0:00:02 > 0:00:05It's the middle of summer and I've travelled to a tiny Hebridean island
0:00:05 > 0:00:09just one mile wide and three and a half miles long.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11It's home for about 130 people,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15but every year attracts thousands of visitors.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Many come here for the sandy beaches,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20dramatic scenery and rich wildlife.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23But, for centuries, this has also
0:00:23 > 0:00:27been a place of special significance for Christians.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Today I follow in the footsteps of countless pilgrims
0:00:30 > 0:00:32who've made their way here from all around the world
0:00:32 > 0:00:37to experience the unique spirituality of the island of Iona.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I meet the leader of one of the Christian groups on the island,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44the Iona Community, and learn about its founder
0:00:44 > 0:00:48who was behind the restoration of Iona's Benedictine abbey.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51And the summer theme continues,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54as Claire heads to the Northern Irish coast,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57where teenagers are exploring their faith through a spot of surfing.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01And for those of us who think self-assembly furniture is
0:01:01 > 0:01:06a modern invention, Pam is at the Ashmolean Museum to prove otherwise,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09with a 6th century flatpack church.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26This tiny island off the west coast of Scotland
0:01:26 > 0:01:29is the symbolic centre of Scottish Christianity.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Its restored abbey, visited by thousands of pilgrims,
0:01:32 > 0:01:37has architecture spanning the 13th to 16th century.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39And there's been a place of worship here
0:01:39 > 0:01:41for more than one and a half millennia.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Iona's Christian story began in 563,
0:01:46 > 0:01:51when a nobleman of royal blood landed here from his native Ireland.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55His name was Columba and he set up a monastery here which went on
0:01:55 > 0:01:59to become a centre of learning, healing and hospitality.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Columba's successors continued his missionary work.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05It was a monk from Iona, St Aidan,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09who converted the Kingdom of Northumbria to Christianity.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12He founded his own community
0:02:12 > 0:02:16on an island off the north-east coast called Lindisfarne.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Our first hymn was recorded there.
0:02:19 > 0:02:20It's based on Psalm 23
0:02:20 > 0:02:25and sung to a traditional Irish melody called St Columba.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Iona's tiny population swells during the summer months,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18as thousands come to visit.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Four churches serve
0:05:21 > 0:05:23the spiritual needs of islanders and visitors alike.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29At the heart of Christian life here on the island is the Iona Community.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33It was founded in 1938 by a minister from the Church of Scotland
0:05:33 > 0:05:34called George MacLeod.
0:05:35 > 0:05:41George was a war hero turned pacifist with unconventional ideas.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I met today's leader of the Iona Community to find out what
0:05:44 > 0:05:47brought George to this tiny island.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49We've been thinking about
0:05:49 > 0:05:55George MacLeod recently because it's 25 years now since his death.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00In the 1930s, he was a parish minister in Govan in Glasgow
0:06:00 > 0:06:07at a time of unemployment and hardship and very real poverty.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12And out of his experience in Govan, he felt there was a need
0:06:12 > 0:06:18for the renewal of community, but also for the renewal of the church.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24And the rebuilding of this part of the abbey was to serve as a symbol
0:06:24 > 0:06:28of that rebuilding of community and of the renewal of the church.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32So who worked for him here? Who helped him rebuild this?
0:06:32 > 0:06:38George gathered here, each of the summer months from 1938 to 1965,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42craftsmen who gave of their skills and of their time,
0:06:42 > 0:06:49but also a whole succession of young ministers and theological students
0:06:49 > 0:06:53from around the world who came and actually did the rebuilding.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59# ..who give our songs of love and praise. #
0:06:59 > 0:07:01And George MacLeod's ideas
0:07:01 > 0:07:04are still attracting people to join his community.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08No matter where they live in the world or what their denomination.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12What unites us is a commitment to the rule,
0:07:12 > 0:07:17and a rule commits us to care about our own faith,
0:07:17 > 0:07:23so the importance of prayer and of reading and studying the Bible.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28And those issues that George highlighted back in the 1930s
0:07:28 > 0:07:34are as vital today as they were back then.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Do you feel like you're still rooted in the ethos of Columba?
