APCE (Association of Presbyterian Church Educators) Annual Event 2019 . . . Galveston, Texas

“Ho, Come Now to the Water”

SPIRITUALITY CENTER Sponsored by The Synod of the Sun

https://www.synodsun.org/ designed by

Rita Odom (ritaeo@yahoo.com) & Fran Shelton (ftshelton@gmail.com)

Video Overview: https://www.facebook.com/SynodOfTheSun/videos/291174278233364/

WELCOME AND BAPTISM #1

Welcome, Child of God

Step 1. Remember your baptism by dipping your hand in the water.

Swirl your hand in the water to make the sign of the cross, saying or thinking “I am thankful to be called a child of God.”

Step 2. Before moving to another station, stand in front of a mirror

and let the Triune God speak to you. (Printed on Mirrors: You are kind, You are smart, You are important)

Step 3. Pick Up a Journal

Use the pages in the journal to record your own wisdom and feelings, quotes and memories, thoughts and experiences that you want to remember

as you visit the stations.

From the Baptism Station, choose other stations randomly.

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PROTESTANT ROSARY #2 Supplies Beading thread Seed beads Rosary beads-pick 11 beads Cross Felt piece To begin: • Lay out all of your supplies on a piece of felt

• Form knot on one end of bead thread by quickly moving it over a lit match

• String 10 seed beads on your thread (can use fewer seed beads)

• Put one rosary bead on the thread. This can be a mixture of the large beads. Enjoy

designing what you want to see in your rosary.

• Repeat 9 times, ending with seed beads

• Securely connect both ends with knot (leaving thread on both sides)

• Add seed beads and 2 remaining rosary beads on one piece of thread

• Tie cross to the end and cut remaining threads

• Begin your prayers.

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On The First Bead Thank you, O Spirit of God, for your presence filling my

life with power and grace as I offer to you now all

that I am and all that I hope to be. Amen.

Prayer of the Nine Beads Holy Spirit, gift of God most high, You are the source of all holiness

look upon my open heart as I come now before you seeking the fruit of

your presence in my life. Pour fourth into my soul the gift of your love.

I purely intend, with the help of your grace to lovingly serve God and

my brothers and sisters through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Love…lovingly Joy… joyfully

Peace… peacefully Patience…patiently Kindness…kindly

Generosity…generously Faithfulness…faithfully

Gentleness…gently Self-control…prudently

On the Last Bead O Spirit of God, as I return now to the activity of my life, may I

always welcome your interruption, in growing awareness of the holiness of all

creation. Amen

On the Cross In the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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STIR WHAT YOU GOT #3

Read the story.

The Story

Andy Edington, former president of Schreiner Institute (now Schreiner University) was coming home to Kerrville, Texas from a speaking engagement in Dallas. He was getting a bit sleepy, so he stopped for a cup of coffee. Those who knew him well knew that he put a lot of sugar in his coffee or tea. There were only a couple of packets of sugar on the table and, after using those, asked the waitress if she would please bring some more sugar to the table. The waitress, knowing that he had already put sugar in his coffee, gave him a look and replied, “Honey, stir what you got!”

Consider what spiritual gifts you have that need to be “stirred”

OR

Consider a spiritual gift you would like to have and stir it with prayer.

Create a spirit cookie as a symbol of your prayerful consideration.

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THE WORD #4 Choose one of the stories or a poem or a scripture that speaks to you at this moment.

Pick a quote or phrase to record in your journal.

Suggested scriptures:

Genesis 1:1-8 Isaiah 55:1-5, 10-13 Revelation 21:1-6 Jeremiah 17:7-8 Isaiah 43:2-3a John 4:13-14 John 13:5-9

Reading #1: From “Craddock Stories” by Fred B. Craddock I remember the first church I served as a student. They had a fund called the Emergency Fund and it had about $100 in it. They told me I could use it at my discretion, provided I dispensed the money according to the conditions. So I said, “What are the conditions?” The chairman of the committee said, “You are not to give the money to anybody who is in need as a result of laziness, drunkenness, or poor management.” I said, “Well, what else is there?” Far as I know, they still have that money. Reading #2: from “Craddock Stories” by Fred B. Craddock I lived near a railroad track as a boy, and I remember a number of mornings getting awake, getting up, going into the kitchen to get some breakfast, and there’d be a strange, ugly looking, poorly dressed man at the table eating – just eating away, eating away. I was scared of him. And when he left I would say, “Mom, who was that?” She’d say, “Well, his name was Henry, and he said he was hungry.” “Well, where’d he come from?” “He came from the railroad tracks.”

