The Iona Community

05/10/2026

'The tender curiosity with which questions are posed, silences held and words of comfort or explanation offered marked the quality of the relationships and the strength and resilience of the community of sharing...

God of all gathering places,
God of holy, pilgrim ground
where ‘three streams meet’;
where pain and sorrow mingle
with campfire laughter and loving kindness –
may we recognise your new community of hope
where we experience
generous hospitality, tender curiosity,
and actions of hope.
In the name of the risen Christ,
Amen.'

Ruth's first postcard has arrived from her pilgrimage across Canada. You can read it in full here: https://iona.org.uk/canada-postcard-one/

14/08/2026

🌿 We’ve done it! The Iona Community at Iona Abbey has received Eco-Congregation Scotland ’s Silver Award. 🌿

We celebrated the award at our weekly Service for Creation on Wednesday 29 July, alongside Members gathered on Iona for Community Week.

The plaque will be displayed in the Welcome Centre, with copies of the certificate in the Abbey, helping us share this good news with all who visit.

This is another step in living out our Strategic Goal to Care for the Earth — and the journey continues.

Our Abbey Eco Group will keep meeting, reflecting and acting as we respond together to the climate emergency, biodiversity loss and the call of the Season of Creation. We’re grateful to everyone who has helped us reach this milestone, and we look forward to sharing more soon.

💚 We’d love to have you join us at Iona Abbey, perhaps for one of our eco-themed weeks, in 2027. You can view our full 2027 Iona Abbey programme here: https://iona.org.uk/programme-2027

12/08/2026

An important message about Camas

With great sadness, the Trustees of the Iona Community have made the decision that Camas will not reopen. The resources needed in terms of staffing and finances to open Camas safely and sustainably, are beyond the scope of the Iona Community at this time.

Camas, the Iona Community’s outdoor centre on the Ross of Mull, has been a place of transformation for young people, folks living on the margins, and many others for more than eight decades. The decision to close Camas has not been taken lightly. It follows an extensive safety review, careful scrutiny of financial projections, and a remarkable ‘Camas Companions’ fundraising campaign.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who gave their time, money, wisdom and prayer to the effort to reopen Camas. The Camas Companions campaign revealed the depth of love for this place and its work.

Read full update at https://iona.org.uk/camas-update-august26/

07/08/2026

How can we draw on our faith resources to navigate the global challenges we are living through?

These two weeks at Iona Abbey will help us explore responses to that question.

👉Weathering the Storm with John Bell, 26th September - 2nd October.
👉 Politics, Power & Protest with Simeon Mitchell and Steve Tinning from The Joint Public Issues Team

Two weeks to resources us for tough times.

Find out more by visiting the 2026 Abbey Programme here: https://iona.org.uk/visit-and-stay/iona-abbey-centre/2026-programme/

30/07/2026

The deadline for becoming a Camas Companion is the 31st July.

Camas Companions are the community of one-time and regular supporters of Camas, the outdoor centre run by the Iona Community on the Ross of Mull.

Becca's story makes clear what an important and special place Camas has been for young people having a tough time in life.

You can read Becca's story in full here: https://iona.org.uk/confidence-at-camas/

You can become a Camas Companion here: https://iona.org.uk/camas-companions/

20/07/2026

'The young 20 old lad that was me jumped off the bus at the track end on a dreich March day in 1986 with a kit bag and a sense of trepidation. I was met by Sheila Russell, the Camas Coordinator. Little did I know that Camas would change my life and give me an anchor point ...'

If you have been in any doubt about the power of community to transform lives.

If you have been unsure that being in the outdoors and being deeply valued helps young people find direction in life.

If you've been wavering about whether to become a Camas Companion or not.

Then we invite you to read Colin's story in full.

Discover the deep, significant and powerful experience that time at Camas provides:

Read this powerful story of how Camas changed the direction of one young person's life.

16/07/2026

Join with our prayer for justice and peace, so powerfully and beautifully presented by Iona Community Member William Gibson.

And join us for our week on Justice and Peace at Iona Abbey in the Autumn / Fall. 17th - 23rd October 2026.

We’ll be joined by our partners and friends from The Joint Public Issues Team to explore the relationship between faith and politics, and looking at lessons from the Bible and history about different ways of engaging with power and politics – from protest to participation.

Find out more and book your place here:
https://iona.org.uk/event/politics-power-protest/

15/07/2026

The application deadline is approaching for these two Iona based opportunities!

Volunteer Coordinator - 9th August
Island Centres Warden - 16th August

👉 Apply here: https://iona.org.uk/vacancies

We're recruiting for two exciting and essential positions on the Isle of Iona.

A Volunteer Coordinator to build, welcome and support our amazing team of volunteers throughout the season.

An Island Centres Warden to lead the residential community on Iona. Nurturing the daily rhythm of worship, hospitality and shared life that has shaped and inspired our movement for nearly 90 years.

Note, the warden position is only open to Members or Associate Members of the Iona Community.

Both positions begin in October of this year, though the start date may be negotiable for the warden position.

Could this opportunity to live and work in community, on the beautiful Isle of Iona, be for you?

13/07/2026

At a difficult stage in my life, I found myself in a fisherman’s row on the edge of the water, reached only by a long walk down a rough track carrying everything we would need to survive. No electricity. No running water. Everything done by hand. In that beautiful wilderness, effort was required simply to exist.

Alongside me was a group of young people from Glasgow’s concrete jungle, all of us stepping away from the noise and pressure of everyday life. Camas offered something rare: a chance to stop. To breathe. To reflect. A safe place to put aside [the challenges] of normal life for a while.

Life there was stripped back to the basics. Through the labour of daily necessity, the sense of community, shared meals, conversations, and physical challenges like canoeing and abseiling, something began to change in me.

Away from distraction, I was finally able to properly think about life, about who I was, what mattered, and how I might begin to pull things together.

Looking back now, I can see that time as the laying of foundation stones. The first real steps towards building the future that eventually brought me to where I am today.

Sometimes growth does not begin with grand plans or dramatic breakthroughs. Sometimes it begins with carrying water, chopping wood, sitting quietly by the sea, and remembering that another way of living and another version of yourself is possible." Gil, shared with permission.

By becoming a Camas Companion today you can help ensure this life changing work continues.

https://iona.org.uk/camas-companions/