0:07:37 > 0:07:40We try to take, as he did,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44what we understand as the essentials of the Christian faith
0:07:44 > 0:07:48and to find ways of living out today in the 21st century.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53So we're not trying to play at being Columban monks, and we're not really
0:07:53 > 0:07:56trying to imitate what George MacLeod did in the 1930s.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01We're trying to be faithful to that tradition today.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08# Come, thou fount of every blessing
0:08:08 > 0:08:14# Tune my heart to sing thy grace
0:08:14 > 0:08:19# Streams of mercy, never ceasing
0:08:19 > 0:08:25# Call for songs of loudest praise
0:08:25 > 0:08:30# Jesus sought me when a stranger
0:08:30 > 0:08:35# Wandering from the fold of God
0:08:35 > 0:08:41# He, to rescue me from danger,
0:08:41 > 0:08:46# Interposed his precious blood
0:08:55 > 0:09:01# O to grace how great a debtor
0:09:01 > 0:09:06# Daily I'm constrained to be
0:09:06 > 0:09:12# Let thy goodness, like a fetter
0:09:12 > 0:09:18# Bind my wandering heart to thee
0:09:18 > 0:09:23# Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
0:09:23 > 0:09:29# Prone to leave the God I love
0:09:29 > 0:09:32# Here's my heart, Lord
0:09:32 > 0:09:34# Take and seal it
0:09:34 > 0:09:39# Seal it for thy courts above
0:09:48 > 0:09:54# Come, thou fount of every blessing
0:09:54 > 0:09:59# Tune my heart to sing thy grace
0:09:59 > 0:10:05# Streams of mercy, never ceasing
0:10:05 > 0:10:12# Call for songs of loudest praise. #
0:10:19 > 0:10:22During Columba's lifetime when he was setting up the monastery here,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24over on the other side of the world,
0:10:24 > 0:10:29a Byzantine Emperor was doing his bit to further the Christian gospel
0:10:29 > 0:10:31with an ingenious idea.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35Prefabricated flatpack churches sent out across the sea
0:10:35 > 0:10:39to the far reaches of his empire.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Pam Rhodes went to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford to find out
0:10:43 > 0:10:47about one of those churches that never reached its destination
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and ended up at the bottom of the sea.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54PAM: In an effort to cement the Christian faith,
0:10:54 > 0:10:59Justinian the Great initiated an ambitious church-building scheme.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I must say, this doesn't look much like a church.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04What have we got here?
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Well, what you have here are some of the elements from
0:11:08 > 0:11:11the shipwreck discovered off the coast of Sicily,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15and it contains a flatpack interior of a church.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18So, if you like, the local people would build the exterior,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20and the emperor provided the interior,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24and these are the pieces that have come up from the seabed.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Had the parts reached their destination,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32the constructed church would have looked something like this.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37To date, 450 pieces have been brought to the surface.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Paul and his team got to visit the rescued remains
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and hand-pick items for the museum.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45We were like kids in a sweet shop.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48We had all these different elements to choose.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51We couldn't rebuild the whole thing because there's 450 pieces
0:11:51 > 0:11:53and would go through the floor of the museum,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57so we chose little elements of every part of the church.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Here we've got the columns,
0:12:00 > 0:12:01you've got the bases,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03you've got the capitals.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06You've also got fragments of the pulpit.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07This pulpit was a monster.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11It was huge, with two staircases going up the side
0:12:11 > 0:12:12and a great platform
0:12:12 > 0:12:14where the priest could have looked out onto the flock.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18So it's a full kit, if you like, to make the church.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Some of the fragments even have marks on them,
0:12:21 > 0:12:26which could be masons' marks. Or they could be instruction marks.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30So, why did Justinian want to do this?
0:12:30 > 0:12:34For two reasons. First, he was the Emperor. He's in control.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39But very importantly he is also a very strong figure in the faith.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43So, we have to thank Justinian for spreading the faith?
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I wonder what he'd think about his self-assembly church being here?
