Touchstone Talk Leads to Collaboration of Three Like-Minded Ministers

Jun 6, 2020

Rev. Jean Francis (2012), Dr Dawn Gibbins MBE (2014) and Rev. Nicole van Zomeren (2015) together with teacher and artist Amanda Vesty and independent funeral director Jo Nicholls have recently launched Last Wishes, Live Your Legacy Ltd.

The seeds of this social business were planted thanks to a touchstone call Jean held about “preplanning your funeral” in 2016. Nicole attended and, inspired by Jean, followed up and the two met a few times over the following months around end-of-life events. Dawn, equally inspired by Jean, arranged a meeting for the three of them in a London Tea Room where ideas of a collaboration began to grow. Our trilogy, understanding the power of supporting each other held a Last Wishes event in September 2019 that was the incubation point to turn this dream into reality.

Nine months later, we are in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Knowing that as sad and shocking as this current time is, the information and support we seek to offer is needed now more than ever. Together with Amanda and Jo, the five of us meet at least weekly on zoom, logging in from Cheshire, Horsham and Australia to birth this business into the world.

Ministry in Action

What we have created is our ministry in action. Along with our living legacy. We bring in our spiritual counselling and supervision skills, together with offerings for individuals and the community. We provide free circles in the form of our Last Wishes Tea Rooms, group supervision, community, as well as fresh and relevant content and information about end-of-life matters with a keen focus on the environmental impact of our choices.

Additionally, we have membership services, books and other resources including educational courses, one-to-one Spiritual Counselling, support, supervision and corporate consultations. Finally, we take donations to support our work and the community projects we provide and also support.

We are using the skills of soulful leadership, guiding and holding that we learnt through our OneSpirit training. Likewise, we dedicate time for an invocation and closing at each of our business meetings, as well as a blessing at the beginning and end of each Tea Room.

It is refreshing and motivating to use these OneSpirit skills in business and nourishing to be building such a venture as a team of five likeminded minded women. As we work in unity, harmony and balance, each weaving in our unique strengths and skills to complement each other and the work we do.

About Us

Last Wishes – Live Your Legacy Ltd is a social business raising profits to go back into the community.

Our projects strive to educate and support, as well as create and promote opportunities for life-changing conversations and awareness around end-of-life.

<“>We provide essential tools to enable you to thrive by sharing relevant, up-to-date information and experiences to show how people around the globe are engaging with their last wishes and living their legacy.

Mission

We are on a mission to educate, inspire and empower millions to make their last wishes and live their legacy.

Our aim is to dispel assumptions and shame around death and dying and to educate people about the options available to them in relation to end-of-life planning and creating an earth-friendly funeral.

We hope to put an end to the fear surrounding death/departure, thus promoting wellbeing and peace of mind.

Finally, as we offer increased support for the community as a whole, we are creating a greater awareness of ethical funeral directors, funeral celebrants and related services. To ease people’s suffering around such sensitive times of life.

Vision

Our vision is to create support networks and programmes that will inspire people to live happy and die happy, to honour grief, and empower them to make end-of-life choices and to live their legacy.

Invitation

Thank you for taking the time to read this far, if you are at all drawn to, or interested in what we have shared, please check out our site or join us at a Last Wishes Tea Room. https://lastwishes.world/our-events/

We are very open to collaborations with any and all OneSpirit ministers, this may be of particular interest to those who are also spiritual counsellors, funeral celebrants, supervisors and other end-of-life guardians from Threshold choirs to death doula’s, soul midwifes or grief counsellors etc .

We are here to spread the word and work together to serve the many who could be helped through this kind of work, service and offering to the world.

Blessings and warmest wishes to you and your loved ones, especially during these extraordinarily difficult times, may you be safe, well and feeling loved.

The three ministers have each shared on our blog, ‘How I Serve During Lockdown’, and you can find each of their reflections here >>

Find us here: www.lastwishes.world

Email: info@liveyourlegacy.co.uk

Engaging with the Ebb and Flow of Spirituality

Traversing the path of OneSpirit’s spiritual training isn’t a matter of absorbing a rigid set of doctrines. Instead, it’s an active engagement with a vibrant, evolving curriculum that honours each participant’s singular insights. At the core of...

International Day of Friendship

As we approach the International Day of Friendship on the 30th of July, it is with a profound sense of joy that we at OneSpirit reflect on the importance of fostering connections that transcend the boundaries of any differences we have. In a world where division often...

A Call for Unity and Support

I hope this message finds you in good spirits and abundant peace. If we haven’t had the pleasure of connecting yet, allow me to introduce myself—I’m Lavinia, your Community Development Lead at OneSpirit. I joined OneSpirit in March and have already seen...

Embracing the Spirit of Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice, marking the longest day of the year, resonates with ancient traditions and spiritual import. As we embrace June, the Solstice ushers in an energy of renewal and enlightenment, presenting an ideal moment for our OneSpirit community to reflect,...

Celebrating Love Today & Everyday

June brings with it a flourish of colours, voices of courage and resilience, echoing through the streets in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month. At OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation, we find deep resonance with the spirit of this month, rooted as we are in values of...

Spiritual Diversity: Hear from Our Students

At the crux of OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation‘s ethos is a narrative that deeply resonates with the pursuit of understanding an array of spiritual beliefs. We celebrate the voyages of our community members like Linden, Heather, and Ben, whose inspiring stories...

Discover a New Horizon With ROSIM

Have you ever wondered about the guiding lights behind interfaith ministry? Welcome to the vibrant world of the Register of OneSpirit Interfaith Ministers (ROSIM) — a haven for accredited OneSpirit graduate ministers and a beacon of unwavering support from the...

June’s Anti-Racism Reading Group Invitation

The biggest step for me in approaching the Sacred Work of Anti-Racism was to realise that it applies to me at all. It was so easy for me, as a nice liberal white person, to think “I don’t hold racist views: I did that two-day Equal Opportunities training at work...

Honouring Togetherness on International Day of Living Together in Peace

May 16 marks a beacon of unity, a reminder of our shared humanity, and a call to cultivate harmony: it’s the International Day of Living Together in Peace. At OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation, we resonate deeply with this global embrace as our ethos orbits around...

A Journey to Meaningful Engagement: Rethinking Our Approach at OneSpirit

Hello, beautiful souls! It’s Kailee here, your go-to for all things communicative and connective at OneSpirit. As I sit down to draft this reflection, I’m wrapped in the warm embrace of introspection, pondering on my journey with this incredible organization over the...