Dear Middleway Urban Monastery friends,
You are here!
The beautiful art on the wall in our foyer reminds us of our middle name -- Urban. We are in the downtown area of a vibrant city with multi-story buildings, businesses, living spaces, shops and restaurants. In the midst of all that, there is peace.
As we've prepared this space for you, we've thought about putting a blue "Your Are Here" dot on this cityscape. This is where you will be greeted when you visit Middleway. As you open the door, you will be welcomed in and invited to partake of the various prayer areas at the monastery. Our volunteer receptionists and hospitality people will be there to help you navigate until you are accustomed to what's available.
Do plan to come. We will have volunteer training on Oct. 30, open on Nov. 2, celebrate with a blessing of the monastery on Nov. 5, and hold our first retreat on Nov. 13. Keep reading to find out how Middleway can fit into your life.
Read about what's going on at Middleway below. Then check out our Facebook group page or website.
Opening day, blessing set for November
Middleway will open its doors to the public on Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. The monastery will be open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and on first and fourth Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. On Thursdays, Middleway will stay open until 7 p.m. with special programming. The second and third Saturdays will be reserved for retreats and FIND - School for Spiritual Direction and Formation classes.
An open house will be held at 6-8 p.m. Nov. 5 during First Friday events in downtown Bryan. A blessing of the monastery and its ministry will be held at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to stop by and see what Middleway has to offer.
First retreat to feature Enneagram for Fuller Loving, Living
In a world full of personality assessments, the Enneagram stands apart for the ways that it not only describes our behavior (and the basis of that behavior) but for the ways it prescribes practices which can help us live more resourcefully.
To mark its grand opening, Middleway is offering a free retreat on this topic to the first 20 people who register in person at Middleway, beginning Nov. 2 through Nov. 10. The retreat will be 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at the monastery. Lunch will be provided.
Join spiritual directors Jim and Kathy Reiter as they share about the background of this ancient personality inventory, provide a narrative orientation to the nine personality types, help participants understand the personal results of an online assessment and offer some sense of next steps in your spiritual journey to your authentic, true self.
"Sitting at the Feet" ends October's book club, changes planned for November
Our Zoom book study group will meet Oct. 28 to finish "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus" by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg. For this meeting at 7 p.m. read the Chapters 12-14.
Here's how to join:
Meeting ID: 862 8991 8385 Passcode: 164675
or call in 1 346 248 7799
In November, we will change to a monthly format with a daytime meeting, and hybrid for both in-person and Zoom attendees. Watch for more information.
Upcoming books are:
November - "Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith" by Kathleen Norris
December - No meeting
January 2022 - "The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are" by Brene Brown
Volunteer at Middleway through a Circle of Stewards
Come be a part of the Middleway community! We need volunteers who can be there in person. The volunteer training will be Oct. 30, 10-11:30 a.m.
Offer your talents in administration, reception, hospitality, plants/greenery, library, arts, technology/information, worship, cleaning, and growth/sustainability. Each of these areas are called Circles of Stewards, which are groups of people within the community who share similar interests and want to help make Middleway as special, sacred space for all. Training will be offered to individuals prior to volunteering, if you can't attend the Oct. 30 general training.
The library and art circles are actively working. We still need people to volunteer for being at the monastery when visitors start to come. We will be notifiying volunteers through our Time Counts site of opportunities for three-hour shifts. Sign up for as many as you like!
You can sign up at https://timecounts.org/middlewaymonastery. Simply fill in the form and make your choices. Then when opportunities become available in the Circle(s) of your choice, you will be notified and can decide if you are able to participate at particular times. For example, if we have a need for a receptionist on Tuesday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., everyone who has expressed an interest in being a volunteer receptionist would receive an email in advance noting that opportunity. Each person would decide whether to volunteer for that time. That is how each of you will be notified of volunteer opportunities.
These opportunities are more than volunteering -- they are community forming. Being at Middleway will be less of the typical "doing" associated with most volunteer activities and more of the "being," that is, being present to welcome visitors and enjoy the surroundings yourself! With this in mind, our volunteers are in community with the Middleway Urban Monastery's Guide for Life:
Conversion of Life “Conversatio”: Living our life as if it were a conversation with God, in a commitment to personal spiritual disciplines.
Humility: Living our life in perspective, in a commitment to assess and honor one’s own gifts and those of others.
Hospitality: Living our life in service of others, in a commitment to welcome guests in love and a spirit of prayer.
Prayer: Practicing a spiritual discipline that includes daily prayer.
Ecumenism: Honoring all expressions of Christian faith and respecting in Jesus’ name all persons of other religions and faiths.
Other ways to experience Middleway Urban Monastery
Ready to dig a little deeper spiritually?
Join our Facebook group page. Doing so will let you receive notices about events as well comment and see what others in the Middleway community are saying.
Come to our website and explore the offerings, including links to our Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts, if you like those formats and want to follow.
Pass the word. Ask your frieds to subscribe to this newsletter by going to https://www.middlewayurbanmonastery.org/contact Enter the email address at the Subscribe button on the lower right.
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