0:12:46 > 0:12:48I think he'd be absolutely delighted.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50He didn't intend it to come to Britannia,
0:12:50 > 0:12:55he intended it to go to North Africa or Sicily or Italy, but the fact
0:12:55 > 0:13:00that it's sitting here in Oxford, a centre of great learning
0:13:00 > 0:13:04and also of faith, I think he'd be absolutely delighted that we,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08the British, are coming to see his church and coming to see him.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Columba was a renowned intellectual,
0:15:26 > 0:15:31and Iona's reputation as a place of learning continued after his death.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It's believed that the famous Book Of Kells was illustrated here
0:15:34 > 0:15:38by monks at the beginning of the 9th century.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40And today the Iona Community
0:15:40 > 0:15:43has continued to keep that cultural tradition alive.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50# Come all you people Come praise your maker... #
0:15:50 > 0:15:52John Bell, a member of the Iona Community,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55has written many songs and hymns that are now known and loved
0:15:55 > 0:15:59around the world, including our next hymn, Will You Come And Follow Me.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02It was recorded at St Andrew's Cathedral in Glasgow,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and conducted by John Bell himself.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Set to a traditional Scottish melody,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12it's often referred to as The Summons, a summons to faith,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16to self-discovery and to a conquering of our inner fears.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Summer's here and it's the perfect time to hit the beach.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45And the sun was certainly shining for Claire
0:18:45 > 0:18:49when she went to the north coast of Ireland, to meet some teenagers
0:18:49 > 0:18:53who are taking the opportunity to explore and share their faith
0:18:53 > 0:18:55in the great outdoors.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05CLAIRE: The seaside resort of Portrush
0:19:05 > 0:19:08is just seven miles along the north coast from the iconic stones
0:19:08 > 0:19:11of the world-famous Giant's Causeway.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15But the visitors here don't just come for the dramatic scenery.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17they come for the surf.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20MUSIC: Surfin' USA by The Beach Boys
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Every surfer is searching for the perfect wave.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26And I think in life too,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29I think we're all searching for that perfect wave.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32And unfortunately a lot of people don't go to God to find that.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Jono Griffin has turned his passion for surfing
0:19:35 > 0:19:38into a ministry, called The Surf Project.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41It's pretty much about creating a place and space for young people
0:19:41 > 0:19:43in particular to encounter God.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46So we're using the sport and culture of surfing
0:19:46 > 0:19:49to create a safe place where young people can come and be themselves
0:19:49 > 0:19:53and encounter God's creation, the ocean and the waves.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56This church youth group has come from Portadown,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59not just to learn how to surf, but also to strengthen their faith
0:19:59 > 0:20:02in the workshops later on in the day.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06A lot of people who come, some might come from the cities, from towns,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and this would be a totally new experience.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11And by just simply being on the beach and in the water
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and in this environment, just...
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I think it changes perspectives for young people.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18And it gives you a platform, and an openness,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21to really connect and give them a different view on life.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Getting right onto the hands, OK?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Because you lean back and it slows up.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- So, come right forward.- OK. - Good. Well done.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31I thought it would be such a good opportunity
0:20:31 > 0:20:32to come and meet new people
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and try new things and also just deepen my relationship with God.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Getting to know other people through the fellowship that comes with that
0:20:39 > 0:20:40has been a real blessing to me.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42It's such a good opportunity, like,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45to even come and worship God while you're out here on the beach.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49It's pretty unique in terms of ministries.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Why did you decide to set it up?
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Part of my own testimony, my own calling,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55was working in Manchester as a PE teacher
0:20:55 > 0:20:57and living in Cheshire at the time
0:20:57 > 0:20:59and I had the job, I had the car,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01I had the full-time contract.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04But there was something missing inside. I wasn't fulfilled.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05So I just felt God say to me,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08"Jono, how can you use your surfing to serve me?"
0:21:08 > 0:21:10And the Methodist Church have been very supportive here?
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Absolutely. I've been brought up in the Methodist Church,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15so I suppose my roots are in Methodism.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I just approached the church about three or four years ago
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and they really liked the idea, as vague as it was back then.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22So we have that backing and that support.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24And we use their facilities.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27We work in partnership with the local churches.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30The project is a team effort.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Back at the church hall,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Jono's wife Beth has been busy preparing a well-earned meal.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38We both have very different gift-sets,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41but both just felt called to the ministry.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43We believe living life to the full is living God's way
0:21:43 > 0:21:45through a relationship with Jesus,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and we as Christians have a responsibility to share that.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50We're just going to bring all the day in and we're going to do our
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Living Life To The Full workshop. We'll look at those Bible passages
0:21:53 > 0:21:55that you had your homework for, to read.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I guess we're just trying to use our gifts and skills
0:21:58 > 0:22:00to serve God and serve others.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02And I suppose The Surf Project is a real reflection of that.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Do you pinch yourself when you look out on views like this every day?
