Faithful Meetings program is grounded in the belief that spiritual deepening should, and can, begin at home. Through Faithful Meetings, Friends meetings and churches will be provided opportunities to build spiritual and emotional bonds between members, learn about and engage in corporate and individual Quaker spiritual practices, and explore how to listen attentively and surely for the “still, small Voice” which guides each and all toward wholeness.
Faithful Meetings will gather at the meetinghouses of participating communities. A School of the Spirit facilitator will travel to the meeting for the opening retreat and will work from-a-distance with individuals in the community to co-facilitate subsequent gatherings using distance learning tools.
The purpose of Faithful Meetings will not be to teach a specific orientation but to provide understanding of the spiritual depth and range of Quaker practices and theological expressions so that each community can use these practices in ways that are authentic to them.
Before the coronavirus and COVID-19, the School of the Spirit Ministry offered weekend retreats, often incorporating three nights, held at various retreat centers. Until we can safely return to those centers, we are holding e-retreats.
This program began its first year-long series of four residencies in August 2019. The plan was then, and presumably will be in the future, to get together over long weekends — Labor Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, and the following Labor Day. Unfortunately, because of the coronavirus, only two of the four residencies were able to take place so far. Mostly, the program has gone online, with considerable contact and opportunities for spiritual deepening. Before this series is finished, there will be at least one more in-person residency.
We see the journey towards selfhood – becoming the seed God planted within us before our birth – as having a shape or arc of movement. The progression of our residencies reflect that arc: Incarnation; Temptation; Harrowing/ Crucifixion; Resurrection/Transformation. Each residency will touch on all four of these threads, and each residency will focus more on one thread than the others.
If this peaks your interest, please email info@schoolofthespirit.org, sign up for our newsletter.
Spiritual Renewal Retreat
For graduates of our extended programs, a long weekend on a theme presented and guided by a guest teacher, held once every few years. The purpose is to provide ongoing prayer and learning for those called to minister to Friends.
On Being a Spiritual Nurturer
This program, which has involved 6 residencies and a total of 26 residential days over 18 months, is currently on hiatus.
When in session, On Being a Spiritual Nurturer invites participants to seek and respond to the guidance, teaching, and activity of the Light of Christ at work in all; to be grounded in the Life and Power of God; and to be more deeply and fully attuned to the Spirit. The program is for persons who feel drawn to a deeper communion with God and the service that might arise. It is for persons who are concerned about the spiritual well-being of their faith community, and it is for persons who are called to the ministry of spiritual nurture. Elements of the program are designed to touch mind, heart, body, and spirit. The practice of prayer is essential.
If this sounds like something you may be interested in at a future time, please email us:
info@schoolofthespirit.org. And check back from time to time.
