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InHabit : a course in living faithfully through prayer and reflective practice
I’m delighted to be able to introduce a brand new course written by the Revd Bridget Macaulay of The Vessel Trust and offered in partnership with the Diocese of Truro. Artist and poet, as well as priest, spiritual director and regular retreat and Quiet Day leader, Bridget has written a number of the Diocese’s Way of Life materials, including Praying on the Way. She has also combined faith, art and poetry in two publications, Something Understood and Earth and Vessels.
Bridget writes, "The experience of lockdown along with the uncertainty of how Covid will continue to affect our social, work and church life means that many are finding themselves in a season of change, transition and questioning of how they might journey as people of faith in these challenging times. InHabit offers a potential way (and community) in which to reflect and discern what might be ‘ours to be and do’ at this particular point in our lives.
InHabit will launch online in January 2021 (application forms available from 31/10/20) and an online Taster Session and explanation of the course structure will be offered on Thursday 12 November 10.00am-1.00pm, places for which can be booked through me: Jane.Horton@truro.anglican.org
Bridget herself will lead this year-long course (approximately one day per month). She writes that it will “make use of the physical structure and spiritual rhythm of the monastery as an image and symbol of whole life discipleship and practical prayerfulness. The course aims to build a community of ordinary, prayerful, down to earth ‘monastics’!” Each day-long session will include: teaching input and facilitated discussion; time spent building a practice of contemplative prayer (this half hour of shared silence will not follow a particular technique, approach or ‘school of prayer’ but where helpful may draw on simple resources to create space in which we remember and settle into God’s Presence); time alone with resources for personal reflection and time within a small ‘Journey Group’ (maximum three or four people) to discuss, share, encourage and apply the learning of the day and the wider journey of faith and life.
More detailed information about the course/costs etc can be found at: http://vesseltrust.org.uk/ (direct link below) and: https://trurodiocese.org.uk/resources/discipleship/
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Navigating Transition:
A Prayer Journey
From LICC (London Institute for Contemporary Christianity)
Whether you’re excited about new beginnings or tackling the pain of loss (or both), transition can feel like a rough sea, full of ups and downs and prayer is vital to help you navigate life’s big changes.
Over 40 days, this prayer journey will lead you through the four key stages of transition: discerning the signals of change; ending well as you let go of the old; feeling disorientated; and getting reorientated in your new situation.
When you sign up, you’ll receive a short ‘prompt to pray’ each day, together with a brief thought helping you explore how to navigate transition.
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Reimagining 2020
Along with 500 participants from around the country, I recently attended the 'Reimagining 2020' online conference, organised and hosted by the CofE Evangelism & Discipleship team. We were privileged to listen to some inspiring and challenging plenary session speakers, join in with workshops and discussion groups and come away with some excellent resource ideas, some of which I include in this newsletter.
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The Character Course
Put simply, the Character Course brings together the most up-to-date psychology with ancient biblical wisdom. In eight sessions, it covers key themes of Christian discipleship: learning, hope, love, forgiveness, gratitude, humour, persistence and curiosity.
The website has everything you need to run it: videos, leader notes, scripts and handouts. All free to download. It’s designed for small groups, but you can complete it however you like: alone or in a group, live or online. It works best when you share the journey with others. Each session has a short video to watch, a bible passage to ponder and a practice to try out.
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A Virtual Wellbeing Programme
Specifically-prepared resources to support clergy wellbeing during a time of Covid through reflection either individually or as a group. The website is updated every Monday and resources are available for use as and when they are needed.
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Have you ever thought about ...
a Rule of Life?
Canon Dr George Lings, vice-president of BRF and author of Seven Sacred Spaces, discusses the paradox of how rules and frameworks can free us up for prayer – with seven tips to help you carve out time.
He writes: "I’m intrigued that the Bible doesn’t talk about running with God. Walking is a measured pace, even leisured and conversational. What if a framework of prayer was like that? Walking is seldom done flat out. It seems slow, but over time it is surprising how far you get and often delightful what you see on the way because of going slowly. Pilgrimages know these values. Living a rule of life is like this.
‘Living a rule of life is slow, deliberate, yet surprising and transforming.’
A rule is not aspirational words on a fridge magnet but a life to be lived."
Follow link below for the full article.
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The Prayer Course
Talking recently to a friend, I was delighted to hear that her church (New Street, Falmouth - at the heart of one of Truro Diocese's Transforming Mission projects) was going to be running The Prayer Course, developed by Pete Greig and the 24/7 Prayer team. It seemed a great 'God-opportunity' to experience this 8-week online course at first hand and so I signed up ... along with over 20 other participants.
The format was very simple: we gathered and were welcomed on Zoom; we watched a very well produced video (around 20 minutes - all sessions available free on the Prayer Course website - see below); we then met in smaller 'breakout' groups to share our thoughts and responses. We began and ended with prayer. All in just over an hour.
I shall definitely be returning. It was great to hear people in our small group talking about their different experiences of prayer and what they hoped to get out of the course, as well as what they had found encouraging or challenging in what Pete Greig shared in the video. The course is based around the Lord's Prayer, Jesus' response to his disciples request to "Teach us to pray."
Take-aways/good reminders for me were:
"Everybody struggles with prayer at times."
"Keep it SIMPLE - Keep it REAL -
Keep it UP"
And - especially in these Covid times - that one of the reasons we pray is "because life is precarious". (The word 'prayer' comes from the Latin word, precarius - from which our modern word 'precarious' also comes, albeit with a different meaning.)
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The Fuel Cast
Are you pressured for time? Looking for something 'short and sweet' that will download to your email inbox each weekday of the year? Try the Fuel Cast, a free inspirational discipleship video 'thought for the day'.
Link below ...
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The Presence Project
With autumn and the second wave of the Coronavirus now well and truly upon us, I wonder how many of us may be carrying that sense of "How long, O Lord?" in our hearts at the moment?
To encourage us in this season of waiting, here's a sample video-poem from Andy Hunter: How Long? (follow the link below).
Linked to the Fuel Cast, you can download Andy's Presence Project App and follow on Twitter @pres_ence.
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Prayer for courage
by Pádraig Ó Tuama, from Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community.
A prayer to help us keep on keeping on ...
Courage comes from the heart
and we are always welcomed by God,
the Croí * of all being.
We bear witness to our faith,
knowing that we are called
to live lives of courage,
love and reconciliation
in the ordinary and extraordinary
moments of each day.
We bear witness, too, to our failures
and our complicity in the fractures of our world.
May we be courageous today.
May we learn today.
May we love today.
Amen.
The Irish word Croí (pronounced 'Cree') means 'heart' and is the name for the chapel space in Corrymeela.
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Quiet days, retreats and a weekly word of encouragement
Even in these strange, socially-distanced times, Quiet Days and even retreats are still continuing remarkably effectively on Zoom and a few are also beginning to take place physically as well as virtually.
Do keep your eye on the following websites for what may be available over the autumn and winter: Epiphany House (http://www.epiphanyhouse.co.uk/), Degibna (http://www.degibnaprayerchapel.org.uk/) and Treargel (https://www.treargel.com/).
Please contact me if your benefice or deanery would be interested in holding a Quiet Day or retreat in the coming months, whether virtually or (when social-distancing permits) face to face.
Please contact me too if you might be interested in receiving a weekly emailed word of encouragement (prayer, poetry, meditation) straight to your inbox. We are still exploring the possibilities of setting something like this up.
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