Dear Middleway Urban Monastery friends,
As our practice of offering community prayer several times throughout each day continues, Middleway also is adding new practices aimed at helping you discover where God is in your personal life. We do that in a way that maintains your anonymity, if that's what you seek, but also include some options that will put you in community with other seekers.
This week, we're adding two new options. On Oct. 11, Soul Care Sabbath will begin at 2 p.m. This one-hour zoom gathering will begin with a conversation about contemplative spiritual practices. Soul Care Sabbath will continue monthly through December and perhaps beyond, if participants would like. It's a great way to learn some new ways of being in God's presence.
If zooming or gathering at a particular time doesn't fit your schedule, try our new weekly devotional offered on Thursdays after lunch by Rev. Sue Bell. The brief devotional includes some questions to ponder.
Read about our new options below and make a note to check out these and other options on our Facebook group page.
Soul Care Sabbath begins Oct. 11
A new group experience will be offered beginning Sunday to guide the practice of observing Sabbath with rest, stillness, and silence. The group, led by Aneya Elbert, will meet the second Sunday of the month: Oct. 11, Nov. 8, Dec. 13. It's one hour on Zoom - 2-3 p.m. Included in this interactive group will be:
Contemplative Spiritual Practices
Express your voice through creativity
The gift of spiritual companions
Weekly devotional connects world events to your life
Daily prayers for current events have been well-received on our Facebook group page. Now, Rev. Sue Beall is offering a weekly devotional with personal study questions to reflect on as you ponder how her message pertains to your life. Look for it on the Facebook Group at 1 p.m. each Thursday. You can work through it then or check back for it when you have time, perhaps pondering each of the questions over the week.
Creativity continues in weekly book study
Discussions on "Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet," by Matthew Fox, will continue on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. This week's discussion is on Chapter 5. Plan to join us on Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86289918385?pwd=SjcwUW5NMlZnWUtlNFFYd01waVZzUT09 Meeting ID: 862 8991 8385 Passcode: 164675 OR find your local number to dial in: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdizMlCaXm
How to Enter Middleway Urban Monastery
If, for whatever reason, you feel "spiritual but not religious," or you no longer have a church or you are just "done" with organized religion, no worries. We do not ask you to join the FB group page in order to participate. Just come to the monastery online as often as you want. We're about providing you space to seek hope, comfort and peace as you explore ways of experiencing God’s love. You're a "member" if you are receiving this newsletter. All are welcome, so share as you like.
Imagine our Facebook public group page as a physical building. When you enter our URL, facebook.com/groups/TheMiddlewayUrbanMonastery, it is like opening the door of a physical building, because you will find all that is offered there.
Likewise, you can come to our website and explore the offerings, including links to our Twitter and Instagram accounts, if you like those formats and want to follow.
For the time being, our monastery is online only. We plan to eventually offer a physical space in Bryan, Texas. Even then, however, we will continue to offer our prayer times, meditations, centering, contemplation and various workshops and retreats online and led by spiritual directors and leaders around the Bryan-College Station, Texas area. Participants are welcome from around the world.
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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