Dear Middleway Urban Monastery friends, Several pots of gorgeous plants help create an inviting vibe at Middleway. Big windows beaming with light and a soaking weekly water have leaves of every shape and size stretching with bright green new growth. It was during the watering this week, when an ornate pot was moved, that a shriveled leaf was spotted on the floor. From a distance, it seemed to have ruffled edges. A closer look revealed four tiny plants trying their best to grow. No longer attached to the original plant, these four are sending out roots - long roots on both sides of the leaf - searching for a way to live. We're going to give these four a place to stretch out and find the plant they are meant to be. Middleway offers that to you as well. If you no longer feel connected to your original spiritual or religious base, we offer you a peaceful setting to explore your connection to God. May you find it easy to grow into the person God made you to be as you settle into Middleway. Find out more about us below and mark your calendars to join us! Middleway's Facebook Group
Common Threads to focus on dialogue for peace The question to ponder between now and the next meeting of Common Threads Discussion Group is "How can I rely on my faith as I navigate the challenges and changes in my world?" The next gathering will be 2 p.m. May 11. 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. 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. 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. Some directors charge for their service while others offer to listen as part of their volunteer ministry. Our current spiritual directors are listed at https://www.middlewayurbanmonastery.org/spiritual-direction and others will be added soon. Let us know if we can help you find a listening soul companion. Learn more about spiritual formation, direction FIND _ School for Spiritual Direction and Formation, 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