are hampered by our comfort or our sense of self-preservation…or perhaps we don’t allow the Holy Spirit a deep enough resting place within our lives?
Whatever questions you wrestle with in your life for Christ, we’d want to encourage you to take time to come and visit us at Sannox, either for an organised retreat to get yourself inspired and trained up, or simply to come and enjoy some time with the Lord and let him renew your spirit and your passion as you ask him to ‘fan into flame the gift of God that is within you’ (2 Tim 1:6).
Come and Visit Us
Bookings at SCC are always open! Come aside and enjoy rest and restoration, with some time away from it all. Or, you might need to just have some time to seek God in this season and explore what he is saying to you just now. You can join in with daily morning worship and prayer, explore the island, take light or challenging walks, see the wildlife and seek after God in this beautiful island. The team look forward to welcoming you!
PRAYER REQUESTS
Give thanks for:
– The life of the late Gordon Coles, a keen and prayerful supporter of Sannox Christian Centre from the beginning of our journey
– The blessing of various guests visiting in recent months and all that they bring
– Our staff and small team of volunteers at SCC who keep things prepared for visitors throughout the year
– A time of blessing and conversation at our Sannox Saturdays in May and June
Please pray for:
– Plans for the Arran Open Studios event in August
– The Autumn’s residential and day retreats
– Plans for the 2026 programme of events
– Bookings for the Sannox programme for the rest of 2025
– Arran’s ongoing ferry challenges
– The development of a ‘House Team’ to take the work of the centre forward
– The calling of people to be involved with Sannox to ensure continuity in the future
– A growing network of people to pray for and support Sannox from near and far
– Ongoing plans for the Beehive Chapel, funding to complete the restoration of the Manse, and an increase in ongoing running costs
– An individual to help with funding and finance, working with Heidi, our Administrator who looks after our bookkeeping
Sannox Saturday
Our next Sannox Saturday takes place on Saturday 2nd August. As usual, we will start at 2pm with coffee, then a time of worship, prayer and a message following. We look forward to seeing all who are able to gather with us! Andrew Clark will be speaking this month.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND RETREATS
Arran Open Studios Weekend: 15th – 18th August
We are looking forward to another year participating in Arran Open Studios – a weekend where artists and studios open their doors for the weekend. As well as hosting space for local artists, we seek to provide opportunities for people to come and engage with the story of Sannox and our Celtic forebears. This year, our theme will be St Columba and Iona, and a range of activities and displays will tell his story and help people engage with God’s work throughout these lands in years gone by and today.
If you’d like to come and volunteer and be a part of all that is going on, you can book accommodation with Heidi at admin@sannox.org.
Sannox Stitches Retreat: Friday 5th – Sunday 7th September
This will be our 5th Sannox Stitches knitting and fibre crafts retreat! Take some time out to invest not only in your current knitting project, but also to invest in your peace and wellbeing as we gather for good conversation, prayer and worship. This year, the Saturday afternoon will include our monthly ‘Sannox Saturday’ with a time of worship alongside the wider community of the island.
We will begin just after 1pm on Friday and close after lunch on Sunday, but please feel free to book in an extra evening. Suggested donation for this self-catered weekend is £120pp.
Please get in touch with Heidi at admin@sannox.org to book for the weekend.
Day Retreat: ‘Kingdom Prayer’: Saturday 20th September
What does it mean to pray, ‘Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done’? We will gather to consider the call to prayer that calls the Lord to move in power and display his Glory in our communities. Most of the teaching for this retreat will be in the morning up until lunch, and then there will be an opportunity to journey out into the communities of Arran to pray God’s blessing the island.
Those coming to participate are invited to give a donation towards the work of the centre – suggested donation £25.
If you’re planning to come from further afield, you’d be most welcome to come and stay for a night – our suggested donation towards the ongoing ministry of Sannox is £40pppn. To book for the day, and also any accommodation, please email Heidi at admin@sannox.org
Day Retreat: ‘Open the Book’: Saturday 18th October
This retreat was initially planned for 2024, but the weather wasn’t cooperating! We’re now pleased to get it back in the schedule for the rest of 2025. The day will be a devotional orientation to the story of the scriptures – a refresher of God’s great, epic story. We’ll also explore ways to read the various biblical genres and a number of tools to enable us to get the best of engaging with the Bible.
Those coming to participate are invited to give a donation towards the work of the centre – suggested donation £25.
If you’re planning to come from further afield, you’d be most welcome to come and stay for a night – our suggested donation towards the ongoing ministry of Sannox is £40pppn. To book for the day, and also any accommodation, please email Heidi at admin@sannox.org
Day Retreat: Celtic Advent: Saturday 22nd November
The Celtic saints, like the Orthodox traditions, celebrated a 40-day period of Advent. Come and share in some Celtic Christian flavoured reflections as we head towards Advent 2025, which will culminate in a reflective sharing around the Lord’s table using beautifully poetic Celtic liturgy.
Those coming to participate are invited to give a donation towards the work of the centre – suggested donation £25.
If you’re planning to come from further afield, you’d be most welcome to come and stay for a night – our suggested donation towards the ongoing ministry of Sannox is £40pppn. To book for the day, and also any accommodation, please email Heidi at admin@sannox.org
The Sannox Prayer
“Today I choose to stand in this place you have called me to,
And I declare that You are a Mighty God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
Your Kingdom shall endure and will never be shaken.
Open the windows of Heaven and pour out Your promised blessings in this generation.
Revive us, restore us and heal our land.
Thank you for going before us to open the way and remove all obstacles.
Increase our Faith, stir up Hope and keep us grounded and walking in Love.
Thank you that You are creating a dwelling place for God and man here – in Sannox, on Arran, for the nations.
Amen”
We bless you in the name of Jesus, to receive all that the Father has for you, and we thank you for your continuing support of His work at SCC.
The Trustees and staff of Sannox Christian Centre
