Dear Middleway Urban Monastery friends, When sad and/or stressful things happen, it's hard to know how to respond. Frankly, there are no words to express the sadness we feel over the senseless shooting in Uvalde - or any of the other places. We each try to figure out how to cope with such tragedies. There is a way of active coping we can help with -- meditation. Though it seems passive, meditation is an active way of calming oneself in order to bring about emotional calmness. That, in turn, can help us be more effective in our responses to situations. We can show you how. Like the "Be still" painting by Dr. He Qi that hangs in our library, being still to collect ourselves can be the very thing we need in tumultuous times, as we strive for justice. Our space is uniquely designed to provide a place for peace, comfort and hope. We also have a team of people trained to listen with a holy ear, without judging or trying to "fix" you. Bring your sadness and stress to Middleway and let us show you a new way to cope. Find out more about our events below! Middleway's Facebook Group
First Friday June 3 rosary making Stop by our table near Mr. G's and St. Andrew's during First Friday in downtown Bryan, June 3. Make an Anglican rosary to take with you and learn how they can be used in prayer. Then walk on over to see our monastery at 309 N. Tabor. Workshop: Entrepreneurship - a spiritual practice Entrepreneurs are known for taking risks, unearthing new opportunities and creating value in places where it did not exist before. These are also key feature of being a spiritual entrepreneur, those who feel called to discover and release God’s love and creative energy in unique ways in the world. A workshop on June 18, 9:30 a.m.-noon, will explore the traits associated with entrepreneurship, and how these can help us discover creativity and cultivate spiritual resilience. This event highlights findings from the "Tech in Churches during Covid-19" project led by Dr Heidi Campbell, a professor at Texas A&M University, on how pastors learned to adapt to challenges they encountered during the pandemic. Together with her husband Troy Shepherd—an entrepreneur, writer and app designer—they will discuss what it means to be a spiritual entrepreneur, and how such traits can help enhance in our spiritual journey and open our hearts to finding God in unexpected places, especially during times of change. The workshop is free, but please register at https://www.middlewayurbanmonastery.org/register-for-events. Common Threads to focus on exploring new opportunities The question to ponder between now and the next meeting of Common Threads Discussion Group is "How can experiencing different opportunities open us to new awareness of God?" Be watchful of how this question enters into your daily life. The next gathering will be 2 p.m. June 8. Common Threads welcomes you to bring a thread project to work on while we talk, but it isn't required. The main idea is to share each other's spiritual journey through story and active listening. Book club to share favorites at the May meeting In its nearly two years of existence, the Middleway book club has read lots of classic and current books on spirituality. Yet, like most book lovers, we know there are endless possibilities for future reads. This month, rather than pick a book, we want you to come with your ideas of what would be good books to read and discuss as a group. This may form our next list of books, so be sure to pitch in with what has inspired you. The next meeting will be May 31 at 10:30 a.m. This is a hybrid meeting, so people may attend in person or via Zoom. Here's how: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86289918385?pwd=SjcwUW5NMlZnWUtlNFFYd01waVZzUT09 Meeting ID: 862 8991 8385 Passcode: 164675 Tell us what topics, events you would like to explore Our spiritual directors are planning the coming year and would like your input. As you think about where you are with God, what topics would you be interested in learning more about in a discussion group, retreat, workshop or other type of gathering? Let us know at info@middlewayurbanmonastery.org. Spiritual direction offered at Middleway A spiritual director is one who can listen to you with a holy ear and doesn't try to "fix" you with their solutions. Being listened to -- truly listened to -- is powerfully healing. Spiritual directors at Middleway are trained and vetted so we know your story will be heard and kept in confidence. After selecting a spiritual director, a person normally plans to meet with that person monthly for an hour. Our current spiritual directors are listed at https://www.middlewayurbanmonastery.org/spiritual-direction. Let us know if we can help you find a listening soul companion. School for spiritual formation, direction applications due FIND _ School for Spiritual Direction and Formation, now in its 25th year and hosted by Middleway, is forming its next cohort. Applications are accepted through June 30. Classes, which are held once a month on a Saturday, begin in September. Learn more at www.schoolforspiritualdirection.org. We need you at Middleway Middleway is 100 percent volunteer operated. Come be one who welcomes others into this peaceful place. While there, you'll be able to enjoy the hope, peace and comfort as well. Sign up at https://timecounts.org/middlewaymonastery/. After you've selected the areas you want to volunteer in, you'll be able to click the Opportunities tab, then Assignments, then Available Shifts. Current volunteers, please choose your dates for April. Middleway Urban Monastery's Guide for Life
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