Registration for this workshop is at capacity and is closed. For questions, please contact Chris Allen at callen@westendumc.org.

Are You Ready To Take The Next Step?

• Do you have a brain that is always buzzing and has a hard time slowing down?
• Are you most comfortable in overdrive with a list of things to do and a plan that involves multitasking? 
• Are “doing nothing” and making time for prayer outside of your comfort zone?  

If so, welcome to my world! Examining West End’s Pilgrimage 2016 booklet, I easily checked off the categories of Doing and Caring. Learning was a category full of promise, but Being? Just Being? Apprehension always begins to build when I try to identify time in my life to set aside for contemplation, meditation or prayer. 

Topics for my prayer are not in short supply. 

• Praise for the beauty that surrounds us,
• Gratitude for a list of important relationships. 
• Hopes for those who are struggling. 
• Help for the demons that sap my own spirit. 

In other words, the “doing and caring” part of prayer is not the issue.  What still eludes me is making time in my day to be still and calming my mind enough to listen.  Practices that I believe will lead to a fuller relationship with God and Jesus and a stronger faith. 

I envy those who exude a sense of peace and calm. I marvel at the flow of creative ideas that tumble from the minds of some people and wish for the heightened awareness displayed by those who pray regularly. So what keeps me from committing to a plan?  Some have suggested that a secret devotion to the adrenalin produced by a hectic schedule keeps me from exploring further. Others say that fear of boredom or repressed problems make this change less than attractive. 

If you can empathize with this position, please save Friday evening, August 26 and the first half of Saturday, August 27 for a workshop that will help address common roadblocks and offer tools to help us deepen and broaden our prayer lives.  During this time, Gordon Peerman, an Episcopal priest, author, and a childhood member of West End will use mindfulness techniques as tools to help us explore an expanded and deepened awareness of our connection with Christ.  I hope you’ll join me in looking for new ways to release unnecessary fears and habits of worry. 

Do these ideas intrigue and excite your imagination? The good news is that you don’t have to wait until August! During the summer, we will share ideas, exercises, and reading suggestions to use in preparation for the workshop.                         

—Anita Schmid
Member of West End UMC Spiritual Formation Team