"Three Dances from the Beta Course" was recently one of only five films shortlisted for the Andrew Cross awards at the Churches Media conference at Stanwick. Although not the final winner, Geoff Crago and his team at Milestones must be congratulated for their achievement in being shortlisted.

Nick Buxton, one of the five participants in the BBC's "The Monastry" helped to launch Beta in London at the end of last month. Despite the sweltering heat of the hottest day of the year, the launch was a memorable evening in a host of different ways. Diverse speakers spoke honestly and movingly about their experiences with running BETA courses, and based on his experience in religious community, Nick Buxton said relationships are central to the Christian faith, which he perceives as the heart of BETA.

Canon David Reindorp from St Johns Church in Cambridge has run BETA several times and spoke of himself as "previously cynical about Christian courses - "I've done them all" He is a strong supporter of BETA because he says, " It does exactly what it says on the can. It is a study course which addresses all the issues that all of us face in our everyday Tesco life..... It really does enable people to deal with the issues in their lives: difficult relationships, depression, stress , suffering. BETA is deep, and yet it is easily grasped by all sorts of people, because it is about real life"

David Reindorp described himself as a surprise convert to the use of filmed dance as a way of reflecting on aspects of the course content. During the launch a dance depicting the Trinity, performed live by ICON in front of a large screen film of the dance, produced amongst the audience the receptive calm spoken of by Reindorp. "BETA does something no other course does"

Michelle Walker from St Winifred's in Leeds told of the way that the BETA course is enabling a greater depth of friendship and closeness among participants and described the way that the arts in BETA allow people to contain powerful emotions within a safe place. Words are necessary but sometimes insufficient carriers of such personal freight.

(left-to-right: Nick Buxton, David Reindorp, Michelle Walker and Richard Bunyan)

Rev Richard Bunyan spoke very movingly about his experiences using BETA at HMP Littlehey where he is chaplain. While the men he ministers to found the "home-group" setting of the BETA videos painful - as imprisioned sex offenders they have no home - he said the content of BETA was "spot on ". The men were begining to face the damage of their own lives and to comprehend their need to offer and receive forgiveness.

Bishop Barrington Ward was not able to attend in person, but said in support of BETA:
"The BETA course is a real gift to the Church in its' key task of becoming a genuine movement of growth of love in the spirit of Christ: growth into that kind of honest, vunerable and healing love within which everyone can flourish."