‘Covenanted together within the love of Christ we share a common vision to see the Kingdom of God extended in Northumbria and to carry the torch of the gospel wherever the Father leads us.’
‘Dynamic and erratic, spontaneous and radical, audacious and immature, committed if not altogether coherent. Ecumenically open and often experimental; visible here and there, now and then but unsettled institutionally. Almost monastic in nature, but most of all enacting a fearful hope for society.’ William Stringfellow
‘The renewal of the Church will come from a new type of Monasticism, which only has in common with the old an uncompromising allegiance to the Sermon on the Mount. It is high time people banded together to do this.’ Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Northumbria Community is a dispersed network of people from different backgrounds, streams and edges of the Christian faith. As Companions in Community, we are united in our desire to embrace and 
express an ongoing exploration into a new way for living, through a new monasticism, as Christians that offers hope in our changed and changing culture. We are A Way to express The Way and acknowledge there are many other valid expressions of the desire to follow Jesus Christ in today’s world.
We are united by a Rule of Life, which we call our Way for Living and which can be summed up in two words: Availability and Vulnerability. Each of us has to learn how to live out this Availability and Vulnerability, to God and to others, within our own unique combination of circumstances, roles, responsibilities and relationships. Since these are constantly shifting, so application of our Way for Living can never be fixed or finalised. We find ourselves living with questions rather than answers. This is why Northumbria Community is always in draft form and never a finished product. It remains a dynamic, ongoing work in progress, aware that ‘constant change is here to stay’.
Whilst the detail will vary from Companion to Companion and from one day to another, the important questions for us remain:
Who is it that you seek?
How then shall we live?
How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?
Northumbria Community is the gift of God to those whose hearts are set on this pilgrimage and whose lives are constantly being redefined and redirected by the living out of these three questions. As Companions we are able to help each other keep these questions alive.
Our Rule and our rhythm of Daily Prayer (Celtic Daily Prayer) reflect the influence of the monastic tradition in the development of our Community ethos. Seeking God as the one thing necessary, in our continuing quest for a new type of monasticism, is at the heart of our life, whether alone or together. Our identity is rooted in the history and spiritual heritage of Celtic Northumbria. From this source of inspiration, our Community has learnt to live the ebb and flow of contemplation and action, monastery and mission, solitude and community. It is this blending of ‘a prayer that is quiet and contemplative with a faith that is active and contagious’, lived out in our ordinary everyday experience, which has been our foundation as we have grown and developed. We seek God on the inner journey in order to learn how we can better live with others and serve the world of our influence whether it be great or small, wherever the Father leads.
There are a number of books and CDs which inform and inspire the vision and vocation of the Northumbria Community.
How then shall we Lead?
We’d like to introduce ourselves as a Leadership Team, to give you an overview of our roles and how they – combined – enable us to support Community across all areas of our shared life. At the heart of what we do is how we intend to ‘be’: leaning upon God for direction and wisdom, and paying attention to the contexts we as a Community find ourselves in as we live into 2026.
One of our previous Community Visitors* recently reminded Sarah that ‘the Holy Spirit is our Compass and the people and contexts in front of us are our map, and we need to read both together to find our direction of travel.’ That rings so true with our Community’s key questions: ‘Who is it that you seek, how then shall we live, and how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?
As a team we are seeking to lead in a collaborative way, taking our bearings from God, listening to voices across Community, looking at Community Life and Health, and enabling and supporting by practically ascertaining ‘what are the next steps we can make?’.
This new team has been forming since August 2025, following conversations with trustees and with each other. We are grateful to our teams who are working with us, without whom far less would be possible across Community.
So, here’s who we are, a little about ourselves and our roles :
Catherine Askew: Community leader with emphasis on Monastery
Personal Bio: I live in Alnwick, Northumberland with my husband Pete and have been connected with Community since 2005, when I visited Nether Springs as part of a year-long pilgrimage exploring different communities and expressions of monasticism. I’ve lived in or near the Mother House since 2006 and served in various leadership responsibilities since 2009. I’m grateful to be working with Sarah and Shane and alongside of the other brilliant teams who serve our Community.
