Around the corner, is a world away. come refresh your spirit.

If you ever have a chance to travel by train in the UK, the words “Mind the Gap” will become a constant companion on your journey.  What an evocative phrase!  Meant to call travelers away from potentially harmful distraction and into more mindful movement, I have come to hear these words in an even more expansive way: as an invitation to pay loving attention to all the open places – in space and time – that appear in our lives. These gaps are gifts to us, “thin places” in time and space, gifts from the Holy One, inviting us to pause, to notice what our mindless feet and racing minds and hearts would otherwise miss.  The holy is right here, right now.  The Holy One is here, right in front of us, and also right within.

“Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer,” said that astounding soul Simone Weil in her writings gathered in Gravity and Grace. So whether it is a sign along the way of life calling us to “Mind the Gap.” Or the ringing of a bell – like the Angelus that rings here on the campus in Arlington – reminding us that God’s love became enfleshed like one of us.  By these and countless other means, the grace of God keeps calling us out of distraction and back into fuller attentiveness, back into prayer.

As summer’s days unfold toward fall, my prayer for you is that you will heed the signs and sounds that call you away from distraction and busy-ness into the unmixed attentiveness that is prayer.  And as the Spirit of God warmly embraces you in those moments, rest there, reassured and reminded that God is always there, buoying us up with Divine love and grace, even when you and I are too distracted to notice.

                                                                       The Search for Bethany’s Executive Director
The Search Committee for the next Executive Director of Bethany House is excited to be entering the next chapter of our discernment process with this week's launch of the Job Posting! We hope you will read it, pray for this search, and share the Job Description with those you think may be called to enter into discernment with us. The deadline for candidates to submit their materials is September 20th, 2024. Thank you for keeping this process and those who will be entering it in your prayers this coming month. 
                                                                                                                                                ~ The Rev. William W. Rich, BHOP Transition Director

 O good and gracious God, You who search us out and know us:
Look graciously on Bethany House of Prayer, and guide us as we
seek new leadership for this community, that our eyes may be open
to perceive the ones whom you are calling to serve here, who will equip
this community for its ministries now and in the years to come. Amen.

The Search Committee for the Executive Director
The Board of Bethany House has formed the Search Committee to search for the next Executive Director of Bethany House. 
The Search Committee is comprised of six members:

The Rev. Becky Binns, Co-chair
The Rev. Margaret Lias, Co-chair (BHOP board member)
The Rev. Nancy Gossling, Member
Tom Marsan-Ryan, Member
The Rev. Michael Thompson, Member (BHOP board member)
The Rev. Chris Wendell, Member

The Search Committee has begun their work, and would be delighted to hear from any Bethany House community members who would like to suggest potential candidates for E.D. The Search Committee’s email address for these and any other communications is: searchcommittee@bethanyhousearlington.org. 

Visit

A hidden sanctuary in Boston’s backyard

Discover a shady labyrinth of stone and grass. A meditation garden heavy with blossoms in spring. Paths winding up a gentle hill to a simple stone chapel. Our quiet spaces invite you to slow down and be refreshed by the beauty around you and within. It’s hard to believe we’re just minutes away from the bustle of downtown Arlington.

Programs & Retreats

Day and weekend programs for busy lives

With the ever-increasing noise and busyness of contemporary life, our hearts yearn for stillness and calm. Bethany House of Prayer retreats and programs provide a refuge of simplicity so you can refocus on what truly matters to you. Come for an hour, a day or a weekend, on your own, or with a group. Our mission is to nurture and support you.

Contemplative living

Spiritual grounding for daily action

The practice of contemplation invites us to experience a deeper self, quieter, open to underlying connections all around us. Caring for the life of the soul grounds our outer actions with focus and awareness. Sharing contemplative practice in community provides tools for living more present to the life of the Spirit, wherever we find ourselves.