silence, community, insight
Bethany House of Prayer offers ongoing programs to nourish our desire for deep stillness and connection. We draw upon ancient and contemporary practices from Christianity and other traditions to deepen our awareness of the Holy in ordinary life and to inform our actions in the world. Whether you are experienced with contemplative practices or a newcomer, we welcome you to join us in a community of encouragement for soulful living.
Words matter as does the silence out of which they come.
Contemplative Prayer
Thursdays, 10 - 11:30 am — currently meeting through Zoom. Please let us know of your interest in participating by filling out the form found HERE. Newcomers welcome each week.
There is different quality or essence in being with others in silence than alone. If you’ve wondered about maintaining or experiencing a practice of contemplative prayer, joining with others can be a source of encouragement and enrichment. Opening prayers and selected readings lead us into a time of extended silence. We regather for contemplative dialogue, mindful of continuing the balance of silence and words. Sometimes a healing insight will occur or the robin singing in the garden will be heard. We might leave changed by the word of another or the renewal that comes in beginning again. Contemplative Prayer will regather on September 19 after our summer sabbath.
Facilitated by Bethany Colleagues and Associates.
evening contemplative practice
We meet the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, beginning September 24, 2024.
A bi-weekly gathering, offered online, to explore spiritual practices through meditation, teachings, and discussion, facilitated by Christi Humphrey and Heidi Stahl. We welcome people of all experiences looking for silence in community and support in bringing mindfulness and compassion into their spiritual path. Newcomers are welcome at each gathering. Please register here to receive the Zoom link.
Fall 2024: Practices of the Heart
Join Christi Humphrey and Heidi Stahl as we explore practices that grow our capacity to live from the heart.
We live in challenging times. Voices of fear and threat can be persuasive and compelling. Yet wisdom traditions tell us that love and compassion are always available to us. How do we support our hearts and minds to connect with that ever present love? Can we find practices and rhythms that help develop and nourish our innate capacity for love, generosity, compassion and other strengthening spiritual qualities?
This fall, we will share readings, prayers, practices, and stories both sacred and secular, to practice training our hearts to recognize and experience love. This season, our gatherings will be informed by Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity & Love. Written by American Buddhist teacher Oren Jay Sofer, the book is a “pragmatic guide to living a life of meaning and purpose in a time of great social, environmental, and spiritual upheaval...Sofer offers powerful tools to strengthen our hearts and nourish the qualities that can transform our world.”
Your Heart Was Made For This offers lessons in the qualities central to the Christian faith — most of all, living from the heart. Sometimes a different vocabulary and fresh metaphors can help us experience our home tradition in a new way, deepening our faith.
Our time together will include guided meditation and time for sharing questions and reflections from the heart. You are welcome, but not required, to read the book on your own. We invite you to simply come and join us. We look forward to learning and practicing with you and tending our hearts in community.
Contemplative Writing Group
Fridays, 10 a.m. to Noon, September through June. (This offering is now full.)
This group is for writers who already have a practice and desire sustained community, as well as those seeking to explore writing with a contemplative approach. We will be guided by practices that draw our voices, wisdom and stories from stirrings into fully realized form, as reflections, narratives, and poems. Freshly generated material as well as finished pieces may be offered for response and care. Short craft talks will augment this time of listening to the still small voice within, giving it life on the page.
Led by Bethany Colleague: Kathleen Hirsch, M.F.A., who had a long career in narrative journalism before authoring three books of creative nonfiction, including A Sabbath Life: One Woman’s Search for Wholeness. In addition to being a spiritual director and writer, Kathleen teaches at Boston College addressing social justice and contemplative work.
“May we all grow in grace and peace, and not neglect the silence that is printed in the center of our being. It will not fail us. It is more than silence. Jesus spoke of the spring of living water, you remember.”