We cannot know what is ahead, but we can prepare ourselves as best we can, physically, emotionally, and spiritually for any serious challenges that we may have to face.
Small Groups: Leadership in a Circle of Equals
My view is that in a society which tends automatically to rank people, leadership in a spiritual community can serve to level the playing ground. Leaders can lovingly call forward those who shrink back, and just as lovingly invite those who find it easy to put themselves forward to a stance of humble listening. We want to honor all as equal members of the body. “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members share its joy.” (1 Cor 12:26)
Three-Month Discernment Group for Small Groups Ministry to Begin February 24
Listening as a Practice of Presence
At the heart of everything I do is a desire for Presence. Presence to me means being utterly connected with what IS, with the larger reality, with Spirit, with God, the Divine, the Sacred. It means being completely present to each moment of life as it unfolds, letting go of my past perceptions, fears, and judgments, and being open to the vast and astonishing depth of the gift and lesson of this moment. With each moment, the gift and the lesson are new.
2018 - A Year of Listening and Being Heard
I began my ministry in small group development at St. Mary’s one year ago in December. This year of developing the framework for small group ministry has been one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences of my life, and many of you have been part of that. As any of you who have come to a small group training know, I like to end my groups by asking each person to share their highlights of the gathering. I thought at the end of 2018, I would share a few of the many highlights of my first year.
Creating a Loving Container through Listening
Listening deeply is a way of creating a container so that another person’s soul can grow in this way. When we listen prayerfully to another person, we create a positive container that provides safety and encouragement. The container provides the energy and love God wants each of us to have. Within this nourishing container, the soul can wake up, stretch, and fly. The soul can find its purpose and move towards action in the world.
All Humans are Inherently Leaders
Christian Leadership: Being Open to the Sacred
There are as many kinds of small groups as there are kinds of people, and humans look for ways to share in so many ways. I’ve often marveled how a group of strangers spontaneously searches for the things they have in common, even if they have to stretch in very odd ways. “I see you like potatoes.” And they can talk animatedly for some time about all their experiences with potatoes.
Small Groups - Making a Big Church Smaller
Why Leaders Need Support: Small Group Leadership Support Groups
At St. Mary’s Episcopal Church we would like to have a small group available to anyone who would like one. Small groups are places where people practice listening to God and to each other. Small groups can provide safety and closeness that makes our community life together more meaningful. Sunday worship gains a whole new level of joy when you see your group members sitting in the pew opposite.
Listening Hearts - Small Group Leadership Training
Small Group Leadership Training
Sunday April 22
3 to 5 PM in Berktold Hall
One of our five-year goals at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church is to have a small group available to anyone who would like one. Small groups are places where people practice listening to God and to each other in order to discern God’s presence and movement in our lives and community.
