A Growing Journey

Toward the end of the 1990's and early 2000's, I began a deepening journey in discernment. I had become involved in two, very different groups creating a powerful movement in my own spirit. Group one, was a theologically conservative prayer group that met on Friday mornings. A very charismatic, passionate and committed group of Christian women who devoted an enormous amount of their time to prayer, worship, bible study and works of service. We came together weekly for prayer, support and to share encouragements of God's words and works in our lives and in the lives of others. They were a group of risk takers, eager to pray for healing, initiate conversations and share Christ with others at every opportunity. We were together in prayer the morning of September 11, 2001 as we tearfully watched the burning twin towers on every TV channel.

The second group was also a group of women that met weekly, were deeply committed to study, worship and theological reflection. This second group was more structured than the first, they followed a curriculum from the Episcopal Seminary, Sewanee, called Education for Ministry. We met for 3 hours on Thursdays to review the weekly extensive readings in Old Testament, New Testament, Church History and ministry preparation. We also engaged daily life issues using a process of theological reflection that merged scripture, tradition and personal experience, using metaphors and other strategies to gain insight and sometimes revelation. Group two, generally speaking, held a more open view of scriptural interpretation, encouraging each other with creativity, prayer and the challenge to stretch beyond the face value of word and experience.

Over the next week or so I'll be writing about some of my learnings as I grew in faith and in community with these two very different groups of women and how this experience began to shape the calling I feel to ministry today - a calling to enhance healthy environments within congregations where differences and challenges become opportunities for powerful spiritual growth in personal faith and in community.

I hope you will join me.