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People called them hobos. They walked the tracks begging, maybe stealing, getting what they could to stay alive. They’d stop by our house and there, ssitting in the kitchen eating what we had to eat, just eating it like they’d never have another meal. And I’d say, “Mama, weren’t you scared?” She said, “He’s hungry.” “Well, I was scared of him!” “Well, he was hungry.” Reading #3: from “Traveling Mercies” by Anne Lamott Our new pastor just “stepped into us”. She sings to us sometimes from the pulpit and tells us stories of when she was a child. She told us this story just the other day: when she was about seven, her best friend got lost one day. The little girl ran up and down the streets of the big town where they lived, but she couldn’t find a single landmark. She was very frightened. Finally, a policeman stopped to help her. He put her in the passenger seat of his car, and they drove around until she finally saw her church. She pointed it out to the policeman, and then she told him firmly, “You could let me out now. This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here.”

Reading #4: I SEE YOUR PAIN from “Searching For Shalom” by Ann Weems I see your pain and want to banish it with the wave of a star. but have no star. I see your tears and want to dry them with the hem of an angel’s gown, but have no angel. I see your heart fallen to the ground and want to return it wrapped in cloths woven of rainbow, but have no rainbow. God is the One who has stars, and angels and rainbows,

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And I am the one God sends to sit beside you and the angels dry your tears and your heart is back in place, rainbow blessed. Reading #5: FEEDING SHEEP from “Searching for Shalom” by Ann Weems He said, “Feed my sheep.” There were no conditions: Least of all, feed my sheep if they deserve it. Feed my sheep if you feel like it. Feed my sheep if you have any leftovers. Feed my sheep if the mood strikes y if the economy’s OK. . . if you’re not too busy. . . No conditions . . . just, “Feed my sheep.” Could it be that God’s Kingdom will come when each lamb is fed? We who have agreed to keep covenant are called to feed sheep even when it means the grazing will be done on our own front lawns. Reading #6: OUR GIFTS ARE GIFTS OF HOPE from “Searching for Shalom” by Ann Weems Our yearning after God, our hope for a better way creates infinite possibilities to touch the lives of the untouched. to reach the hearts Of the unreached to heal the wounds Of the unhealed to feed the bodies

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Of the unfed to accept the personhood Of the unaccepted to love the being Of the unloved Our gifts are gifts of hope; O God, touch reach heal feed accept and love us that we might love one another.

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HEALING AND FORGIVENESS #5 BEGIN by focusing on a personal or known tangled relationship in need of healing. CENTER your heart in prayer: from PRAYING with the EARTH: A Prayerbook for Peace by John Philip Newell

We wake to the forgiveness of a new day We wake to the freedom to begin again. We wake to the mercy of the sun’s redeeming light. Always new

always gift always blessing.

We wake to the forgiveness of this new day.

READ THE STORY: John Paul Lederach, a leading peace builder in Mexico, discovered the Spanish word enredo was used a great deal by persons who were working through conflict. The core word red or “net” in English relates literally to a fisherman’s tool. Here people envision conflict like a broken and completely tangled fishing net, the way it looks after coming through a hard session at sea. The work of response and repair requires the patience of the fisherman. Patiently, he unravels the tangles, repairs the torn areas and makes the rope-web whole again. And once whole, thousands of knots, points of contact and connection hold the individual strands together. Enredo as a vision (for healing [and forgiveness]) begins and concludes with a focus on the relational context and the collective whole. A fisherman does not “resolve” a tangle. They restore the connections and relationships, bringing back to life the very fabric and function of community. CAREFULLY take a fish from the net. Use WATER COLOR PENCILS to write names, words, phrases, emotions and thoughts on the fish. BRUSH waters of your baptism over the fish to visualize God’s gift of forgiveness. DISPLAY your fish in the net or take it with you.

