Discipleship - Prayer
Centering Prayer Group
Monday Evenings at 7:00 p.m.
In the Church
“Right now there are about two billion Christians on the planet. If a significant portion of them were to embrace the contemplative dimension of the Gospel, the emerging global society would experience a powerful surge toward enduring peace.” Thomas Keating, OCSO, in Manifesting God
If you have never practiced centering prayer, we are happy to share with you what we know about this method of prayer, and we welcome you to join us each week.
If centering prayer is part of your personal prayer life, join us for this weekly time of practicing the prayer in community. We have found it a powerful time and a great support to our individual commitment to centering prayer.
If you are drawn to or intrigued by the idea of sitting for 20 minutes in silence, resting in the incredible love of God, join us!
All are welcome at this weekly time of praying together. If you have questions or would like more information, contact Buff Barnes, bbarnes@stdavidschurch.org.
"Exercise in Faith"
10:00-11:00 a.m. in Dittmar Park
Saturdays through the summer (no class on August 21)
In I Corinthians 3:16-17, we read that our bodies are Jesus’ temple, so we should take care of them. Through exercise and prayer, train your body to be physically and spiritually fit. Join parishioner Endre Witthoeft, personal trainer with True-Grit Fitness, for an hour of fitness training followed by Saturday morning prayer.
The training session will take place in the park right beside the church. The workout will include warm-up, core stabilization (stomach and low-back strengthening), cardio (walk/jog/run for ten to twenty minutes depending on fitness level), total body strength training with medicine balls, tubing plyometrics, etc. Cool down stretch with prayer and meditation.
A prayer ... a total body workout ... a scripture of the week ... The Lord's Prayer ... it's that simple! Decide to do something healthy for yourself for the next eight weekends.
All are welcome ... men, women and teens. Be healthy for you, for the Lord!
Yoga with Spirit, Parishioner Amy Dolan, instructor
Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Undercroft
No Yoga in August 2010.
All are welcome at these yoga classes ... men, women, beginners and those who have practiced yoga before.
Astanga yoga incorporates a powerful, flowing sequence of postures that strengthens the body while quieting and focusing the mind. The Sanskrit word “yoga” means “to yoke.” In yoga we learn “to yoke” the spiritual and the worldly aspects of our lives. We do this because this integration is the only way to fully live and experience the God-given gift of life that each of us has received.
During our sessions, we will try to yoke the spiritual and the physical in each class. We will open with a brief discussion of one of the philosophical tenets of astanga yoga linking each of these concepts to our Christian faith.Then, we will do a full astanga asana (yoga postures) sequence for 75 minutes.
We hope you will take this opportunity to make the commitment to regular practice; to willingly assume the discipline of yoga. Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew (11:28-30), “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” By making this commitment, or assuming “the yoke” of yoga as a tool to help you effectively wear "the yoke" of your Christian faith, we think you will begin to discover the riches yoga and a living faith have to offer to your daily life.
No prior yoga experience is necessary. The classes will accommodate all levels. Childcare is available upon request
St. David's Labyrinth
Open third Sundays, November - June
3:00-5:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall
St. David’s Labyrinth is a meditative path in the shape of St. David’s cross. The labyrinth can be thought of as an image of the sacred path you take through life, its challenges and transitions. Walking the labyrinth may help you reflect on difficult as well as joyous journeys through life. Perhaps you will receive God's gift of guidance, insight into your situation, strength or patience to persevere, inspiration to follow a different path, emotional or spiritual healing or peace of mind. An instructional brochure is available here and at the labyrinth.
This canvas labyrinth, designed and painted by parishioners, is available for occasional loan by contacting the Rev. Lottie Cochran, lcochran@stdavidschurch.org.
Stations of the Cross
Click here for a pdf version of the Stations of the Cross liturgy
We are extremely blessed to have visual interpretations of the stations created by our own parish artist Paula Murray. Her work is quite extraordinary.
They will be displayed in the Fellowship Hall during Holy Week. For more information, contact the Rev. Lottie Cochran at 610.688.7947 or lcochran@stdavidschurch.org.
Stations of the Cross (or the Way of the Cross) refer to a liturgical depiction of the final hours of Jesus’ life, beginning with his arrest and ending as he is laid in the tomb. The tradition of this liturgy had its earliest roots at the time of
Renovaré, spiritual formation groups, continually form new groups as interest arises. What is a spiritual formation group? It is not a prayer group, though it incorporates prayer; not a support group but support is provided; not a Bible study, though each sessions focuses on a passage from scripture. It is a group whose purpose is to encourage its members to practice spiritual disciplines in daily life. Call the church office for contact information.
Spiritual Direction is helping people discover and tell their sacred story. The desire for a spiritual director grows out of a person’s deepening desire for companionship with God in all ways of life. Spiritual direction is a holy conversation between you and your spiritual director seeking God’s guiding presence in life.
Would you like to have someone to talk with about your prayer life and learn different ways of being with God? Are you interested in exploring questions like how is God working in my life, or who is God calling me to be?
If your answer is yes, contact the Rev. Frank Allen, fallen@stdavidschurch.org, about finding a Spiritual Director with whom you will meet once a month to talk about these kinds of spiritual concerns. We have several lay people at St. David’s who have trained as Spiritual Directors and would be happy to begin a journey of companioning with you.
Oasis Ministries Day Retreat Opportunities
Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development, based in Camp Hill PA, is offers retreats through out the year. All are welcome to attend these "days away."