6pm Lenten Pastorates

Every Sunday until March 8, 2020

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Lenten Pastorates 2020 web

Spiritual and communal practices for sharing in the life of God

Five Pastorates will be offered during Lent this year, each exploring a different spiritual practice as we prepare our hearts for Holy Week and Easter. We have fewer Pastorate options this year because we are also encouraging everyone to participate in our Catechism Class, which will cover the newly revised ACNA catechism called To Be a Christian. Feel free to participate in both the class and a Pastorate, or choose whichever you feel will benefit you the most spiritually. Sign up in the foyer.

The Spiritual Practice of Simplicity
Begins Sunday, March 1 at 6:00 pm
Facilitators: Nan and Dave Thomas
Simplicity involves an inward reality that leads to an outward lifestyle, making it the most visible of all the spiritual disciplines. However, its outward visibility also makes it subject to misunderstanding and corruption. The key to simplicity isn’t the outward manifestation (although, yes, we can have too many pairs of shoes); the key is always to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Keeping first things first leads to a freedom to enjoy God, people, things, beauty, and ideas. This offers a life of stark contrast to modern culture, for example, the excessive consumerism which encourages us to “buy the things we do not want to impress the people we do not like” (Richard Foster). In this Pastorate we will consider the biblical basis for simplicity, the ways it has been practiced over time, and how we might cultivate a life integrated around seeking first the kingdom of God.

The Great Commandment: A Lenten Spiritual Guide
Begins Sunday, March 1 at 6:00 pm
Facilitator: Gary Osborne
“Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” In this Pastorate we will incorporate the four themes of the Great Commandment: “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Jesus sums up the Christian life and the human condition in this great declaration of godly living. Each week we will take one of the themes as our guide for spiritual development: heart-emotions (depression, anger, jealousy, joy, happiness); soul-being (inward reflections of struggles and triumphs); mind-thoughts (song and music as mental development); and strength -body (physical maintenance, food, supplements, rest, and exercise).

Women Cultivating Space
Begins Sunday, March 1 at 6:00 pm
Facilitator: Abbie Gristy
Charles Spurgeon said, “Nearness to God brings likeness to God. The more you see God the more of God will be seen in you.” Join us in this Pastorate for women as we walk through Ruth Chou Simons book Beholding and Becoming, a devotional exploring the art of everyday worship. In a beautiful orchestration of words and illustration, Simons invites us to cultivate space in our lives to behold our Creator and allow grace to overflow as we become what we behold.

Wednesday Pastorates