THE TASK FORCE FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION
The eleven member task force, for
Spiritual Formation, has met weekly since March 23, 2010. Its purpose is to explore the ways in which
we as a community and individuals may grow spiritually, and reclaim and rediscover
Wesley’s Means of Grace.
The phrase Spiritual Formation is rich and endless in meaning and includes:
- Spending time with God
- Being conformed to the Body of Christ
for the sake of others
- Seeking spiritual renewal and growth
in our relationships with God, with others, and within our eternal soul
Simply put, we seek those practices
that reach toward God, nurture one another, and grow our soul.
The Task Force recognizes the
uniqueness of each individual and that many choices must be available over
time. Those choices fall into two major
categories of Spiritual Growth:
1. Foundational knowledge and understanding of
Holy Scripture
- Foundational knowledge includes study
groups such as Alpha, Bethel, or the several courses of Disciple
- Smaller groups in the Wesley
tradition may be organized to examine individual books of the Old and New
Testaments
- More specialized programs such as The
Emerging Church or The Truth Project may also be undertaken.
We build the rock of our faith on a
strong foundation and an understanding of our spiritual tradition.
2. Exploration, pursuit, and perfection of
various spiritual practices tailored to individual needs. Spiritual
practices are diverse in joining traditions of the past, the challenges of the
present, and the needs of individuals in
small groups or alone in growing toward the Divine. The list is long.
Here are a few:
- Spiritual
book club
- Spiritual
retreat
- Spiritual
journaling or autobiography or memoir
- Prayer (many
kinds and shapes of prayer!!!)
- Lectio
Divina
- Meditation
and contemplation
- Shared
experiences to build trust and support on the spiritual journey
- Fasting
Future communications will explore
how to use these practices in growing spiritually.
In the above lists, what do you find
that speaks to you and where you are at this moment? What is missing in the above that you need at
this time? You can shape our church’s spiritual
journey by e-mailing us (click here) or by sharing your thoughts with any
of the Task Force members listed below.
- David
Okerberg
- Estella
Lange
- Dale Lange
- Kris Linton
- Terry
Shoemaker
- Celia
Merrill
- Peggy
Blackburn
- John
Vanderpol
- Tim Townes
- Barbara
Blair
- Rhoda Parker
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