0:22:06 > 0:22:07This is your office effectively.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Absolutely. Yeah, and I get to surf regularly.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I get out on the beach with the dog.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13And that's the times when you get that inspiration
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and when you hear from God and hear that small voice.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18And what better way to get to know Creator God
0:22:18 > 0:22:22than to immerse yourself in his creation, you know?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35You can see why George MacLeod, the founder of the Iona Community,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38described this island as a thin place,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40by which he meant there seems to be
0:25:40 > 0:25:44only a thin tissue dividing the material world from the spiritual,
0:25:44 > 0:25:45because it's that beautiful.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Joyce Watson first discovered
0:25:52 > 0:25:56the beauty and spirituality of the island through her camera lens.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00I really fell in love with the landscape more than anything.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03And the nature, the variety of it.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06The ruggedness and the gentleness.
0:26:06 > 0:26:12The birds, the flowers. And I see that as almost a window into God.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17There's an amazing little patch of flowers just here.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Bird's-foot trefoil.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23And this is a tiny little flower called eyebright.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Iona has been Joyce Watson's home for 18 years.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30She first came as a visitor,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33but was unexpectedly left a house on the island
0:26:33 > 0:26:35by a friend in her will.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37It was such an incredible gift.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42But I also had that sense of responsibility.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46I'd been given so much and what could I give back?
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Joyce found her answers six years ago, when she was asked if
0:26:51 > 0:26:55she'd like to become Iona's resident Episcopalian priest.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- The Lord be with you. - ALL:- And also with you.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Most of my life is a kind of happy accident
0:27:02 > 0:27:03and things just seem to happen.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06And it wasn't what I was looking for,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08and I was a bit daunted by the thought,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10but I've grown into it now and it feels right.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17People know who I am and if anybody just needs to talk in confidence,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19I'm available.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22One of the lovely things about Iona is all the people that you meet,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24literally from all over the world.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26One of the old crofters once said that, you know,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29you just stayed here and the whole world came to you.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32And that's a joy. It's lovely.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39# Sitting here tonight
0:27:41 > 0:27:46# By the firelight
0:27:46 > 0:27:52# It reminds me I already have
0:27:52 > 0:27:56# More than I should
0:28:00 > 0:28:04# I don't need fame
0:28:06 > 0:28:12# People to know my name
0:28:12 > 0:28:15# At the end of the day
0:28:15 > 0:28:18# Lord I pray
0:28:18 > 0:28:22# I have a life that's good
0:28:25 > 0:28:28# Two arms around me
0:28:28 > 0:28:30# Heaven to ground me
0:28:30 > 0:28:35# And a family that always calls me home
0:28:37 > 0:28:40# Four wheels to get there
0:28:40 > 0:28:43# Enough love to share
0:28:43 > 0:28:48# And a sweet, sweet, sweet song
0:28:49 > 0:28:53# At the end of the day
0:28:53 > 0:28:56# Lord I pray
0:28:56 > 0:29:00# I have a life that's good
0:29:02 > 0:29:07# Sometimes I'm hard on me
0:29:09 > 0:29:14# When dreams don't come easy
0:29:14 > 0:29:18# I want to look back and say
0:29:18 > 0:29:24# I did all that I could
0:29:27 > 0:29:31# At the end of the day
0:29:31 > 0:29:34# Lord I pray
0:29:34 > 0:29:38# I have a life that's good
0:29:41 > 0:29:44# Two arms around me
0:29:44 > 0:29:47# Heaven to ground me
0:29:47 > 0:29:52# And a family that always calls me home
0:29:54 > 0:29:57# Four wheels to get there
0:29:57 > 0:30:00# Enough love to share
0:30:00 > 0:30:04# And a sweet, sweet, sweet song
0:30:06 > 0:30:09# At the end of the day
0:30:09 > 0:30:12# Lord I pray
0:30:12 > 0:30:17# I have a life that's good
0:30:19 > 0:30:22# At the end of the day
0:30:22 > 0:30:25# Lord I pray
0:30:25 > 0:30:31# I have a life that's good. #
0:30:37 > 0:30:38Well, that's it for this week.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42Next week, we're meeting Olympians past and present
0:30:42 > 0:30:44ahead of the Games in Rio.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47But to end today, our final hymn is another by John Bell.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51This one expresses the thought that, although you might get
0:30:51 > 0:30:55a heightened sense of God's presence in a beautiful place like Iona,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59we ought to remember that he is with us anywhere and everywhere.