Dear Middleway Urban Monastery friends,
We move into June anticipating the typical slowdown of summer, but this year we also are easing back into society either by going back to offices or planning trips to catch up where we left off more than a year ago in the isolation of the pandemic. The temptation will be to fill up our calendars again with lots of "busy-ness." All too soon, we may be needing, wishing for, longing for a retreat.
We at Middleway urge you to consider what parts of the pandemic were good for you and honor them some way. Did you read more? See more detail in your surroundings? Appreciate the phone calls or other communications from friends and family? Learn to cook from scratch? Whatever it was, make a point to keep it up to some degree. Perhaps a new program from Middleway is something you'll want to reserve time for -- Poetry as Prayer. A new video is posted on our group page each Saturday. Give it a try!
Read about what's going on at Middleway below. Make a note to check out our Facebook group page or website.
Poetry as Prayer set for Saturday mornings in June
How can poetry be used as prayer? Find out each Saturday in June. A video will be offered on our group page to help guide you each Saturday at 10 a.m. Click here for an example. Then, on June 26 those who are in the Bryan-College Station area will be invited to an in-person gathering for the final Poetry as Prayer time. The event is led by Aneya Elbert.
The Way of the Heart topic of weekly book club
Our June book, "The Way of the Heart" by Henri Nouwen continues Tuesday, June 8, at 7 p.m. Central time. We will be using a study guide offered by the Henri Nouwen Society. This small but deep book offers "ancient spiritual wisdom to heal our troubled modern souls." Tuesday's gathering will focus on the second chapter, "Silence."
The book is available in many formats in print or online. The group is open to all. Here's how to join:
Meeting ID: 862 8991 8385 Passcode: 164675
or call in 1 346 248 7799
Interested in spiritual direction or formation training?
If you've considered learning more about Christian spirituality and how the training might impact you and your ministry, check out FIND - School for Spiritual Direction and Formation. Applications are being accepted until June 30 for the ecumenical school which offers classes once a month on a Saturday so that busy lay and clergy people can attend more easily. NEW THIS YEAR: FIND is launching a second version of the school. After a successful transition to Zoom classes in 2020 to operate the school during the pandemic, the FIND board has agreed to offer a parallel school which will be exclusively online to enable anyone to attend without regard to location. The traditional school, which was founded in 1997, will return to an in-person venue at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Bryan, Texas. A person may choose to enroll in either the online or in-person school. FIND hopes to move to Middleway Urban Monastery when a physical location is established. For more information, see www.schoolforspiritualdirection.org.
How to Visit Middleway Urban Monastery
Ready to dig a little deeper spiritually? We're here for you.
You're a "member" if you are receiving this newsletter. Come and see what the monastery has for you online. When you enter our URL, facebook.com/groups/TheMiddan MonasteryReady to dig a little deeper spilewayUrbanMonastery, it is like opening the door of a physical building, and you will find all that is offered there.
Likewise, you can 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.
If you know others who would like to "join," ask them to subscribe to our weekly newsletter by going to https://www.middlewayurbanmonastery.org/contact and entering their email address at the Subscribe button on the lower right.
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