Dear Middleway Urban Monastery friends,
We at Middleway are a quiet group for the most part. Prayer times, meditation, centering, reflection. Those are words that give us pause and refresh. But right now we want to shout, or at least make a joyful noise.
Here's why: we were notified April 20 that we will be receiving a grant that will enable us to establish a physical place in Bryan, Texas. That means visitors - you! - can come for a peaceful daytime getaway. We've already started looking for a location and pending our receipt of the funds from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas Strategic Mission Grant, we hope to be ready to extend our hospitality to all of you soon. We will also want you to become part of Middleway by volunteering through a "Circle of Stewards" who will help us maintain the property and functions of the monastery. We'll share more about that soon.
So watch for more details in our newsletter. In the meantime, we continue to offer many ways for you to find hope, comfort and peace via our virtual offerings. And, for those of you who live well beyond the reaches of Bryan, we will continue to offer our rhythm of prayer and other programs for you to experience virtually even after we have a physical presence.
Read about what's going on at Middleway below. Make a note to check out our Facebook group page or website.
Middleway hosts World Labyrinth Day "Walk as One" on May 1
We will take part in World Labyrinth Day May 1 at 1 p.m. with a virtual "Walk as One at 1 for Peace." Internationally, World Labyrinth Day invites communities to join in a meditation for peace globally.
Register at the link below.
Click here to download a paper labyrinth
Book club to complete Soul Making
This week, we'll finish our book of the month, "Soul Making: The Desert Way of Spirituality," by Alan Jones. Read Chapters 7-9, which is the third section of the book called The Call for Joy. We'll gather on Tuesday, April 27, at 7 p.m. Central time. 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
Get the May book now and be ready for its first discussion on May 4. The book is "Streams of Living Water" by Richard Foster. Read the forward, introduction and chapter 1 for our May 4 meeting.
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 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/TheMiddlewayUrbanMonastery, 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.
Comments