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CLOUD OF WITNESSES #6 Read Hebrews 12:1-2a

Choose one of the cloud pictures as a visual. Follow the directions for Imago Divina to guide your experience.

Imago divina The art-and-prayer dynamic is both natural and rife with possibilities for growing self-awareness and understanding of self-before-God. Among the gifts of practicing imago divina are insight, wisdom, wonder, and hope. “The Art of Compassion” by Diane W. Stephens Silencio Prepare your heart, soul, and mind for prayer by breathing this prayer or one of your own.

Inhale: Triune God of Love and Light Exhale: draw me to the Cloud of Witnesses.

Imago Gaze at your cloud image. Take in the whole image. Be open to what it may be communicating to you. Refrain from analyzing or judging—simply gaze and ponder, “What beckons me to take a closer look?”

Meditatio Take a closer and different look at the image. You may want to turn it on its side or upside down. Notice what is there and what is not there. Examine the lines, shapes, color, perspective, and pattern. Close your eyes and ask: “What image remains in my mind’s eye?” Oratio Begin a conversation with God, Jesus, or Holy Spirit. Ask, “What is your visual word to me?” Listen. Share thoughts and feelings that surfaced while engaging with your cloud image. Share your hopes for this conference. Offer a prayer of praise for this time. Contemplatio Rest in the presence of God.

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OBJECT PRAYER #7

Select a shell that you will find comfort in holding and that may help prompt your prayers.

Hold the shell for several minutes and come “in touch” with meaning it brings to you.

Center and form a breath prayer with words from an old gospel hymn:

Inhale: Jesus, touch my heart. Exhale: Heal and make me whole again.

Continue holding the shell and in trust and confidence tell God your struggles.

When you have finished your breath prayer, allow for a time of silence.

Gaze at your shell and hold it so that you may begin praying to be blessed by the promised hope and gifts that come in struggle.

At the end of your prayer time, record your experience. Consider how it felt to hold a sacred object as you prayed. What ways did holding the shell enrich or diminish your prayers? How might you incorporate this “touch” prayer in your future prayers?

At the end of your prayer time record your experience in your journal.

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LABYRINTH #8

In this spiritual practice the Trinity of Love is the Triune God, your deceased loved one and you. Praying this labyrinth helps us gain insights, especially:

Love is stronger than death and after the death of a loved one your relationship become spiritual in nature

Begin with a centering prayer such as:

Christ of Compassion -- lead me on this journey. Living God of Love -- draw me near to your heart.

Gentle, Holy Spirit – comfort me, sustain me. Use a finger from your non-dominate hand and mindfully move along the winding path leading to the center. Stop for a moment at each curve to release distractions that keep you from being fully present to the Trinity of Love. Rest in the center and engage in a prayerful conversation with the Trinity of Love. Keep in mind it is also a time for listening for a word from God and/or your loved one. Some hear a literal word, some see visions, others simply discover a new found sense of peace and well-being or shift in perspective or awareness, or discover a new insight, and still others report no sense of change or greater awareness. What is significant here, as with all prayer and worship, is not the end result, but the intentional seeking of God and your loved one. When you sense that your conversation has come to an end, guide your finger to the beginning point. This time allows you to integrate any insight with gratitude by thanking God and your loved one for always being with you, both on the labyrinth and life’s journey. This is a time of preparing to reenter the world. We do not, however, reenter the world or exit the labyrinth as the same person we were when we first entered. A transformation has begun, whether we are aware of not. Write a reflection of your experience in your journal.

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Trinity of Love Provided by Faith & Grief Ministries

faithandgrief.org

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord [and our loved ones] forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

I Thessalonians 4:17-18