Christian Meditation
We live in a noisy world filled with ceaseless activity. We seek space to be quiet and be with God within ourselves. If you wish to learn how to meditate and find more quietness, you are welcome to join fellow meditators, who meet Mondays on ZOOM starting at 7:000 p.m.
Christian meditation is a form of silent contemplative prayer. Simple, continuous, repetition of a mantra or prayer word leads us from the mind to the heart. Silently repeating the word creates a narrow path of silence we can follow through the noise, distractions, agitation, and turbulence of the mind. We are learning to be silent, to be with God, to be in God.
For many years we have been blessed with the leadership and guidance of our good friend Bill Meek. We will continue his legacy, even as we mourn his loss. For further information and a ZOOM link, please contact Evelyn Perkins at perkeve@hotmail.com.
Heretics (or Thursday Morning Discussion Group)
“Religions are kept alive by heresies, which are really sudden explosions of faith. Dead religions do not produce them.”- Gerald Brenan.
The Thursday morning discussion group is affectionately nicknamed the Heretics thanks to a willingness to be open to challenging ideas in theology. The lively discussions are often based on biblical texts, magazine articles, progressive theological books, and occasionally on-off discussions on topics of interest.
The aim of the group is to have participants express their view and to learn from one another. There is a good deal of discernment, a willingness to listen to and challenge any and all ideas … accompanied by a great deal of laughter. The heretics distribution list boasts 20 people, with a typical meeting seeing about 8-10 participants. Some come every chance they get, and others come only occasionally. You don’t need to be on our distribution list or to have read the focus literature to attend. All are welcome – participants or observers
We meet on ZOOM from 10:00 to 11:30 on Thursday mornings, from September through to the end of May.
For further information and/or a Zoom invitation, contact Evelyn Perkins (perkeve@hotmail.com) or Lynn Solvason (lynn.solvason@sympatico.ca).
Messy Church
Messy Church is a church that is fun! It celebrates faith with creativity and hospitality! Join us once per month after church from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for an intergenerational time of crafts, games, stories and music. A light lunch will be served. For more information, contact Val Lines at bvlines@rogers.com.
Teleos
Teleos is a study group for all members that identify as a woman. They meet on the last Wednesday of the month. They take their name from a Greek word meaning goal or purpose. Our teleos also involves growth.
Teleos has been meeting since January 1983, and recently via ZOOM, to do some theological thinking about women’s experience and how it affects our spirituality, our way of thinking of God and our role in the world.
Over the years, Teleos has provided the challenge, stimulation and mutual support that has assisted in the personal growth of each woman, and has helped the group participate in a variety of studies. The leadership is provided by the members of the group, usually working in teams, and is often related to a particular theme. The haiku “I said to the almond tree, sister speak to me of God, and the almond tree blossomed” is how some think of Teleos. The other definition we use is the teleos of an oak tree is an acorn. The overtone is that the growth is of the whole person, specifically our spirit. For further information, please contact Colleen Calvert (colleenecalvert@icloud.com).