- Role: Together with Sarah, I share in offering oversight and spiritual leadership for the life of our Community. We listen attentively for the Spirit’s guidance, seeking to inspire and envision others, to tell the stories of God’s work among us, and to help cultivate the resources and programs that support our ongoing deepening and growth. In particular, I help to nurture the Mother House and the monastic heart of our Community; to walk with our Novices and Mentors in careful discernment of vocation; and to ensure that our communications and connections beyond the Community remain authentic and life-giving
- Looking Ahead: I find myself thanking God for the renewed stability we’re experiencing at Nether Springs — our Mother House and a precious home of the Northumbria Community set in the beautiful landscape of Northumberland. We will continue to welcome guests from around the world and from every kind of background. People come for many reasons: to make a retreat; to rest and reflect; to seek guidance; to study; or simply out of curiosity about the Community or the Celtic saints. We’ve planned for a deep and varied programme from January through to December 2026.
Nether Springs is also home to a small resident expression of our Community. I’m looking forward to supporting and growing this team — people who seek God for themselves while also holding this sacred space for others, living the monastic rhythm and offering the grounded, everyday work of hospitality.
My lived hope is for the monastic heart of the Northumbria in all its expressions.
Sarah Pillar: Community leader with emphasis on Dispersed Network
Personal Bio: I live in Evesham, Worcestershire with Edward my husband and have been connected with Community since 1995, becoming a Companion in 2002. I’ve been involved (on and off) with various leadership teams since 2007 and it is a privilege to be invited to work with this team and the wider group of people who help us.
- Role: With Catherine, share an oversight and spiritual leadership for the life of Community. Involved in engaging with people and groups outside of Community who are connected to us in purpose and mission. Specifically, I lead a team working across the dispersed network of our Community. It involves discerning God’s leading and wisdom for Community, strengthening our connection: by praying AloneTogether helped by our Prayer Guide and PrayerNetwork; by resourcing one another through our programmes (in online and physical spaces, activities and events) and through our network of Small Groups (who meet virtually and physically).
- Looking ahead into 2026: I am looking forward to enhancing our connection with one another through the outworking of our online programme – you are welcome to join in
– through our new website and potential regional events.
We held a stretching and encouraging retreat at Coventry Cathedral in November 2025 as part of their annual ‘Reconciliation Tide’ month. I am looking forward to planning for similar opportunities, offering retreats in different venues. We had a beautiful St David’s Day gathering on 1st March 2026 in Wales. And as ever, the opportunity to Renew our Vows at Easter, engaging right across our network to seek God and live our questions. This brings me life and I trust it will help us sustain our Hope in Christ.
Shane Waddle: Operations Lead (Interim)
Personal Bio: I count myself as fortunate to live in the wonderful Scottish Borders and commute to Nether Springs where you can usually find me Monday to Thursday. My background is very much about being in the background and for 26 years I’ve been a bureaucrat in the Church of England in various roles which have supported front line ministry. Prior to all of that I worked in the funeral sector running a number of funeral homes. I am often asked why my role is interim so it is probably best to include a line here to say there’s lots of work ongoing at present, not least the work of DAC* which is looking at structure and governance. So, for this particular season this role is interim while the Community discerns its future structure and governance.
- Role: This role is very much about supporting people across Community, including volunteers, colleagues and trustees with direction of travel, planning and resourcing. I work with a small team at Nether Springs looking after finance, resources and booking activities.
- Recent Activity: Since joining the staff of the Community in mid-June I’ve been busy with a number of tasks more recently including the renewal of the lease at Nether Springs, which we have now concluded, and helping with the planning and delivery of the exciting programme of activity on offer from the Community for 2026. Have you seen the programme for Nether Springs? This link will take you to the programme and do, please, share this to let others know about what the Community is offering in 2026.
